DEAD WEIGHT 295 



I do not contend that short-barrelled rifles 

 would be equally effective at, say, five 

 hundred yards range. But in my experience 

 more bio^ crame is killed at under a hundred 

 yards than over. Two hundred yards is all 

 the sportsman wants. Disregarding tele- 

 scopic sights and similar dodges, I find that, 

 at over that distance, it is not possible to lay 

 the rifle on the proper spot, because the 

 '' bead " covers too much of the animal. 

 Experience shows me that my gunmaker 

 correspondent is right : except at short 

 ranges, a hundred yards and under, an 

 orthoptic is necessary with a short barrel. 

 But this is no objection. They^ are almost 

 universally used by American sportsmen, 

 and said to be quick and handy, even for 

 running shots. At all events, I am not too 



^ Lyman's Patent. 



