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CHAPTER II. 

 THE MUZZLE-LOADING SPORTING RIFLE. 



GENERAL REMARKS PURDEY's TWO-GROOVED RIFLE THE SINGLE AND 

 DOUBLE BELTED BALL THE ENFIELD RIFLE AND PR1TCHETT BALL 

 LANCASTER'S OVAL SPIRAL GENERAL JACOB'S FOUR-GROOVED RIFLE 

 THE FOUR AND FIVE-SIDED BORE, WITH ROUNDED ANGLES OF MAJOR 



NUTHALL AND MR. BOUCHER WHITWORTH's HEXAGONAL RIFLE 



POLY-GROOVED BORES VARIETIES OF BALLS SINGLE AND DOUBLE 



RIFLES. 



BEFORE proceeding to discuss the merits of the various kinds 

 of rifle, it will be well to examine each in detail, selecting 

 those which can be at all useful to the sportsman ; but in 

 doing this it will be necessary to consider with them the 

 balls which they respectively carry. I have already, in the 

 previous chapter, described the principle upon which all rifle 

 barrels are constructed \ but it now remains to consider the 

 questions depending upon the best number of grooves, the 

 proper amount of twist, and the shape of the ball which 

 shall be used with each; all of which subjects have been 

 partially explained in the first chapter, but the bearing of 

 one on the other has not been sufficiently taken into consi- 

 deration. Thus, it is well known that a very long ball 

 requires a greater twist in the barrel to prevent its upsetting, 

 which again necessitates a larger charge of powder. On the 

 other hand, a short ball will fly correctly without so much 

 twist, and with less powder, the friction in its case being 

 proportionately lessened. I shall therefore pass in review 

 the various balls and grooves in common use with the muzzle- 

 loader, leaving the description of those applicable to each 

 breech-loader to the division appointed to them. 



MR. PURDEY'S TWO-GROOVED RIFLE. 



Foremost in simplicity and in established fame stand Mr. 

 Purdey's rifles, to possess one of which has been the object 

 of most deerstalkers and rifle shots for many years. The 



