360 



THE SPORTING RIFLE. 



MUZZLE -LOADER. BREECH-LOADER. 



STRENGTH OP SHOOTING. 



Nothing shoots so 

 strong as a muzzle- 

 loader, not on the ex- 

 pansion principle, "be- 

 cause there is no loss 

 of power in cutting 

 the grooves on the 

 ball. 



This may be in- 

 creased to any extent 

 in the muzzle-loader, 

 and in any kind of 

 "breech-loader which is 

 firmly secured at the 

 breech. 



As the hall has to 

 cut its way out there 

 must be aloss of power, 

 and consequently less 

 strength of shooting,, 

 than with a ball such 

 as Purdey's, which has 

 nothing to do but to 

 pass up the barrel. 



WEIGHT OP BALL. 



See remarks on the 

 muzzle-loader. 



REVOLVER. 



The same remarks 

 apply to revolvers as 

 to breech-loaders, with 

 the additional disad- 

 vantage of great loss 

 of power by escape of 



The weight of ball 

 is necessarily small to 

 keep down the size of 

 the chambers, and to 

 prevent accident at 

 the junction of the 

 barrel and chamber. 



FINAL CHOICE OF RIFLE. 



Of the various muzzle-loaders in use, I believe there is 

 none better for sporting purposes than Purdey's two-grooved, 

 with the winged ball. Here there is no unnecessary friction 

 and no windage, and consequently a very low trajectory and 

 a strong penetration. Mr. Boucher's I believe also to be a 

 good plan, but I have never seen it tried, so that I cannot 

 speak so confidently of its merits. Lancaster's oval bore no 

 cloubt performs well occasionally, but from the tendency to 

 strip, a shot is never to be depended on. Of the Enfield I 

 think it may be said that it is a very useful one for common, 

 purposes, but that it is not capable of the high degree of per- 

 fection to which the others may be carried that is to say, if 

 used with the Pritchett ball on the expansion principle. 

 Among the breech-loaders, I think none comes up to 

 Prince's, which is the only rifle that will stand a com- 

 parison with the best muzzle-loaders. Leetch's no doubt 

 shoots very well, but the escape is always an objection. 

 For a double breech-loading rifle I have seen nothing as 

 yet superior to the Lefaucheaux, and I think if carefully 

 constructed, very good shooting may be got out of it. 



