338 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



of moderate caliber this would leave the rest of the 

 ball so thin that when it explodes there is nothing but 

 splinters from the sides and a light butt. If fired 

 empty it will fly into flinders upon striking, and upon 

 such solid parts as the haunch of a deer will tear a 

 bad flesh-wound and often let the deer get away on 

 three legs. When made explosive, the explosion, which 

 begins at the depth of about half an inch, retards 

 it much more, not only by backward pressure, but by 

 opening the ball faster than it otherwise would open. 

 By exploding around the feet, explosive balls are also 

 much more certain to alarm game that might stand 

 until you get its range by seeing the balls strike. 



Much better in the long-run is the ball made sim- 

 ply expansive by a hole in front. It is common to 

 place in this hole a hollow copper tube, filled with 

 tallow or wax. All of which is idle toil. The effect 

 is precisely the same with nothing in them. The 

 accuracy is the same up to all ranges at which it is 

 worth while to shoot at game at all. Beyond those 

 ranges they will all turn over butt foremost. No 

 difference is perceptible between the accuracy of balls 

 cast hollow and solid ones, except of course at long 

 range. The extent to which a ball shall expand is a 

 very important question. A ball may be made to 

 fly into pieces so small that you can scarcely find one 

 in an animal. Or it may be made to break up into 

 six or eight or ten pieces. Or it may be made to sim- 

 ply spread out like a mushroom without breaking. 

 Or it maybe cast so as to merely increase its diameter 

 about one half, etc. 



By many the expansion of a ball is supposed to de- 

 pend upon its velocity. Up to a certain point this is 

 of course true. But beyond that point it depends 



