340 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



of this smaller and lighter projectile. On the other 

 hand, it makes up for this loss by increased velocity, 

 How far the gain compensates for the loss depends 

 partly on the kind of game that is being hunted, the 

 portion of the animal's anatomy that is struck, and 

 the angle of contact. Also the importance of the 

 respective gain or loss may depend on the nature of 

 the country, and whether the particular animal is 

 dangerous or not. 



I can best explain my meaning by putting some 

 concrete cases. The first time I came across a band 

 of wapiti in the Rockies when shooting with a 

 Mannlicher this was in 1898 I killed two bulls, in 

 two successive shots, stone-dead. They fell to the 

 crack of the rifle. But luck had something to do 

 with it, for, being unaccustomed to the flat trajectory 

 of the rifle, I sighted a thought too high, at nearly 

 200 yards, and struck both bulls high and in the 

 spine. The shattering effect of a soft-nosed nickel- 

 covered bullet on the solid bone was in these cases 

 instantaneously fatal. 



A few days after I shot a good bull with the same 

 rifle fairly through the centre of the ribs, in thick 

 timber, and never saw him again. The bullet 

 probably struck no large bone, and may have gone 

 clean through the animal without breaking up, and 

 so without inflicting deadly injury, for all I know to 

 the contrary. Anyway, I did not get him, as I feel 

 confident I should have done had my old familiar 

 friend the double '500 express been in my hand on 

 that occasion. 



In the latter case, the heavier, larger bullet, moving 

 at lower velocity, would have expanded more and 

 done more damage, although no large bone was 



