344 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



attempted at all, a solid bullet is occasionally the 

 best. The best wapiti head I have ever obtained 

 was by a practically end-on shot. The bull was 

 running almost from me ; but I wanted that head, 

 and took the chances. As it happened, the event 

 came off. The bullet entered the outside point of 

 the haunch, just grazed the hip-bone, raked the great 

 deer fore and aft, and finally lodged under the point 

 of the far shoulder. It is possible that in this case 

 an expanding bullet would have broken up too soon, so 

 lacked penetration, and the bull might have escaped. 



So much then for the express rifle and its killing 

 powers. Long experience of this rifle by numerous 

 sportsmen in all parts of the world has enabled gun- 

 makers to ascertain exactly the right proportions of 

 powder-charge, and weight of bullet, and amount of 

 hollow in the bullet, that are required in order to 

 obtain the best results. In the case of pachyderms 

 such as elephant and rhino, as well as buffalo and 

 bison, where greater penetration is required, the bullet 

 is usually solid and sometimes hardened. 



Turning again to the smokeless small-bore and its 

 killing powers, the conditions that we have to consider 

 are somewhat altered. The bullet, as we have seen, 

 is lighter, harder for the lead core is covered with 

 nickel and its velocity is greatly increased. Hence, 

 with solid bullet it is not a good and humane weapon 

 for hair or fur covered animals. The solid nickel- 

 covered bullet will often whistle through the body 

 of a deer, occasionally even where solid bone is 

 fairly struck, without inflicting an immediately fatal 

 injury, and the animal may either recover, or, what 

 is most undesirable, escape, and afterwards die a 

 lingering death. 



