350 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



generally required in open country; while the kinds 

 of game I have mentioned are more easily killed 

 than the large deer and the great carnivora and 

 pachyderms of forest and jungle. So a single-barrel 

 magazine small-bore can be the more confidently 

 recommended for use on the open prairie or veld, on 

 bare and rocky mountain-side, and in the lonely 

 heath- clad glens and corries of a Highland forest. 



Before going on to summarize the points so far 

 dealt with, there are some minor matters in this com- 

 parative estimate of modern sporting rifles that are 

 worth a word or two. 



There are, for example, the questions of weight and 

 of cost. 



The weight of a double *500 express or of a 

 modern *303 or larger double smokeless-powder rifle 

 is a practical consideration. It means at least a 9j 

 pounds to 11 pounds weight, as against the 7 pounds 

 of a single Lee-Enfield or Mannlicher or *400 black- 

 powder express. This difference of 2^ pounds or 

 more will tell in a long day's stalking or hunting in a 

 rough country where the sportsman carries his own 

 rifle, no matter how young and able-bodied he may be. 

 Where a rifle-bearer or stalker or gillie is employed, 

 the disadvantage of the extra weight does not matter 

 so much. In a woodland country, however, it is 

 often necessary for the rifleman to have his weapon 

 constantly in hand, for one never knows when the 

 opportunity may come ; and if the rifle is not 

 instantly available when looking for red -deer, for 

 example, in cover, or when tracking an old bull elk 

 through thick Norway pine- woods, the chance of a 

 day, a week, or even of a season, may be lost. So 

 the weight of the weapon is worth considering, and 





