SPORTING RIFLES AND THEIR USE 359 



went off sooner than he expected. But we may take 

 this to be the exception which proves the rule. 



The movement or recoil of a rifle at the moment 

 of discharge also requires to be considered. This 

 movement is either up or down, and known as the 

 'jump'; or lateral, and known as the 'flip.' The 

 extent of this 'jump' or 'flip' must largely depend 

 on how a rifle is held. For my part I advocate, not 

 as a result of any scientific calculation, but from 

 practical experience, that a sporting rifle should be 

 gripped firmly when fired. There is a nervous 

 elasticity in the human grip of a rifle that is the best 

 possible corrective for excess of 'jump ' or 'flip.' 



Here is a curious fact that anyone can test for 

 himself. Take a modern express or small-bore firing 

 a full charge. Align it carefully from a rest, such as 

 a stone or a log, and then pull the trigger, holding 

 the weapon loosely meanwhile. No matter how 

 accurate the aim, the bullet will fly wide of the mark. 

 The 'jump ' or kick of the rifle off the inanimate rest 

 is presumably the cause. When firing from such a 

 rest in the field and I think the practice a bad one 

 with modern rifles I have always found that it is 

 absolutely necessary to hold the rifle with an extra 

 firm and rigid grasp if good shooting is to result. 



The old heavy Norske rifle, weighing about 

 12 pounds, and firing a comparatively light charge 

 of powder, worked well from a rest, because the 

 weight of the rifle, combined with the lighter charge, 

 minimized the 'jump.' The lighter weight and 

 stronger charge of the modern weapon make all the 

 difference in this respect. 



I was once practising with two rifles at Purdey's 

 range near London. One rifle was a double "500 



