EVOLUTION OF GUNS AND RIFLES 
The sporting rifle reaped its full share of the benefit. For 300 years its 
progress had been slow. It was lacking both in range and in power. The 
usual weapon for deer was a 12 or 16 bore, carrying a round bullet. Long, 
and often vain chases after wounded stags were common enough in Scottish 
deer forests. The accurate pea-rifle of the European or American hunter, 
a long -barrelled weapon of small calibre, was capable of dealing with the 
game of both continents with the exception of some of the bears, the only 
dangerous game of large size. For the lions, tigers, elephants, and other 
big game of Asia and Africa, it was only a large ball at very close range 
that was adequate. Sir Samuel Baker’s elephant rifle, designed by him 
in 1840, weighed 21 lbs., and fired a round ball weighing 3 oz. with a 
large charge of powder. This and a double 10 bore he found very effective 
on large game. The conical bullet gave a heavier projectile for the same 
bore with ample penetration, but this was not always an advantage. 
Mr G. P. Sanderson, who had a wide experience of elephant shooting 
in India in the “sixties” and “seventies,” preferred to use for such large 
game a double smoothbore 4-bore, rather than a heavy 8 -bore, rifle. He 
warned hunters against using the Express rifle of *500 or *450 bore, firing 
a high velocity charge with a hollow conical bullet, at such game as buffalo. 
The Express rifle was first so named by Purdey, the term dating from 
1856. It marked an era in developement, and much lengthened the dis- 
tance at which a sure shot could be made in deerstalking. The high velocity, 
however, was found to give too great penetration with a solid bullet; hence 
to induce them to open or “ mushroom,” and to expend their whole energy 
on the animal struck, they were made hollow in front. At the same time 
they were made very light, so as to have a high starting velocity. But 
it was soon found that such bullets were ineffective on such animals as 
sambur or moose, for want of penetration. A *450, with a solid bullet of 
substantial weight, giving great penetration, was powerful enough in 
skilled hands to account for the largest game, as witness the experience 
of Mr F. C. Selous, who with a -461 single rifle, made by Gibbs, and firing 
(of course) a charge of black powder and such a bullet as was used for 
match shooting at long range at Wimbledon, killed many elephants, 
rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, buffaloes, and giraffes, and on one occasion 
three lions with four shots. Such a record made with a rifle that could not 
give a knock-out blow to a big beast, as could a 4 bore, and had not even a 
second shot ready immediately to follow the first, testifies to the quality 
of the hunter quite as much as to that of the weapon. Admirable Express 
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