I 
THE RIFLE OF A PAST HALF CENTURY 
27 
bullets except against such small game as black- 
buck and other antelopes or deer. 
So much for the Express hollow bullet, after 
which it is at the option of all persons to please 
themselves; but personally I should decline the 
company of any friend who wished to join me in 
the pursuit of dangerous game if armed with such 
an inferior weapon. In another portion of this 
volume I shall produce a striking instance of the 
result. 
The magazine rifle, which is destined to become 
the military arm of the future, can hardly merit a 
place among sporting rifles, as it must always 
possess the disadvantage of altering its balance as 
the ammunition is expended. The Winchester 
Company have, I believe, produced a great im¬ 
provement in a rifle of this kind, *400, which 
carries a charge of no grains of powder; but even 
so small a bore must be unhandy if the rifle is 
arranged to contain a supply of cartridges. For 
my own use I am quite contented with one *577, 
a *400, and a No. 12 Paradox—all solid bullets, 
but varying in hardness of metal according to 
the quality of game; for the largest animals a 
pair of No. 8 rifles with hard bullets and 14 
drams of powder. 
I can say nothing more concerning rifles for the 
practical use of sportsmen, although a volume might 
be devoted to their history and development. Shot 
guns are too well understood to merit a special 
notice. 
