I 
THE RIFLE OF A PAST HALF CENTURY 
15 
anything more formidable, I should recommend a 
single barrel of 36 inches in length of bore, weigh¬ 
ing 22 lbs., and sighted most accurately to 400 
yards. Such a weapon could be used by a powerful 
man from the shoulder at the close range of fifty 
yards, or it could be fired at long ranges upon a 
pivot rest, which would enable the elephant-hunter 
to kill at a great distance by the shoulder shot when 
the animals were in deep marshes or on the op¬ 
posite side of a river. I have frequently seen 
elephants in such positions when it was impossible 
to approach within reasonable range. A rifle of 
this description would carry a half-pound shell with 
a bursting charge of half an ounce of fine grain 
powder, and the propelling charge would be 16 
drams. I had a rifle that carried a similar charge, 
but unfortunately it was too short, and was only 
sighted for 100 yards. Such a weapon can hardly 
be classed among sporting rifles, but it would be a 
useful adjunct to the battery of a professional hunter 
in Africa. 
There can be little doubt that a man should not 
be overweighted, but that every person should be 
armed in proportion to his physical strength. If he 
is too light for a very heavy rifle he must select a 
smaller bore; if he is afraid of a No. 8 with 14 
drams, he must be content with a No. 12 and 10 
drams, but although he may be successful with 
the lighter weapon, he must not expect the per¬ 
formance will equal that of the superior power. 
It may therefore be concluded that for a man of 
