THE RIFLE OF A PAST HALF CENTURY 
II 
wanted for ? What is the personal strength of the 
purchaser? In what portion of the world is he 
going to shoot ? Will he be on foot, or will he 
shoot from horseback or from an elephant ? Will 
the game be dangerous, or will it be confined to 
deer, etc. ? 
Not only the weapon but the ammunition will 
depend upon a reply to these questions, and the 
purchaser should strongly resist the delusion that any 
one particular description will be perfect as a so- 
called general rifle. You may as well expect one 
kind of horse or one pattern of ship to combine all 
the requirements of locomotion as to suppose that 
one peculiar rifle will suit every variety of game or 
every condition of locality. 
In South Africa accuracy is necessary at extremely 
long ranges for the open plains, where antelopes in 
vast herds are difficult of approach. In Indian jungles 
the game is seldom seen beyond fifty or sixty yards. 
In America the stalking among the mountains is 
similar to that of the Scottish Highlands, but upon a 
larger scale. In Central Africa the distances are as 
uncertain as the quality of the animals that may be 
encountered. 
Upon the level plains of India, where the black- 
buck forms the main object of pursuit, extreme 
accuracy and long range combined are necessary, 
with a hollow Express bullet that will not pass 
through the body. How is it possible that any one 
peculiar form of rifle can combine all these require¬ 
ments ? Rifles must be specially adapted for the 
