6 
IN AFRICA 
has given way to the modem double-barreled rifle, 
with its steel bullet and cordite powder. It is not 
half so heavy or clumsy as the old timers, but its 
power and penetration are tremendous. The larg¬ 
est of this modern type is the .650 cordite—that is, 
it shoots a bullet six hundred and fifty thousandths 
of an inch in diameter, and has a frightful recoil. 
This weapon is prohibitive on account of its recoil, 
and few, if any, sportsmen now care to carry one. 
The most popular type is the .450 and .475 cordite 
double-barreled ejector, hammerless rifles, and these 
are the ones that every elephant hunter should have. 
We started out with the definite purpose of get¬ 
ting three .450s—one for Mr. Akeley, one for Mr. 
Stephenson, and one for myself; also three nine- 
millimeter (.375) Mannlichers and two .256 Mann- 
lichers. What we really got were three .475 cor¬ 
dites, two nine-millimeter Mannlichers, one eight- 
millimeter Mauser, and two .256 Mannlichers. 
We were switched off the .450s because a govern¬ 
ment regulation forbids the use of that caliber in 
Uganda, although it is permitted in British East 
Africa, and so we played safe by getting the .475s. 
This rifle is a heavy gun that carries a bullet large 
enough to jolt a fixed star and recoil enough to put 
one’s starboard shoulder in the hospital for a day or 
so. Theoretically, the sportsman uses this weapon 
in close quarters, and with a bullet placed according 
to expert advice sees the charging lion, rhino or ele¬ 
phant turn a back somersault on his way to king¬ 
dom come. It has a tremendous impact and will 
