242 
FOREST AND STREAM 
The High Power Rifle 
Feb. 8, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream : I notice in your 
issue of January 17 an article by Mr. E. C. 
Crossman, advocating the use of small bore 
rifles with very high velocity on African game, 
excepting, however, the Pachyderms. 
His premises are based on the fact that Mr. 
Stewart Edward White killed a large number of 
animals with the Springfield rifle, but Mr. Cross¬ 
man does not specifically state what species. He 
must recollect that in the first place Mr. White 
is an exceptionally fine shot in practice, and 
that he used the 150 grain solid sharp point 
Springfield bullet, quite a different thing from 
the 22 Hipower 70 grain bullet. The Springfield 
solid sharp point bullet seems to tip on impact, 
probably due to the trapetory and drift correc¬ 
tions not coinciding with the axis of the bullet, 
and it tumbles or zig-zags through the animal, 
making a terrific wound. The bullets, when cut 
out, are generally curved along the axis and 
the walls flattened at the base. Usually some of 
the lead filling is gone, either through fusion or 
shock, and the average weight is about 130 grains. 
Also Mr. Crossman must remember that the 
sharp pointed bullets are more easily deflected 
by grass or twigs and this alone should condemn 
them for jungle use. 
As to the sharp, soft point bullets mentioned 
as manufactured for the Springfield, I have only 
tried the type with the soft copper envelope at the 
point, and found that it was apt to break up too 
quickly on Caribou and deer—in fact to do just 
what he claims for the 22—to practically explode 
within a few inches of the aperture of entrance; 
and that the force of the shock was greatly les¬ 
sened, as there was no bullet left to carry the 
applied energy through the larger bones. In 
fact, in some cases the blow delivered was re¬ 
troactive and blew back from the bone encoun¬ 
tered, making a large surface wound. I have 
known of a good many lion killed with the 
Springfield, and have used the rifle with good 
effect on a great many head of African game. 
I have seen and handled the weapon and 
cartridges which the late Mr. George Grey had 
when he met his death on Kapiti plains in 1911, 
a weapon of the type advocated by Mr. Cross¬ 
man. I know many of the white hunters and a 
great many of the sportsmen of British East 
Africa and Uganda, and almost unanimously 
their opinion is that for heavy game when charg¬ 
ing, a rifle of the 450 No. 2 Cordite type is not 
only desirable but necessary. 
Mr. Crossman has evidently used the old 
old formula to get his energy with, and at 
first sight the most potent factor in the above 
formula seems to be velocity, but there must be 
sufficient stability and weight of bullet to carry 
the energy deep enough to give the surgival 
shock to the vital organs, which are brain, spine, 
heart and lungs, and the organs of locomotion. 
The shot which combines the most chances at 
the said portions is the side-on shoulder shot. 
It gives greater latitude in vertical error, the 
most common fault of the shooter. Cutting the 
spine if too high, probably getting a fore leg if 
too low and if placed where it should be, a bro¬ 
ken shoulder and badly torn heart and lungs. 
With the very light soft-nose bullet which ex¬ 
plodes when it encounters a heavy bone, the 
chances of its reaching a vital point are rather 
remote, and would undoubtedly only excite a 
charge, as in the case of Mr. Grey, who with a 
280 Ross placed one shot in the shoulder and 
another on the front of a lion’s skull and did 
not even turn him. It takes very nice and exact 
calculation to place a shot where it will be in¬ 
stantly fatal to a charging lion, and the diffi¬ 
culties presented in heavy jungle and generally 
a head-on shot are enormous. The larger bullet 
with the heavy charge which will probably turn 
if it does not stop the charge, is to be preferred. 
All game, when unaware of the stalker's pres¬ 
ence, is harmless; but let one or two badly 
placed shots be fired into a lion from a small¬ 
bore rifle, and it is either a charge on the spot, 
or lie retires into heavy scrub, where no man 
in his sober senses would follow him with any 
rifle but one capable of giving a knock-out blow 
at close quarters, even if not exactly placed to 
be immediately fatal. 
I know an Englishman, an experienced shot, 
who had for his battery last spring in the Ki- 
dong Valley a 405 Winchester, a 280 Ross, and 
a 22 Savage, and he has told me that he invari¬ 
ably used the 405 for lion and would have used 
a 450 if he had had one. His claim was 280 for 
long range, 22 Savage for Grant & Thompson's 
Gazelle, and a big, heavy rifle for close work. 
His opinion of the 22 and 280 was very high for 
the weapons when used for their proper game, 
which was not lion. 
Mr. Crossman says that the use of heavy bul¬ 
lets is quite uncalled for in shooting tiger, lion 
and leopard. May I ask the gentleman where 
he has obtained his information? Also what big 
game shot unhesitatingly recommends the 22 Hi¬ 
power for close jungle work at either lion or 
tiger. 
It is absolute rot for theorists to advocate their 
pet weapons for use against game of which 
they know nothing. While the small bore with 
light bullet and extreme velocity has its great 
advantages in its own field, it is nothing short 
of criminal to advise a man, mayhap inexperi¬ 
enced, to take such weapons into the jungle, and 
to assure him that they will stop a charging beast 
when even a well-placed shot may result in a 
mauling with probable loss of life. 
It is far better to take what the experienced 
big game shot uses and has- used since the time 
of Sir Samuel Baker—a weapon capable of stop¬ 
ping or turning the animal, which is to-day a 
double 450 or 465 bore rifle, shooting a 480 grain 
bullet and 80 grains of Cordite or its equivalent. 
“BUNDUKI KEEBWA.” 
PROTESTS AGAINST JOINT LICENSE. 
A vigorous protest against the proposed joint 
hunting and fishing license bill in Massachusetts 
was published in a Worcester paper recently, in 
the form of a signed article by George E. White- 
head, of Millbury. He termed the bill “an act to 
hold up and rob 200,000 fishermen for the benefit 
of the commission and their deputies.” 
The letter ran in part as follows: 
“If every cent of the money raised by the bill 
were put back into the woods and water, it would 
not be so bad; but I object to paying any more 
game wardens a good salary to prosecute the 
men who are obliged to contribute to their sal¬ 
ary or else quit the game. 
“There are game wardens enough now if they 
confined their activities to enforcing legitimate 
fish and game laws. They spend too much time 
over matters which are not material. And 
just at the time when they are most needed on 
their job, the best men are withdrawn to serve as 
messengers delivering trout fingerlings. 
“But if the whole force were abolished and the 
money paid for salaries was put into stocking 
waters and woods, I believe the sportsmen would 
be better off. 
“Of course the covers would be depleted quickly 
and the brooks and ponds soon fished out, but it 
would be good hunting and fishing at the start, 
and it is not even that at present. 
“Too much alleged protection does not give 
the man who pays the bill any better hunting or 
fishing. 
“The ‘protection’ at times merges close to per¬ 
secution. 
“Now, I have been unable to get a copy of the 
proposed bill from the representative from my 
district. He promised to secure a copy as soon as 
printed. I strongly suspect, however, that the 
bill is .expected to squelch the fellow who will 
persist in drowning worms on Sunday. 
“If this license bill carries the rider, which I 
am told it does, the fellow who fishes on Sunday 
will be easy. The sportsmen of Worcester and 
its vicinity, however, have one safety valve to 
let off their surplus enthusiasm. They can ride 
out to the lake on Sunday. If wealthy they can 
use their sacred automobile. If not, an equally 
sacred trolley car. They can listen to sacred 
music, hire a sacred canoe or boat. They can 
patronize a sacred launch or enjoy a sacred swim 
with the other noisy bathers (and whisper it), 
they can buy some sacred beer at alleged club¬ 
houses, whose membership is anybody that has 
the price. 
“If they have a man to kill they can take him 
out to the lake and do it in comparative safety. 
But if you value your liberty, don’t go up in a 
quiet corner of Old Faith Cove and sit there 
alone holding a fishing rod. Some pussy-footed 
game warden, following the lines of least resist¬ 
ance, will invite you to show a license to fish on 
Sunday. 
“As licenses will be good only for week days, 
you can tell Judge Samuel Utley about it next 
morning, and the charge will be disturbing the 
peace of the Sabbath day. Of course, if you are 
lucky enough to get away with it you can go to 
the sacred movies at night. Consistency is a 
jewel. 
“If the commission would try to enforce legiti¬ 
mate fish and game laws and not try to swell 
their batting averages by reading into a law 
meanings never intended to be there, they would 
have more friends. They have alienated many 
of their staunchest backers by making arrests for 
technical violations. One man in Foxboro killed 
a skunk and was arrested for hunting without a 
license. 
“And we have the pitiful spectacle of deputy 
commissioners arresting men for destroying the 
enemies of the game they were intended to pro¬ 
tect. I am opposed to the raising of any more 
revenue to be expended under present commis¬ 
sioners.” 
VARYING HARES IN YORK STATE. 
Twenty-five varying hares, the first of a con¬ 
signment of 150, were liberated recently in the 
woods near Gloversville, N. Y., and it is thought 
that if hound owners will keep their dogs out of 
the woods for a fair length of time, the plan will 
insure a satisfactory multiplication of rabbits by 
next fall. 
