A FEW NOTES ON RIFLES AND AMMUNITION
BY H. W. H.
_Express Rifles._-These are usually made of five different
calibres--viz. .360, .400, .450, .500, and .577--and are called
‘Expresses’ on account of the high velocity imparted to comparatively
light bullets by the heavy charges of powder used in these rifles.
Many sportsmen are under the impression that all Expresses of the same
bore are practically the same--at any rate, as far as their power,
velocity, &c., are concerned--and look upon, say, a .500 Express as a
fixed quantity. No greater mistake could be made. Take two .500 bores,
apparently alike, and the one may be a powerful and effective rifle,
and the other quite uncertain, at any rate against the larger kinds
of even soft-skinned animals. The reason of this is that the first is
rifled and sighted for, and constructed to carry, a fairly long bullet
weighing about 440 grains, and having a comparatively short hole in
front (see figs. 3 and 4), while the latter fires the ordinary short
bullet, which has a relatively larger hole in front, light walls and a
thin base (see fig. 1), the result being that when it is fired at, say,
the shoulder of a powerful tiger or bear, the whole of the bullet will
probably break up into small pieces, causing a big flesh wound, but
no part of the bullet has sufficient weight and momentum to penetrate
through the bones or powerful muscles of the animal so as to reach any
vital part. Unfortunately, the higher the velocity of the projectile,
the more the bullet breaks up; consequently the short range at which
such game is usually killed tells still more against this type of
bullet for such sport.
The short Express bullet may be considerably improved, and greater
penetration obtained, by having the hollow shorter and tapered (see
fig. 2).
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--340 grains]
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--360 grains]
Rifles constructed for these short bullets are decidedly inferior to
those arranged for the longer projectile.
Fig. 3 shows the long .500 bullet with a heavy fuse.
Fig. 4 shows the same bullet with a small taper hole.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.--440 grains]
[Illustration: Fig. 4.--460 grains]
It is certainly now for the most part acknowledged that rifles
firing this type of bullet are much more trustworthy, giving as they
undoubtedly do increased penetration and a more smashing blow. The
front portion of the projectile generally breaks up in the animal shot,
and the base part, having sufficient energy remaining to pass through
the body, will nearly always be found under the elastic skin upon the
other side. These rifles have the further advantage of giving accurate
shooting at comparatively long ranges where the ordinary Express would
fail.
Figs. 5 to 10 show some specimens of this type of bullet (.500 and .577
bore) taken from under the skins of tigers, after having passed through
the animals, proving the great velocity and killing power of this form
of projectile, and demonstrating that the whole energy of the charge
had been effectually utilised.
[Illustration: Fig. 5]
[Illustration: Fig. 6]
[Illustration: Fig. 7]
[Illustration: Fig. 8]
[Illustration: Fig. 9]
[Illustration: Fig. 10]
A double .500 rifle to carry the lighter bullet may be made to weigh
about 9 lbs., while to carry the longer and heavier bullet the weight
should be nearer 9½ lbs. But when the increased power and penetration
obtained are taken into consideration, probably few sportsmen will
object to this slight extra weight. A crushing blow that may be
_depended upon_ is what is required, and reliance cannot be placed
(except, perhaps, for deer stalking) upon the short, light bullets
so much used. No doubt a good deal of game is killed with the light
bullets, even up to and including tigers, &c.; but much has been lost,
and many accidents have taken place, in consequence of the bullet
breaking up too soon, causing only a flesh wound, and not having
sufficient penetration to reach a vital part of the animal shot. The
above remarks apply both to .450 and .577 rifles, but especially to the
latter, so without going into further details illustrations are here
given of the light .450 and .577 bullets generally used (see fig. 11),
and the longer ones now recommended (see fig. 12).
[Illustration: Fig. 11
.450 .577
270 grains 455 grains]
[Illustration: Fig. 12
.450 .577
340 grains 625 grains]
Since Sir Samuel Baker has so strongly recommended .577 6-dr. rifles,
they have become much better known, and are now much more used than
formerly. There can be no question that when fired with proper bullets
they are very effective weapons, even against the largest kinds of
game. Of course for use against the latter it is necessary to employ
solid hardened bullets.
The weapon used and recommended by Sir Samuel Baker is somewhat heavier
than the ordinary .577, weighing between 11 and 12 lbs.; it was
specially made for him, and is sighted up to 400 yards.
For soft-skinned animals, Sir Samuel used solid pure lead bullets, and
he always found them deliver the whole power of the charge upon the
animal, being generally forced into the shape of a mushroom, and found
under the skin upon the opposite side of the beast.
Count Teleki, in his successful three years’ expedition in Central
Africa, also used .577 rifles against elephants, buffaloes and
rhinoceros with great effect, although he preferred his 8-bore
(shooting 10 drs., and a short conical bullet) for big game, finding
that at close quarters a knockdown blow was absolutely necessary. The
question of the rival bores for such game as tiger, bear, &c., will
probably never be settled, as so much depends upon the capabilities of
the shooter, the class of country he is in, and the style of shooting,
whether in a howdah or on foot, &c.; but it may be taken generally that
for dangerous game it is always as well to be on the safe side and to
use as powerful a weapon (in moderation) as you can conveniently handle.
[Illustration: Figs. 13 and 14.--Blocks of soft .577 bullets cut out of
tigers by Sir Samuel Baker]
In Africa, where animals of the same species as are met with in India
appear to require much more killing than they do in the latter country,
the .577 firing a solid hardened bullet and 6 drs. of powder must
always be a most useful weapon. For lion, the largest kind of deer,
&c., it is all that is wanted, and even for elephants it is a fairly
effective rifle.
For sport in India, when the sportsman is limited to one rifle, a .500
Express, shooting a charge of 5 drs. of powder and a long bullet, and
capable of also firing, when required, the shorter bullet and 4¼ drs.
for the lighter kinds of game, will probably be found the most useful
all-round weapon.
If, in the first instance, the barrels of a .500 Express are
properly constructed for shooting the two kinds of cartridges, good
shooting may be made with both, with the same sighting; and a most
useful arrangement this will prove to be, the heavy cartridge being
very deadly for all game found in India, with the exception of the
pachydermatous animals, while for the deer tribe and for practice the
lighter charge is all sufficient. Perhaps the most useful battery on a
small scale for India is a .450 Express for deer, and a 12- or 16-bore
Paradox, which does well as a shot-gun, and is also most effective as a
rifle.
_Ball-Guns._--One of the advantages which the ball-gun has over the
ordinary rifle is its lightness and handiness compared with the latter,
but the serious drawback to its wide use was, in the first place,
that it would fire spherical bullets only, and consequently lacked
penetration; and, in the second, that it gave but irregular shooting,
except at very short ranges. This state of things has been completely
reversed by the introduction of the ‘Paradox’ gun, the invention of
Colonel Fosbery, V.C. In the ‘Paradox’ all the advantages connected
with the lightness and handiness of a gun have been retained, while
great accuracy when fired as a rifle with a smashing conical bullet has
been added.
Since Colonel Fosbery’s invention was brought to the notice of
sportsmen, the ‘Colindian’ and other systems of ball-guns have been
introduced.
The result has been quite a revolution in the manufacture of weapons
for use against game of all kinds, from the larger kind of deer up to
elephants.
Take, for example, the 12-bore ‘Paradox.’ This weapon has all the
advantages of quickness and handiness of mounting to the shoulder, so
essential in snap-shooting, and yet fires a conical bullet (see fig.
15), hollow or solid, up to a hundred yards or more with the accuracy
of a good Express. For all practical purposes, and with all game up to
and including tiger or bear, a ‘Paradox’ weighing from 7 to 7½ lbs.
has all the necessary qualities of a 10-lb. rifle, and has, moreover,
the handiness of a 12-bore shot-gun, discharging shot quite as well as
a good cylinder or modified choke. The man who uses a ‘Paradox’ need
not take any other gun, a saving in the size of one’s battery worthy
of consideration; but perhaps the strongest argument in favour of this
weapon is that the man who has much snap-shooting to do (from a howdah,
for instance) is much more likely to be successful when handling the
gun he uses every day and often than he would be if trying to make
snap-shots with an ordinary rifle, used rarely by comparison, and
perhaps firing so heavy a charge as to make practice with it ‘no joke.’
[Illustration: Fig. 15.--12-bore ‘Paradox’ bullets
Hollow point Cross cut]
Colonel Fosbery has succeeded in perfecting the ‘Paradox’ system for
large bores, such as 10 and 8, and in 1891 one of the latter weapons
when tested before the editor of ‘The Field,’ with the full charge of
10 drs. of powder, and a hardened conical solid bullet at 50 yards
range, made the extraordinary diagram in six consecutive shots into a
space 1¼ in. by 2½ ins. (shown in fig. 16), beating all the records of
big rifles at the ‘Field’ trials.
[Illustration: Fig. 16]
It should be only a matter of time for weapons made upon this principle
to supersede large-bore rifles for big game shooting. Everything is in
their favour. An 8-bore ‘Paradox’ weighs some 2 to 3 lbs. less than an
8-bore rifle, and mounts to the shoulder with the handiness of a gun.
The accuracy of the ‘Paradox’ is greater than that of an 8-bore rifle,
the recoil less (as the bullet passes freely up the barrel, instead
of having to cut its way through severe rifling, the ‘Paradox’ being
rifled at the muzzle only), and the velocity or striking force is
superior.
[Illustration: Fig. 17.--Diagram of 8-bore ‘Paradox’ bullet]
Several of these weapons (8- and 10-bores) have already been tried upon
elephant, buffalo, &c., in Africa and India, with the most satisfactory
results.
_Small Bores for Elephant Shooting._--No doubt some sportsmen have
been successful in bagging elephants and other big game with .450-bore
rifles, firing a moderate charge of about 3½ drs. of powder and a long
solid bullet, such rifles giving great penetration, but no shock to the
animal unless a vital part is reached. If the game be found in fairly
open country, so that accurate shooting can be made, this weapon may
answer in the hands of a good shot; but in most parts, and in grass
country, particularly where an animal has frequently to be shot at very
close quarters, and where the chances of being able to make a run for
it are very much restricted, one would much prefer to rely upon the
paralysing blow given by an 8- or 10-bore loaded with a heavy charge
of powder and a conical bullet; in fact, even the admirers of the .450
warn sportsmen that such rifles are useful under certain conditions
only, and this warning is absolutely necessary, several fatal accidents
having taken place through sportsmen having misread or not properly
appreciated the accounts of the shooting made with these small weapons
and the circumstances under which they may judiciously be used.
_Systems of Actions for Rifles._--Different kinds of ‘actions’ are
constantly being invented for double-barrelled rifles, but very few,
if any, have the sterling qualities of the old double-grip lever,
especially when used for rifles shooting heavy charges. No doubt
snap-actions of various kinds are made which are sufficiently sound to
stand the strain of the charges fired, especially if the ‘body’ be long
and deep, but none of them have the _binding down power_ of the grip
lever, which is really a kind of screw-grip. Another point in favour
of the grip lever is that, should there be a piece of cap or other
obstruction between the action and the barrels, the grip lever will
have sufficient power to force the action to close and allow the rifle
to be fired; and the same thing applies when a very tight cartridge,
or one with somewhat too thick a rim, requires to be forced home. Now,
under the same circumstances, a rifle with a snap action could not be
closed at all, or, at all events, only with great difficulty and with
unusual force, because all spring bolt systems require that the barrels
should close up freely upon the action before the bolt can move into
its proper position for fastening down the barrel.
For small bores such as are used for deer stalking, &c., the hammerless
system has some advantages; but there are objections to these actions
for weapons intended for foreign sport, and these objections apply more
particularly when big game rifles are in question. Most sportsmen are
fairly well acquainted with the construction of the ordinary hammer
gun fitted with rebounding locks, but very few know anything of the
internal arrangements of the hammerless system, and there is no doubt
that the internal arrangements of the latter are more likely to get
out of order when subjected to the wear and tear and the rough usage
of a shooting expedition than those of the former, to say nothing of
their being more easily affected by sand, rust, &c. They are also less
readily taken to pieces and cleaned.
Too much care cannot be given to the selection of a battery, the
minutest details of the weapons, and the ammunition for them, and yet
it is a curious fact that sportsmen frequently spend much time and
money over their general outfit, and take but little heed about their
weapons, upon which their sport, and possibly their lives, may depend.
In ordering a battery, choose the best rifles you can afford to pay
for. The first expense is likely to appear heavy to those who can see
little difference between the expensive rifle of a high-class maker and
those supplied of a cheaper kind, but very little experience will be
needed to prove that the best is the cheapest in the end.
Few sportsmen know the amount of money, care, and skill that has to be
spent upon a double rifle which is the best of its kind and a really
accurate weapon; that is to say, a double rifle which has its barrels
so perfectly adjusted that even a skilled shot cannot tell the shooting
of one barrel from that of the other. Great care has to be taken in
the manufacture of all the parts, for the failure of a striker or a
spring may mean serious or even fatal results to the shooter when after
dangerous game; and this work has to be paid for.
The workmen employed on best rifle work are skilled men, and can always
command high wages. In some of the cheaper kinds of double-barrelled
rifles one barrel frequently shoots some inches away from the other,
rendering it impossible for the sportsman to make good practice even at
a target, much less at game.
Great strides in the accuracy and adjustment of double rifles have been
made during the last ten years. It is impossible here to say exactly
what diagrams one should be fairly entitled to expect, so much depends
upon the type of rifle required; but perhaps as good a guide as any
is to take the diagrams made by the winning rifles at the trials of
sporting rifles before the editor of the ‘Field.’ For an ordinary
Express it may be accepted that a double .450 firing ten shots, right
and left barrel alternately, making a 4-inch group, viz. all the ten
shots in a 4-inch square, is a very fine shooting weapon, and that one
putting all its ten shots into a 6-inch at a hundred yards is quite up
to the average.
Do not depend upon diagrams shown as the record of the shooting of
a rifle. The only satisfactory plan is to go to the maker’s grounds
and see the rifle fired, to fire it yourself, or, if that is not
convenient, get a competent friend to go and see the diagrams made.
Then, again, it is very desirable to have the sights cut to suit your
own style of shooting, for it is not at all unusual for two good
marksmen firing the same rifle to make a considerable difference in
elevation on the target at, say, 100 yards range.
_Recoil Heelplate._--It is not a bad plan to have recoil heelplates
fitted to all rifles from .450 to 4 bores. They save the shoulder
very much when firing large charges. See that the rubber is properly
smoothed and varnished, so as to get rid of the clinging feeling these
heelplates otherwise have.
_Spare Weapons._--In going for any length of time upon a sporting
expedition, it is always well to have reserve rifles which should be
as nearly as possible duplicates of those in the regular battery in
weight, mount, sighting, &c., so that no difference is noticed by the
sportsman should he have to fall back upon his reserve. You may never
want them, but if, when you are in the game district, hundreds of miles
up country, you smash or injure the rifle you are depending upon, you
will then fully appreciate the advantage of having a reserve. It is a
very easy thing to break the stock of or otherwise damage a rifle, or
it may even be lost, and if you have no others to fall back upon the
sporting trip must be spoiled, or at any rate seriously hampered.
A fair battery for an expedition to Africa would be a pair of 8- or
10-bore rifles or ‘Paradox’ guns, shooting 8 to 10 drs. of powder; a
pair of .500 bore, 5 drs. solid ball rifles, one .577 and a 12-bore
shot or ‘Paradox’ gun. Also a .400 or a .450 single-rifle sighted up to
500 yards would be found very useful in many parts.
Spare limbs should always be taken, viz. extra hammers, mainsprings,
tumbler pins, and foresights, and lessons should be taken from an
experienced gunmaker in taking weapons to pieces and putting them
together again properly. Turnscrews, such as working gunmakers use,
should be specially ordered, and not the slight and nearly useless
tools usually found in rifle and gun cases. These are made by the
gross, and are generally well-nigh worthless. Do not fail to have a
very powerful screw-driver to take out the breech-pin, which is always
very firmly screwed up.
With large bores and all rifles that have very much recoil insist upon
having the front trigger thick and well rounded, to prevent its cutting
the forefinger when firing the left barrel. It is a very good plan to
have the front trigger hinged or hung quite loose, so as to give way
to the finger. Also see that the left trigger pulls at least 6 lbs.,
to prevent both barrels being fired together. There is no objection
to having both locks of such weapons made with a fairly heavy pull
off; the fact being that when a rifle weighing 12 or 13 lbs. is being
handled a 6 or 7 lb. pull does not feel heavier than a 4 lb. pull does
in an ordinary shot gun. See that all your rifle stocks are made of
tough strong wood, and that the grasp or handle is left sufficiently
thick to give a good hold to the right hand. It is also a very good
plan to have the hand of the stock strengthened by having the strap
of the action made so as to extend its full length and come over the
comb. This plan was first suggested by Sir Samuel Baker, and there can
be no doubt but that it very considerably strengthens the stock in its
weakest part.
Try your cartridges in the chambers of your rifle or gun before
starting for the day’s shooting, and carefully discard all that will
not go into the weapon freely and allow the action to be closed with
ease. It is desirable to have cartridge-correctors made the exact size
of the chambers of each weapon.
_Rebounding Locks._--Many sportsmen think that when the hammer is
at the rebound or half-cock it is in a safe position, but sometimes
it is quite the reverse. This is because some rifles and shot-guns
are made with the face of the hammers too close to the end of the
strikers; when this is so, it will be found that, should the hammer
be pulled up nearly to full cock and then let down again (without
touching the trigger), there is sufficient ‘give,’ or ‘spring,’ in the
parts of the lock to allow the hammer to just reach and to ‘flick’ the
striker hard enough to fire the rifle. The danger of this defect must
be obvious. The face of the hammer when pushed forward as far as it
will go (without the trigger being pulled) should be well away from
the end of the striker. If there is any doubt as to whether there is
sufficient space or not, hold a flat piece of metal or card against
the face of the action, lift the hammers nearly to full-cock, and then
release them; if the metal or card be marked by the end of the striker,
it is evidence that the space between the hammer and striker is not
sufficient. This should not be done often, as it has a tendency to
injure the end of the scear of the lock.
[Illustration: Fig. 18.--Illustration of adaptation to Sir Samuel
Baker’s .577 rifle]
_Stocks, Loops, Stops, Cases._--In ordinary rifles do not have the
stocks made the same shape as in your guns. Most sportsmen miss birds
by shooting under them, but with a rifle more game is missed by being
shot over. It is desirable to have the stocks of rifles made a quarter
of an inch more bent than those of guns, and in heavy bores even
half an inch extra will be found an advantage in shooting, to say
nothing of saving the shooter’s face from being punished by the recoil.
Also remember that as you increase the weight of your rifle you must
decrease the length of your stock.
When loops are attached to rifles for the purpose of enabling you to
use slings, it is desirable to have flat ones, thus--
[Illustration: Fig. 19]
and not rings or swivels, which always rattle, and may disturb game.
The above form has the further advantage of being stronger than the
others. Always refuse to allow the gunmaker to fit stops to the hammers
of any weapons intended for use against dangerous game. You may at a
critical moment forget that the locks are bolted, or the bolts may have
got loose and may have slipped into the hammers without your knowledge.
For rough shooting, especially in damp climates, have your rifles
constructed for solid brass cases, or those covered with a thin coating
of brass. These are less likely to stick in the chambers, and are not
so easily damaged as the paper ones. Have your cartridges done up in
small tins, hermetically sealed, packing a few of each kind you are
likely to use in a separate tin, say fifty in each package. In this way
you will be able to keep the bulk of your ammunition weather-proof. The
contents of each tin should be stamped on the outside.
It is a useful plan to have loose-fitting flannel bags made for the
barrels and stock of each weapon.
Perhaps the most convenient form of rifle case is ‘The Shikari’:
[Illustration: Fig. 20.--‘The Shikari’ rifle case]
See that your case is made of strong sole leather, so as to be fairly
rigid and capable of resisting pressure; for real rough work there is
nothing better than oak covered with leather.
_Rifle Sights._--No absolute rule can be laid down as to the best form
of sights for sporting purposes. Generally speaking, the wider and the
shallower the V in the backsight the better for snap-shooting, but
beyond a certain point this shape makes it difficult to ensure taking
the centre of the sight. The silver line or the ivory pyramid with
which the standard is frequently inlaid very much assists in getting
the centre quickly.
[Illustration: Fig. 21.]
[Illustration: Fig. 22.]
A very good form of backsight is a modification of the style frequently
used in German rifles, viz. a wide shallow V having a small rounded
nick and a fine line down the centre (see fig. 21).
A sloping standard has the advantage of showing up the silver line, but
in a bright light this has a tendency to ‘blurr’ and prevent a fine
bead being taken. It is as well under these circumstances to black
the standard, and upon occasions the foresight; this may be done very
simply by smoking them with a wax match. Foresights should be let in
from the front and fixed with a small screw, so that they can easily be
removed and a different form of sight inserted when required.
A spare iron foresight and two or three ivory ones should be fitted to
each rifle.
A very useful and convenient form of night sight is an ordinary iron
one having at the rear end a small disc covered with white enamel or
luminous paint (see fig. 22), and so arranged that this disc can,
when required, be raised in front of the ordinary bead. If properly
constructed and placed at the correct angle, it can be seen well when
the ordinary sight would be quite invisible.
Telescope sights are now made with elevating screws, which enable
the necessary elevations to be quickly obtained. For stalking and
deliberate shots the telescope is most useful, but it is necessary
to have the eye-piece fitted on a spring slide and made sufficiently
large to prevent injury to the shooter’s eye in case of the recoil
being heavy; but these sights for rifles firing heavy charges cannot be
recommended.
Many sportsmen complain that with Express rifles (in particular), and
not infrequently with other rifles, they shoot over their game at short
ranges, an error which they attribute to the ‘high sighting’ of their
rifles. Sometimes this explanation of their shooting over their game
is the correct one; but frequently the error is caused by the shooter,
when firing a snap-shot at an animal moving across him at a short
range, taking a very full foresight, not having sufficient time to get
his eye down to the level of the backsight, and draw as fine a bead as
he would have done had he taken a deliberate shot.
But no doubt some rifles are ‘over-sighted,’ and if so it is partly
the fault of the gunmakers and partly the fault of the sportsmen
themselves, who insist upon gunmakers trying for the impossible. It is
not an uncommon thing to hear a sportsman say, ‘Oh, my rifle has a flat
trajectory up to 200 yards,’ the truth being that the rifle in question
has been sighted to shoot correctly at 200 yards, but the bullet at
the highest point in its trajectory (i.e. at about 110 yards from the
muzzle) will probably have risen from four to eight inches (according
to the velocity of the bullet) above the line of aim.
It is best to have an Express rifle made with the first leaf or
‘standard’ sighted for not over 150 yards, and if this is properly
done, no misses from over-sighting need be made between thirty and 150
yards.
Again, it is within the experience of most rifle-shots that it is
exceedingly difficult to make good shooting when firing at game very
much below the shooter (ibex down hill for instance). This difficulty
is often accounted for by a theory that in shots of this kind the
bullet is less acted upon by the forces of gravity than in ordinary
horizontal shots; but in reality the difference in the fall of the
bullet at 150 yards in downhill shots at an angle of 45 degrees and in
horizontal shots at the same range is very slight.
Still sportsmen find in practice that they have to aim three to six
inches below the part which they wish to hit, to ensure success in
these downhill shots.
In this case the cause of errors in elevation is the great difficulty
there is in getting the head down to the stock so as to properly align
the foresight with the bottom of the notch or V of the backsight.
The sportsman can easily test this theory for himself by putting any
ordinary rifle to his shoulder in a room, aiming first at some object
considerably above his head, and then at some point or object upon
the floor. Anyone who does this will find that in shooting at the
object above him it is easy enough to align the sights upon it, that
by bending the neck and lowering the head the sights can be accurately
aligned upon any object on a level with the shoulder, but that there
is very considerable difficulty in getting the eye down to properly
align the sights when the object aimed at is upon the floor. In fact,
if the stock of the rifle is fairly straight it cannot be done. Both
these cases of over-shooting come from the same cause; in the first
‘hurry’ has induced the shooter to forget to set his head down properly
on to the stock, in the second his own build and his rifle’s make it
very hard for him to do so. The same principle is illustrated in rabbit
shooting with a fowling-piece at short ranges. Unless using a gun with
a good bend to the stock it is difficult to get down low enough to your
rabbit crossing at say fifteen yards, so that a dozen are missed by
shooting over for one that is missed by shooting under at that range.
It is as well, too, to remember that in shooting from a ‘rest’ there is
always an inclination on the part of the barrels to fly upwards, and
this is particularly so where the ‘rest’ is of any hard substance, a
rock or a log for instance. To counteract this tendency to fly upwards,
grip your rifle firmly with your left hand, and put a pad of some soft
material (say, your cap) between your rifle and your rest.
Assuming that any rifle-shot knows the danger of _pulling_ as opposed
to _pressing_ the trigger, that he will be careful to see that his
foresight neither gets bent nor shifted, that he does not get buck
fever, and can judge distance with approximate accuracy, there seems to
be only one other hint worth giving, and that only to those who find a
difficulty in seeing the backsight clearly; those, that is, to whom it
appears blurred and misty.
These sportsmen should have their rifles arranged with the backsight
not less than seven or nine inches from the breech, since the further
off from the eye it is, the more clearly defined it becomes; but of
course there is a limit to the distance at which the backsight can be
put from the eye, since the closer the backsight is to the foresight
the greater the angle of error.
It is sometimes even desirable to have the barrels made of extra length
to allow of the backsight being put further from the breech end, but
long barrels are unhandy on horseback and in thick timber.
NOTE.--It may be added that these notes have been submitted for
criticism and comment to experienced practical sportsmen, including Mr.
F. C. Selous, Col. James Baker, and Mr. Edward Ross.
Mr. Selous wrote, ‘As far as my experience goes, I agree with what he
says.’
Col. James Baker stated that, after perusing the chapter with his
friend Mr. Edward Ross, they both of them fully concurred in the views
expressed, and had nothing to alter or to add.--C. P.-W.