Nevertheless, most of the heavy rifles that I have
met with will not carry an adequate charge of powder, and they
are accordingly no more powerful than guns of lighter bore which
carry their proportionate charge - the powder has more than its
fair amount of work.
Great care should be therefore taken in making rifles for heavy
game. There cannot be a better calibre than No 10; it is large
enough for any animal in the world, and a double-barreled rifle
of this bore, without a ramrod, is not the least cumbersome, even
at the weight of fifteen pounds. A ramrod is not required to be
in the gun for Ceylon shooting, as there is always a man behind
with a spare rifle, who carries a loading rod, and were a ramrod
fitted to a rifle of this size, it would render it very unhandy,
and would also weaken the stock.
The sights should be of platinum at the muzzle, and blue steel,
with a platinum strip with a broad and deep letter V cut in the
breech-sights. In a gloomy forest it is frequently difficult to
catch the muzzle sight, unless it is of some bright metal, such
as silver or platinum; and a broad cut in the breech-sights, if
shaped as described, allows a rapid aim, and may be taken fine or
coarse at option.
The charge of powder must necessarily depend upon its strength.
For elephant-shooting, I always rise six drachms of the best
powder for the No. 10 rifles, and four drachms as the minimum
charge for deer and general shooting; the larger charge is then
unnecessary; it both wastes ammunition and alarms the country by
the loudness of the report.
There are several minutiae to be attended to in the sports of
Ceylon. The caps should always be carried in a shot-charger (one
of the common spring-lid chargers) and never be kept loose in the
pocket. The heat is so intense that the perspiration soaks
through everything, and so injures the caps that the very best
will frequently miss fire.
The powder should be dried for a few minutes in the sun before it
is put into the flask, and it should be well shaken and stirred
to break any lumps that may be in it. One of these, by
obstructing the passage in the flask, may cause much trouble in
loading quickly, especially when a wounded elephant is regaining
his feet. In such a case you must keep your eyes on the animal
when loading, and should the passage of the powder-flask be
stopped by a lump, you may fancy the gun is loaded when in fact
not a grain of powder has entered it.
