additional advantage of a minimum recoil.

The earliest in the field of progress was the old-established firm of
Purdey and Co. Mr. Purdey, before the general introduction of
breechloaders, brought out an Express rifle, No. 70 bore, with a
mechanically fitting two-groove solid bullet. This small projectile was
a well-pointed cone weighing exactly 200 grains, with a powder charge of
110 grains, more than half the weight of the bullet. The extremely high
velocity of this rifle expanded the pure soft lead upon impact with the
skin and muscles of a red deer. At the same time there was no loss of
substance in the metal, as the bullet, although much disfigured,
remained intact, and continued its course of penetration, causing great
havoc by its increased surface. Nothing has surpassed this rifle in
velocity, although so many improvements have taken place since the
introduction of breechloaders, but in the days of muzzle-loaders it was
a satisfaction to myself that I was the first to commence the heavy
charge of powder with the 3 ounce bullet and 16 drams, to be followed
after many years by so high an authority as Mr. Purdey with a 200 grain
bullet and 110 grains of powder, thus verifying the principle of my
earliest experience.

This principle is now universally accepted, and charges of powder are
used, as a rule, which forty years ago would have been regarded as
impossible.

The modern breechloader in the hands of a well-trained soldier should be
a most deadly weapon, nevertheless we do not find a greater percentage
of destruction among the numbers engaged than resulted from the old
Brown Bess. The reason is obvious: battles are now fought at long
ranges, whereas in the early portion of the century fire was seldom