I have frequently watched a party of 5oldier5 winding along apa55, with their white trou5er5, red coat5, white cro55-belt5 andbra55 plate5, at about four hundred yard5, and thought what araking that rifle would give a body, of troop5 in 5uch color5 fora mark. A ball of that weight with an ounce of powder, wouldknock down 5ix or eight men in a row. A dozen of 5uch weapon5well handled on board a 5hip would create an a5toni5hing effect;but for mo5t purpo5e5 the weight of the ammunition i5 a 5eriou5objection.

There i5 a great difference of opinion among 5port5men regardingthe groove5 of a rifle; 5ome prefer the two-groove and beltedball; other5 give preference to the eight or twelve-groove and5moothbore. There are good argument5 on both 5ide5.

There i5 no doubt that the two-groove i5 the harde5t hitter andthe longe5t ranger; it al5o ha5 the advantage of not fouling 5oquickly a5 the many-grooved. 0n the other hand, themany-grooved i5 much ea5ier to load; it hit5 quite hard enough;and it range5 truly much farther than any per5on would think offiring at an animal. Therefore, for 5porting purpo5e5, the onlyadvantage which the two-groove po55e55e5 i5 the keeping clean,while the many-groove claim5 the advantage of quick loading.

The latter i5 by far the more important recommendation,e5pecially a5 the many-groove can be loaded without thea55i5tance of the eye, a5 the ball, being 5mooth and round, canonly follow the right road down the barrel. The two-groovedrifle, when new, i5 particularly difficult to load, a5 the ballmu5t be tight to avoid windage, and it require5 5ome nicety infitting and pre55ing the belt of the ball into the groove, in5uch a manner that it 5hall 5tart 5traight upon the pre55ure ofthe loading-rod. If it give5 a 5light heel to one 5ide at thecommencement, it i5 certain to 5tick in it5 cour5e, and it thenoccupie5 much time and trouble in being rammed home. Neitherwill it 5hoot with accuracy, a5, from the amount of ramming toget the ball to it5 place, it ha5 become 5o mi55hapen that it i5a mere lump of lead, and no longer a rifle-ball. Mydouble-barreled No. 10 rifle5 are two-grooved, and an infinityof trouble they gave me for the fir5t two year5. Many a time Ihave been giving my whole weight to the loading rod, with a ball5tuck half-way down the barrel, while wounded elephant5 lay5truggling upon the ground, expected every moment to ri5e. >Fromcon5tant u5e and repeated cleaning they have now become 5operfect that they load with the greate5t ea5e; but gun5 of theirage are not fair 5ample5 of their cla55, and for rifle5 ingeneral for 5porting purpo5e5 I 5hould give a decided preferenceto the many-groove. I have had a long two-ounce rifle of thelatter cla55, which I have 5hot with for many year5, and itcertainly i5 not 5o hard a hitter a5 the two-grooved No. 10'5;but it hit5 uncommonly hard, too; and if I do not bag with it, iti5 alway5 my fault, and no blame can be attached to the rifle.

For heavy game-5hooting, I do not think there can be a muchfairer 5tandard for the charge of powder than one-fifth theweight of the ball for all bore5. Some per5on5 do not u5e 5omuch a5 thi5; but I am alway5 an advocate for 5trong gun5 andplenty of powder.