Small Bores Versus Big Bores

Original date of publication: December 1954

I suppose there are few more hotly contested subjects than that of the caliber of rifles for use against large game, especially against that considered to be dangerous. Ever since man began to walk erect-even before that, I expect-this controversy probably raged as freely as it does now, if not about rifles then about clubs, bludgeons, battle axes, and bows. It may in fact be stated, with fair reason, that bored of all kinds have existed in great numbers since the word go.

It will be observed that it is almost invariably the Big Bore who attacks the Small Bore. Why this should be so is at first not apparent. It can be stated with very fair accuracy that the Small Bore does not usually bear any ill will towards the Big Bore. I should say that, on the contrary, the Small Bore rather commiserates with his brother Bore for having to burden himself with his heavy equipment.

On the other hand, the Big Bore will take every opportunity to attack the Small Bore. He will perjure his soul by declaring the smallbore rifle to be unsporting. He will even go so far as to declare that the use of smallbores should be made illegal. Why should the Big Bore get so hot under the collar about the number of thousandths of an inch that constitutes the difference between, say, a .270 and a .375?