express rifle

American  

noun

1. a rifle designed for firing at game at short range.

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express rifle British  

noun

1. a high-velocity hunting rifle for big game shooting

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Etymology

Origin of express rifle

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

His white hunter will take him where the game is, stand by with an express rifle in case he misses.

From Time Magazine Archive

A pair of able 0.500 bore express rifle barrels were accordingly fitted in this way.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 441, June 14, 1884. by Various

Leaning my express rifle against my body I raised both hands aloft.

From Pellucidar by Burroughs, Edgar Rice

"He's a real man-eater," whispered the agent, handing his employer a loaded express rifle.

From Where the Strange Trails Go Down Sulu, Borneo, Celebes, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Cambodia, Annam, Cochin-China by Powell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)

He was moved thereto by inspection of a Winchester express rifle, carrying a half-inch ball, backed by 110 grains of powder, that was shown to him by a hunter.

From Bears I Have Met—and Others by Kelly, Allen