A race horse going off at 100-to-1 odds is a "Long Shot." So is a natural royal flush, as are many other risky enterprises that don't fulfill their promise. And so is sending a pointed metal cylinder weighing less than half an ounce through several hundred yards of turbulent, moving air to strike a game animal's vitals.

The hunter gripped his rifle in sweaty hands, facing the crouching lion only 30 yards away. Suddenly the animal launched his charge in deadly silence. The man with the gun knew he had only four or five seconds to stop that yellow ball of fangs and claws ... (no, wait! an African lion in full charge covers 30 yards in only half that much time. Maybe it was a grizzly ... yeah, they’re not quite as fast as a lion) ... to stop that half-ton of silvertip fury.