bwanabloke:

Taking a closer look at the engraving (specifically the elephant) my untrained eye suggests that the technique used for this particular engraving is called "Bulino" or "bank note" engraving.

The picture is actually made up of 1000s - 100000s of tiny dots that the engraver pushes into the metal. If you take a closer look at US currency, you'll see the same type of technique used.

I've always loved this type of engraving, and when my dad ordered his .577 from Butch, we decided to have similar scenes engraved with this technique.

An AMAZING example of bulino engraving can be found here:

Engraving Arts