Why do elephant guns taper outwards at the end?

Answer 1

By "elephant gun" I assume you are talking about a large caliber rifle used for dangerous game hunting.

The only weapons I know of in which the barrel "tapers" of funnels out at the end are not designed to hunt elephants or any other large game.

They are called "blunderbuses" and were military weapons. The reason for the taper or funnel at the end of the barrel was to facilitate loading on a naval vessel under high seas. The taper made it easier and in some cases possible to load gun powder and ball or shot while a vessel was tipping and turning on the waves.

Answer 2

i think you are refering to older guns that take black powder. it's much easier to reload powder in a funnel shaped barrel, then the modern slim barrel. elephant guns today are straight.