manmagnum082020 by nikolatysh

ROBIN HURT HUNTS SABLE

Smallest

FOR HUNTERS & SH HOOTERS HOOTERS

9mmP

HIGHMAN MINIATURE NAVAL GUNS

P-10 Micro WEAK HAND PISTOL DEFENCE DRILLS

Hunting Springbuck Waterbuck Warthog Elephant

Tests:

Safariland Holsters Alliant Powder

Remarkable Holland & Holland Doubles

Mauser Shooting African Sandgrouse Twins in Namibia

August 2020

Namibia N$47,00

47,00 incl VAT

VOLUME 45

NUMBER 8 AUGUST 2020

ON THE COVER:

One of four bespoke matching double rifles made by Holland & Holland for Bill Feldstein. This is a Royal De Luxe grade .375H&H with serial number 35581. The artwork scenes were done by Alan Brown. Photo supplied by Rock Island Auctioneers. Read more on p32.

Features 12 16 20 23 24 28 32 36 40 44 56

PISTOL PACKING PREACHER

Handgun hunting: practice makes perfect

Thinus Steyn

THE SEARCH FOR ‘BLACKIE SHINE’

Robin Hurt

FIREARM RELIABILITY

Roger Ingle

Humour, tragedy and triumph – that’s Africa By far the most important factor

BRUCE HIGHMAN: METAL MASTERY

Miniature precision engineering at its finest

CLONES OF COLT

What man doesn’t want a Peacemaker?

UNRECORDED ELEPHANT

It’s the mundane tasks that matter…

Gregor Woods Johan van Zyl Terry Irwin

H&H’S UNIQUE AFRICAN SERIES

Gregor Woods

CZ P-10 MICRO

André Grobler

Never-before set of four double rifles

Pocket-sized power house

THE SPENCER RIFLE

Lever-actions enter the arena

SANDGROUSE IN THE SEVENTIES

An experience of a lifetime

A RANGER’S WORK

Unsung heroes of the rhino-horn war

Subscribe to our Digital Edition, go to www.manmagnum.com

Robin Barkes Gregor Woods Kabanamana

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Trail Talk

by PHILLIP HAYES

Focus on Surviving RECENT ARTICLES AND remarks in Magnum concerning defensive carry have drawn quite a response from readers – thankfully all positive. Writing on personal defence can be a difficult task as there are many and varied strong views on the subject, and to complicate matters the tactical execution of attacks is never the same, making a one-size-fits-all solution impossible. In our environment the attackers almost always have the advantage, lying in wait to ambush or choosing the time of attack when the victim least expects it. Often the targets are the weak and most vulnerable. Although, in our writing, we focus on the drills and equipment needed to help you survive, there is a lot more involved in protecting yourself and your loved ones. Many of these additional factors do not relate to issues like magazine capacity, ammo choice or your ability to get lead on target – topics that, in my experience, are discussed the most. Talking about using your firearm to protect life and limb is one thing; training properly on a regular basis to effectively face a threat is a totally different challenge. Much more i m p o r t a n t i s avo i d i n g s i t u a t i o n s where you have to use force. If you are lucky enough to survive a violent confrontation, the post-traumatic fallout alone, resulting from the incident, which might include loss of life, is more than enough reason to wish you never got involved. Then there are other factors, like the police investigation, or even a civil lawsuit, that might add to your worries. Many incidents can be avoided by following a few rules. Making yourself a ‘hard target’ comes to mind. This of course can include burglar bars on windows, security doors, an alarm system, armed response, dogs and so on – things most of us already

6 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

have. However, we often overlook the fact that our posture and attitude can deter attackers. When you walk down the street, if you appear diffident or nervous, and avoid eye contact with people, this can make you a target. Don’t just look straight ahead or at the ground. Instead, use your eyes to scan the area as if alert and aware of your surroundings; briefly look bystanders in the eye and walk with confidence – this will serve as a deterrent. A purposeful stride and confident body-language makes a perpetrator think twice before attacking. Just don’t overdo it – avoid being cocky, for example, or aggressively staring people in the face for too long, as this might lead to a challenge. Another way to avoid troubl e when driving is simply to stay calm. A training instructor once pointed out to me that using your senses to take in your surroundings and to maintain situational awareness is preferable to impulsively reacting to the actions of another individual. An example that he quoted involved driving at night. If the driver of an approaching car fails to dim his car’s bright lights, or starts flashing the bright lights at you, this will leave you momentarily blinded. For most of us, the immediate and almost instinctive reaction is to flash your own bright lights back at the culprit. Apart from endangering the lives of the people in oncoming traffic by blinding them – the other driver can end up on the side of the road or even hit your vehicle. Your action can quickly escalate a situation involving extremely dangerous fast travelling vehicles. The best option is to ignore the ‘irritation’ and drive on. This takes willpower and discipline, but that’s a critical ingredient in the package needed to tilt the odds in your favour.

According to the instructor, situational awareness and using the information to make logical deductions to stay alive is much more important than your shooting skill. During a shooting or firefight, most people, even highly trained individuals, find it extremely difficult to control their bodies and actions. It is much simpler, and more effective to control the situation by avoiding a traumatic, adrenaline-filled physical confrontation. While serving in the military, I was forcefully taught a similar lesson by an immensely strong staff sergeant whose job was to train us in the finer points of close-quarter combat. Lesson number one: avoiding the fight will always leave you unscathed. Secondly, always attack the weakest spot, preferably by approaching the opponent/s from behind. From here on, the list of options became long and some actions were quite complicated. His methods, involving maximum force, were brutal and often crude but extremely effective, yet he insisted that avoidance is always the best option. In Magnum, our advice is intended as training options, not as a quick-fix for problem situations. Also, having undergone some training, do not allow this to instil false confidence in your abilities. Always expect an attacker to be intelligent, strong and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Why risk such odds? Rather make the drill session on the range part of a broader approach where you use your observational powers to make logical decisions, devoid of emotion, which allow you to control the situation and avoid confrontation. Readers are welcome to share their varied experience and training techniques with us. We look forward to hearing from you.

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by CHRIS PARGETER

Consider This...

Fools Rush In! D RAN seen a cheetah appeared rapped in an old d-o area a angers’ camp on game reserv oundary fence. ou as a s ard barbed-wire ock e che was apparently having d lty getting out. The section e of his staff and over the fence, hoping to drive the animal out through the open section at the other end – an unusual yet straightforward task, one would have thought. They spread out and walked slowly through the overgrown paddock, shouting as they went. The outcome was unexpected. An angry leopard sprang onto one of the field rangers. Then, frightened by the response of the other rangers, it quickly jumped off the man and ran through the gap. Fortunately, the hurt man needed only a few stitches to his arm and shoulder. Though the injuries were surprisingly light, they were painful. The ranger who reported a locked-in cheetah received a thorough dressing down from the section ranger and absolute ridicule from his companions.

10 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

One night, two men, accompanied by a couple of helpers, drove out to hunt kudu to feed the prospecting camp’s thirty-odd staff. They flushed a herd which ran parallel to the road, but out of sight, so they raced ahead in the Land Rover to get beyond them. The noise of the ‘stampede’ stopped, whereupon the men jumped out with a torch and rifle. After running a short distance, they switched on the light and were greeted by a small herd of buffalo which promptly charged towards them. Switching off the light, the men ran in panic back to the vehicle, jumped in and waited for their galloping hearts to slow down. However, one man was missing. Gathering their courage, they went to look for the missing man, switching on the torch to check for glowing eyes. The buffalo had apparently moved on. The men called his name, but to no avail. Edging forward, they observed a sapling bent right over with a large object in its branches. Approaching the scene, they saw their missing companion clinging to the upper branches of the small tree, which was now bent double under his weight. Hanging upside down and clinging on for all he was worth, the man’s head was less than a metre off the ground. Unkindly, they hooked two thumbs into his chest and he fell screaming to the ground. Accustomed to raids by all sorts of two- and four-legged predators, the poultry farmer had built large, high gum-pole enclosures worthy of any zoo’s bird collection. Heavy diamond mesh encircled the structure and the only normal pedestrian way in was via the locked gates. However, marauding dogs and mongooses would tunnel under the wire mesh, human thieves would cut through it, wild and feral cats would go up and over, and large avian predators flew straight in from above. Woken late one night by his guard dogs, the farmer armed himself with his trusty 12-bore

double, grabbed his powerful torch and made his way to the chicken runs. Not knowing what manner of intruder it might be, he held the torch in his left hand, sweeping the beam, while gripping his shotgun in his right hand, resting the barrels awkwardly across his bended left arm. His retriever sniffed around him and ran back and forth as the farmer slowly walked between the large structures, shining the torch inside along the ground and pathways. When right next to one of the tall structures, he felt a hard, stinging blow to the side of his head. Staggering sideways, he shone his torch up just in time to see a large caracal (rooikat) run along the top pole, leap to the ground and run off. The injury did not require stitches, but bled profusely as he’d received all four claws to the side of his face. The incident caused a minor sensation in the district; no-one had ever heard of an attack by a caracal. “They must be bloody big rats,” the police sergeant remarked, adding that the noise was “really causing a problem… sounds like a herd of cattle!” The consensus was that some rat poison should do the trick. The exterminator slid his ladder into the entrance to the ceiling and climbed through, carrying a jar of poisoned pellets. His assistant, the police sergeant, and a couple of others stood at the bottom of the ladder. After a brief exploration, the exterminator let out a scream and came tumbling down the ladder, landing heavily on top of the other men. “Bloody great leguaan!” he raged. “Nearly got me!” He was clearly terrified at the sight of a large Nile monitor in the semi-dark. “Must be two metres long!” They called in the Natal Parks Board who, after a merry dance, hauled out a 1.5-metre leguaan in a sack. Further investigation revealed a large colony of bats in the ceiling – fine food for a hungry leguaan, but how, one wonders, did this large lizard get up there?

Pistol Packing Preacher by THINUS STEYN

Handgun hunt: watching a master at work

12 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

Early morning hunt. Ernie Bishop with his XP100.

Ernie using a termite mound as a shooting rest with the author behind him. Photo by Darryl Holland.

SOM E fectly st rnie remark sland would lem wit ter und a A ear Ernie Bishop

THE seemingly endless stretch of perbetween Bloemfontein and Jagersfontein, at one of the termite mounds dotting the ake a perfect rest for a handgun hunter. that, I informed him, was finding both a d a shootable animal within range of it. r, at the Bloemfontein airport, I had met tte, Wyoming – preacher, handgun hunter tol fundi. Our hunting destination was a me reserve straddling the Gariep River. On the backseat, in a hard case, lay Ernie’s custom handguns; an XP100 and a Ruger GP100, affectionately known as the Franken-Ruger. The XP100 is a speciality pistol on a Remington XP action with an 18 ˡ ˡ barrel in 7mm Dakota, a muzzle-brake and a Leupold 4.5-14x40 rifle-scope with an ARM reticle. He loads 180gr Berger VLD hunting bullets at 2 900fps. The Franken-Ruger was originally a Ruger GP100 in .357 Magnum before it was extensively customised for Ernie by Bayside Custom Gunworks. Its 10 ˡ ˡ (originally 15 ˡ ˡ) barrel is free-floating with a partial barrel shroud and wears a Leupold 2.5-8x handgun (LER) scope. Ernie’s hunting load was a 158gr Swift A-Frame bullet at 1 400fps. With the original 15'' barrel Ernie shot a 3'' group at 500 yards. Late in the afternoon of the first hunting day, Ernie was crouched behind a termite mound, trying to set up his bipod on the mound with his field bag under the pistol grip. I was beside him, watching a pair of springbuck rams 350m away. “Don’t shoot if you’re not 100% sure,” I whispered as I inserted my earplugs. The XP100’s muzzlebrake, while very effective at reducing felt recoil, rendered the report horrifyingly loud. I was nervous as I waited – it was a long shot for a rifle, never mind a handgun. Ernie had shot well out to 500 metres on the range, and that morning had accounted for a blue wildebeest, a young eland and a warthog. This, however, was his longest shot at game.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 13

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Photo Daryl Balfour Wildphotossafaris.com

The Search for ‘Blackie Shine’ by ROBIN HURT

Sable antelope: one of Africa’s most prized trophies VING ON fo ching out w hun nds, m anderlust ways led me to look ‘ the next ’ and I ft f und t est game phies rness s where ers ha ured. equently, 79 fo ly-cam g on the Lulimala Ri in Norther Zambia, ps. with my good friend and client Joerg Bucherer of Switzerland, owner of the Bucherer jewellery company. On our first morning, Joerg had bagged a ram with lovely lyre-shaped horns of well over 30''. The area was teeming with sitatunga in numbers such as I had never seen. We also hunted black lechwe, oribi and tsessebe on the flood plains bordering the main Bangweulu swamps, an hour and a half’s drive from our fly camp. One evening, a local man strolled into our camp, his friendly dark face split by a broad smile of flashing white teeth. When I asked his name, he said, “Coca Cola, please sah!” He looked thirsty. “Sorry,” I replied, “We don’t have any Coca Cola, but you can have some tea or water if you wish.” Briefly confused, he then said in broken English, “No, sah, not wanting drinki; that be my name – Coca Cola!” In Zambia I’d met many Africans with unusual names such as Bicycle, Table, Smoke and Friday. Joerg and I laughed aloud, and Coca Cola joined in, though he obviously didn’t know why we were laughing. I liked him immediately. It turned out that Coca Cola lived nearby and had seen our vehicle tracks paralleling the papyrus-fringed river. As no vehicle had passed that way before, and he wanted work, he followed the tracks to our camp. Impressed by his eagerness, I immediately hired him, and for the next five years he worked for us as a tent attendant – a job he took to with ease. I asked him about other game in the area. He said there were occasional lion

LEFT: The late ace Kenyan tracker, Laboso Arap Sura and my Zambian tracker, Guliart with my Sitchifulo ‘blackie shine’ in 1979.

BELOW LEFT: A recent photo of my son, Derek Hurt, displaying the horns of ‘blackie shine’. Photo by Derek Hurt.

fulo area bordering the southeast side of Kafue National Park, Joerg’s primary objective being to find a really big sable. The hunting was excellent and we bagged a very good maned lion, a nice tom leopard, a lovely roan, a 47'' buffalo, an excellent kudu and a superb ‘blackie shine’ just nudging 48''. My eagle-eyed Kenyan tracker, Laboso, now adopted the term ‘blackie shine’ whenever we saw sable, in place of its Swahili name, mbarapi. The term translated into Swahili as ‘mwangaza nyeusi’ or just nyeusi (black).

and leopard and “blackie shine”. After much questioning and reference to our illustrated wildlife guide, it turned out he meant sable antelope. He also pointed out bush-pig, warthog and roan antelope, but said that, apart from these and numerous sitatunga, there was little other game in the area – most had been eaten by the locals. However, his descriptive term “blackie shine” stayed with me, as it was indeed apt for sable. The next day, with Coca Cola accompanying us, we left for the Sitchi-

MY NEXT CLIENT was American, Daryl Frey, a pleasant chap and a superbly crack shot with his lever-actioned .348 Winchester topped with a Lyman American for non-dangerous game. For dangerous game he used a bolt-actioned .458 Win Mag. I’d never been much impressed with lever-actioned rifles for African use, but Daryl’s ability with this rifle changed my mind. He was deadly, taking most of his game with a single shot. Among the reasons I chose Zambia, was my personal desire to hunt a good sitatunga and a significantly horned sable for myself. Sitchifulo produced a fabulous safari for Daryl, including a

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 17

The horns of my heavily maned ally, feeling Lulimala River sitatunga. lion, a very nice uncomfortable Photo by Murray Grant. tom leopard, an under our gaze, elephant with tusks he stood up and of over 70lbs a side disappeared a n d a 4 6 '' s a b l e , among the rocks. among other fine troThen we discovphies. With three safari ered long lines of days left, I asked Daryl if branches and brush he’d mind spending this which had been cut time accompanying me and carefully laid out while I hunted a sable for with gaps every ten myself. It was also an metres. In each gap was opportunity to recce an a steel cable snare. Folarea on the eastern-most lowing this line, we part of the concession removed well over a which our local tracker, hundred snares. We Guliart, told me had came across the never been explored remains of a couple by safari hunters. of hartebeest left Daryl enthusiasticto rot – the ally agreed. snares hadn’t We set about been checked exploring this for days – f a b u l o u s also the stretch of remains of country with a spotted its rocky kophyena who p i e s , s a nd y had obvirivers, pools ously been of water and attracted m i o m b o by the smell (brachystegia) of the hartewoodland forest beest car– perfect sable casses, only habitat – with no to be choked to sign of vehicles ever death by a snare having been in there. himself. No wonEach day we travelled der we saw no game deeper and deeper into – it had been snared the unknown. However, out. This form of poachthere was no game at all – ing is among the most what few tracks we saw were destructive – it’s wasteold. One very old, skinny leopful, non-selective, cruel ard glared at us from his perch and devastating to wildlife high on a boulder, flattening himpopulations. With no safari self, ears laid back to lower his hunters penetrating this profile. Had it not been for excelarea, it was wide open for lent spotting by Laboso, we would poachers. It’s a proven fact have driven straight past him. In the that the presence of safari absence of game, this grizzled old hunters in an area discourages male had obviously resorted to huntpoaching. ing hyrax (rock dassie) to survive. Finally, we found a few sable They at least were plentiful. Eventutracks in a lush green dambo (wet

He also pointed out bush-pig, warthog and roan antelope, but said that, apart from these and numerous sitatunga, there was little other game in the area

18 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

My tracker Guliart with a lovely Lulimala River sitatunga.

plain bisecting the miombo forest). I felt this isolated patch of forest must attract something, so on our last day we returned and again followed the dambo for a good ten miles but saw nothing – only tracks. Disheartened, we began the 4-hour return journey to camp. In order to save at least an hour’s driving, I cut through the forest in as straight a general direction as possible, though forced to meander in what I termed the Toyota slalom. Suddenly Laboso grabbed my shoulder and frantically whispered in my ear, “Mwangaza neuysi – mkubwa sana!” (very big blackie shine). DIRECTLY IN FRONT of us stood the most magnificent sable I had ever seen, with long, heavy-set horns curling well over his withers. With a snort, he turned and trotted off, seemingly not too alarmed. I clambered out of the car. Daryl thrust his lever-action rifle into my hands. I levered a round into the chamber and engaged the hammer’s quarter-cock safety. There was no time to argue about the rifle, I was just glad to have one in my hands. Indicating to my crew to remain in the car I set off alone after this magnificent animal. Glimpses of black and his white

LEFT: Author with the superb Sitchifulo lion hunted by his client Daryl Frey in 1979. RIGHT: Author’s Mexican client Juan Infante’s fabulous Zambian kudu. L-R: Zambian tracker Friday Chilwa, Juan Infante and Kenyan trackers Laboso Arap Sura and John Sitiene.

rump kept me on his trail and just in sight. He was walking directly away from me through the woodland and visibility was about 150 yards at most. I determined to keep him in sight. Crouching low, I darted from tree to tree knowing he would stop and look back, and that would be my chance – probably my only opportunity before he became really spooked. Noticing what looked like a black tree-stump that was out of place in the woodland, I raised my binoculars. It was the sable, about 100 yards away, gazing intently at me, not quite sure what he was seeing. He must have detected my movement, as I was now well-hidden behind a miombo tree trunk. I slowly raised the rifle and, carefully resting it against the tree, aimed for the centre of his chest, fighting off buck fever brought on by having an unfamiliar rifle in my hands while the sable of a lifetime stood gazing alert at me. It was now or never; I carefully squeezed the trigger. The blast surprised me and I knew my shot, aimed at the base of his neck, had been perfect. He collapsed to the shot. As I ran up, his back legs were kicking up dust in his death throes. It was over. A sense of relief flooded through

me, but at the same time a melancholy sadness – a sentiment which only a hunter can understand. I stood quietly admiring this magnificent fallen king. I could scarcely believe the size of his horns – thick and immensely long. After a few minutes I heard the vehicle approaching. After all had admired this splendid animal, and taken photos, we loaded him up and headed for camp, thrilled and tired after three days of hardly seeing a living animal apart from the leopard and lots of dassies – finally to be blessed with this spectacular ‘blackie shine’.

Author’s clients Hadelin Diericx and his son Lobo, of Mexico, with an exceptional Zambian sable.

I did not measure the horns until a few days later; the longer horn was 51 inches and the other just scraping 50 inches. Both bases were 101/4''. After the mandatory 3-month drying out period, Colin Dunn of Zambia Safaris, an official Rowland Ward measurer, taped the longer horn at 505/8 inches. In 1984, I returned to East Africa to do safaris in Tanzania, and Coca Cola then worked for Zambia Safaris. Fond memories of him and sable remain with me to this day. ZAMBIA AND THE Kafue region remains the best place to hunt trophy sable. I hunted in the Mumbwa area for four years and most of my clients bagged sable measuring over 45'', the biggest being 48 3/8 inches taken in 1982 by my loyal friend and client, Juan Infante of Mexico. The best Tanzanian sable taken by one of my clients, Jim Crang of Canada, was 471/2'' in the Kigozi area (recently declared a National Park). The best I have heard of was 49'' hunted on the Rungwa River by one of the late George Angelides’s clients. In our Western Tanzania concession of Luganzo, sable is the most prevalent antelope, and 45'' plus is a real possibility.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 19

Smoke-stack.

by ROGER INGLE

A matter of trust

Firearm Reliability SINC E TI era o an nto pans odern semi-a liable opera In pplicat life ng w s imp tive in ion c

of the first firearms in the the locks that struck them h to the latest of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s matic weapons, the demand on has remained consistent. ns, handguns and rifles are apons so a trustworthy gun is role. In the flint and perAn early rifling machine. he challenge to achieve this gh the quality of the workple lock mechanisms of the day. opment of specialized gun-making machinery which contribWhen revolvers and magazine-fed, repeater-action rifles uted much to this progress. Today, plant automation and arrived, the attention shifted to good designs. The parallel robotic technology has taken the reliability and quality of our requirement of quality remained and was largely met by guns to a new standard. mass production Even so, malfunctions and breakages still occur and this through the use of patsometimes correlates with the complexity of the actions. terns, jigs and machine At the close of the 19th century a double-action revolver tools which offered was likely to be more reliable than a contemporary high standards of presemi-automatic pistol. The reliability of John Browningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cision. This reduced classic designs was a direct consequence of their simplithe over-reliance on city and ease of manufacture. A comparison of his Colt the skills of master 1911 with the pleasing, yet less reliable and more comartisans and craftsplicated, P08 Luger testifies to this. For a gun to be men. Factories in the reliable, it must have high quality assurance in the proUnited States were pioneers in the devel1983 Armscor Quality Guide - statistical theory.

20 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

At the close of the 19th Century a double-action revolver was likely to be more reliable than a contemporary semi-automatic pistol

duction process, as in the P08 Luger, and a first class design like the Colt 1911. It is interesting to digress a little into the field of reliability engineering to see how this relates to firearms, if at all. Sometimes in other technologies a contractual requirement will specify a number to be put to the reliability of a new design and in this event the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is often used. In a destructive test, a number of samples are cycled through exceptionally abusive temperature influences such as the quality of the ammunition, extremes, bumps, vibration, operator misuse and could be difficult to factor in. many other harmful influences which are relevant to This is surprising when infantry soldiers depend the articleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intended use. An elaborate mathematical so heavily on their rifles. It is estimated that about projection into the future is done on an analysis of 70% of the soldiers killed in combat in the Second the intervals between any faults and their nature World War were in the infantry. In the smaller which occurred during the fault-accelerating proconflicts of today this is estimated to be as high as cess. The tests may last for many months or longer 80%. Since the introduction of the M16 rifle and to capture sufficient data. The study is costly but later, its M4 carbine variant to the US Army, there Feed jam in a 1873 often vital. A typical forecast figure for a large turbohas been a relentless and unresolved controversy Winchester. fan aircraft engine is one per 370 000 flight hours. with regard to their reliability in battle. But this does Other high-powered machines having exceptionally not imply that their acceptance was lax. Many sublong MTBF factors are the giant high voltage transformers one missions for government firearm contracts fail during sees in switchyards, possibly because they have no moving arduous operational trials which are usually in the form of parts. But I suppose this is of little comfort to Eskom. competitions between several contenders for a lucrative contract. In 2011 the US Army compared eight new, state of NEW FIREARM DESIGNS also undergo vigorous testing which will be relevant to their use in service. However, these are more pragmatic with no theoretical processing of the information and thus no published figures are given to quantify the expected reliability. Instead just a simple caveat may be given such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;no stoppage or other malfunction in one thousand rounds was observedâ&#x20AC;?. Yet, serious faults still escape such trials. The Remington 700 had a dangerous trigger fault allowing the rifle to sometimes discharge without touching the trigger. Many lawsuits, a hasty recall and redesign followed. So, while MTBF or similar figures are mandatory for many critical items in aviation, military systems, nuclear and other fields where reliable operation is a matter of life or death, there are no such figures for firearms, military or civilian! The reason is simple. The commercial, military and law-enforcement markets do not require it because it is costly and, extraneous

M4 carbine.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 21

the art carbines against the M4. These included submissions from Beretta, Colt, Heckler & Koch and Remington. All the contenders failed in the first phase of the test and the funding for further investigating was withdrawn. Firearms have two classes of failure, mechanical breakages and malfunctions. Mechanical breakages in modern guns are infrequent. The causes may be wear and tear, metallurgical deficiencies or damage due to corrosion. Extraction claws in many early designs were weak and inclined to break. Even Mauser action extractors have been known to chip when the correct controlled feed is not used and the cartridge is pushed by the bolt face into the chamber thus causing the extractor to ride over the cartridge rim. Malfunctions on the other hand are much more common, particularly in semiautomatic weapons where feed and extraction jams are sometimes recurrent. This is much less so in repeating systems like bolt-actions and lever-actions where a malfunction is more often attributed to unsuitable ammunition, cartridge ove ra l l l e n g t h ( C O L ) being one offender. Civilian shooters will most likely encounter malfunctions in semi-automatic pistols so it is best to focus on the more prevalent of these. A .500/450 Hollis circa 1880. Enhanced reliability - the rod under the bore is to tap out a stuck case through a broken extractor, it is not a cleaning rod.

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A trigger safety on a modern striker-fired Beretta.

Perhaps the most common is a failure to eject (FTE). Ejected cartridge cases may fail to clear the action and be caught in a nose-up position called a smoke-stack or be jammed inline between the bolt face and the breech. This may be due to weakened springs or a loosely held gun. Failure to feed (FTF) is another classic jam. This occurs when the top cartridge in the magazine fails to ramp up correctly and move forward into the chamber or fails to elevate in the magazine or, alternatively, when two cartridges pop up. This is often caused by faulty cartridgeguiding surfaces at the mouth of the magazine or a soft recoil spring. Many of these jams may not be attributed to a faulty weapon but to under-charged ammunition, incorrect cartridge overall lengths (COL) or bullet shapes that are not compatible with the ramp at the entrance to the chamber.

perceived compromise which adversely affects the speedy use of the weapon. The Smith & Wesson J-frame revolver and the Browning 1911 pistol had early implementations of a squeeze-grip idea to unlock the piece before firing. Several modern handguns incorporate this feature. Po s s i b l y i t i s m o r e effective than many other safety systems in preventing an accidental discharge but this is open for debate. In defence of gun reliability and the trust due to them, one should be reminded that the quality of ammunition is an equal player in this. Moreo v e r, m a l f u n c t i o n s and, in particular, an accidental discharge (AD), is seldom a fault in the design. Such accidents are invariably due to mishandling. Surely it is time for the ‘accidental discharge’ term to be changed to ‘negligent discharge’? A closer look at a modern firearm will reveal much ingenuity and the reliability therein certainly has to be admired.

Malfunctions on the other hand are much more common, particularly in semi-automatic weapons where feed and extraction jams are sometimes recurrent

SOMETIMES THE RELIABILITY of a firearm may be in conflict with a safety feature, the concern being a

riceless working miniature of a 4-inch naval gun HE DE uce Highm b 2 9 edit th e’d on ture working m ld breec rell h nava (turret gu ich fired .22

aster gunte an obituhich I mene a to-scale f a complex ding twintillery piece im-fire carto the smalln and lateral pivoting, with all the adjustment wheels and crank-handles being operational. It took him five years to make (while he was living in Durban) and he completed it around 1968. You simply cannot put a price on so many hours of skilled work. The barrels measured 8 inches (20cm) in length, and the overall length of the entire structure, including the base on which it swivelled, was about 24 inches (61cm). Tragically, it was stolen out of the boot of his car in Johannesburg. Model making was Bruce’s hobby, and in 1980/81, he began work on another twin-barrelled breech-loading 4-inch naval turret gun, only he intended this one to fire .303 cartridges! I heard nothing further of this project, but at that time Bruce joined Suburban Guns in Cape Town; his reputation as a master gunsmith spread rapidly and he was kept very busy. It wasn’t long before he decided to specialise in custom rifle making, and went into partnership with master stockmaker Bennie Laubscher in Paarl. Again, demand for his skills apparently kept him too busy to indulge in his favourite hobby. During this period he built my custom .375H&H on a commercial Mauser 98 action taken off a Westley Richards (an article on this rifle appeared in Magnum’s August 1998 edition). I visited Bruce at his workshop in Paarl, and we also socialised, but he made no mention of building miniature model guns. Bruce retired from gun-making when he turned 80 in 2005. At the time, he announced his intention to become a cus-

tom knife-maker, but that was not all Bruce did after retiring. He went back to miniature model-building! In February 2007, Bruce mailed me a handwritten letter enclosing two photos (one is seen here). His letter reads, Dear Gregor, I packed up the gunsmithing game when I turned 80 a couple of years back, the hassles became too tiresome. Am now indulging my model making interests. Enclosed snaps are of recently finished scale model of twin 4'' naval piece. If you

was failing and I was taking over more and more of his workload. March 2007 was also the time when I had to renew my twelve firearm licences under the new Firearms Control Act, which proved a nightmare, because the day after I submitted my 12 applications, together with a 2-inch thick dossier of original references, certificates and other documents to motivate them, my local police station switched DFOs and my entire dossier went missing! Clearly, in the chaotic weeks and months that followed, Bruce’s letter and photos became buried beneath the mountain of paperwork heaping up on my desk and I forgot about them.

Bruce Highman Metal Mastery

IN 2016, I had to transfer the by GREGOR WOODS contents of my Magnum office in Durban to my home, as the head office moved to Pretoria. All these files and papers got pushed into any and every available space, and I have been kept Working so busy during these past four model firing .303 years that it was not until this cartridges. recent Christmas/New Year break that I got a chance to start sorting through them. And to my shock and surprise, I found Bruce’s 2007 letter and photos. I just had to share one with Magnum readers, as this is a truly know of anyone with similar interests I astonishing representation of Bruce’s would like to be put in touch with them. technical skill and attention to detail. I do Hope this finds you in good health and not know if this is the completion of the things going well. Best regards, Bruce. twin-barrelled naval turret gun that As the letter was addressed to me Bruce began making in 1980-81, or an personally, and Bruce had no interest in entirely new piece. The ‘artillery shells’ in selling such pieces, he was not looking the photos look like .303 rounds dimenfor exposure in Magnum. Nevertheless, sionally, but I suspect these are latheI am quite certain my own intention was turned dummies for safe demonstration. to publish the photos for reader interest, However, given Bruce’s 1981 statement since they revealed the most extraordof intent, I have no doubt whatsoever inary metal-working skill I had ever that this is a fully working model with seen. However, I have no further recolrifled barrels cut from actual .303 barrels lection of the photos – that is, until just and turned down to scale. If any reader a few days before writing this. All I can knows where this model is now, I’d love put it down to, is that by 2007, I had to hear about it. What a marvellous tesentered an intensely busy and stressful timony of that extraordinary man’s skill period at Magnum. Ron Anger’s health and dedication.

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The ultimate Pietta in ‘altered’ form.

Collecting cowboy ‘peacemakers’

Some Colt Clones by JOHAN VAN ZYL

E POI g the midbecame n a gunfight me eighbo ids. My parpot me do ullets while g to shoot back y assailants d fing y dad was stil town h the terse instructio Buy your son a cap-gun on, with my to hold my own against the outlaws. When comparing my puny cap-firing revolver with pictures of the Colt Single Action Army (SAA), I found my toy seriously lacking. Much later, I learned that the original ‘P’ model of 1873 was produced for issue to the United States Cavalry, and as such was used until the early 1890s, when new developments in military firearms caused the ‘Peacemaker’ to fall from favour. It soon became the sidearm of preference for civilians on both sides of the law, rising to fame throughout the West. It was eventually described by many authors as the most famous handgun in the world. But at that time, being a youngster, my image of the Colt SAA had been formed more by comic magazine illustrations than by photographs. The disappointment I felt led me to search for a die-cast cap revolver that more closely resembled the size and shape of the venerable ‘cowboy gun’ I had been reading

24 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

The JP Sauer single-action with its faux staghorn grips.

about. At last I managed to find one in a Simon’s Town toy shop that was surprisingly comparable. Whether it was a Denix or Kolser or some other make I cannot say. But it ‘fired’ six cartridges into the bargain! Each consisted of an outer aluminium shell, into which the cap was placed. The die-cast, bullet-shaped insert was pushed into the shell and the whole loaded into the cylinder. It cycled like the real thing, affording me great satisfaction. When the hammer dropped, the impact detonated the cap and a loud ‘crack’ ensued. Regrettably, I later let it go during a swap session with another boy. Had I kept it, it might eventually have figured nicely in what would later become my SAA clone collection.

A die-cast cap revolver similar to the one I cherished as a boy.

While I was still immersed in boyish preoccupations, things were happening in the United States of which I was not yet aware. Americans were reliving their past through television and films, and this created a market for reproductions of historical frontier firearms. This was at a time when Colt had already indicated that they would not continue to produce their Single Action Army model. The vacuum would be filled in double-quick time. Great Western Arms of California was the first company to recreate Colt’s iconic six-gun, commencing in 1954 with their Standard Model, which resembled the Colt SAA in most respects, the firing pin being the main exception – housed in the frame and not on the hammer. Other models would follow. TIME PASSED AND I progressed from playing ‘cowboys and crooks’ to collecting historical firearms. In 1966, I visited a Cape Town gun shop and told Ted Whitehead of my search for a Colt SAA revolver. He had a very discouraging reply for me. Colts were prohibitively expensive, whereas quality lookalikes were coming on the market and were very much more affordable. He offered me a true-to-life reproduction of the Colt SAA in .22 LR calibre, sporting a 5½ inch barrel and produced by JP Sauer und Sohn of Germany, manufactured from an alloy with a steel-sleeved bore and cylinder. I could not know it then, but this was the first of its kind to come out of Europe. I knew it would be foolhardy to embark on a quest for Colt Single Actions as a main collecting theme. I made peace with the idea that I should go for reproductions instead. Surely, it was the look that mattered most, not the brand name. I was much impressed by the Sauer. Taking possession in due course, I promptly discarded the imitation staghorn grips and made wooden grips to better imitate the Colt. This Sauer was quite satisfying to me and I enjoyed many hours’ plinking with it. A drawback was the blued finish that rapidly disappeared, the alloy taking on a cloudy sheen. Then also, the many screws loosened after a mere dozen shots, calling for constant tightening.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 25

In 1977, I bought two new Uberti ‘Frontier’ Single Action models with the same barrel length as the Sauer, one in .22 LR and one in .357 Magnum, but their adjustable target sights drew some of the allure away from these otherwise well-performing revolvers. Had I been adequately informed at that stage, I would have been happy to learn that these shooting replicas had a standard of construction and design that surpassed the earlier Colts. The steels were much stronger and the tolerances much tighter. I HAD A ‘pie in the sky’ vision against which I measured my acquisitions, and hitherto, these models did not fully comply. I wanted something more true to the iconic revolver I knew General Custer’s men of the 7th Cavalry were issued with. Adjustable sights were not part of the image. It seemed to me that history was repeating itself when, during a vacation in 1979, I again paid a visit to Ted Whitehead and lamented that the Sauer and the Ubertis were okay, but I really needed something a bit more true to the authentic Colt that I had seen only in pictures. Ted hauled out a revolver that took my breath away. It was a new Uberti Cattleman in .45 Colt – a handgun that closely resembled the prize I had been dreaming about. The barrel length was 7½ inches and it was in the ‘right’ calibre to boot. However, the trigger-guard and grip strap being brass remained an inauthentic feature. Now, this was 1979, when the debilitating mandatory embargo on firearms imports to this country, adopted two

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ABOVE: The Uberti Cattleman was a good likeness of Colt’s famous model P, up to a point... The old holster, which used to belong to a Dragoon, fits like a glove.

LEFT: An early 70s catalogue picture shows the engraved Dakota.

years earlier by the United Nations Security Council because of apartheid, was in full swing. The one or two new Colts coming into the country clandestinely were snapped up even before arriving. The going prices for Colts on auction remained far above my means. The decision I had made that clones would be my way forward resulted in the Cattleman becoming mine and I immediately started hand-loading cartridges for this cavalry ‘hogleg’ using both black and smokeless powders. In 1984, I chanced to visit Impala Arms in Bloemfontein, where I was shown a most desirable pre-owned single-action revolver in .357 Magnum, a product of the Italian company Armi Jager which began making Peacem a ke r r e p r o d u c t i o n s i n 1 9 6 2 . I m p o r t e d b y I n t e r Continental Arms of Los Angeles, it was named the Dakota. Being factory-engraved, it was more attractive than the Uberti and of better quality than the Sauer, so I purchased it forthwith.

In an effort to regain something of what I had lost, I decided I would purchase a brand-new six-gun in .357 Magnum, matching as closely as possible in authenticity to the Colt SAA I was informed that an American gentleman visiting our country had brought this Dakota with him, intending to sell it here. I wrote to him asking for more information, but in replying, he denied all knowledge of this revolver. I did not pursue the matter further. In time, the licence was granted and I took possession. I immediately had the Dakota masterfully engraved with my name and the date, in flowing script by Fred Tocknell. I then made a one-piece grip for it using horn from a large Cape buffalo trophy that was taking up too much space in my man cave (I described this project in the October 1985 edition of Man Magnum). The Dakota’s relatively low serial number was an indication that it had been produced sometime in the mid-sixties, making it quite long in the tooth by the time I owned it. Nonetheless, it was in perfect condition. There is a sad personal twist to this tale of the Dakota. I had gradually become disillusioned by the ever-hardening attitudes of the lawmakers and the licensing authority in this country. I reasoned that it would not be possible for me to carry on collecting if the government were set on taking away our firearms. Even if it were possible for law-abiding enthusiasts to acquire some kind of accreditation as collectors, hunters or sport shooters, ever-tightening regulations could make it an unaffordable hobby. So, in my despondent state, I started selling off some of my collection, mostly for a song. In time, however, I noticed my fellow enthusiasts rallying to the cause – they would not take the bullying lying down, and I took heart from that. To this day I rue the decision I made to let the Dakota and the two Frontiers go. In an effort to regain something of what I had lost, I decided I would purchase a brand-new six-gun in .357 Magnum, matching as closely as possible in authenticity to the Colt SAA. After doing my homework as best I could, I recently settled on an ‘Italian job’ once again, not a Uberti this time,

Aldo Uberti’s reproduction of Colt’s .45 SAA being put through its paces.

The difficult project of sculpting a grip from buffalo horn finally completed.

but a Pietta. I selected a blued 1873 model with case-hardened frame and a lovely dark walnut grip, a product of FAP Fabbrica Armi Fratelli Pietta (Pietta Brothers Arms Manufacturer), founded in 1963 in Brescia, Italy, and today widely recognised as makers of the most accurate and refined reproductions of historical weapons of the old West. Although the barrel is shorter than the cavalry model’s and the calibre smaller than .45 Colt, the trigger-guard and grip-frame are steel, not brass. In this respect, the Pietta is more closely authentic to the Colt than any of my previous clones. History tells us that after 1895, the US government returned large numbers of SAA revolvers to Colt for refurbishing. The barrels of many were shortened to 5½ inches and these Colts were officially referred to as the ‘altered revolvers’. The first units armed with the ‘altered revolver’ were artillery units, and that is how the eventual designation ‘Artillery’ came into use. The original calibres smaller than .45 Colt included the .38 Long Colt, for which the ammunition is difficult to obtain in South Africa, so having this reproduction in .357 Magnum is an advantage. The scope of this article does not permit mention of the many other makes of Colt clones that have been around; my acquisitions over the years were restricted to what was locally available to me. Yet this has been very rewarding in so many other respects, affording hours of study and enjoyment, both on the shooting range and off it.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 27

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their Selous safari, Jacqueline brought a beautiful Bell & Howell 16mm cine camera. On their first day, I had to persuade Philippe to shoot some camp meat. Initially, he was reluctant in case it frightened away the elephants. He was surprised to see how relaxed the Selous elephant were. Where he’d hunted in West Africa, the elephant were skittish and hid in dense thickets during the day, seldom being seen in the open. He said if you fired a shot, the elephant would leave the area and you would have to search for them over many miles. Presumably they had been very Philippe with his two pairs of Selous elephant tusks. heavily hunted. Philippe also queried why we did not go out before dawn to look for tracks. I explained that, where elephant are not disturbed, they usually drink during the hottest part of the day, hence we would check the waterholes between 11am and 3pm. I explained that the old bulls, which carried the largest ivory, did not associate with cow herds and usually were able to approach using small bushes as cover. When we drank at different watering places. were about thirty paces from the elephant, I told Jacqueline We spent the first few days checking the numerous to start filming our approach and any action which followed. waterholes to determine where the bulls were drinking. They Philippe and I then moved to within twenty paces of the eleoften used seepage sites on hillsides or in dry riverbeds phant. Looking back I saw that Jacqueline was filming with where they had dug for water. It became apparent that sevKisengi standing next to her. eral bulls were drinking at the same place at different times. Usually the old bulls were accompanied by one or more young askari bulls. We waited at these spots, and if the bulls’ tusks were too small or thin we’d pass them up and move on to the next waterhole. Many times Philippe wanted to shoot, but I explained that these were small-bodied bulls with very thin tusks. He became frustrated when I passed up bulls he thought were quite adequate. Each time we saw bulls approaching, or found them already drinking, I first had to position Jacqueline with the camera where she could film Philippe shooting the elephant. I explained that if we decided to shoot, I would give her the thumbs-up sign to start filming.

Old bulls, which carried the largest ivory, did not associate with cow herds and usually drank at different watering places

AFTER HUNTING FOR about a week, we approached a waterhole to find three bulls drinking. One had long tusks weighing around seventy pounds; Philippe was delighted when I told him he should take this elephant. He had two elephant licences, so if we found a bigger one, he could shoot that too. By this time, I had taught my tracker, Kisengi, to guide Jacqueline into a position behind us so she could film the stalk. We waited for the elephant to finish drinking and move well out of the vicinity of the waterhole, and then we followed. When we caught up with the bulls, they had stopped feeding and were standing in the shade of a big tree. The largest bull was nearest us, the other two being on the far side of the tree. The breeze was blowing strongly in our favour and we

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 29

As the elephant was standing broadside, I urged Philippe to take a side brain-shot as he had done on his previous elephants. We rose slowly from our crouched position behind a bush and Philippe took quick aim and fired. The elephant went down nose first and rolled over onto its side, so I knew Philippe had missed the brain. Just then the elephant began rising to its feet so I told Philippe to shoot again. His second shot brained it. Immediately, the two younger bulls approached and tried to get the fallen bull up onto its feet. We backed off to a safe distance and began shouting at them and clapping our hands. Eventually they moved off. Jacqueline approached smiling and said she had filmed all the action thanks to Kisengi, who had moved her position from time to time so that she always had a clear view of us and the elephant. The tusks were a beautiful, long, matched pair that weighed close to eighty pounds.

Hurriedly, I positioned Jacqueline with her camera and told Kisengi to keep moving her so she could film the elephant and Philippe in the same frame. Philippe and I then waited next to the trail about fifty yards from the river. The elephant appeared and headed towards the bank where we were waiting so I signalled for Jacqueline to start filming. Kisengi gave me the thumbs-up to indicate all was well. The bull soon came up onto the bank about thirty yards away and made its way slowly along the trail towards us. Once again I checked the tusks. They were long and heavy, and almost perfectly matched. The working tusk was slightly worn at the tip. We were positioned behind a large fallen tree about fifteen paces from the trail. Philippe slipped the safety off and held his double ready. As the bull passed us, Philippe fired and the elephant’s hind quarters collapsed, indicating a successful brain-shot. Jacqueline was still filming but soon came running up to say she had recorded all the action perfectly. She finished off by filming the handshakes and Philippe standing proudly next to his trophy. We returned to camp and Kisengi took the crew to remove the tusks. I was sitting in my tent, having left Philippe and Jacqueline having a drink in the mess tent. Suddenly I heard Philippe bellowing at Jacqueline who was sobbing and whimpering. I hurried over to find Philippe cursing Jacqueline who was sitting with her face in her hands. As I entered the tent Philippe turned to me and shouted, “She forgot to put film in the camera!”

I checked the tusks. They were long and heavy, and almost perfectly matched. The working tusk was slightly worn at the tip

ABOUT A WEEK later, while looking for kudu, we passed a waterhole in the dry riverbed and I was somewhat surprised to see a lone elephant bull leaving the drinking spot. It was well past midday and most elephant had already departed the waterholes. A closer look revealed the bull to have large, matching tusks – longer and with more weight toward the tips than Philippe’s first bull. I estimated this could be a hundred-pounder and urged that Philippe use his second licence to bag it. We left the vehicle and followed the elephant along the riverbed. I wanted the bull to leave the river so that we could shoot him well away from any waterholes. After we’d followed for about half a mile, Kisengi said the elephant was probably heading for a large game trail that crossed the riverbed, and would then leave the river to take the trail on our side. As the wind was favourable we decided move ahead and wait for him at the trail. As we passed the bull, I took Jacqueline closer so she could film him walking along the riverbed. I had my camera with me, so I also took a photo.

30 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

APPARENTLY, THE PREVIOUS evening, Jacqueline had removed the fully exposed film from the camera and put it in its container. She then went to her tent to get a new film. Somehow she had been distracted and never returned to load the camera. In the morning, she had picked up the camera and put it in the hunting car, forgetting to load the new film. Philippe was even more upset when I told him the largest tusk weighed just over 100lbs. “My beautiful unrecorded elephant,” was all he could say.

Test Report

Alliant Powder ALLIANT’S ORIGINS AS a gunpowder manufacturer can be traced back more than 125 years to the DuPont Company. DuPont’s divestiture in 1912 created the Hercules Power Company as an independent entity, and eventually resulted in Alliant, one of America’s well-known gunpowder manufacturers. We recently tested a container of Reloder 10X (Re10X). The label on the plastic bottle states that the powder is manufactured in Sweden. Re10X is rated as slightly faster-burning than S335 and suited for light bullets in the .222 Rem, .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem and most bench rest calibres and small calibre varmint loads. It is also recommended for lighter bullets in the .308 Win, and provides reloading data for 125gr, 150gr and 165gr bullets. A reloading manual is available online and can be used while online or downloaded to your phone, tablet or computer. As I use 155gr A-MAX bullets with 42gr S335 for 2 745fps in my .308 for testing scopes, I decided to develop a load to replicate this very accurate combination. Having used up most of my S335 anyway, my aim was to develop a load with Re10X to achieve the same velocity as my tried-andtested recipe by employing the same brass, primer, bullet and seating depth. According to Alliant’s reloading manual, the suggested optimum load for the Speer 150gr SP is 39.5gr, for a muzzle velocity of 2 755fps, which is only 10fps off my ‘old’ S335 load. As I’m using a slightly heavier bullet and a 28-inch barrel, I dropped the start load by 0.5gr and loaded the first batch with 39gr Re10X. Colleague André Grobler fired the first 5-shot group; the cold bore printed slightly lower than the next three that were touching, and the last shot went 2cm wide. The combination’s average muzzle velocity was 2 754fps. The lighter load delivering the same velocity confirmed a faster burn-rate

by PHILLIP HAYES than S335 (39gr Re10X vs 42gr S335). Extreme spread (ES), which included the first cold bore shot, was 19fps. The ES recorded over 10 shots during another range session was only 11fps. For comparison, my S335 load (which delivers similar sized groups at 100m) showed an average ES of 39fps over 10 shots. For this exercise both these loads were done by hand and measured to the last granule. Testing the same 10X combination during several range sessions, I consistently achieved 3-shot, one-hole groups at 100m under varying weather conditions. I also scored first-round hits on gongs out to 582m. I fired a 4-shot group measuring only .58MOA at 502m. I was lucky to get much the same muzzle velocity and accuracy with the first load I tried.

Alliant claims that their powders perform uniformly under varying temperatures, so I measured the velocity of these loads on a bitterly cold winter’s morning. After leaving the ammo and rifle outdoors for 40 minutes in temperatures varying from 0° and 3°C, I fired the first five shots at 3°C, which averaged 2 720fps. I then placed the rifle in the shade, and as the morning warmed up, fired a 5-shot string at 11°C which clocked 2 749fps, then another at 25°C clocking 2 754fps. Average velocities therefore altered by 1.55fps per 1°C between ambient temperatures ranging from 3° to 25°. However, this change is not linear, given that between 11° and 25° the velocity difference was only 0.36fps per 1°C. Over the spread of 22°C, the velocity difference was 34fps, but only 5fps between 11° and 25°. According to my ballistic app, at 500m the MRAD elevation settings at 3°, 11° and 25°C will change from 3.6 to 3.5 and finally to 3.4 respectively. Alliant states that Re16 is one of their most stable temperature specific powders, and given the exemplary performance of Re10X, I plan to test Re16 to verify this claim. With extruded powder, metering is sometimes a problem, but the 10X granules performed well in my Lyman #55 powder-measure, metering more consistently than Vihtavuori N540 and S335 over 30 loads. However, it really shined in the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper automatic powder measure. I loaded 80 rounds by weighing each load on my own electronic scale (to the second decimal), and 78 of the loads showed less than 0.05gr variation. This is good news if you want the most consistent muzzle velocity without weighing each load by hand. Overall, Re10X impressed; it’s a quality product with a consistent burn rate and is easy to use. Re10X, which retails for R670 (454g bottle) will now remain my go-to propellant for my .308. For stockists, contact Formalito on 012-664-7793.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 31

H&H’s Unique African Series by GREGOR WOODS

A collector's treasure conceived by Bill Feldstein

Bill Feldstein’s fabulous African Series made by Holland & Holland; top to bottom: .700NE, .577NE, .465H&H, .375H&H.

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.700NE

.577NE

.465H&H

.375H&H

GULA AGNU EADRS ma call m 2-part icle “T 00 Nit press” ich appeared ovemr an Decem 2018 tions. escribe erican l Felds concep on of a new ultra-la bore cartridge s long, sion to design and develop this unprecedented calibre and to persuade Holland & Holland of London to build him a Royal grade double rifle chambered for it. However, as is often the case in today’s magazine publishing world, there simply wasn’t space to tell the full story of how this historic event transpired. It actually stemmed from another of Bill’s projects – that of creating a matching set of four H&H double rifles. Here is their story. Bill Feldstein, now more than eighty years young, has been a lifelong collector of British double rifles ranging from 19th century black-powder cartridge rifles to the 20th cent u r y ’s “ g o l d e n a g e ” n i t r o express calibres and beyond. During the 1980s, his collection comprised 15 black powder doubles in calibres from 12-bore to 4-bore, and 55 nitro Apart from the different hunting scenes depicted, and the necessary calibre-related dimensional differenexpress doubles including ces, the rifles are identical. The serial numbers appear in gold on the extended trigger-guard tangs and eleven .600s, seven .577s, are consecutive: 35581, 35582, 35583 and 35584. In each case, the front trigger only is milled; the rear is eight .500s and a variety of smooth. small, medium and large-bores. During his many African safaris, Bill hunted at least once with primary inspiration in life – Bill chose to have the rifles every one of these rifles. On his first safari with Brian Marsh engraved with a variety of hunting scenes copied from arthe took nine rifles and used them all. Bill booked a safari in work in books such as R Gordon Cumming’s A Hunter’s Life in Zimbabwe for July this year, planning to hunt buffalo with an South Africa, published in 1850, and William Charles Baldantique 8-bore double rifle, but the Covid-19 lockdown win’s African Hunting and Adventure published in 1863. thwarted his plans. He’ll be back… Early in the 1980s, Bill decided to have a bespoke set of IN 1983, WHEN Bill approached Holland & Holland’s direcfour matching double rifles made which would be unique in tors to discuss this project, they informed him that they could collectors’ terms. He chose Holland & Holland for their presnot build him the .600NE because in 1975, they had tigious name and Royal “By Appointment” status. These four announced their decision to build their last .600. On completRoyal De Luxe grade rifles were to be chambered in calibres ing the rifle, they had issued a certificate to this effect to go .375H&H, .465H&H, .577NE and .600NE, and to have consecwith it, and felt they could not renege on this. That was when utive serial numbers. Being also a collector of Africana – his Bill said, “Okay, then build me a .700NE.”

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.375H&H

.465H&H

.577NE

.700NE

The hunting scenes, taken from early to mid-Victorian era Africana literature, are by Alan Brown. Their precise rendition is truly remarkable. The impeccable deep relief scroll engraving is identical on all four rifles.

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This posed a problem, as it would mean designing and developing an entirely new cartridge, not based on any known case, and more powerful than any sporting cartridge in history, meaning no-one knew whether it was even possible to build a rifle of manageable hunting weight for such a cartridge. Moreover, at the time, it was thought that so few such rifles would likely be ordered as to make it highly unlikely H&H would recover the research and development costs from future sales. They said if Bill undertook independently to have the cartridge designed and developed, and the test-barrels manufactured, thereby proving this to be a feasible project, and then, assuming its success, also to have sufficient cartridges made to regulate the barrels of the proposed double rifle – paying the costs of all the aforementioned himself – H&H would then agree to build him a double rifle in this calibre. Bill accepted, and so began the very lengthy process described in my November 2018 article. IN THE MEANTIME, H&H registered Bill’s order for a matching set of four Royal De Luxe Grade double rifles with consecutive serial numbers that would make up the unprecedented “African Series”. In 1985, they began work on the .375, the .465 and the .577. Bill put an enormous amount of research and thought into the final finish of the set, which would be done by master engravers Paul and Alan Brown, considered England’s finest of the era. These three rifles were proofmarked in 1986/87 and ready for delivery in 1988, but Bill insisted H&H hold them in storage until they could deliver the fourth in the series, the .700NE. However, the design, development and production of the .700NE cartridge and rifle had taken place on three different continents: America, Australia and England, proving a lengthy process. In 1989, it was hunting-ready, but not yet engraved. Bill then learned that, by some quirk, it had been given a current serial number – 35598 – which did not follow directly on those of the other three rifles in the set – something crucially important to Bill’s concept of a unique African series. So he phoned a collector friend in America, Charles “Chuck” Swinehart, and asked, “Do you want to buy the first ever .700NE?” Chuck replied, “Sure.” Bill then added, “The condition is, I first take it to Africa to shoot an elephant, then you can buy it.” Chuck answered, “No problem.” Bill hung up, turned to the H&H directors and said, “Okay, build me another .700NE with the serial number originally allocated to complete the matched African Series.” The first ever .700 was given a different engraved finish and, in 1990, Bill took it to Ethiopia to shoot a bull elephant.

The .375H&H rifle. The stocks all have H&H’s ‘signature’ elongated cheek-piece. Styling is identical throughout.

A glorious and fitting legacy of a man who has literally devoted his life to ethical African big-game hunting and the fine British rifles which, historically, have symbolised this And that is how H&H’s official sales register came to record the name Charles Swinehart as the original owner of the first .700H&H, serial number 35598 (technically a “used” rifle) and how William J Feldstein came to own the second .700H&H with an earlier serial number (35584) as one of his unique African Series of four H&H double rifles. The .375’s serial number is 35581; the .465’s is 35582 and the .577’s is 35583. The African Series was finally delivered in 1994. This is the fabulous set of four rifles you see illustrated here. HOWEVER, NOT LONG after taking delivery of the African Series, Bill went through a marital divorce, the legal terms of which required all his material assets to be liquidated. He’d been approached by another .700 .577 American collector of firearms and vintage cars, Robert Lee, who badly wanted the African Series for a museum he was planning, so Bill sold it to him for a very high price. Lee had had no children, so after he died, his widow chose to sell his collection. The H&H African Series was put under the hammer by the prestigious Rock Island Auctioneers on 8 June 2020. It fetched US$615 000 (which includes tax and auctioneer’s commission) – roughly R10 million. This was unexpectedly low, doubtless due to Covid19 depression. This set, ordered from H&H today with equivalent engraving, would cost $1 million (R16.5 million).

The photos say it all. The deep relief scroll engraving is impeccable. Likewise, Alan Brown’s copies of the artwork scenes from Africana literature are uncannily accurate. I was happy to see that the rifles have double, rather than single triggers; I also find it interesting that on every rifle, the front trigger only is milled. I don’t recall seeing this on any double rifle before, and regard it a very practical feature. Most users of tailor-made doubles fire the front trigger first, as this is the one on which the stock’s length-of-pull is based, hence the finger comes to rest naturally on it. One reads of heavy recoil causing the shooter’s finger to snap back onto the rear trigger, inadvertently firing the second barrel high and un-aimed. I have a photo of myself firing a .600NE double, and the recoil to my shoulder has tugged .465 .375 my finger clear out of the trigger-guard – fortunately without touching the rear trigger. Most compelling are the exquisitely scroll-engraved steel butt-plates, each depicting a different small iconic African creature – praying mantis for the .375, mongoose and snake for the .465, dung-beetle for the .577 and pangolin for the .700. The gold escutcheon on the underside of each stock bears Bill Feldstein’s initials – WJF. H&H’s African Series is a glorious and fitting legacy of a man who has literally devoted his life to ethical African big-game hunting and the fine British rifles which, historically, have symbolised this.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 35

1-'63

(MQMRYXMZI PMKLX[IMKLX TEGOMRK E LIEZ] TYRGL

R44

8ER<+44

The pistol comes with two seven-round magazines in the box. Note no external controls bar the magazine release.

LEFT: Trigger and trigger safety blade. Huge trigger guard to accommodate a gloved finger.

LEFT: Slide: note no traditional firing pin drop safety. RIGHT: Separate front and rear rail inserts.

P-10 ort re d carry princi ction t g a pre ds sev rried in the ch

RIGHT: Aggressive grip chequering.

The CZ P-10 Micro competes directly with the 6-round single-stack micro Glock 43

IC O) is a singleP designed for s on the locked a striker-fired A) mechanism triker. The magThe frame and grip are glass-fibre ; an eighth can reinforced polymer. Ergonomics are a . scaled-down form of the other P-10 0.5mm (slide series pistols’. The frame has a modest m and width beavertail to ensure a consistent grip. 25.5mm at grip’s broadest point (slide The back and front straps have dense, width is 24mm). It weighs 570g with fairly aggressive chequering, the magazine empty, 660g full. Barrel length is 85mm (3.34''). For comMUZZLE VELOCITY COMPARISON: parison, the CZ P-10 S (sub-comCZ75 (4.7ˈˈ barrel) versus CZ P-10 M (3.34ˈˈ) pact) is 170mm long, 116mm AMMO CZ75 FULL-SIZE CZ P-10 MICRO high, 32mm wide, with 90mm CCI Blazer 115gr FMJ 1 134fps 1 099fps barrel and weighs 710g with an CCI 115gr JHP 1 176fps 1 123fps empty 12-round mag. The CZ S&B 115gr JHP 1 142fps 1 080fps P-10 Micro competes directly with Reload 124gr Frontier 1 115fps 1 072fps the 6-round single-stack micro PMP 115gr JHP 1 084fps 980fps Glock 43 of similar dimensions.

side-panels less so. The back straps are not interchangeable. The grip affords a firm two-finger hold even with wet hands. The trigger guard is squared and grooved in front for a supporting finger hold, and spacious enough for gloved use. The dust cover has a 39mm rail for tactical accessories. Instantly noticeable is the absence of an external slide-stop lever, disassembly lever The excellent low profile three-dot sight system dovetailed in the slide.

ManMAGNUM | 37

Its spare mag fitted in the change pocket of my trousers or can easily be carried in a shirt pocket and safety-catch. The low-profile magazine release button is on the left side, just behind the trigger guard but can be switched to the right. The slide runs on four steel rails. The front rails are attached to a steel insert and the rear rails to a separate insert in the frame. The trigger lever runs on the right inside wall of the frame, the slide stop lever on the left inside wall. The slide and barrel have an extremely durable corrosion-resistant nitride finish which protects against wear, solvents, water and sweat. The slide is tapered in front for easy re-holstering and is deeply grooved front and back for a firm hold when racking, even with wet or gloved hands. The recoil guide and bushing are steel and feature dual recoil springs. STEEL FRONT AND rear sights dovetail into the slide, each locked with a single screw. The three-dot system is phosphor illuminated for lowlight use. Sight radius is 138mm and the pistol is sighted in at the factory at 15m. The rear sight has a squared-off ridge in front that facilitates one-handed racking of the slide on the upper edge of the holster or belt, should your supporting hand be occupied or disabled. The slide and barrel-hood lock together at the ejection port. On firing, both move back briefly together before the barrel cams down, freeing the slide to continue rearwards to extract and eject the spent case. The recoil springs return the slide to strip the next round from the magazine and chamber it.

38 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

The CZ P-10 M fieldstripped.

The grooved polymer trigger, with plastic blade trigger safety, is 7mm wide. The trigger releases at a stiff 7.5lbs every time, but the stroke is smooth and the reset short. The slide does not have a visible firing-pin block as found on the other P-10 pistols. The pistolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manual says it has a drop safety feature, which had me puzzled for a while. After contacting CZ, they responded in an email that if the pistol accidentally drops, the firing pin is blocked by the trigger lever between the trigger and the firing pin. Structurally, the lever is prevented from lowering other than when the trigger is pressed. In the event of a fall, the trigger safety, in turn, blocks trigger movement. The two steel magazines have plastic floo rplate s and followers and witness holes at the The box also contains Allen keys for the sights, cleaning rods and a manual.

The pistol comes with a dummy round for practising drills.

seven and five round levels. Loading the magazines to maximum is effortless and they drop freely when the release button is pressed. As the last cartridge is chambered, the magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s follower activates an internal slide-stop by depressing a protrusion which raises a bar to hold the slide back after final ejection. After inserting a full mag, in the absence of a slide release-lever, briefly pull the slide further back before releasing it to chamber a round. TO DISASSEMBLE THE pistol, remove the magazine and ensure the chamber is empty. Pull the trigger and hold it back as you draw the slide back about 5mm. Push the disassembly pin from the right side and remove it from the left side. Push the slide forward to remove it from the frame. Remove the recoil assembly from the slide and lift out the barrel. To reassemble, reverse this procedure. The pistolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design-purpose being

ABOVE: The CZ P-10 M handles the 9mmP ammo's recoil like a full-size pistol. Trigger pull is smooth. RIGHT and FAR RIGHT: The P-10 M is designed for concealed carry. It sits close to the body.

close-range defensive use, I limited my test drills to between 7 and 15m. After each mag change, having to tug the slide back to release it into battery took some getting used to, but the absence of external levers means less to snag on holster or clothing when drawing more muzzle-jump, but fast follow-up from concealment, and the slimmer shots were still possible. Even shooters profile means the pistol rides close to with bigger hands had no complaints the body, leaving no ‘print’. about the grip. Recoil was surprisingly The trigger broke cleanly after a minimal, even compared to that of fullbrief take-up. The short reset size pistols. ends with an audible click, making for faster follow-up THE LOW-PROFILE shots. The trigger ’s SIGHTS showed clear overall function made space on either side its pull seem lighter of the front post, pro– fellow shooters viding fast target guessed it to be only acquisition. After5.5 to 6lbs. market sights are I have averavailable, but the age-sized hands; the factory-fitted sights Micro fitted comfortare better than those ably in my two-handed found on most pistols. grip. One-handed shootWith 115gr FMJ CCI ing, especially with the Blazer ammo, the Micro A 37mm rapid fire five-shot weak hand, produced p r i n t e d f i ve s h o t s i n group from 7m.

37mm at seven metres. Ejected cases landed 2m away at the 4-o’clock position. The Micro is slim, light, snag-free, easy to operate and can be carried unnoticed all day in a holster or pocket. Its spare mag fitted in the change pocket of my trousers or can be carried in a shirt pocket. It performs like a bigger pistol, without the weight and bulk, making it a strong contender in the micro pistol market. At the time of writing, additional magazines were unavailable, but CZ importer, Formalito, has made enquiries to the manufacturer. The pistol case contains a cleaning rod, brush, two Allen keys, instruction manual and a dummy round. Price: around R9 995. For stockists contact Formalito on 012664-7793/4.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 39

The Spencer seven-shot carbine used by some US Cavalry units.

The Spencer Rifle by ROBIN BARKES

Game-changer in the American military mind

Drawings showing the workings of the Spencer carbine and the ammo it used.

40 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

LE native Indians, Major rear. Still the leaden hail kept flying until the is command retreated to enemy withdrew to regroup out of range. Again of the Arikaree River. The the fierce warriors of the plains charged and out 60 yards long and 20 again they were repulsed. ed with low brush and a For the next ten days the besieged soldiers . Here, Forsyth and his 50 were pinned down eating strips of rotting meat lates and knives to dig in cut from dead horses and drinking the muddy es to receive the attack bloodstained river water – and all the time they me. And it wasn’t long prayed that their four scouts, who had slipped e and Sioux warriors, out at night, would make it to Fort Wallace, 110 mounted on their war ponies, thundered down miles away. Mercifully, the scouts did get on the small force of cavalrymen. through and a relief column finally arrived. The Christopher Spencer as a However, the soldiers were all battle-hardBattle of Beecher’s Island took place in Sepyoung man. ened fighting men who, like their leader, had tember 1868, and the action was named after served during the recent Civil War. Ordering his Lieutenant Frederick Beecher who was killed in , . 50 yards away before he yelled, “NOW!” A sheet of lead struck armed with one of the first repeating weapons to take the enemy front ranks and dozens of horses went down, self-contained cartridges ever used on the battlefield – the throwing their riders under the sharp hooves bringing up the seven-shot Spencer carbine.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 41

ABOVE: A close-up of the Spencer mechanism with the breech open. BELOW: The first Spencer rifles were loaded one cartridge at a time through the butt.

ABOVE: The Spencer carbine shown with a cavalryman’s equipment.

The Spencer rifle was the brainchild of 20-year-old Christopher Spencer who had worked at the Colt factory where the idea for a new type of repeating rifle germinated. Leaving Colt in 1855, Spencer began work on his rifle while in the employ of the Cheney Silk Mills where he used the plant machinery to develop his invention. With his first prototypes ready, he applied for and was granted a patent in March 1860. Spencer’s new rifle was an under-lever operated breech-loader that received seven cartridges fed from a magazine situated in the butt-stock. This was a better system than that of the Henry rifle whose flimsy under-barrel magazine tube could easily be dented, cutting off the flow of ammo. EVEN THOUGH THE American Civil War was in full swing, it was difficult to convince the Ordnance Department that a fast-firing breech-loader taking metallic cartridges was superior to the tried-and-tested muzzle-loaders. Fortunately, Charles Cheney, Spencer’s friend and owner of the Silk Mills,

42 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

knew people in high places and he organised a demonstration for the Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Wells. So, in the local navy yard, Spencer fired his rifle for two days without fault and, in front of the observers, also demonstrated how he could get off 21 shots in one minute. This impressed the Navy guys and they immediately ordered 700 rifles. Later, the Spencer rifle was also torture-tested by a naval officer named Dyer who buried it in sand and also submerged it in water, then fired it faultlessly more than 80 times. Afterwards, Dyer reported, “The Spencer is one of the very best breech-loading weapons I have ever seen”. His only suggestion was to make the extracting ratchet of tempered steel to reduce wear. The copper-cased rim-fire cartridges made for the Spencer rifles used in the Civil War were referred to as “56-56”. I found this confusing until I discovered that the figures referred to the straight-walled case which was .56'' in diameter at both ends. The bullet diameter was .52 calibre and the barrels made by the Sharps Company were .50 calibre. And if you think that’s

confusing, subsequent cartridges were referred to as the 56-52 and the 56-50. The Civil War load was a pointed lead bullet weighing 350 to 360 grains with powder charges of 42 to 45 grains depending on who produced the ammo. Spencer later produced what he called a hunter’s rifle that took a bottle necked 56-46 cartridge.

ment. However, with so many Spencer rifles in private hands, rimfire ammo was still being offered in catalogues as late as 1920. Interestingly, most Spencer rifles ordered during the Civil War were carbines issued to cavalry units for close-quarter action. Because the Spencer, like the Henry, took a long time to fully reload, it was deemed unsuitable SPENCER TRIED IN vain to as an infantry weapon – and, of interest James Ripley, Chief of course, the stubby underpowered Ordnance, in his rifle, but Ripley cartridge was certainly no longrefused even to examine what he range number. However, it wasn’t called any “new-fangled weapon”. long before loading the Spencer In desperation Spencer toured was speeded up by the invention the Union Army camps demonof the Blakeslee tube system. strating his rifle and succeeded in Soldiers were issued with a leathABOVE: A portion of the painting by Robert Lindneux showpicking up orders from various er-covered wooden container ing soldiers armed with Spencer rifles at the Battle of Beechregiments who purchased Spen- er’s Island. holding ten pre-loaded tubes. All cer rifles with their own money. they had to do was slip out the Spencer’s big break came in empty tube and replace it with a 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln asked to see a full one. The operation took a demonstration of the “new-fangled weapon” he had heard so trained man mere seconds. much about. This was just after the battle of Gettysburg It is not known which Spencer where three northern regiments armed with Spencer rifles model was used by Forsyth’s men had played a big part in defeating Robert E Lee’s southern on Beecher’s Island. The rifles army that had invaded northern soil. were being made by outside conOn 17th August 1863, Spencer met the President at the tractors in addition to Spencer’s Whitehouse. After Lincoln had examined the rifle, they firm – one being the Chickering walked to a nearby park where Spencer loaded up with seven Piano Works, believe it or not! cartridges. The rifle was handed to the President who fired Thus barrel lengths often differed his first shot. Seeing the bullet hit low, Lincoln adjusted his and some had six grooves, others aim and scored a bull’s eye with his second shot then hit three. Also, in 1865, a Stabler cut-off was installed on some closely around it with the next five. Lincoln was so impressed Spencers to block the magazine, enabling the rifle to be fired with the rifle that he immediately passed on his personal in single shot mode. It was reported that a company of 4th recommendation to the Ordnance Department, with the US cavalry was saved by this device when attacked by a large result that Spencer received more orders than he could fill. party of Comanche warriors. Initially, the soldiers fired single By the end of the Civil War, the US Ordnance Department had shots until the warriors closed in for the kill, then switched to purchased a total of 106 000 Spencer rifles, and thousands repeater mode, their torrent of fire shattering the Indian more had been independently bought by various regiments attack at close range. According to Flayderman’s Cartridges and also some northern states to arm their home guard or of the World, Spencer-armed troops fighting Indians on the ‘militia’. frontier after the Civil War used the 56-50 cartridge, so it is In April 1865, when the Civil War ended, big orders for most fairly certain this was the ammo used by Forsyth’s gallant types of weapons abruptly dried up. Because the Sharps factory men during the historic battle of Beecher’s Island. made the barrels and many of the other parts for his rifles, SpenChristopher Spencer went on to manufacture drop forgcer’s firm was little more than an assembly plant. With no more ings and sewing machine shuttles. He also invented the military orders, and unable to pay his suppliers, Spencer was world’s first automatic screw machine that was essential in soon bankrupt. His business went on auction and was bought the mass production of practically all metal by Winchester who, with great joy, had items. Spencer died in 1922, at the ripe old eliminated another rival. At the time, age of 89. there were 30 000 Spencer rifles in stock The seven-shot Blakeslee loading tubes came in and all were sold to the Turkish govern-

Most Spencer rifles ordered during the Civil War were carbines issued to cavalry units for close-quarter action

a container holding ten tubes.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 43

Sandgrouse in the Seventies

American bird-hunter Ernie Shoemaker posing for a sandgrouse photo.

by GREGOR WOODS

Africa’s most enigmatic gamebird

LEFT: Male Namaqua sandgrouse – note the elongated tail-feathers and double chest-band. The under-belly feathers are used to carry water to chicks in the nest up to 50km away. MIDDLE: Female Namaqua sandgrouse – notice all-over speckling and absence of chest-bands. RIGHT: Male double-banded sandgrouse – note the band on the forehead. This subspecies is about 50 grams heavier than the Namaqua sandgrouse.

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TO ve

THER n the ong b This n mise of own. I well, y Africa (SWA

few more stirring sounds in the African the sky immediately above us exploded into masses of fast Namaqua sandgrouse reaching flying birds, swooping low and jinking all around us like a kaleibirds come into view over the distant doscope, all calling in concert, “Kelkiewyn… kelkiewyn…”. I ible, three-noted dove-like coo holds selected a bird and fired two shots, missing both. Mark leapt exciting wing-shooting experience I to his feet, snatched up his gun and poked it skywards before nd so faint, initially, that unless you discovering it wasn’t loaded. Madly fumbling for cartridges he even hear it. When I lived in South fired off two hasty shots, also missing with both. We banged ng the 1970s, my ears became so away for a minute or two, felling two or three birds, and then nd that people accompanying me for just as suddenly the flight was gone and all went silent. ned to get ready as the birds were on their way, refused to believe I could hear anyMy hunting buddy, Derek thing. Barnes having just folded The first person I introduced to sandgrouse shootthis lone straggler. ing was my brother-in-law, Mark Mayson, who was visiting from Rhodesia. I took him to the farm of my good friend Walter Kirsten, near Maltahöhe in the semi-desert southwestern region. Its dry riverbed had a dam which usually retained storm-water year-round. SWA had experienced three phenomenal rainy seasons in succession, and the sandgrouse populations were scarcely believable. We sat near the dam early one August morning, waiting for the flights to start. Namaqua sandgrouse occur in pairs and small colonies spread out all over the dry veld – ground-dwellers. In the early mornings and late afternoons, it takes them a little while to congregate into huge flocks before flying anything up to 50km to water. I had told Mark he was in for the best wing-shooting he’d ever experienced, but coming from the dense Matabeleland bushveld, he took one look at the vast, arid plains surrounding us with nary a bird of any kind in sight and clearly disbelieved me. Leaning his gun against a bush, he lay out in the open, propped on one elbow, chewing a piece of grass while enjoying the early sun. I was under a low tree nearby. After a while, my ears picked up that ever-so faint single call in the far distance and I said, “Get under cover, they’re coming.” Mark had heard nothing, and remained lazily recumbent, eyes half closed. Cynically, he said, “Well, I don’t think anything is going to come.” Minutes passed, and still he could not hear the remote single calls I was picking up. Then a couple of sandgrouse Still breathless from the excitement, we hurried out to pick flew past in the distance, very high and fast, and kept going, up the birds. Suddenly another dense flight swarmed down, followed by another two. “Reconnaissance flights,” I said. calling loudly all about us, circling and swooping – it felt as Unimpressed, Mark smirked, “Looked like doves to me.” though we were under air-attack. Caught out in the open, we dropped our dead birds and in all the commotion, each fired THEN WE BECAME aware of a strangely haunting tone, faint two shots without drawing a feather. Mark looked at me in at first, growing steadily more voluminous. I felt my stomach astonishment and we both laughed wildly with exhilaration. go hollow at this familiar, eerie musical sound made up of hunThat’s the thrill of sandgrouse shooting – it’s an utterly differdreds of rapidly alternating high and low notes coming almost ent sporting experience. The birds offer every imaginable type as one constant tone which I always find wildly exciting. This of shot, from every direction and every angle, and always at was the sound of a large flock of Namaqua sandgrouse all calltop speed and jinking. And so it continued – flight after flight. ing in unison as they approached water. Mark frowned and Mark shook his head, red-faced and grinning from ear to ear. cocked his head, not recognising the din. In the next instant, “I’ve never seen anything like it!” he exclaimed.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 45

Male Namaqua sandgrouse have plain undersides except for the maroon and white chest-bands. Note the thorns typical of the semi-desert region.

When we’d bagged something over a dozen birds between us, we stopped and counted the empty cartridge cases lying around us. Embarrassingly, we’d fired about four times that many shots. Then we sat under the tree and enjoyed watching the remaining flights of the morning come in, settle and drink, before flying off again. I recall, as a small boy in the 1950s, seeing a documentary movie about an East African hunting safari showing scenes of sandgrouse shooting at a waterhole which hugely impressed the American hunter. A few years ago Safari Press released the same documentary as a DVD and sent me a copy to review. I was surprised to discover it was made by Robert Ruark, hunting with Harry Selby. I viewed it again for this article. The sandgrouse they shot were bigger than the Namaqua – about rock-pigeon size – but flew in much smaller flocks. The 16mm black-and-white film made identification difficult, but I think theirs were black-faced sandgrouse (which look rather like our double-banded sandgrouse). Ruark would have thrilled to see Namaquas flying in their hundreds. I TOOK AN elderly American – a lifelong bird-hunter – sandgrouse shooting and he declared it the best wing-shooting he’d ever had. Of course, those three copious, mid-1970s rainy seasons in succession were exceptional – flights of birds in their hundreds were everyday occurrences, and I saw some that must have numbered up to a thousand. In drought years, however, we didn’t go shooting at all. Let me hasten to add that the situation in SWA was very different then. The border war was in full swing, so there was no safari industry to speak of. Dedicated game ranches offering commercial hunting had yet to take off. Practically no

46 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

wing-shooting took place anywhere. Most farmers regarded me and my hunting buddy as mad Englishmen who drove long distances and spent sinful sums of money on ammo to miss small birds, when all these kudu, gemsbuck and springbuck were there for the taking. AGRED did not yet exist; few if any serious studies on sandgrouse had taken place and very little was known about them. However, none of this really mattered, as so few people in SWA shot sandgrouse that the species was never in anyway threatened in that country, and remains secure today. With Namibia being the popular hunting venue it now is, I am sure many game ranchers will have created permanent water sources accessible by sandgrouse. The male bird gathers water in his specially shaped belly-feathers and flies it back to the nest for the chicks to drink. For this, he must be able to walk into shallow water to gather supplies. The average borehole-fed drinking trough for livestock is seldom satisfactory, though I have seen sandgrouse flock in numbers to a small pool in the ground created by a slow-leaking waterpipe at a borehole. They also flight to water in the late afternoon, though whether these are the same birds that drank that morning or just late risers, I couldn’t say. In those days, SWA’s sandgrouse shooting season began in August, which was outside of their breeding season (April to July). Later, NatCon changed the shooting season to open in September. We always adhered to the legal season, never shot more than the 12-bird limit, never with more than two guns per shoot and never more than twice per season. Decades later, this subject became somewhat controversial. One well-meaning wingshooter proposed a total ban on all sandgrouse shooting in view of the lack of information on this species. He added that shooting sandgrouse at water

The Afrikaans name for this bird, kelkiewyn (‘cup of wine’), is so perfectly onomatopoeic of its lilting call points could be equated with shooting lions over bait grouse is actually a distant member of the dove family, and (though he seemingly had no objection to the use of decoys to complicate things, there is also a Namaqualand dove (a to entice duck and geese to camouflaged blinds). AGRED true dove). wrote of “unscrupulous hunters killing birds as they land at We always tried to ensure that the birds we shot fell on the water’s edge”. Whether the writer was referring to land, for if they landed in the water, they would rapidly be known incidents or merely expressing his apprehension of devoured by terrapins. Terrapins often show their heads what might occur, in order to bolster his argument, was not above water, but when they are munching away at a floating made clear. sandgrouse, you would never know it – they feed from below All I can say is that, while I have encountered some and there is no visible movement. By the time the breeze has unethical and unscrupulous biltong and trophy hunters, my drifted your bird to shore, all you’ll pick up will be the wings experience of the wingshooting fraternity is that it generally and feathered upper carcass – stripped of its flesh beneath. comprises sporting-minded types and I have never encounAt waterholes in Etosha Park, I saw live sandgrouse standing tered a sandgrouse shooter who shot birds coming in to in shallow water, suddenly start struggling and flapping. settle at water or just taking off from water. The whole idea is to experience the challenging shots that these fast-flying, jinking birds offer. Another point raised was that shooting male sandgrouse at water points deprived the nestlings of life-sustaining water. I would have thought that setting the shooting season outside of the breeding season (to ensure that no chicks are depending on the male’s provision of water) would obviate such deprivation. However, in an arid country like Namibia, I would indeed suggest making each shooting season dependant on that year’s rainfall – in drought years, don’t open the season at all. The Namibian NatCon Dept later recommended (but did not legislate) that no sandgrouse shooting take place Namaqua sandgrouse are identifiable in flight by their diamond-shaped tails which end in a sharp point. within 200m of water. The Northern Cape NatCon Department also recommends shooting butts be situated a minimum of 100m from water. There’d be nary a glimpse of the terrapin – I think it delves into the mud or sand. Remaining submerged, it grabs a leg NAMIBIA ALSO HAS good populations of double-banded and tries to pull the bird in. Usually, the bird breaks free and sandgrouse – I never encountered these in the south, but saw flies off – sometimes minus a foot – but occasionally one is plenty in the north, especially at Etosha Pan. You can distindragged into deeper water to its death – perhaps due to a guish them in flight by their tails – the double-banded has a second terrapin joining the fray. rounded, fan-shaped tail, while the Namaqua has a longer, Sandgrouse make delicious stews and casseroles. Use diamond-shaped tail. Some Burchell’s sandgrouse also occur any tried-and-tested gamebird stew recipe. Cook them in parts of Namibia. The Namaqua sandgrouse occurs whole – the carcass enhances the flavour. The American I throughout that country and all the way down to the southtook shooting discarded the raw carcasses after removing ernmost shores of the Western Cape. the breast meat to lightly ‘sauté’ in a pan, but this lacked the I love the Afrikaans name for this bird: kelkiewyn (‘cup flavour of stewed sandgrouse. Preferably use a cast-iron of wine’) which is so perfectly onomatopoeic of its soft, pot, and simmer very slowly until the meat is falling off the lilting call, with the accent on the ‘wyn’. I have also heard bone, or use a stainless-steel pressure-cooker. Pearl barley these birds wrongly called Namaqua partridges – possibly makes a superb additive, as does red wine. My wife often because they often take off in pairs or coveys like terresadded fresh cream toward the end, which was very well trial gamebirds as you walk through the veld. The sandreceived.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 47

Defence Drills IN CARRYING A handgun every day to protect the lives and safety of your loved ones, you also carry the responsibility to properly prepare for such an eventuality. Most handgun owners merely punch paper and I rarely see one on a range practising with the weak hand to engage targets. The ability to use your weak hand has numerous advantages. It will ensure that you remain in the fight even if your strong hand/arm has been injured during the attack. It also opens your mind to learning new techniques and helps you to identify weaknesses. An example of such a ‘weakness’ might be your choice of pistol or revolver. Let me explain: when testing new handguns for Magnum, I try to fire at least a few rounds from my weak hand; I have found that most handguns do not perform similarly when fired from opposite Weak hand draw across hands. Your weak-hand the stomach grip will probably not be from the as firm as that of your opposite hip strong hand, and this can necessitates cause problems, the a change in grip. Around most common being the the back is pistol ‘smoke-stacking’ or better, if you failing to feed. This is can reach because your weak hold that far. offers less resistance to the recoil, so the pistol frame moves back almost as rapidly as the slide, which therefore does not cycle with sufficient alacrity. In the case of a handgun with a very small grip, such as a J-frame revolver (snubby), a weaker hold can result in your inability to properly control the weapon when using full-power loads. During recoil, the grip shifts in the hand, leaving the barrel pointing upwards, thus requiring you to correct your hold before firing a second shot. If you are unable to control the small-gripped revolver with your weak hand, you must change to a larger aftermarket grip or perhaps replace the revolver with something more appropriate. The same goes for pistols. Many handgunners practise with milder loads but carry ‘hotter’ loads for

48 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

Train That Weak Hand personal defence, wanting better penetration and expansion for the ‘real thing’. Hotter (higher velocity) loads produce heavier recoil. All weak-hand training and practice should be done with your ‘carry ammunition’ so that you remain constantly prepared and able to control the weapon when your life depends on your proficiency with it.

Weak-hand training can be achieved using very few rounds. You can begin with just three cartridges, firing one with your normal two-handed hold, one with the strong hand only and the last with the weak hand only. Note that the handgun will probably recoil most sharply when used in your weak hand only. For all weak-hand exercises there-

by PHILLIP HAYES after, skip the two-handed hold. Start by drawing the handgun with the strong hand, fire a shot at a target 3 to 5m away, then transfer the weapon to the weak hand and fire the second shot. Remember to keep your opposite hand out of harm’s way, preferably pressed against your chest. Repeat this exercise a few times whenever you are at the range and your skill will soon improve. Initially, work at keeping the shots on the target; later you can start increasing your speed. If you start missing, slow down. Bear in mind that if your strong hand/arm is injured, you might be unable to draw your handgun from its holster in the normal manner. You must ensure, therefore, that your daily carry method allows for a weak-hand draw. A handgun carried in a trouser pocket is almost impossible to draw with the opposite hand. Even using a belt-holster, if you are built like me, reaching your opposite hip to draw a pistol with your weak hand is not easy, especially if your girth has increased with time. SECONDLY, THE HANDGUN will now be facing the wrong way and you must be practised in its transition to the correct hold. One method is to clench the pistol between your knees while changing your grip on it. Another is to slip the firearm into your waistband in more-orless the appendix position, before changing your grip. You might be able to clamp it under your injured hand’s armpit, or use your injured side’s shoulder to press it against a wall, car body or any convenient solid object. You could practise manipulating the handgun in your weak hand to change grip, but under pressure, this heightens the ever-present risk of dropping it. Therefore you should also practise picking your handgun up from the ground to immediately engage a target. Mastering this is vital. Recently, for the first time in years, I tried some weak-hand shooting drills and was shocked at how I struggled, and how my chest muscles hurt the next day – an ominous sign of being totally

Using the cross-draw across the stomach to reach the pistol on the left hip needs no change in grip, just draw, aim and shoot.

Using the weak hand to draw the pistol in a cross-draw holster on the left hip means turning the back of the hand against the body. No change in grip needed.

When using your weak hand, tilting the pistol slightly to align the sights with your strong eye facilitates a more natural hold which puts less strain on your arm.

Engaging a target above the remote camera with a one handed hold. Note the position of the hand not in use in the background.

unfit. Firstly, I struggled to get my left arm around my stomach – simply put, it was a stretch. This of course hampered my ability to properly grip the pistol. I am currently testing a Safariland Pro Fit retention holster which requires pressing a lever to release the weapon – further complicating a weak-hand draw. My first few attempts made it amply clear that, no matter how slow my attacker, I would be way too late in getting my pistol into action. Repeated exercises over several days greatly improved my reaction time. Personally, I do not like appendix carry, though correctly done, it has its merits, one being the ease with which a weak hand can reach the firearm. Keep this in mind when selecting a carry method. THE NORMAL STRONG-HAND crossdraw holster position is well worth considering for general use, including weakhand use. Some years ago I broke bones in my right hand and arm, requiring the insertion of metal pins in my hand and wearing a cast. I started carrying my pistol on my left hip in my right-handed holster. When drawing, I had to turn the back of my left hand against my body to grab the pistol. This was slower than my normal draw, but it worked well and I was surprised how quickly I was able to ‘train’ my weak hand to do the job. The cross-draw carry position enables you to draw with either hand without the need to change your grip on the weapon, and it’s easier to draw when seated in a vehicle. Lastly, a word of warning: if you practise drills which involve holding or manipulating your handgun in such a way that it points in any direction other than directly at the ground or safely downrange, such as when clenching it between your knees or under your armpit, first ensure that this is permitted at the range you’re using, and be extra careful where you point the muzzle. Initially, practise with an unloaded weapon until able to perform the drills safely. In a following edition we’ll look at reloading and emergency drills when using the weak hand.

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 49

Collectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corner

by HUBERT MONTGOMERY

Mauser African Twins Such a long rifle was really unsuited to most African terrain; consequently sales were not brisk and the African model was not made in large numbers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is, in fact, quite rare

ABOVE: The original Oberndorf Mauser African rifles with Handguard. LEFT: The consecutive serial numbers on the 9x57mm African twins.

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1905 to increase 700mm round barrels, floorplates with the other parts were also mismatched ong Afri rs and huntlever release and have been chequered by one digit! Rifle X’s components were us r intro he ‘Original at the grip only. numbered as follows: M azine Rifle, SpeThis is a tale of two identical, conBarrel and action: s/n 104751 ric ype’. It 28-inch barsecutively serial numbered ‘African Stock: s/n 104751 more correctly, m) and its models with Handguard’. Bolt(andallitsparts): s/n 4750 ck exten three-quarIn 2016, while perusing some rifles Handguard: s/n 104750 ers of to the m zle. Such a for sale on the Classic Arms Auction, I Magazine box: s/n 104750 Steel grip-cap: s/n 750 long rifle really unsu ted to most came across a Mauser African model ently sales with Handguard in calibre 9x57mm This had me perplexed. Clearly Rifle rican model Mauser. The rifle was in very good origX had not been assembled from ranwas not made in large numbers – it is, inal condition, but very disappointingly, domly mismatched parts, as its parts in fact, quite rare. Many examples were its bolt had a mismatched serial numcollectively reflected just two consecumodified by their owners who shortber. Normally I would never consider tive sets of numbers. Furened the barrels and stocks. thermore, one can accept These rifles are especially that the bolt may have been rare overseas, but fortuinadvertently swopped, nately for local Mauser colwhich quite often happened lectors, there are a few in with Mauser rifles when gunSouth Africa. shop personnel accidentally The Mauser factory also swopped the bolts on similar listed the African model as rifles, particularly dealers the ‘Normal Hunting Rifle who followed the practice of Type L’ which stood for ‘Lang’ storing the bolts separately – a reference to its long barfrom the rifles. However, this rel and fore-stock. As usual, does not explain why the they could be ordered in other parts were also mismost of the Mauser calibres matched. In particular, I and with various options, found it difficult to believe including express or tangent FROM LEFT: A stripper-clip with five rounds of original DWM 9x57mm that someone would have rear sights, or one standing soft-nose ammunition type 491A with 247grain softnose bullets, original swopped the handguard as and two folding leaves; box of Kynoch 9x57mm Mauser ammunition loaded with 245 grain softthis is quite difficult to round or octagonal barrels, nose bullets (Kynoch always referred to it simply as the ‘9mm Mauser’) and a stripper clip with handloaded ammunition using Nosler Partition remove and entails punching or half-octagonal/half-round; 225 grain bullets. out a pin in the front barrel single or double set triggers; band. Similarly, why would lever-release magazine someone remove the steel grip-cap floorplate or pushbutton in the trigger buying a Mauser sporter with mis(held in with a screw) and swop it with guard, etc. Most had chequering at the matched numbers, but I noticed that an identical looking grip-cap from grip and on the fore-end. the serial number of the bolt differed another rifle? Although it seemed a from that of the receiver by only one long shot, I slowly became convinced A SUB-VARIANT of the African model digit, and I therefore decided to buy the that there must be another Mauser rifle was fitted with a wooden handguard rifle if the price was right. At the auc(most probably with serial number enclosing the top of the barrel from the tion I was fortunate to buy this rifle (I’ll 104750) with a similar set of misreceiver to a special barrel band located call it “Rifle X”) for about half of what it matched parts. about halfway down the barrel. This would normally sell for. This I attributed model is known among Mauser collecto the fact that other Mauser collectors RIFLE ‘Y’ tors as the ‘African model with Handhad also noticed the bolt’s number and After much research and countless guard’ and is even rarer than the nordeclined to bid on a non-matchenquiries and phone calls, I was able to mal African model. Although the ing-numbers rifle. locate the owner of a Mauser rifle in the Mauser factory data charts list many After receiving the licence and colNorthern Cape with serial number options for this rifle, all original examlecting Rifle X, I eagerly stripped it 104750 (referred to as Rifle Y). ples that I have examined have been down for proper cleaning and discovImagine my delight when I first spoke fitted with tangent rear sights on ered to my astonishment that some of

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 51

ABOVE: Both rifles in full length, showing the three-quarter length stocks and the handguards. LEFT: Notice the tangent rear sight protected by the handguard, the standard-length round action, the pear-shaped bolt handle, single trigger and the magazine floorplate release-lever.

with him and discovered that Rifle Y was also an African model with Handguard, and in calibre 9x57mm Mauser, with mismatched serial numbers on its bolt and barrelled action. I immediately began negotiating with the owner to buy Rifle Y from him, and after a year he graciously sold it to me. This time I had to pay more than the market price to secure Rifle Y, but I was confident it would be worth it. After receiving the licence and stripping Rifle Y, I found its serial numbers to be as follows:

Barrel and action: Stock: Bolt (and all its parts): Handguard: Magazine box: Steel grip-cap:

s/n s/n s/n s/n s/n s/n

104750 104750 4751 104751 104751 751

To say I was overjoyed would be an understatement, as I had finally found the twin brother to Rifle X! All the mismatched parts of Rifle X were in fact installed in Rifle Y, and precisely vice versa. What an incredible coincidence! After reassembling the rifles with their correct parts, I now had two very

52 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

rare original Mauser African models with Handguard, both with fully matching numbers throughout, in the same calibre and with absolutely identical features, and what’s more, they had consecutive serial numbers! Such a set is very hard to find and something very special for a Mauser collector. Of course I was very happy that my quest had been successful and that both rifles, having gone for 88 years with incorrect parts, were now as they should be. However there remained the nagging question: how had the mismatching come about? Obviously, the parts-swop must have occurred when the two rifles had been together at some stage. Rifle X shows significantly more surface wear then Rifle Y, and it is therefore easy to distinguish which metal parts lived together. It is clear from the condition of the metal that the parts swop must have happened a very long time ago. I presume that a South African dealer ordered these two rifles together from Mauser in Germany in the early 1930s (their date of manufacture is given as 1930 in the book Original

Oberndorf Sporting Rifles by Jon Speed et al). The previous owner of Rifle Y assured me it had been in his family’s possession since the 1930s and passed down through the generations. So it is probably safe to assume that these two rifles never came together again after the 1930s, until 2018 when they were re-united by me. Again, I find it improbable that someone would have swapped all four items – bolt, handguard, steel grip-cap and magazine box, even if the rifles were together in the same gun shop. Taking all this into account, and after careful consideration, it is therefore my belief that the parts’ number mix-up took place during assembly at the Mauser factory. This is confirmed by the fact that both handguards are a better fit on their mismatched rifles, aligning perfectly with the stocks as one would expect from rifles assembled at the Mauser factory. When fitted to the rifles which match the handguard serial numbers, a distinct step is left between the handguard and the stock. So both handguards were adjusted to fit the wrong rifles during factory assembly.

Test Report

Pro-Fit Holsters SAFARILAND HOLSTERS ARE wellknown worldwide and the company o f f e r s c a r r y s o l u t i o n s f o r e ve r y conceivable situation. In my opinion the key to their success is the quality of their products; the fact that many of the holsters can be adjusted to custom fit your particular handgun and carry position; and their security systems, locking handguns in place inside the holster. The 578 (paddle and belt holster) and the 575 (inside waistband) both fitted with the Grip Lock System (GLS) are prime examples. Both lock the pistol securely in place with a retention latch through the trigger guard, and when you grip the handgun, a lever is pushed forward to release the pistol. Retention is deactivated by the middle finger when gripping the pistol in the normal manner. This is a very effective and simple method that occurs naturally with a normal draw. The 575 IWB model will fit most popular compact and sub-compact pistols, and is adjustable for height, cant and belt width. I ordered one for a Glock 19 and only needed to tighten a grip screw with a supplied Allen key to ensure a perfect fit. The body is SafariSeven™, a proprietary nylon blend that is non-abrasive to a firearm’s finish and maintains very high heat tolerance as well as low cold tolerance. Its low-cut and compact design makes concealment easy while also allowing for a quick draw. I found the IWB holster very comfortable, even with my ‘wider than normal’ middle, while carrying the pistol on my hip and in appendix mode. The multiple adjustments (with the help of 3 spacers) certainly helped with attaining the right fit for my body shape. The paddle holster (the paddle slips

by PHILLIP HAYES in behind the belt against the body) is simply one of the best samples of this sort I have come across so far. It’s very comfortable and excellent for daily carry or sport shooting. Being carried more openly on the hip the ingenious grip lock provides added peace of mind.

An additional injection-moulded belt loop attachment is supplied for those not wanting to use a paddle. The adjustable belt attachment allows a variety of personalised holster positions. Currently more than 225 handguns will fit securely in the holster. These holsters are high quality products suitable for professional use that will ensure all-day comfortable and safe carry. Both have become favourites with me. I found the 575 online for R1 135 and the 578 online for R1 265, which is good value for money. For stockists please contact ECM Technologies on 012-329-4116.

Scan the QR code to see how the retention system works. August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 53

Braaied Pigeon Breasts Wrapped in JalapeĂąo and Bacon by LESLIE VAN DER MERWE

THE SUN HAD just risen above the horizon when we arrived at the farm. The gold and green sunflowers stretched as far as the eye could see. And, there were pigeons! We drove around the field checking on flight lines and I set up a portable blind in a beautiful spot, leaving my guest, Steve, with a cup of coffee and a case of ammo. I then drove the short distance to the large karee bush, a gnarly specimen with a thick branch growing out sideways, dipping almost to the ground before turning up to the sky. Indeed, it would be a misnomer to call it a tree, but it did give ample shade, with a view over the field and the birds.

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56 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

A Ranger’sWork by KABANAMANA

Anti-Poaching story from the Valley

ed on an event we’s Zambezi ut Sgt Agrippa upreme sacriof Africa’s last f tions. re espite OperaB anti-poaching tion St campaign zi Valley with approximate rsions. During this time, poachers and Zimbabwean National Parks personnel were killed, and 623 black rhino died. Undiscovered carcasses could easily double the death toll. It is against this background that I tell the story of Agrippa.

Agrippa Nhamo was born in 1949 at Pfumbe, not far from the Zambezi River, in the Valley. There were many rhinos during those days; Agrippa grew up with them, and acquired bushcraft skills that would serve him well in the years to come. In 1975, he joined National Parks as a tracker and soon displayed a high degree of discipline and skill in this work. Agrippa remained in the Zambezi Valley for the duration of his career. Through his determined efforts he accounted for many heavily armed poachers, and was responsible for the recovery of weapons, ammunition, rhino horn and ivory, while often disregarding his own safety. Over the years, the spoor types of the various poaching gangs were noted, sketched or photographed. In this way, an attempt was made to gain knowledge of their

August 2020 | ManMAGNUM | 57

movements and patterns. It soon became apparent that one particular shoe type was common to all these gangs. It became known as the ‘donkeyshoe’ spoor. It consisted of a plain sole, but the heel was distinctive, shaped like the hoof-print of a donkey or zebra. It left a clear imprint, making it easy to track – so much so that on one followup, Agrippa was able to follow this spoor along a sandy riverbed for kilometres, using only the full moon. On 18 January 1989, Agrippa and his team were on an extended patrol in the Gota Gota Hills near Makuti. Call-signs usually comprised four men, but this could be reduced to three, or occasionally two as the poaching fronts spread and as manpower constraints dictated. The Gota Gota Hills form a rugged, scenic part of the Zambezi Escarpment. It was here, in the early 1950s, that the road construction contractors were able to use the centuries-old, well-worn elephant paths in their quest to push the road from Makuti to the Kariba Gorge to facilitate the construction of the Kariba Dam wall. THE DAY STARTED as usual for Agrippa and his men. They were patrolling near the base of some large hills, from which flowed a perennial spring. This attracted many animals, especially rhino and elephant. Checking the spring, the patrol discovered the fresh spoor of five poachers who had stopped to collect water. Among the spoor were two sets of the nowfamiliar ‘donkey-shoe’ pattern prints. Clear signs of the insurgents’ movements remained; most ominous was the clear impression of the butt of an AK-47 assault rifle. Clearly these poachers had been in the area for some time, and intended hunting for an extended period. It was thus important to get on the spoor immediately to account for this gang before they could do further damage. Agrippa radioed his base and gave his ‘sitrep’ (situation report), stating that he was commencing an immediate follow-up. He requested additional

58 | ManMAGNUM | August 2020

ABOVE: Sgt Agrippa Nhamo, 1983. BELOW: The footprint reference display in the Manna Pools Operations Room, showing the various types of footprints left by Zambian poachers. The arrow indicates the ‘donkeyshoe’ spoor.

manpower to be on standby in order to set up stop groups to ambush any route the poachers might use to flee. A helicopter based at Mana Pools was put on alert, with another group of rangers to act as a quick reaction force. An hour later Agrippa reported that he was still on the spoor and that the

poachers were following the tracks of a single rhino. Shortly afterwards Agrippa radioed, hearing a short burst of automatic gunfire not more than two kilometres from his current position. He immediately abandoned the spoor, and proceeded in the direction of the shots. After 20 minutes, Agrippa stopped – he could smell smoke from a fire and the aroma of meat cooking. The patrol moved forward cautiously, clearing a small rise, and there, 100 metres away, were the poachers. Next to them was a dead female rhino – her horns had been chopped out, and flesh had been cut from her rump, which was now being cooked on the fire around which they sat. One of the poachers saw them, immediately alerting his companions. One, armed with an AK rifle, swung it up towards the approaching Parks men. Agrippa and his two colleagues immediately opened fire. The poachers ran and were soon out of sight. Agrippa urgently called in a sitrep. He was instructed to clear the area and determine if any of the poachers had been hit. Meanwhile, the helicopter was deployed for aerial support in the follow-up. Previous experience had shown that poachers usually ‘put to ground’ (hide) when an aircraft appears overhead. It was hoped that this might buy time for Agrippa and his men to catch up with the fleeing gang. After a sweep of the immediate contact site Agrippa confirmed that two, possibly three, poachers had been wounded, as indicated by a heavy blood spoor. These were the last words spoken by Agrippa. A wounded poacher, who had taken cover in thick scrub, stood up eight metres away and opened fire in fullauto mode. Agrippa was hit in the neck and stomach and died instantly. The two remaining survivors of his call-sign withdrew from the area, climbing a nearby ridge to report the latest developments and to request immediate assistance. They did not know if Agrippa was injured or dead. Some 20 minutes later, the helicopter arrived, but experienced difficulty in getting the scouts to talk with the air-

craft hovering over their position, as they were in a state of shock. Eventually the helicopter found a suitable landing zone and deployed the quick relieve callsign to rendezvous with the scouts. THE PRIORITY HAD now changed to locating Agrippa’s position, assessing the nature of his wounds, and arranging an immediate casualty evacuation to Kariba Hospital. The scouts indicated his position, where he was observed lying motionless. They were uncertain as to the position from which the wounded poacher had opened fire, or where he might now be hidden. Time was of the essence. After failing to get any response from Agrippa by calling, an extended line was formed and advanced towards his position. Covering fire was laid down as the advance proceeded. The helicopter orbited overhead, although the pilot could see no sign of the poacher. When they reached Agrippa, a check for any vital signs revealed nothing. As this information was being relayed to the pilot, the poacher stood up and directed a burst of automatic gunfire towards the group. One bullet struck the ground between the patrol commander’s feet. Another passed so close to his ear that he could feel it. Another ranger, Sam Mutsauri, standing about 15 metres away, was not so lucky – he sustained a bullet wound to his leg, shattering the bone and severing his sciatic nerve. The situation was dire. Agrippa was dead and Sam seriously wounded. The helicopter pilot relayed that he could see the poacher’s position – and that there was another poacher hiding nearby. An immediate plan of action was needed in order to neutralise the insurgents so as to safely recover Sam.

The helicopter’s fuel was also running perilously low. Sam was asked to put down intermittent covering fire toward the poachers’ position. This he did despite the serious nature of his injury – an outstanding act of courage and dedication to duty. This allowed the patrol commander to withdraw from the immediate contact area, and approach from another direction, which offered better cover. Sam was able to move to within ten metres from the poachers, while the pilot provided details on the poachers’ movements. Calls to the insurgents to lay down their arms proved fruitless, leaving little choice but to rush their position. Both poachers were shot dead. The helicopter was then able to land close to Sam. This was complicated because it was on a slope and only one of the aircraft’s skids could touch down, leaving the main rotor blades perilously close to the ground. The pilot’s skill saved critical minutes, and Sam was airlifted to Kariba Hospital, from where he was airlifted to Harare. Five days later a wounded poacher was captured along the Makuti-Kariba road, having crawled there after being shot in the abdomen during the initial contact. Intelligence sources later revealed that only one poacher made it back to Zambia. The fate of the other member of this gang remains unknown but he could also have been wounded and ended his days in the Zimbabwean bush. One of our finest field men fell that day. And, although the battle to save the rhino in the Zambezi Valley was eventually lost, we can be proud of the efforts made by men like Agrippa Nhamo. They must never be forgotten, for they are some of Zimbabwe’s unsung heroes. For those who knew, served and worked with Agrippa, it was a great privilege.

One of our finest field men fell that day. And, although the battle to save the rhino in the Zambezi Valley was eventually lost, we can be proud of the efforts made by men like Agrippa Nhamo

ABOVE: A poached rhino known as Jenny. The graphic image brings home the reality of rhino poaching, and the harsh scenes faced by anti-poaching forces all over the sub-region. BELOW: The culmination of an anti-poaching sting operation in the 1990s. Photo Ira Larivers.

LEFT: The late National Parks Game Scout Wille Mahuje with rhino horns recovered in an undercover sting operation. Photo Ira Larivers.

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with beautiful vaalbos wood handle scales, light- to dark-brown in colour. The photo shows a piece of vaalbos wood. On one side, bronze powder was inserted into a node, covered with an adhesive and then polished to enhance the effect. Until I received this beautiful piece of vaalbos wood, I had never given the bush a moment’s thought. I am now very aware of this gift of nature. – André Grobler

PEOPLE

Gunsmith of the Month: Billy Egleton Billy lives and works in Rustenburg in the Northwest Province. He is a gunsmith, a dealer, collector and training service provider. Billy became interested in, and started to learn gunsmithing, while in the police in the late 1970s, and was then a National Key Points Instructor until he opened his own business, Outdoor Adventure Centre. He worked with well-known Bisley gunsmith, Ozzie Penzhorn, for about five years until his grandsons became part of the company. Billy’s favourite firearms to work on are military rifles such as the R1 (FN), R4, R5 and R6 for sport shooting, and pistols for IPSC competitions. He mainly services guns for security companies and other service providers. He does work on hunting rifles but generally limits this to threading, bedding and scope fitting. Billy is a competitive IPSC sport shooter. He also actively pursues his passion for collecting firearms used by the SAPS and Special Police Units such as the CZ75s, the Beretta 92 series pistols and long guns such as the R1 Belgian Fabrique National (FN) and R4, R5, R6 and their LM series rifles.

Subscriber of the Month: Gavin Hume Gavin lives in KwaZulu-Natal and is one of the directors of Hunters and Guides Africa. He is a PH and hunts all over southern Africa, but his favourite hunting ground is in Zambia. His choice of hunting calibre is the .470 Bentley & Playfair Nitro Express. Gavin’s last hunt was in Zambia, and during this excursion, he hunted buffalo, hippo, crocodile and some plains game. He also likes to take part in wingshooting with his 12ga Army & Navy Sidelock shotgun. Gavin is a member of the Custodians of Professional Hunting and Conservation - South Africa, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), and Wingshooters. Gavin has been a Magnum subscriber for more than 20 years.

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