Man Magnum June 2017

June 2017 R39,00 incl VAT
Namibia N$41,50
06459
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CROOKS CORNER: COLLECTING SA HOME-MADE
OUTLAWS ON THE RUN SERVICE PISTOLS BOER MACHINE GUN
VOLUME 42 WIN
a Bushill
NUMBER 06 Hamper
TRUVELOS
CMS
JUNE 2017 HUNTING
Buffels in Zimbabwe
Safari Hunting
East African Tuskers
RIFLES
SIGS
MAX .40
ON THE COVER: The 7.62x51mm S&W PISTOL
ROBIN
BARKES
long-range rifle, one of four in Truvelos Matches
Guns to
Knives
Counter Measure Sniper series. TESTS
33 Barrel Cooling System
Read more on p54.

June 2017 R39,00 incl VAT
43 GamePro Spotlights Namibia N$41,50
06459
53 NiteCore LED Flashlight
62 HW100 Air Rifle
Photo courtesy of Truvelo. 64 Trijicon 3-9x40 Scope 9 770256 067003
Features
10 SIG SAUERS 1911 MAX
Aimed at the action pistol market
Paul Scarlata
14 BLOEDSPOOR
Buffels en bloedsweet in Zimbabwe
Dawie Strauss
18 SAVING FACE
Is your ammo good and clean and fresh tra-la-la?
Fergus Brown
20 A BOER MAKES A PLAN

A Mauser-actioned machine gun?
MC Heunis
24 FEARLESSREVOLVER FOR WOMEN

Indias answer to rape only the rich need apply
Roger Ingle
26 OUTLAWS OF CROOKSCORNER
Crafty characters in search of Dhlulamithi
Nick Hurry
30 NEWCOMERS TO IMFOLOZI
For the love of lions
Gordon Bailey
36 PISTOLS AT DAWN PART 1

Duelling was a part of gentlemanly life
Gregor Woods
40 SHY BUT DEADLY

Fast and aggressive if provoked
John Coleman
46 MATCHING KNIVES TO HISTORIC GUNS

Knives have backed-up guns since guns began
Robin Barkes
50 STALKING BIG IVORY IN KENYA PART 2

Early rains meant a long walk back to civilization
Pat Mzee Ayre
54 TRUVELO DOWN TO THE LAST DETAIL

Meeting international arms standards
Anthony Shelley
58 SAFARI HUNTING AS A CONSERVATION TOOL PART 2

In Africa, hunting protects wildlife from poachers
Robin Hurt
62 WEIHRAUCH HW100 AIR RIFLE

When only one-hole groups will do
Phillip Hayes
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Trail Talk by PHILLIP HAYES
Subscribe and Save Win a Bushill

Hamper
F
or local readers who would would like to read more on new and
like to subscribe to Magnum sometimes older products available in
we have good news: the price shops or about to be launched locally. We
for a 12-month subscription will try to keep this up in the months to
has just dropped from R474 to come to give you our opinion on products
R375. Thats a R99 saving per year and a we believe youll find useful or of interest.
single edition will only cost R31.25, com- On the same topic, we have intro-
pared to R39 when buying it from your duced a new system where we are
local retailer. We hope this will encourage labelling certain products with the
you to subscribe to get your monthly fix words Magnums Choice. This hon-
on hunting and shooting delivered to your our will go to products that really
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We know that subscribing means put- offering good value for money as well.
ting your magazine in the hands of the This will be ongoing and in future you
postal service a service that in the past will see a Magnums Choice sticker on
has not always been up to scratch but selected products at your local gun
happily we can report that for the last shop. This does not suggest that simil-
A Bushill harness for a camera or a pair of
year postage problems have been few and ar products are inferior or do not meet our binoculars, a 125ml tin of Youngs303nitro
far between. standards; it is merely an indication that a powdersolvent,andaGunsmithythree-stage
Also, keep in mind that we have Magnum panel judged a specific product cleaning kit are all in the hamper waiting to be
your back covered should an edition not to offer really good value for money. It is woninthismonths readercompetition.
arrive in the post. Magnum will replace also part of an initiative to identify and The hamper is sponsored by Bushill, a
leading South African manufacturer, importer
lost or missing editions free of charge. highlight worthy new products that local
and distributor of premium shooting and
However, it is important to let us know companies are producing or importing. hunting brands. The Gunsmithy cleaning kit
of any delivery problems by phoning Lastly, on a sad note, we report that includes gunsmith oil, an all-purpose cleaner
our office or sending an email to mail@ well-known author, hunter, conservation- andacarboncleaner.
manmagnum.co.za. ist and former Magnum contributor Peter For your chance to win, simply answer this
For those readers more inclined to Flack, has made the decision to stop question:WhatdoestheacronymSIGstand
for?(youllfindtheansweronpage10).
use modern technology and who prefer hunting altogether. On 19 April 2017 he
Email your answer to mail@manmagnum.
to get their magazines in ebook format, wrote in his regular blog: this is my last
co.za. Please include your name, telephone
Magnums digital edition is available newsletter and blog post. I am busy sell- number and province. The winner will be
online at R280.80 for a 12-month sub- ing my firearms and hunting books, clear- announcedintheJuly2017edition.
scription. Thats only R23.40 per edition. ing out my hunting cupboard, resigning
Subscribing digitally also means youll from many of the hunting associations of
have the emag immediately available which I have been a member and tidying Not having Peter involved as an
without leaving the comfort of your home. up the rest of my hunting bits and bobs ambassador for hunting is a loss we
For our subscribers who have just and I will no longer write hunting articles can ill afford, as hunting needs every
renewed their subscriptions at the old other than for the odd friend who specially individual and organisation to work non-
price, remember that the offer is open to requests it, and then only after I have stop to counteract the distorted percep-
everyone and you are welcome to ensure given the request some serious thought. tions of hunting that are at large among
an additional years editions at the new Space limitations make it impossible the general public. At the moment,
lower rate. The lower subscription price for me to go into the full details Peter many hunters, and I include myself,
is not a short-term limited-time offer as gave for his resolution, but part of his tend to spend a lot of time preaching to
we intend to keep the price for subscrib- decision had to do with opposition within the converted, when we should rather
ers the same until our annual increase in established hunting circles against the be moving out of our comfort zone to
April 2018. Fair Chase Guild. The guild was formed to direct our efforts at the non-hunting fra-
Regular readers will have noticed that promote, among many things, a positive ternity. We at Magnum wish Peter the
lately we have included more test reports view of hunting outside normal hunting best for the future, and thank him for
in each edition compared to last year. This circles. Peter was the main driving force the countless hours he has selflessly
is at the request of various readers who behind this initiative. spent on promoting ethical hunting.
6 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

Letters
PMP Expander Ammunition SD, BC and Kipling factor. The pointed shape is called an
I have just read Gregor Woodss article With reference to the article What is ogive which ranges from blunt to sharp-
The Bullet That Never Was (May 2017 Ballistic Coefficient? by Gregor Woods pointed.
edition) concerning the PMP ammuni- (Magnum, April 2017), in the formula Thank you for your kind words
tion that was never produced. for calculating SD on page 39, I think about the Kipling article.
I was in the South African Air Force there should have been a forward slash
at the time that ammunition was devel- (for division) or a division sign between All-Round Rifles
oped, and I knew several of the PMP the 180 and the bracket, 180/(.308 x I enjoyed reading and was extremely
guys. When they heard that I was going .308 x 7000) = 0.271. A reader might interested in Johan Groblers article on
on my second buffalo hunting safari on also wonder about the 7 000 which is the search for the all-round rifle or car-
the flood plains of the Zambezi Delta included to convert the bullet weight in tridge (Magnum, March 2017) for the
and intended using the safari compa- grains to weight in pounds. hunting of plains game. This is some-
nys Churchill .375H&H rifle, the PMP Secondly, if we work back from the thing most of us in the hunting frater-
boys asked me to test their new ammo table on page 41 we find the coefficient nity enjoy debating.
on a buffalo. They gave me five boxes of form (CF) = 0.891 for round nose, My opinions are somewhat different
(100 rounds) of PMP lead-tipped nick- 0.622 for semi-spitzer, 0.542 for flat- from his even though my criteria are
el-plated Super Expander to take on base spitzer and 0.502 for boat-tail fairly similar.
safari. They told me the design was spritzer. Are these CF values constants I am not a minimalist. Bob Hagel,
based on an original Goodnel pattern, irrespective of calibre? respected American gun scribe, said it
and their secret lay in the quality of the Furthermore, Gregor Woodss all when he wrote that the effectiveness
copper, which was mined locally, and story Kipling and the Boers (March of any given cartridge should not be
was carbon-free. The ammunition also 2017) reads like poetry, and I thank judged on how it performs when all the
proved to be very accurate. him for this superbly written arti- conditions are just right, but how it per-
That hunt proved to be the hard- cle. Being a statistician, I have forms when things start to go wrong.
est of my life, mostly spent trudging been put on this earth to work with Somehow the less is more argument
or crawling through swamp mud and numbers and not with words. How- is not one I espouse when it comes to
crawling along in a muddy creek to get ever, I can admire a text written choosing a hunting rifle or cartridge.
within range of a good buffalo bull. I by a master. Dr Piet Becker, Gauteng I also disagree with Mr Grobler
finally took a longish shot and the bull that accuracy of a " group at 100
dropped in its tracks. The bullet had Gregor Woods replies: Thank you for point- yards is needed. I regard a consist-
performed excellently, breaking both ing this out; you are quite correct. The ent accuracy of one-and-a-half inches
shoulders. We thought the bull was formula for calculating sectional den- shot one day after another out of a
dead, but as my guide neared it, it sity which I wrote in my original man- cold barrel, fine for hunting condi-
raised its head and tried to hook him, uscript DID have the division symbol tions. The first shot is the one that
narrowly missing his stomach. I gave it in it. However, this must have got lost counts. One does not shoot groups on
another shot into the spine where the during the publishing process. the side of a game animal.
neck joins the shoulder. As you know, System Internationale Mr Groblers first choice is the 7x57.
We recovered both bullets, and (SI) units are used in science and engi- I have hunted with all the calibres he
despite the wide difference in shoot- neering. This poses some difficulties for picked as his final four. I would choose
ing distances, both mushroomed per- shooters due to our use of avoirdupois the .30-06 as my first choice, followed
fectly and retained maximum weight. units. This results in conversion con- by the .308, both with factory or hand-
On leaving, I gave four boxes of the straints being included in many other- loaded ammo. Neither are slouches in
ammo to German clients whose safari wise more simple formulae. The 7 000 competitive events either.
was back-to-back with mine, and the converts grains to pounds. Next I would choose the .270
remaining rounds in the box Id opened The coefficient of form (CF) is inde- with hand loads. Lower the veloc-
I gave to the PH of the safari company. pendent of calibre. The form factor is a ity and use 150 grain Nosler Parti-
I have always wondered why that comparison of the shape of the bullet in tions if you are concerned about meat
ammunition never went into produc- question to that of a standard profile. damage. It has more case capac-
tion. Now I know. I enjoyed Gregors The shape of the ogive geometry is the ity than the 7x57 and shoots flatter.
article. Casey Lewis, Gauteng prime influence in determining the form Tony Marsh, Canada
Your letters are an important part of Magnum. We (readers and editors) like to hear your problems and opinions.
Unless marked NOT FOR PUBLICATION all letters are considered and are edited for length and/or clarity. Pen names may be used, provided
that your full name, address and daytime phone number are furnished. Please try to keep your letters short and to the point.

Handguns
SIG Sauers 1911 Max was designed from the ground up for action pistol competition. Note the chequered front strap, dual grasping grooves, flat
faced trigger, extended thumb safety and magazine release.
SIG Sauers 1911 Max

by PAUL SCARLATA photos by PAUL BUDDE and BECKY SCARLATA
Something old and something new
I
f youre like me, when you hear In partnership with the German gunmaker
t h e w o r d s S I G S a u e r yo u JP Sauer & Sohn, SIG introduced a DA/SA
immediately envision that alloy frame pistol, the P220, which was
companys popular double- adopted by the Swiss army, the Japa-
action/single-action (DA/SA), nese Self-Defence Force, as well as a
high-capacity pistols, as exemplified number of armies and police forces in
by the P226. the Middle East and Africa.
The Schweizerische Industrie- SIG pursued the American market
Gesellschaft (SIG) has been manufactur-
ing firearms since 1860 and introduced Sample targets fired from 25m show the Max to
its first handgun, the SIG P210, in 1949. be a pleasingly accurate pistol.

The ejection port has been lowered and fla- The Max uses a traditional-style barrel
red to insure spent cases get out of the way bushing and recoil system. Note the fibre
reliably. optic front sight.
where most police forces were in the out its website you will see that SIG
process of switching from revolvers to Sauer offers more than 30 versions of
semi-auto pistols. SIGs high capacity this classic pistol.
Visible here are the chequered mainspring
P226, in 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG In late 2014, they added the 1911 housing, beavertail grip safety with palm
has proven popular with police agencies Max, designed with the input of pro- swell, skeletonised hammer and adjustable
and civilian shooters. To address the fessional shooter Max Michel Jnr (and rear sight.
growing market in the United States I bet you thought Max meant Maxi-
(US), SIG established a facility in Exe- mum). Max worked with SIG engineers
ter, New Hampshire, SIG Sauer, which to develop a race-inspired pistol built
now manufactures the entire line of SIG to his unique specifications with all
pistols. the custom features that a world-class
shooter requires.
IT DIDNT TAKE those marketing this Built by the SIG Sauer Custom
combination of Swiss craftsmanship, Shop, the 1911 Max is an all stain-
Germanic efficiency and American less steel, single-stack pistol with the
entrepreneurship very long to real- uniquely styled flat top, slab-sided
ize that if they wanted to capture an slide common to many SIG 1911s. The chequered
even larger share of the US market front strap and
The slide has dovetail cuts at both
Hogue Chain
they needed to offer shooters the most ends for mounting a fibre optic front Link G-10 grips
iconic and beloved of all American and fully adjustable rear sight, while insure a secure
handguns the 1911. As with its other square-cut grasping grooves on the purchase on the
DA/SA pistols, SIG Sauers 1911 GSR rear allow you to retract the slide pistol while the
was an instant success with civilian flat faced trigger
even with wet or oily hands. A less
allows concise
shooters, police agencies and serious aggressive pair on the front permits trigger control.
Action Pistol competitors. If you check easy chamber checking.
The gaping ICE Magwell

allows fast, fumble free
reloads. Note the 10-round
Wilson Cobra magazine.
June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 11

Here the author (right) runs the
plate rack one-for-one.
A massive external extractor will remove even the most smiths at SIGs Custom Shop hand-fit all the internals includ-
recalcitrant case from the chamber while a lowered and ing an EGW sear and firing pin.
flared ejection port insures they get out of the way quickly To improve handling and recoil control, metal has been
and reliably. removed from the trigger guard to allow a high grip on the
A quick examination of the frame shows extended, ambi- pistol. Sharp-cut 26 lines per inch chequering on the front
dextrous thumb safeties and a beavertail grip safety with a strap and mainspring housing combine with the Hogue Chain
palm swell. The Maxs radically skeletonised Koenig Speed Link G-10 grips to provide a secure, slip-free purchase on the
Hammer shortens lock time while the SIG Sauer flat pistol even with wet or oily hands. A moderately extended
faced trigger enhances trigger control. The gun- magazine release is easily accessible for positive mag-
azine ejection while the gaping Dawson ICE Magwell
lets even the most fumble-fingered among us like
SPECIFICATIONS: SIG Sauer 1911 Max yours truly make
Calibre .40 S&W fast reloads.
Overall length 221mm To d a y U S P -
Height 140mm SAs Limited 10 and
Barrel length 127mm Single-Stack divisions
Width 35.5mm a l o n g w i t h I P S C s
Weight (unloaded) 1.18kg Standard and Classic
Materials stainless divisions are dominated
steel slide & by .40 calibre pistols and
frame
while the 1911 Max is available
Sights front: fibre optic
in .45 ACP, I believe the major-
rear: fully
ity of people who buy one will opt for the .40
adjustable
chambering. I recently spoke with my contact at
w/white dots
SIG Sauer who told me that with the increasing
Capacity 9+1
popularity of the 9mm Parabellum cartridge,
Finish Rev 2-Tone
more and more 1911 manufacturers are offering
Grips Hogue Chain
Link G-10 pistols in that calibre. While I did not receive any
Extra features: Ice Magwell, ambi thumb definite commitments, it was intimated that SIG
safeties,dual grasping grooves, chequered front Sauer is considering offering the Max chambered
strap & mainspring housing, beavertail grip safety for Georg Lugers cartridge in the near future.
with palm swell, skeletonised hammer, flat-faced The 1911 Max I received to evaluate was a
trigger, extended magazine release, lowered & solid feeling pistol and the quality of fit, finish
flared ejection port, spare magazine, padded
carrying case & cable lock. Recoil control was above average.

TEST FIRING RESULTS:
Factory Avg. Group Best Group Velocity (fps)

Black Hills 155gr JHP 52mm 46mm 1 127
Cor-Bon 165gr Performance Match 43mm 34mm 863
Remington 165gr Golden Saber 45mm 34mm 1 065
SIG Sauer 180gr FMJ 46mm 41mm 967
Handload:
180gr Plated FP +
4.5gr of TiteGroup 52mm 43mm 942
Dara Holster Kydex belt holster magazine
carriers proved just the ticket for competitive
NOTE: Average of three, five-shot groups fired from an MTM K-Zone rest at 25m. Velocity is the average
shooting with the Max.
of five rounds chronographed 4m from the pistols muzzle.
and assembly were immediately evi- First of all, despite being quite dirty
dent. It was graced with an excellent from my earlier test firing, it ran per-
trigger that broke crisply. The slides fectly during the hundred-plus round
Nitron finish contrasted nicely with the match. Its ergonomics and controls
brushed stainless frame and sported came to the fore allowing me to shoot
Max Michel logos on either side. fast and accurately, perform speed
reloads smoothly and engage multiple
TEST FIRING WAS conducted from an targets quickly.
MTM K-Zone rest at 25m. According to All in all, I was very impressed with
my trigger-pull gauge the trigger broke the Maxs performance. Other shoot-
crisply with 1.9kg of pressure and the ers at the match who examined it had
sights provided a sharp, clear picture. nothing but positive comments but... flat mainspring housing, I always tend
The following weekend I used the As is my SOP, I do want to men- to shoot low, which is why all my per-
Max to compete in an action pistol tion two features that I do not care sonal 1911s have arched mainspring
match at a local club, using a holster for, the first being the rear sights two housings an option I would like to see
and mag carriers supplied by Dara Hol- large white dots on a pistol used for offered by SIG Sauer.
sters and several Wilson Cobra 10-round competition, I prefer a plain black rear Apart from these two caveats, I
magazines. The match included both sight mated to a fibre optic front. That believe that anyone looking for a qual-
USPSA-type scenarios with multiple said, the judicious application of a ity 1911 to get serious about action pis-
cardboard targets requiring movement, black marker pen gave me the sighting tol shooting need look no farther than
followed by a steel plate match. arrangement I prefer. Secondly, when I SIG Sauerss 1911 Max its a winner
The Max exceeded my expectations. shoot fast with a 1911 equipped with a from the start.
I ran the Max through a number of USPSA/IPSC-type scenarios with complete success.

BO: Braam na nog n suksesvolle jag met The Beast agter hom.
LINKS BO NA ONDER: The Beast se spore in die sand van die Chewore.
Olifante kruis die Chewore net onderkant bekende berg Phumbi.
Wildehonde in die vallei.
Bloedspoor
deur DAWIE STRAUSS
Die bloedsweet vir buffels in

Zimbabwe se Zambezivallei
O
ns het stil en gespanne was die stille bewys dat die gekweste en n half se spoorsny het ons op die
agter Sam geloop, hy het buffelbul waarna ons op soek was lank bulle afgekom. Die een buffel het effens
kort-kort met stok in die hier vir ons gewag het. Vir n wyle was dwars gedraai en Braam het ges Koos
hand vir ons die bloed die spanning gebreek. Braam, Koos, moet skiet. Braam sou opvolg met nog
gewys. Die spoor het ons Kramer die gids van Zimbabwe parke- n skoot, maar met die eerste skoot
in n digte jesse (Combretum patelli- raad en Sam, ons spoorsnyer, was op het die buffel so vinnig omgevlieg dat
forme) bos in gelei. Dit was warm, die die spoor van n dagga boy wat Koos Braam nie kans gekry het om te skiet
tsetse vlie se byte het gebrand en die sowat n uur vroer gekwes het. nie. Koos was nie seker waar sy skoot
mopanie bye het lastig om ons natge- Ons het vroegoggend van G-kamp getref het nie en wou nie die bloed-
swete gesigte gevlieg en in ons neuse in die Sapi safari gebied vertrek op spoor volg nie. Ter versagting moet ek
en ore probeer kruip. In die digte bos soek na buffels. Ons het gou twee buf- byvoeg dat hy voorheen nie veel gejag
om ons was daar skielik n gekraak van fels se spore gekry waar hulle die pad het nie, nie fiks was nie en boonop met
takke, diere oppad weg van ons. n gekruis het nadat hulle by die Zambezi my .375 geskiet het, n geweer waaraan
Groot bloedkol onder n mopanieboom water gedrink het. Na sowat n uur hy nie gewoond was nie. By die bloedkol

onder die boom het Koos en Kramer struikmopanie en jesse-bos het
teruggedraai jagkar toe. plek gemaak vir groot bome, en
Vir my was dit n waterskei- onder die bome was dit so donker
ding oomblik want ek het geweet dat ek die korrelbeskermer van my
Braam maak nou op my staat .458 moes afhaal om die korrel
indien die bul dalk sou besluit om behoorlik te kon sien. Sam se hand
sy horings op ons te toets. Dit was het skielik gelig. Elephant, het hy
my eerste keer in die Zambezivallei gefluister. Die eerste wat ek gesien
en die eerste keer wat ek op die het was n oor en toe die hele oli-
bloedspoor van een van Afrika se fantkoei so 20 meter weg. Sy was
gevaarlikste gekweste diere was. een van n hele trop en ons moes
hardloop om uit hulle pad te kom.
VAN DIE BLOEDPLAS het ons baie Die wind was gelukkig in ons guns
versigtig verder gegaan. Sam voor Braam, Stephan en Morkel by die buffel waaroor die en hulle het ons nie geruik nie. Die
op die spoor met my en Braam kort artikel gaan. trop is so naby aan ons verby dat
op sy hakke. Nou het ek eerste- ek hulle mae kon hoor rammel. Die
hands kennis gemaak met die feit dat ek voor die jag baie gelees
manne van die vallei se ongelooflike spoorsny vermo. Die het oor hoe befoeterd en berug hierdie olifantkoeie van die
buffel het al minder bloed gelaat en later was daar niks en Zambezivallei is, het gesorg dat my hart so hard geklop het
om sake verder te bemoeilik het die bul vir sowat 500m oor dat ek verbaas was dat die olifante dit nie kon hoor het nie.
n rotsplaat gevlug. Sam kon die onsigbare hoefmerke op Later het ons by verskeie geleenthede weer in olifante vas-
die klipplaat sien en dit gevolg tot by die einde van die plaat geloop. By een geleentheid het n koei en n kalf minder as 10
waar ons uit die nou sigbare spore kon sien die bul se maat meter by my verbygestap. Die olifante het die bufflel spore
het hier by hom aangesluit en hulle is saam verder. vertrap en teen laatmiddag het ons doodmoeg en dors ons
Die plantegroei het nou dramaties verander. Kleinerige water was lankal op - by die jagkar aangekom. Ons kon die

gekweste bul nie opspoor nie. aangekyk en ges: Do you
n Paar jaar later was ek, realise this thing wants to kill
Braam en Morkel terug in die us... you put your feet where I
Zambezivallei en weer op put mine... you walk quietly.
soek na n buffelbul. Steven Ons het n rukkie stil gestaan
was ons spoorsnyer en gids. en herkou aan sy woorde. Die
Nadat ons ver suidwaarts tikkie vrees in die gesoute gids
met die Land Cruiser in die se o en sy lyftaal het ons op-
sand van Chewore rivier op nuut laat besef van die gevaar
gery het en The Beast in waarin ons ons bevind het.
die koelte van n groot jak-
kalsbessieboom op die oewer O N S H E T I N e n ke l g e l i d
van die rivier getrek het, het verder gestap want die bosse
ons te voet weswaarts gejag. was te dig om langs mekaar
(Braam het sy geliefde jagkar te loop. Ons moes nou in
The Beast, gedoop vanwee gedagte hou om mekaar
die voertuig se ongelooflike nie raak te skiet nie indien
Pad word gekap vir die herwinning.
viertrek vermo en die grom die bul storm. Steven het
van die enjin as dit kilometers geweet hy is eerste in die
ver deur die dik sand moet worstel.) die bosse deur het ek die buffel gesien, lyn, dat sy AK47 nie die bul kon stop
daar was net n bos tussen hom en nie en dat hy van ons en ons groot-
ONS HET GOU die spore van n groot Braam hulle. Hy het vir hulle gestaan kaliber gewere afhanklik was. Dit was
buffeltrop gekry. Vanaf n hoogte het en kyk. Voordat ek iets kon doen het nou grafstil, ons was gefokus op die
ons die trop dopgehou, n bul wat groot die bul omgedraai en deur die bosse taak wat wag terwyl ons tree vir tree
genoeg was om te jag het stadig in ons weggebars. stadig en met soekende o elke bos
rigting begin wei. Toe hy in n opening Nou was ons nog versigtiger en kort deursoek het. Steven het meteens
tussen bosse deurkom het Morkel se hierna het ons meters voor ons weer n versteen en vir Braam teen hom verby
skoot geklap, en myne, waarmee ek gekraak van takke wat breek gehoor, en getrek. Toe Braam se .505 Gibbs blaf
moes rugsteun, n oomblik daarna. dit het geklink soos n lokomotief wat het die buffel gedraai sodat ek en
Morkel was tevrede met sy .458 se deur die bos storm. Gelukkig weer weg Morkel hom ook kon sien en ons het
skoot, uit my posisie kon ek egter net van ons. Voetjie vir voetjie het ons nou dadelik met die .458 en .375 geskiet.
die buffel se nek sien, en ek het geweet die spoor gevolg. Per ongeluk het ek n Die buffel het geval. Braam het met
indien die .375 werwels getref het die takkie raak getrap, in die doodse stilte bewende hande sy geweer probeer
buffel in sy spore sou geval het. Dt was wat ons in die stadium omvou het het dit herlaai. Dit was onnodig, die buf-
duidelik nie die geval nie en na n rukkie soos n kanonskoot geklink. Die bul het fel was dood. Ons het in stilte na die
se wag vra ons Steven wat hy dink. Hy reg voor ons uit die bosse gevlieg, net n gevalle buffel gestaan en kyk. Verlig-
het opgestaan, sy AK47 gespan en donker streep in die digte bos. ting het oor ons almal gespoel.
doodluiters ges: I think we have a Steven het omgedraai, my stip Morkel se eerste skoot was net
wounded buffalo on our hands, bo-oor die hart, deur albei
lets go. longe. Enige ander dier sou net
Daar was bloed op die n paar meter verder geval het,
grond en aan takke so skouer maar nie die buffel nie.
hoog waarskynlik weens my n In 2016 het die laaste
skoot in die nek. Dit was moei- Citizen Hunts (soos di jagte
like terrein om enige gewonde in Zimbabwe bekend staan)
dier te volg, wat nog te s n in hierdie wildernis langs die
gewonde buffel. Digte jesse- magtige Zambezirivier, plaas-
bos ruigtes het sigbaarheid tot gevind. Zimbabwe se parke-
slegs n paar meter beperk. raad het die veiling vir jagte in
Ons het uiters stadig en ver- die Sapi en Jakasanga gebiede
sigtig die spoor gevolg. Die gestop. Die gebied is nou soos
gids wat die agterhoede gedek baie ander in die hande van die
het, het skielik my aandag groot jagondernemers en dus
getrek. In n gangetjie tussen Olifant baie naby in digte bos. vir gewone jagters verlore.

A Saving Face
s a vet practising in a rural
town in the Limpopo prov-
ince, I inevitably had my
share of interesting and
sometimes memorable
experiences. One that comes to mind
occurred at a correctional facility in a by FERGUS BROWN
neighbouring town in one of the erst-
while homelands. illu stration ALAN WALKER
The prison management kept cat-
tle, sheep and horses as part of their
rehabilitation programme, which
included involving the inmates in live-
With every misfire, the prison
stock husbandry. Our annual duty was
to test the dairy cows for tubercu-
warden lost more cred
losis and contagious abortion (bru-
cellosis) and to this end I one day set entrance, I had to fill in the man- remain mum about the presence of
off on the 80km trip to complete the datory questionnaire and declare the weapon.
tests. I always enjoyed the d r i v e any firearms. I never drive anywhere The tests were completed without
through subtropical without my Astra .38 Special revolver, incident and, as I was cleaning my equip-
fruit farms and lush and this day was no different. How- ment and packing my vehicle, one of the
indigenous forest en ever, I was reluctant to go through wardens walked up and asked me to
route to the town. the tedious process of explaining the examine one of the prisons old horses.
At the boomed need for self-defence, and decided to We walked to a group of Natal mahog-
any trees in the shade of which stood the
droopy-headed shape of a very old
gelding. The warden was con-
cerned about the welfare of
the animal as it seemed to
be losing condition and in
all likelihood was suffer-
ing.
After examining the
horse, I confirmed that
he had reached the
end of his tether, so to
speak. I determined
t h a t t r y i n g va r i o u s
treatments would have
no beneficial effect and
recommended euthana-
sia. Gravely the warden
asked me to do this for
them, as he was not
inclined to do it him-
self. That posed a prob-
lem as I do not carry
the drug used for this
purpose on general
calls, but after
some thought
I decided to
give the old
boy a general

anaesthetic which I did have with me. I ordered the onlookers to stand behind only conclude that the ammunition
then asked the warden if I could use his me and, after making sure that it was was old and no longer functional. With
pistol to finish the job. In this way the safe to shoot, I approached the recum- a worried thought about my illegal
gelding would not suffer as he would be bent gelding and cocked the pistol. revolver in my vehicle and how I was
completely unconscious. Recalling the training we had received, going to explain my omission on the
While these discussions were going I imagined a cross formed by two lines declaration form, I hoped fervently that
on a small contingent of inmates gath- that traverse the forehead from the the Star would fire just one cartridge.
ered, sensing a break in their dreary left eye to the right ear and vice versa. Undoubtedly my thoughts were shared
daily routine. The warden explained Where the lines intersect, a frontal shot by the warden as he was rapidly losing
to them what the plan was and lively should penetrate the brain resulting in face in front of his charges. How would
interest was immediately evident. The an immediate and humane death. he in future exact discipline carrying a
stage was set, so to speak, and amid dysfunctional weapon?
the growing crowd I haltered the horse THE CHATTER FROM my audience died The inmates remarks became
and administered the anaesthetic via a down and the tense silence was shat- louder and more confident by the min-
jugular vein. The tough old campaigner tered by the click of a misfire from the ute. As the last bullet produced the now
stood resolute for a moment, then Star. I hastily worked the slide to expel familiar click, I had resigned myself to
sighed deeply and slowly collapsed to the offending dud round and aimed owning up and finishing the job with
the ground, ending on his side com- afresh. With the second resounding my Astra when to my astonishment the
pletely oblivious of his surroundings. click, an uncomfortable cough from the old horse breathed a last deep breath
I turned to the warden and warden was followed by a resumption and expired from the anaesthetic! With
requested his pistol. It was a Star 9mm of chatter and even a laugh or two from much relief, I made a show of confirm-
Parabellum with which I was familiar the overall-clad inmates. I checked the ing death with my stethoscope and
as I had been issued the same weapon ejected cartridges and found perfect departed leaving a rather despondent
as an army officer years before. We indentations on the primers. I could warden to sort out his hierarchy.

A Boer Makes a Plan
by MC HEUNIS
How a small-town Free State blacksmith invented a machine gun
M
achine guns will
always be asso-
ciated with Sir
Hiram Maxim,
inventor of the
first portable, fully automatic
machine gun, plus the wasteful
slaughter of thousands of young
men on the fields of Flanders in
the First World War. Few people,
however, know that a machine
gun was built shortly before the
Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) by
a young blacksmith named Evert
van Niekerk in the rustic little
town of Ficksburg on the eastern
border of the Orange Free State.
The true Maxim machine
gun was invented in 1883 by
Maxim, an American who later
became a naturalised Brit.
According to Maxim, a friend
told him, Hang your chemis- Evert van Niekerk, front, with his machine gun. Dan Deetlefs is pictured operating it. Note the five 7x57mm
Mauser rounds in a stripper clip he is holding. Photo courtesy of the War Museum of the Boer Republics,
try and electricity! If you want
Bloemfontein.
to make a pile of money, invent
something that will enable
these Europeans to cut each others havoc. Battles such as Omdurman, machine guns were useless in battle.
throats with greater facility. Ulundi, San Juan, Abu Klea, Shangani According to a 1969 article in Die
Ten years before Maxims design, a and Port Arthur were all dress rehears- Vaderland newspaper, Van Niekerk got
Swedish engineer patented a multi-bar- als for the wholesale slaughter that the idea of building a machine gun dur-
relled, hand-cranked mechanical gun would follow at the Somme and other ing the 1893 Matabele War. Back then
that was made and sold with great suc- WW1 battlefields. Van Niekerk farmed in Rhodesia where
cess as the Nordenfelt gun. Similarly, Maxim, Nordenfelt, Colt and Hotch- he also had a blacksmith shop. When
mechanical hand-cranked guns were kiss machine guns were used by both the war broke out he moved his fam-
designed by European and American sides during the Anglo-Boer War, but ily to Fort Victoria (today Masvingo) for
inventors, such as Montigny, Reffye, did not really come into their own, due protection where he probably joined
Gatling, Hotchkiss and Gardner. to the small numbers employed, the the local volunteer unit. During the
Such guns changed the face of war mobility of the warfare and the long siege and defence of Fort Victoria, he
forever. From the African deserts to distances over which many of the skir- often repaired overheated rifles for the
the tropical forests of South America, mishes were fought. In fact, after the defenders and probably had the oppor-
these machines of death wreaked their war, many British officers reported that tunity to study Maxim, Hotchkiss and

A Maxim gun,
typical of those
used in the 1890s
during the
Matabele Wars
in Mashonaland,
which was to
become part of
Rhodesia.
Photo courtesy of
the War Museum
of the
Boer Republics,
Bloemfontein.
Gardner machine guns as they were the gun the Van Niekerk Snelvuurder
already in use in Rhodesia. (Van Niekerks Quick Firer). The story
One can only wonder if Van Niekerk goes that Cape Colony Prime Minister
was present when 3 500 Matabele war- Cecil John Rhodes, who probably knew
riors assaulted a British South Africa Van Niekerk from his Rhodesian days,
Company column near the Shangani even offered him 1 000 for the pat-
River on 23 October 1893. The Mata- ent. The outbreak of the Anglo-Boer
bele were well-drilled, many armed War, however, put an end to any deal
with rifles, but the Rhodesian pioneers being made and Van Niekerks macine
machine guns mow[ed] them down gun would soon see action against the
literally like grass. A week later, 6 000 British.
Matabele warriors launched another Details are unclear, but from the
attack, this time at Bembesi, but again two photos we have of the machine gun
they were no match for the crushing it seems he used the barrel and action
firepower of the machine guns and of a standard 7x57mm OVS Mauser
about 2 500 fell. For his services Van rifle. The barrel was equipped with
Niekerk was promoted to corporal; he a water jacket to keep it cool. It was
received a medal and his name was dis- mounted on a peculiar looking stand
played on the role of honour as one of complete with an operators seat with
the defenders of Fort Victoria. wagon-style beskildering (decorative
painting) on the frame.
FOR HEALTH REASONS, Van Niek- Just how the weapon was fed
erk and his family were later forced remains somewhat a mystery. The
to move back to Ficksburg, where he article in Die Vaderland describes it as
was employed in a shop. He was, how- being belt-fed (in other words a copy
ever, allowed to work in the blacksmith of Hiram Maxims design), only from
workshop of one Dan Deetlefs where the bottom. This, however, seems
he started to design and build his unlikely as the normal bolt action
own machine-gun. Local townsfolk at would tear the belt and get blocked
first were sceptical and some laughed by it. So, it seems the weapon was
at his ideas, but when his invention loaded with the normal five rounds of
was demonstrated to them, success- 7x57mm ammunition in Mauser strip-
fully firing 132 shots per minute, they per clips. Van Niekerk is seen holding
applauded him. Soon he was demon- such a clip in the photo of the gun. If
strating it at Bethlehem and Fouries- this was done manually from the top
burg. Orange Free State President Mar- (as was done on the normal rifle) by
tinus T Steyn attended a demonstration inserting the clip of ammunition into
on 14 August 1899 and officially named the slot above the internal magazine

enlisted in the Cape Colony, patrolled the moun-
tains around Ficksburg and frequently clashed
with the Boers under Commandant Cornelius
Janse de Villiers. In one of these clashes at Ham-
monia on 23 May 1900, 17km north of Ficksburg,
Van Niekerks gun was brought into action, but
was captured by the Cape Mounted Rifles when
the wagon it was mounted on was left behind
in a ravine. Van Niekerk apparently removed
the bolt to make it inoperable and discarded it
somewhere in the bushes. The captured machine
gun was taken to Cape Town and put on display
in the Castle. Unfortunately, sometime after the
1930s it was sent to Pretoria, after which it went
missing. No records of its current whereabouts
could be found.
The talented Van Niekerk was later pro-
moted to field cornet and played an important
role in the guerrilla phase of the war where he
repaired and altered captured British firearms
and equipment, manufactured grain mills, cut-
A posed photo shows clip-loading. Actually, the thumb would be at right-angles to the lery and all kinds of useful articles. He was
rounds so as to enter the thumb slot in the left-hand receiver wall. so effective at re-using discarded items taken
from British camps that an order was issued
and pushing the five rounds down into the magazine by that scrap should be buried at least six feet
hand, it would have brought down the rate of fire consider- deep to prevent the Boers from using it. He is further cred-
ably. By cranking the handle, a series of cams and rotating ited for setting up a field hospital near Fouriesburg where
arms pushed the bolt forward and closed it with the first he performed surgery and amputations on wounded Boers
round chambered, pulled the trigger, opened and pulled and Brits.
back the bolt, and ejected the empty case. This means the Van Niekerk also played an important role in captur-
five rounds could probably be fired as fast as the crank could ing two foreigners from Basotholand who were accused of
be turned, but as stated, loading the five rounds manually molesting and robbing Boer women. After the war, he was
from the top every time would have been impossible, result- much sought after when the Boers returned to rebuild the
ing in the loss of a thumb if the crank turners timing was utterly destroyed Orange Free State. He repaired farm-
out. It is, therefore, suspected that an extended magazine ing implements and built steam engines, threshers and
must have been used. a water-drilling machine. He even built a glider to try a
manned flight from Kranskop near Rosendal!
THE PHOTO DOES show a long box-shaped part under the Unfortunately, he was killed in an accident in Johannes-
magazine which could take more than five rounds at a time. A burg in the 1930s and so ended the life of an extraordinary
spring-loaded box-magazine containing several rounds would South African inventor.
have made a lot more sense. Scaling the box against the n If anyone has any further information on the whereabouts
standard five-round magazine length, it probably took 45 of Van Niekerks gun, please contact Magnums editor.
to 50 rounds if carried in a single column.
A quick release mechanism on the box would
have been needed, to allow a quick change
of magazines. A novel feature seems to be
a cylindrical sight mounted on the barrel
one can only wonder if it was the worlds first
machine gun with a telescopic sight.
Due to the weapons size, weight and
mounting it could not be carried by hand and
was instead mounted on a wagon.
Brigadier-General Edward Yewd Brabants
Colonial Division, made up of 3 000 volunteers Boer Mausers, (top) a 7mmPlesier(Sporting) Mauser and the long model 1896 Mauser.

Fearless
Revolver The Nirbheek
forWomen
FG-L037.
The Nirbheek is Indias

by ROGER INGLE
concealed-carry endeavour
to stop rape and abuse
I
n a somewhat facetious action. It is not an easy call to answer.
vein, I wrote an article titled In some sections of Indias large
Concealed Novelty Guns in population, women endure sub-
The famous
the February 2014 edition of servient status and are vulner- Webley Mk IV .38
Magnum. Just a month earlier, able to abuse. This situation is service revolver.
an interesting compact revolver built not peculiar to India. In many
for concealment, called the Nirbheek, developing countries some
made its debut. It is designed and women at the poor rural
made by the Indian Ordnance end of a social spectrum are some quarters. Many say the idea is
Factories Board (IOF) an equivalent subject to inequality and an insult to the memory of the vic-
of South Africas Denel. oppression. Also, high crime tims and an admission of failure by
In this case, it would be inappropri- in informal settlements resulting from the government to address the issue
ate to treat this gun in a light-hearted mass urbanisation causes similar risks in other ways. One interesting remark
way. It has arrived with a very impor- to social workers and others active in from the gun-free quarter is that
tant task in mind to enable women these communities. Will this gun fulfil women carrying guns for protection
to use deadly force if threatened with its intended purpose? are 12 times more likely to be shot
assault or rape. Orders are said to be overwhelm- by attackers compared to unarmed
There have recently been a number ing despite a cost of about R21 500. women. Where this suspect data
of appalling gang rapes in India which Keep in mind this figure is higher than comes from is a mystery.
have incensed the public, and under- an average annual salary in India.
standably resulted in mass demonstra- The gun is not something a modest ON THE OTHER side of the debate, IOF
tions demanding the government take income earner could afford, let alone chairman Sartaj Singh says, The sce-
the poor who are most at risk. Then nario today is that carrying a revolver
there is the need for safekeeping can be a big deterrent. The manufac-
facilities at home and access to pro- turers believe export orders will also
ficiency training centres both out start coming in. The IOF makes a wide
of reach to most poor applicants. So range of small arms and ammunition,
the problem this gun aims to address including a .32 calibre revolver known
may fall well short of the mark, as the IOF Mk1. With a 51mm barrel, it
despite three quarters of the orders is based on the famous Webley Mk IV
received so far being from women. .38 service revolver.
The well-established .32 calibre Unfortunately but expectedly, the The Nirbheek (meaning fearless in
semi-automatic Ashani. gun has met with much criticism in Hindi) has its roots in this design, with

some features of a Smith & Wesson. It is clearly designed as
a small, easily concealed carry piece. The length is 178mm
and the use of a titanium alloy gives it an empty weight of
only 500 grams. The calibre is .32 (7.65x23mm). Some may
regard this as rather feeble, but the gun is not intended for
use in firefights. At one or two metres, the bullet energy has
a lethal capability. The gun is certainly not primitive. An inte-
grated frame and barrel forging in light alloy, a good trigger,
a safe-carry with the hammer at rest and an ability to receive
six cartridges from a speed-loader are important features.
In an amusing marketing remark, it was said, to add female
appeal, the Nirbheek is shipped in special boxes lined with
velvet, perhaps a first in the gun world!
THE TRUTH IS this gun is destined for the rich and famous;
not the masses or the poor and, despite a spike in gun per-
mit applications by women in the wake of the Delhi gang-
rape, the licences by all accounts remain very difficult to
obtain. Last October, Uttar Pradeshs Allahabad High Court
placed a blanket ban on new firearm permits, citing fears of
increased gun violence. The court said, Arming society to
such an extent rings a danger bell, and went on to suggest
the State is sitting on a volcano. But IOF general manager
Abdul Hamied expects these bans will be lifted. How this will
pan out is anyones guess. In India, big business has a pow-
erful lobby, especially so if it is a state-owned enterprise. So
the battle lines are drawn.
One question Magnum readers may ask is, why a revolver
and not a semi-automatic? After all, the IOF offers a well-es-
tablished .32 calibre semi-auto called the Ashani. It has a
shrouded hammer within the slide and an eight-shot magazine
two more than the Nirbheeks and it is clearly designed for
concealment. Though externally similar to the Browning 1910,
its mechanism is largely based on the Colt 1903, so the design
is robust and reliable. Nonetheless, I think the decision to go
the revolver route was the correct one. Yes, a revolver has less
firepower, but not by much in this case.
The Nirbheek is not designed for a combat role and, if
necessary, its cylinder can be recharged from a speed-loader
almost as fast as a magazine change in the Ashani. And then
there is bulk; revolver assemblies are generally thicker than
semi-automatics. But the Nirbheek is only a .32 calibre. The
cylinder is small. Another important consideration is training.
Revolver training is simpler than that required for a semi-
automatic. A revolver does not suffer the possibility of cycling
stoppages which may occur in semi-automatics, and particu-
larly a cycling stoppage caused by a loose hold. Keep in mind
the Nirbheek is designed for women. Semi-automatic pistols
rely on recoil to cycle the action. In smaller calibres, if the
gun is held loosely and the gun is allowed to move back freely
under recoil, there may not be sufficient inertial resistance to
take the slide through a complete cycle.
The debate in India will be interesting to follow with a clear
division between two sides.

Outlaws of
CrooksCorner
by NICK HURRY
Crooks Corner, and the Limpopo River top right.
Pursued by police in three countries,
T
these adventurers poached elephants he Crooks Corner story is
and smuggled ivory an interesting episode in

South Africas history span-
ning 24 years following the
Anglo-Boer War.
This area forms the rough triangle
of wild bushveld and riverine forest
between the Limpopo River to the north
and the Luvuvhu River to the south,
with the apex at their junction. The
boundaries of the old Transvaal, Portu-
guese East Africa (PEA) and Rhodesia
converged at this point, marked by a
beacon on an island in the Limpopo.
In 1903, the area was incorporated
in the Shingwedzi Game Reserve, now
in northern Kruger National Park. At
the time, the nearest game ranger was
130kms to the south, so there was little
control over the area. The place-name
referred to the colourful collection of
outlaws who made their camps there,
involved in the illegal recruitment of
Shangaans to work on the Witwaters-
rand mines, the unlicensed hunting of
elephants and other game, and a little
smuggling on the side.
It was excellent elephant country,
reached by a wagon track through
Punda Maria and Klopperfontein, and
across the Luvuvhu at the Pafuri drift.
The only sign of civilisation was a corru-
gated iron store built by Alex Thompson
and William Pye in 1910 at Makhuleke,
which served to sell goods and buy
ivory, and was named after the nearby
Photo by Anthony Shelley

Map of the Ivory Trail from1903 to1920.
Shangaan chief. A big plus for those involved in any illegal he got back to Makhuleke and borrowed enough money to
activity was that if a police patrol arrived from any of the buy a Mannlicher Schnauer 9.5x57mm rifle and 500 cart-
three affected countries, capture could be avoided by ridges. This was an improvement on the .303, being similar
simply moving across the border to the adjoining to the .375 Nitro Express, but was still underpowered for
territory. This caused a great deal of displeas- elephant.
ure among the three countries police forces, Undaunted, he launched a career in poaching
particularly the Portuguese. elephant and recruiting labour. He took revenge on
The most famous character of Crooks his attackers by soundly thrashing the ringleaders
Corner was Cecil Rutgert Barnard (1866- of the gang, thereby ensuring that it would not
1962), whose highly adventurous life- happen again. In time, his huge self-confidence,
story was told in TV Bulpins book The
Ivory Trail. Barnard was better known
by the nickname Bvekenya, meaning he
who walks with a swagger, given to him
by the local Shangaans who came to hold
him in high regard.
Having heard and read stories of the
old ivory hunters, Bvekenya decided to try
his hand at elephant hunting, and set off to
Makhuleke in 1910 with a wagon and a Lee-En-
field .303. Entering PEA, he applied to the Massan-
gena post for an elephant licence, but was refused as it was
closed season.
SHORTLY AFTER THIS, Bvekenyas camp on the Save River

was attacked by a gang of Shangaans led by a black police-
ABOVE: Dhlulamithi, the legendary elephant bull.
man from Massangena who had probably seen his money
belt. He managed to escape, but lost everything in the camp, INSET: Stephanus Cecil Rutgert Barnard (Bvekenya) as a young man
including his .303. After being helped by friendly Shangaans, circa 1910.

and his provision of meat to the locals Zimbabwe, where he shot a huge
gained their respect and loyalty which elephant bull with tusks of 107lbs and
was to be a great advantage to him in 137lbs. It was subsequently claimed
evading capture by police. in some quarters that this was the
It took Bvekenya six shots with the legendary Dhlulamithi*.
9.5mm to bring down his first elephant,
and from then on he had to learn AN EARLIER HUNTER who used Crooks
everything by experience. Realising he Corner was Leonard Ledeboer (1868-
needed a heavier rifle, he apparently 1959), who arrived from Holland in
wrote to the Mannlicher factory to see 1888 at the age of 21, and started ele-
if they could build him a 15mm cal- phant hunting in the company of Freder-
ibre elephant gun. They replied in the ick Courteney Selous DSO, the famous
negative and asked who would fire it British explorer, officer, hunter, and con-
a giant or a madman? When he could servationist. Ledeboer came to know
afford it, he bought a Westley Richards some of the other elephant hunters of
.425, which he didnt like, and then a the time, like Finaughty, Van Rooyen,
Holland & Holland .465 double, which Jackson and Goosen, and hunted in
became his favourite rifle. Rhodesia and PEA. In 1921 he became
His total bag of elephants appears a ranger in the Shingwedzi reserve.
to have been about 300, hunted in the A German, Charlie Diegal, had a
Transvaal and PEA, but mostly between Martin Jacob Charlie Diegal in his camp at 15-year sentence passed on him by
the Limpopo and Save Rivers in Rho- Crooks Corner circa 1913. the Portuguese, but carried on un-
desia. Eventually he was wanted for troubled by this. He would grind the
poaching by police of all three coun- ticised version of the story, the fact is tips off solid-nose bullets (calibre un-
tries, with a jail sentence of 25 years he did not shoot Dhlulamithi, and the recorded but probably military 8x57 or
passed on him in absentia by the Por- fate of this great tusker remains uncer- .303) to expose the lead core, and was
tuguese. He consistently managed to tain. There were a couple of reports out one day hunting antelope when he
avoid capture by border hopping and in the 1930s of other hunters having made the mistake of shooting a buf-
even moving the beacon around, until shot him, and some big tusks were falo with one of these homemade soft
in 1918, two frustrated Rhodesian brought in for sale, but then the area noses. The enraged animal charged
policemen ignored the South African was known for big tuskers. As a point and smashed him against a baobab
border and arrested him at Makhul- of interest, in 1967 a South African tree before taking off into the bush.
eke. He was taken back to Fort Vic- Defence Force general, Victor Verster Badly injured, he was carried back to
toria to face trial, but no-one would was taken hunting in Gonarezhou camp. The Portuguese police got wind
testify for the prosecution and he had N a t i o n a l Pa r k i n s o u t h - e a s t e r n of the incident and sent a patrol to his
to be released with a token fine of 5 camp to arrest him. They took him to
for shooting a hippo. On the way back Beira and then Luanda (Angola) where
through Rhodesia, he squared the he apparently escaped internment and
bill by shooting seven elephants and ended up in South West Africa, farming
recruiting some more labour. under an assumed name.
Mortimer Morty Ash, a friend of
THE CLIMAX OF Bvekenyas hunting Bvekenya, was a hunter-cum-store-
career was his pursuit of an exception- keeper who hunted in PEA. The story
ally big elephant bull whose left tusk goes that he was following a pair
almost reached the ground. His tracker of elephants when he realised they
told him it was known to local people were heading towards a Portuguese
as Dhlulamithi, taller than the trees. administration post. He sent a couple
When Bvekenya eventually caught up of his Shangaans ahead to the chef
with the bull he apparently could not de poste to tell him they could reveal
bring himself to destroy such a mag- where to capture Ash. The Portuguese
nificent specimen and let him go, after responded with alacrity, to be led off 20
which he gave up hunting and went miles in the opposite direction. Mean-
farming. while, Ash shot the two elephants in the
Whether or not this was a roman- Mortimer Walton Morty Ash in later years. posts vegetable garden, cut out the

tusks and disappeared back into the and prepared to go farming at Pieters- The site of Makhuleke store is marked
bush. It is not surprising that heavy jail burg. On the way their appetites for by the remains of its cement floor, and
sentences were meted out to poachers meat got the better of them, and with a memorial with a plaque commem-
in absentia. no more venison available orates Bvekenya Barnard.
Fred Roux was another hunter-re- they ended up eating all Fortunately Crooks Cor-
cruiter who had a camp in PEA with the cattle, which put paid to ner is conserved as it was
Bvekenya and the latters brother-in- their ranching venture and a beautiful part of the old
law, Billy Green. He was eventually entailed looking for work on bushveld.
caught by the Portuguese, taken to the mines instead. n Photos taken from Neem
Inhabane and not heard of again. Such were some of Uit Die Verlede, by U de V
The three De Beer brothers Herc- t h e va r i o u s c h a ra c t e r s Pienaar.
laas, Theunis and Jan were avid meat who inhabited and hunted * The lifespan of an elephant
hunters who became completely bush- Crooks Corner during that bull in the wild is about 50
happy in Crooks Corner, shunning the time. The saga came to 55 years. If the bull named
trappings of civilisation, and subsisting an end when the mining Dhlulamithi pursued by
on whatever game they could shoot, companies clamped down The fourth edition of Bvekenya Barnard had ivory
for which they reportedly had vora- on illegal recruiting, and The Ivory Trail by almost reaching the ground
cious appetites. Bvekenya got them the area came under the author TV Bulpin, in the early 1920s, it would
published by Protea
to do a bit of recruiting for him during protection of the Kruger have been near the end of its
Book House, Pretoria.
their wanderings, which made them National Park, formed by life. Gen Victor Verster shot
some money. Jan died in the bush, combining the Sabie and his big bull in Gonarezhou in
and when the other two brothers were Shingwedzi reserves in 1926. 1967, some 45 years later there is no
obliged to leave the area, they bought Today, the Limpopo is much sandier, possibility that it could have been the
a bull and a few cows from Morty Ash with the original beacon washed away. same bull. Editor.

Newcomers to
iMfolozi
by GORDON BAILEY
Nobody knew much

about lions before this
migrant arrived
Photo by Daryl Balfour

Wildphotossafaris.com
D
uring the 1930s, a cat flu and oiling their rifles in feverish antic- after the whereabouts of the lion with
epidemic in South Africa ipation of a hunt. Staff of the National wrong directions and kept them run-
and the persistence of local Parks Board (now SANParks) working in ning all over the place. The rangers
livestock farmers wiped out Ndumo, Mkhuzi, Hluhluwe and iMfolozi remained on constant alert. The short-
Zululands lions, with the reserves, also kept a close eye on the wave radio band used by the various
result that none of the game rangers on newcomers progress, but for a differ- reserves could be listened into on any
the staff of the iMfolozi Game Reserve ent reason: they wanted the lion to home or car radio, so no news of the
had any experience with these big cats. take up residence in one of the game lions real position was ever discussed
So, in 1958, when the news broke of reserves. during routine internal calls. The lion
a large male lion heading south from finally made it to the Dukuduku Forest,
Mozambique, all the rangers hoped the THE GAME GUARDS lived in rural east of Mtubatuba, and for three days
lion would make iMfolozi his new home. homesteads surrounding the different he was pursued relentlessly by several
The lions exit was caused by reserves. Any livestock death which groups of hunters.
Mozambican hunters who fortunately gave away the lions presence and You can imagine the rangers excite-
gave up their chase when he crossed the direction in which he was headed ment when early one morning they got
into Zululand. News of the lions pres- came through them and went directly the news that the lion had walked right
ence spread through local communi- to the office of the late Dr Ian Player. down the main road of Mtubatuba one
ties like a veld fire, and a surprisingly His phone never stopped ringing and night after leaving the forest. They
large number of people started cleaning he provided all the hunters enquiring were still holding their breath two days

later when he was seen on the asking, What if you had woken
outskirts of Heatonville, west of when the lion was smelling
Empangeni. He was almost on you? The guard, realising how
the iMfolozi doorstep but still fortunate hed been, put his
not out of danger. Then sud- hand over his heart and simply
denly all news of him died away. said, Heart attack.
A WEEK LATER, a game guard THE LION HAD travelled just

based at one of the camps in over 300kms to his new home
the iMfolozi wilderness area was and the full story of much of
cycling back to iMfolozi after his journey remains unknown.
four days leave. He was half His presence in iMfolozi was the
way across a dry, sandy stream start of a new learning curve for
The men in the teams that dealt with early lion problems. In front
bed when the head of a huge all the game reserve staff. Old
centre is the author Gordon Bailey.
black-maned lion appeared out habits of sleeping without pro-
of the Phragmities reeds and he tection had to change and lion-
promptly fainted. interesting was that while he was proof enclosures for wilderness trail
When the guard came to, he sped unconscious the lion had emerged from camps, horses and trail donkeys had to
to the outpost at Ogome to report the the reeds and walked a complete cir- be built. The conditions in iMfolozi were
sighting to Nick Steele, who immedi- cle to smell him. The front pug marks decidedly suitable for the new arrival
ately went back to the site with him. closest to the guards position were the as the antelope populations were all at
The marks in the sand told the whole deepest, indicating forward weight dis- their peak numbers.
story: the impression where the guard tribution as the lion leant in to smell Two weeks after the lions sur-
had lain was quite obvious, but more him. Nick turned to the game guard prise siting in iMfolozi, the first of his
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RRP R206 A combo of nitro cleaner
For more info: www.bushill.co.za and rust preventer, from
A one-stop solution for perfect firearm care. Parker-Hale. Its the great
Three easy aersol steps: 1) Carbon Cleaner, 2) stuff we all grew up with
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3) All-purpose oil. They cost more if bought same anymore, but it still
individually. Pack includes cleaning patches. 2 works the same old way!

magnificent roars were heard as he Conditions at the time could not the reserve. Compensation for the loss
traversed his new domain how fitting have been more suitable; normal rain- of livestock could always be sorted
it was to hear him proclaim ownership fall had exceeded the annual aver- out financially, but a loss of human
of his new territory. His presence was age, and the iMfolozi-Hluhluwe area life would have a disastrous impact on
greatly appreciated, for it was the enjoyed some of its best years. During affected families, and could result in
start of a much needed natural preda- this time, we experienced an explosion the eradication of all the lions. When
tion game removal system. Prior to his in the lion population, with territories Nick told us to get ourselves ready, we
arrival, all game removal was done by being claimed by young adult males. all knew what was at stake.
rifle. The lions loneliness, how- The good conditions also
ever, began to raise concerns b e n e f i t e d t h e g ra z i n g a r e a s
among game rangers. How long of the various tribal authori-
would he stay without a mate? ties surrounding our boundary
fences. The scent of fattening
AT T H E T I M E , D r P l a y e r s cattle piqued the curiosity of our
world-famous Operation Rhino inquisitive feline residents and
relocation programme was in full they soon breeched the fence to
swing, and the Kruger National investigate. Not knowing lions,
Park (KNP) took many of the rhi- the cattle would not run away.
nos being moved. These were
taken by truck from iMfolozi in WHEN THE FIRST three lions
large, solidly-built wooden crates crossed the reserves southern
and, after being off-loaded in boundary, we placed a drugged
the KNP, the trucks returned to impala carcass as a test case a
iMfolozi with the empty crates few metres inside the fence at
for the next load. It was a mys- the point they had got through.
tery how it happened, but when Fortunately the cats returned
one of the crates was off-loaded that night and fed on the
back at iMfolozi, several rang- drugged carcass. Once they were
ers found a magnificent lioness unconscious, we tagged them,
stepping out, followed by three We experienced an explosion in the loaded them onto a Land Rover
eight-month old female cubs. and off-loaded them about 50
There was no long hesitation or lion population, with territories kilometres from where they had
nervous running off, as is the exited, hoping the experience
case with many wildlife species
claimed by young adult males would discourage them.
when introduced to a new area. It didnt. Four days later they
She stepped out of the crate went out again. When Nicks report
with a beautiful confidence, followed Lions had yet to move north into reached head office, the park boards
by her cubs, and walked directly to the Hluhluwe when I was called to the main immediate response was that all lions
nearest acacia tree where she reached camps office. A tourist introduced him- leaving the reserve were to be shot on
up to full length and several times ran self as Doug Cole, saying he had seen sight. The order went unquestioned
her extended claws down the bark of lion spoor. I drove with him to the point, by rangers nobody wanted a human
the thick trunk. When shed finished, where sure enough there were spoor life lost and lions leaving the reserve
she lifted her head high to scent the along the side of the road in dark soil, were our priority. My camping box
air, chose her direction, and after a softened by recent rains. At 125mm remained constantly packed, and I was
few flicks of her tail, slowly walked wide and 140mm long it had to be the ready to go in 10 minutes, earlier if the
off with her cubs. For a long while, front imprint of a male. I soon found helicopter was sent for me. The lions
no one moved until it came her low other spoor nearby but none as clear were magnificent; none of the game
communication call. She did it sev- as the one I had just measured. There rangers enjoyed destroying them, and
eral times, lapsing into brief silence were four cats in the group, possibly none of us kept score.
between her calls, and finally the lion all males, and they were headed north. We were very fortunate in that,
answered with a powerful roar. Cele- On my return to camp, I spoke during my years as the senior ranger
bration clearly showed on all the staff immediately to Nick Steele we knew in charge, we did not lose anyone not
faces and, after cheers and handshakes, we were in for some serious problems if among the communities outside the
people went their ways. the lions got through the fence around reserve, nor staff inside.

by MORGAN HASELAU Product Report
The Benefits
of Assisted
Barrel Cooling
A fan to cool your barrel
T
he function of the BarrelCool is cised cord which expands to fit most rifles.
as the name suggests it cools A small, battery-powered fan blows air of
your rifle barrel. An overheated ambient temperature down the length of
barrel can adversely affect the barrel. The use of ambient air temper-
group sizes and shift bullet ature removes any risk of thermal shock
point of impact. Barrel over-heating is not cracking your barrel by cooling it too fast.
normally an issue in hunting, but it is for Shooters in the US are currently conduct-
competitive sport shooters, and it can cost ing tests to see if the BarrelCool may actu-
hand-loaders time and money when working ally prolong barrel life the test results
on load development. This product helps to are not yet available.
overcome this problem. How rapidly does it cool a barrel?
The BarrelCool is a fairly new Ameri- Obviously, different barrels will cool at var-
can product which, despite having been ious rates depending on calibre, diameter,
launched only in 2016, is already being how hot they had become and the general
exported to the United Kingdom, Canada, conditions. The BarrelCool starts the cooling
Switzerland and Italy. In the United process where the heat originates the bore
States it is used by the Military Marks- interior, specifically the throat area. In most
manship Unit and the national US cases, you can expect the barrel to cool in
F-Class team. roughly half the time it would have taken
It can be used in bolt-action rifles without the help of the device.
ranging from .223 to .30 calibres, The BarrelCool uses three CR123A bat-
and in all AR-15 platforms. Simply teries. Battery life will range from seven to
insert the devices tube into the 11 hours, depending on their quality.
cartridge chamber through the load- The BarrelCool also serves as an emp-
ing or ejection port. The unit is held ty-chamber indicator. It comes only in yel-
in place by a loop of strong, low for optimum visibility, and when inserted
fabric-covered elasti- into your chamber, assures everyone that
your firearm is safe while you are taking
scores or examining groups.
The tube is removable and can be
switched with others of differing calibres.
n Recommended retail price at the time
of writing: R650; available from Safari
& Outdoor outlets. For more information
contact the importer, Adriaan Ritchie, on
078-459-4828.

CollectorsCorner by MALCOLM COBB
South African
The Smith & Wesson Victory Model in .38/200
Service Pistols
calibre, which equates to .38 S&W, is a bargain
buy, being solid, accurate and dependable.
It is distinguishable from the .455"models
by the slightly smaller cylinder-to-frame Many 20th century firearms are now
proportion and the lower front sight.
considered collectors items
W
hen I started collecting,
all that was required
by the authorities was
a Permit to possess
a Trophy, Curiosity or
Ornament which entitled us to possess
old Martinis and Sniders, in fact virtu-
ally any antiquated firearm that you
couldnt get ammo for and were never
going to fire anyway. No competency
was needed, no fingerprinting and no
large-scale use of police resources.
Those were simpler times.
While my fascination lies with 19th
Star Model B in 9mm. Doubtless
century firearms, I was recently sat
many readers will remember
down before Magnums editors and these from their army days.
rather pointedly invited to consider that,
although the Victorian era produced
great topics for Collectors Corner art-
icles, were now into the second decade sible to have one of everything, the forefront of technology, they are not
of the 21st century, so perhaps its time average collector is drawn to a particular too expensive, enabling the beginner to
to regard certain 20th century firearms field of interest in my case, the 19th form the nucleus of a collection. And the
as collectables as well. century, but I also feel drawn to the fact that so many ex-British Army types
No problem. After all, the South handguns we used to shoot when I first retired to SA, means there is always
African Heritage Resources Act No.25 started in the mid-1960s. By and large, the possibility that exotica, such as rare
of 1999 (not to mention the Firearms these were ex-military pieces dating Webleys, may surface from time to time.
Control Act No.60 of 2000), provides for from the First So, to comply with the
the collection of artefacts, including fire- and Sec- Act, what would be the
arms, which have historical, techno- ond World theme for such a col-
logical, scientific, educational, cultural, Wars. They lection? Historically,
commemorative, investment, rarity, were plentiful, it would be handguns
thematic or artistic value. That seems ex-army ammu-
The Beretta 92 used by the
a pretty good description of just why we nition was still available, and
South African police until the
enthusiasts collect firearms. even now, 50 years later, a lot United Nations embargo
The word thematic in the Act comes of these arms are still around in South forced the government to
in very handy here. Since it is not pos- Africa. Since they are no longer at the turn to local manufacture.

issued to South African forces, which break revolver in .455". There is at least tion model but also the short-barrelled
could date all the way back to Jan van one of these in South Africa. Royal Air Force version. As an aside, the
Riebeeck, and right up to last week, if Another such sub-group for col- British were short of firearms (again) at
one was so minded. Technologically, it lection could be the .455" semi-auto- the start of WW2 so they bought over a
would be the advance from percussion matics, mainly the Webley (a boxcar million .38 S&W Victory Model revolv-
revolvers to solid frame revolvers and stuffed into a holster, as one American ers which took the .38/200 round. There
then double-action, followed by are many remaining examples of
self-loaders and so on. Research- this weapon in South Africa and it
ing any further into South Afri- may well be the most disregarded
can issue arms might otherwise utilitarian defensive firearm in
be problematic as there are very these parts. They are strong, well
few books around on the subject. made and dependable, but they
Fortunately, for most of the time, just arent sexy enough to compete
South African issue followed British against the more modern mag-
Army issue, which indeed is very The Webley Mk VI in .455" nums, which are more powerful
remains plentiful from
well recorded. and have bigger grips and adjust-
the two World Wars
So where would we start a col- and is a good starting able sights.
lection? One good place is the Web- point for any collection. After the 1950s, official South
ley Mk VI revolver in .455" calibre as African use diverged from Brit-
they are so common in these parts. ish; our police, for the most part,
It was introduced in 1915 during used Walther P38s and Browning
WW1 and continued into WW2, by GP35 High Powers, as well as var-
which time it was replaced by the ious Beretta Model 92s, while the
lookalike Enfield .38. SA Defence Force used the Star
Model B and Super Bs. Again, how-
FROM THAT STARTING point, the ever, this is a potentially huge and
collector could work backwards diverse field for collecting, as dur-
in time, as all Webley marks from ing the days of the United Nations
A .455" Colt New
Mk I up to the Mk V were used in Service, issued during embargo, the SA government
South Africa. Before that were WWI and still around issued any handguns it could buy,
the various Adams, Tranters and at reasonable prices. smuggle, capture or build up from
Enfield revolvers in .450" and obsolete parts.
.476". In addition, there were Matters came to a head in the
variations in the Webley Army mid-1980s when these measures
Express (used by the Orange Free became unsustainable, and local
State), Webley Kaufman, Webley companies began to manufacture
Pryse and Webley Wilkinson, not the Z88 pistol, which was pretty
to mention the Webley .455" auto- much a copy of the Beretta 92.
Smith & Wesson Model
matic and the much sought-after Information on these developments
1917 in .455" calibre, a
Webley-Fosbery, all of which are so slightly simpler version of is hard to come by, but a new book
distinctive they could form a sub- the Hand Ejector model on this topic is promised for later
group for collection on their own. which has an ejector rod this year, so our store of knowledge
During WWI, Britain found itself shroud. Either model is in this field should be increased.
beautifully made.
short of handguns to arm its rapidly This is merely a superficial view
expanding forces. Since the transi- of what is possible in terms of col-
tion to the Mk VI Webley was barely lecting handguns that form the
under way, they bought many Colt New once unkindly remarked) and the famil- South African heritage. It says nothing
Service Smith & Wesson Hand Ejectors, iar Colt 1911 .45 auto but in .455". of the rifles and other weapons which
and the similar Model 1917 revolvers in Coming forward in time, these were collectors could divide into sporting and
.455" calibre. At times, the need was so followed by the Enfield .38-200 revolver military themes more about that on
acute that, in 1915, and in spite of pop- which replaced the Webley .455" after another occasion.
ular prejudice against them, the British 1932, and even that has its deriva- n Thanks to the Hillcrest Gun Room for
bought the Spanish-made Trocaola top- tives, not only the tanker double-ac- the opportunity to take photographs.

Pistols at Dawn
by GREGOR WOODS
PART 1
Sir, I demand
satisfaction!
A pair of flintlock officers pistols made in duelling style (dual-purpose) in

regulation .650 calibre (16-bore). Note the absence of chequering, stocked to
the muzzle, 8-inch barrels (slightly shorter than pure duelling pistols), but
with duelling refinements: sights front and rear, and set triggers. Made by
H Nock, London, circa 1800.
Photo: Holts Auctioneers March 2012 catalogue.

F
or more than three centuries, the clergy or academia. Those choos- conduct unbecoming. And the attrib-
the social obligation to fight ing the military became commissioned ute regarded as the highest mark of a
duels was an ever-present officers as their birthright. The other gentleman was honour. Apart from his
peril attending gentlemanly life ranks (non-commissioned officers and noble birth, the aristocrat saw personal
in Europe and Britain, and was privates) were made up of commoners. honour as what separated him from the
regarded with deadly seriousness. People The terms gentleman and lady unwashed masses. Loyalty to his king
nowadays tend to view the duels of that held an importance not well understood or queen, patriotism, integrity, trust-
era with some amusement; in movies, today, as these words have become worthiness, loyalty to his regiment,
duelling scenes are more likely to appear mere courteous synonyms for man bravery, dependability, high morality,
in comedy than in serious drama. Today, a and woman. Sometimes, if preceded chivalry, respect for the peerage a
young man accidentally spilling a friends by the adjective real, they describe gentleman had all these qualities and
beer might be jocularly threatened with a man perceived to be of chivalrous more as a matter of personal honour.
pistols at dawn. Few realise just how instincts and a woman of refinement. And therein lay the primary incen-
readily such challenges were issued not In centuries past, however, these titles tive for duelling. The British Code of Duel
very long ago. And there was nothing joc- (1824) stated that honour is the reason
ular about it men died. for the very existence of the duel, being
Duelling should not be confused with the requisite of a gentleman. If one peer
single battle. David and Goliath did not insulted another, the offended gentleman
fight a duel; Roman gladiators were not was obliged to challenge him to a duel,
duellists, nor were medieval knights who as failure to do so would indicate cow-
jousted with lances on horseback before ardice and lack of pride marks of dis-
spectators. Duelling was the private set- honour. The merest suggestion or impli-
tling of matters of personal honour and cation that an aristocrat was in any way
reputation between men of noble birth. It less than a gentleman would provoke a
began among the landed gentry of feudal challenge in defence of his honour. This
Europe during the 1400s. code was exclusive to the peerage. No
To understand the principles and gentleman would ever fight a duel with
intense fervour of duelling we must a commoner, in fact, for a commoner
know something about the class system to challenge a gentlemen to a duel was
of the times. This is a complex subject, punishable by summary horsewhipping.
and what follows is, of necessity, an Initially, there were no written codes
oversimplification. for duelling. Swords were the usual
Prior to the 1800s, there was no weapons for both military and civilian
middle class. Society was made up of A famous French duel recorded in 1893 by duels, as these were part of everyday
just two classes: a small minority of Le Petit Journal. Eminent politicians Paul attire for officers and gentlemen until
nobility royalty, aristocratic land- Droulde and Georges Clemenceau each the 1700s. Duels became so frequent,
owners and their progeny, i.e. the rul- fired three shots; none found its mark.
even among civilian gentry, that les-
ing classes and the large majority sons in swordsmanship were deemed
of commoners or peasants, ie the an essential part of every young aristo-
working classes. The social abyss sep- were applied exclusively to the aristoc- crats education.
arating the two classes was unbridgea- racy it was a matter of birth. Hence
ble. Among the aristocracy, breeding the expression an officer and a gentle- HOWEVER, BY THE latter half of the
was everything, and strict records were man the two terms were inextricably 1600s, the wheel-lock pistol had
kept of family trees pedigrees, so to linked. Likewise: the landed gentry. become a cavalry weapon, and during
speak. The nobility were expected to Being so exclusive, the ruling classes Frances Huguenot wars, certain cavalry
marry spouses of appropriate station. strove to demonstrate their superiority tactics were based on the use of these
It was usual for the eldest son to over the working classes. High society pistols. One such tactic was adapted to
inherit the ancestral title (duke, earl, demanded very strict codes of protocol. duelling: two cavalry officers galloped
viscount, baron etc), and with it, the Impeccable manners and diplomacy directly toward each other and fired
estate (read land). Nobles did not were de rigueur. A gentleman acted their pistols as they neared or passed.
work commercial employment was on the assumption that any other gen- With the development of the flint-
considered infra dig. This left any addi- tleman was above reproach in every lock, pistols gradually replaced swords
tional sons in the family with a rather way unless he demonstrated otherwise as the duellists weapon of choice in
limited life choice usually the military, or his reputation had been sullied by Europe. The pistol was an equalizer. It

During the 1700s
duelling in France
became an obsession
among aristocrats
in duels during a 10-year period under

Henry IV, who issued an edict against
it which was largely ignored, and some
4 000 nobles died during the reign of
King Louis XIV, who in 1679, made duel-
ling a capital offence. Most European rul-
ers outlawed it not that this seemed
any deterrent. During the 1700s duelling
in France became an obsession among
aristocratic loafers who used any trifling
excuse to fight.
The French Revolution (1789
1799) being anti-nobility, put a stop to
duelling, but Napoleon later restored the
Empire, the nobility and duelling, and
did not discourage duelling among his
A typical matched pair of bespoke officers. Duelling intensified and grew
duelling pistols in 36-bore made by more vicious, especially in the army
John Manton of London, circa 1805. where it became a means of bullying
The 10-inch octagonal barrels are honour seemed forgotten. In one case,
smooth-bored and half-stocked.
a young newly-wed couple was walk-
Pans are rain-proof and flash-holes
are platinum lined (corrosion-free). ing in the street, when a French officer,
Barrels have an under-rib for added drinking with his peers, bet them that
rigidity. Photo: Holts Auctioneers he would kiss the lady and slap her hus-
March 2013 catalogue. band. This he did, and the husband,
having no choice but to challenge, died
in the resulting duel.
By the late 1700s, in Britain and Ire-
put a stop to expert swordsmen delib- in duelling style regulation smooth- land, numerous gun-makers specialized
erately goading lesser opponents into a bore .650 (16-bore) stocked to the muz- in duelling pistols and duelling became a
duel and then carving them up (not all zle, with slightly shorter barrels than highly sophisticated culture. In 1777, in
men of noble birth were honourable). most duelling pistols, but otherwise Ireland, gentlemen from several regions
Up until the 1770s, any pistols of with all the refinements dual-purpose came together and agreed upon a duel-
reasonable quality met the require- weapons if youll pardon the pun. ling code of conduct, called the Code
ments. Military men used officers pis- Duello specifying 26 rules. Dubbed the
tols, which were usually made in ident- WRITTEN RECORDS, PAINTINGS and Twenty-Six Commandments, it was not
ical pairs. This was convenient, as each engravings reveal that duelling was rife published, but copies were circulated
opponent had to be accorded an equal throughout Europe. However, the French among country clubs and other gentle-
chance. From about 1776, gun-mak- seemed to outdo all other nations in their mens associations throughout Ireland.
ers began developing matched pairs zeal for this vice. In 1655, the newspa- In Ireland alone, 227 official duels
of pistols specifically for duelling, with per Frankfurter Relationen even reported were fought in one year (1823). Every
emphasis on barrel length, sights, accu- a duel between two aristocratic ladies nobleman bought a pair of duelling pis-
racy, reliability and fine trigger release. one was hit in the thigh. Estimates tols and practised with them daily as a
Gun-makers also made officers pistols vary, but thousands of Frenchmen died matter of common sense. In Ireland,

fighting at least one duel was considered
a rite of passage for young aristocrats.
Whenever enquiries were made regard-
ing a young gentlemans respectability
and qualifications, especially if he was
asking for a young ladys hand in mar-
riage, the first questions asked were,
Of what family is he? and Has he ever
blazed? (fought a duel).
Predictably, the English did not
favour the Irish code, and instead
adopted the British Code of Duel, writ-
ten and published anonymously in
London in 1824 and dedicated to the
Duke of York. It was said to have been
approved by the Duke of Wellington (he
defeated Napoleon at Waterloo) who
was himself a dueller. The British code
listed rules and also stipulated the steps
to be taken leading up to a duel.
A pair of back-action percussion duelling pistols in 36-bore made by I Fray, of Leicester in
In 1836, a book titled The Art of England, and now owned by Peter Maunder of KwaZulu-Natal. More detail follows in Part 2.
Duelling, anonymously penned by A
Traveller, was published in London,
and British duellists also adopted the Records Office in London, there is a case lenged him to a duel and shot him dead
principles and practices prescribed in of an officer serving overseas, who failed the next day. A Captain MacNamara of
it. That same year, the French Code to respond to both an insult and a chal- the Royal Navy challenged and killed a
of Duelling appeared, signed by 76 lenge from a fellow officer. This not only Colonel Montgomery because he found
notable personages of France. Soon, ended his career, it apparently saw him the colonels language offensive during
further duelling codes appeared in unofficially sentenced to death. He was a fight between their dogs!
other European countries. drummed out of his regiment and put on The duelling procedure was carried
board a ship home, but never reported out with the utmost politeness and gen-
IN BRITAIN, AS elsewhere, duelling was to Buckingham and his name does not tlemanly form. In his Personal Sketches,
most prevalent in the military where appear anywhere in the relevant muster Sir Jonah Barrington tells of being chal-
more than an officers personal honour rolls. His name is simply listed in the sec- lenged by a gentleman he had never
was at stake. Any insult to an officer was tion headed Deaths (dated 1811), but no met. It was clearly a case of mistaken
seen as an insult to his regiment, whose cause of death is given and the manner identity, but as it was quite unthinkable
honour must likewise be defended. Brit- in which he met his death was never dis- for a gentleman to imply that another
ish officers were in an impossibly invid- closed. (Refer John Atkinsons The British gentleman could make such an error,
ious position. The Rules and Articles Duelling Pistol). Barrington accepted the challenge
of War (regulations governing military A civilian, similarly disgraced, would without a word. They met in Dublin Park
conduct) contained a standing order be declared dishonourable and ostra- and Barringtons shot lightly wounded
forbidding duelling. However, they also cized by society. And it didnt take much his challenger, ending the engagement,
contained a clause stating that an officer to provoke a challenge. According to whereupon they parted without con-
who submitted to insults was guilty of contemporary accounts, if a gentle- versation of ceremony.
scandalous behaviour unbecoming of a man so much as stepped on the hem The British did not recognise duels
gentleman. This meant that an officer of a ladys gown at a ball, or inadvert- fought in America as authentic, as the
who failed to call out (challenge) any ently pressed up against her, he could Americans believed all men to be born
peer who had insulted him or his reg- expect to hear a male voice say, Sir, equal, rejecting the monarchy and the
iment, or who failed to accept such a I demand satisfaction! And hed know nobility. That made them commoners,
challenge himself, could be officially exactly what that meant. In 1804, Lord thus the British dismissed their duels as
court marshalled, drummed out of his Camelford was slow to remove his hat mere gunfights between ruffians.
regiment and dishonourably discharged for the singing of God Save the King. n Part 2 of this article will discuss duel-
from the army. Lieutenant Best strode up, knocked off ling codes and procedures, duelling pis-
In the military archives of the Public Camelfords hat with his cane, chal- tols, and the end of duelling.

The black mambas mouth is black inside,
hence the snakes name.
Pictures above and left supplied by Johan Marais,
African Snakebite Institute.
18.5km/h (11.5mph), making it very

easy to outrun any snake, although
Shy But Deadly

they dont chase people.
Some local tribes believe that black
mambas hide up in trees and crow like
roosters, and when someone comes to
investigate, the snake bites the person
by JOHN COLEMAN on the head, causing almost instant
death. The Shona people of the region
call a black mamba rovambira, mean-
A bite from Africas black-mouthed ing eater of dassies (hyrax).
People are seldom bitten by mambas,
monster can kill within minutes but many dogs are killed because they
attack snakes. I knew of a man in Rhode-
sia who had a pack of nine hunting dogs.
T
One day he was out hunting jackals when
he many tales of Africas attacked, they are very likely to bite. his dogs found and attacked a huge black
deadly snakes are often They can raise a third of their body mamba. The snake bit all nine dogs and
exaggerated. More snakes length off the ground and extend a they all died within an hour. I had a little
are actually sighted in slight hood when annoyed. They can Jack Russell terrier that died within 15
the United States than in lunge very fast, are front-fanged and minutes of a mamba bite.
Africa, and Australia has many that are have large venom sacs enabling them
venomous. However, few snakes are as to inject considerable doses of venom. BOTSWANAS FAMOUS crocodile hunter,
deadly as Africas black mamba. If you see one rearing up in front of Bobby Wilmot, died from a black
Mambas are not black, but pale to you, get the hell away immediately. A mamba bite when he drove his boat
slate grey in colour. Only the insides of bad bite from a black mamba can kill a into some reeds in the swamps; his son
their mouths are pitch black hence person within as little as 30 minutes, was killed by a mamba in almost the
the name. They are slender for their depending on where you are bitten and same spot a few years later.
length and have long, tapering tails. the amount of venom injected some When I was a youngster, my father
Mambas can grow to four metres in are dry bites. Nearly half the bites in had a small farm near Kwekwe (for-
length, have small heads and medi- southern Africa are fatal if not quickly merly Que Que in Rhodesia), where
um-sized eyes. In South Africa, they treated. Their venom is neurotoxic we used to go camping at weekends.
are found all over the northern Lowveld (nerve poison) and affects respiration. I hunted dassies with my .22, collect-
and KwaZulu-Natal, and occur in Bot- Mambas certainly move faster than ing the skins for tanning to make a
swana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, most other snakes. There is a popular kaross. One day I shot a dassie on a
Malawi, Mozambique and some other belief that a black mamba can travel as rock high up on an outcrop and climbed
neighbouring countries. fast as a galloping horse. This is non- up to retrieve it. As I looked over the
Mambas are rather shy and, like sense, as the maximum speed meas- top of the rock from which it had fallen,
most other snakes, will avoid trouble ured for any snake is about 13km/h I came face-to-face with a huge black
if possible. However, if cornered or (8.1mph). A marathon runner runs mamba intent on grabbing the dassie

for itself. I almost did a somersault and chattering urgently and diving towards
retreated, leaving the dassie for the the ground, so I went into the bush to
snake. On another day, I shot a 12-foot investigate and came face-to-face with
(nearly 4m) mamba with my .22. a big black mamba. I shot out of there
A couple of my hunting clients shot like a scalded cat and left the snake to
black mambas near the Limpopo River his anthill. Maybe there was a beehive
in Rhodesia. One was a German named there, but there is a persistent folklore
Franz Wengert, who later became a in Africa that says these birds also lead
safari operator in Tanzania, the other people to snakes.
was the well-known American handgun
hunter Larry Kelly. Both snakes were A RECORD BLACK mamba was appar-
about three metres long. ently run over by a vehicle near Bul-
In Namibia, near Okahandja, I used awayo in Rhodesia and taken to the
to hunt on a farm that was crawling local museum. This monster was said
with black mambas I saw a few every to be nearly six metres long, although
time I hunted there. The owner was this may have been an exaggeration as
absolutely terrified of them; whenever A black mamba shot by Larry Kelly with a the longest black mamba reported in
he saw one he turned ghostly white pistol, near the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe. the literature was 4.5m; in the past 30
and was speechless for about half an years the longest one accurately meas-
hour. I asked him why he didnt sell the because they hide away. He was abso- ured was 3.8m, says Johan Marais, at
farm before he had a heart attack on lutely paranoid about black mambas the African Snakebite Institute.
encountering another mamba. I hav- and I could do little to calm him. Guess I have lived in the bush most of my
ent heard from him in a while. what we saw on the road just outside of life, but have never been bitten by a
When I was hunting professionally Lusaka? A huge black mamba and it snake, and I have had to inject only two
in Zambia, my wife Win would some- reared up next to the car! He refused to of my labourers with anti-venom who
times accompany me. The camp com- believe anything I said after that even were bitten by cobras while out walking
prised grass huts, a grass dining room though we saw no more snakes. at night. They probably would not have
and kitchen. One night Win, who is of In the Matetsi area of Rhodesia, not survived a black mamba bite.
nervous disposition, kept waking me up far from Victoria Falls, I was following My advice to anyone walking in the
to say there was something trying to a honeyguide, a small black-and-white bush where there may be black mam-
get into our hut. Finally, I got out of bed bird whose persistent chittering is said bas, is to keep your eyes peeled and
and looked around with my flashlight, to lead a person to a beehive. I fol- avoid getting close to any large snakes
but saw nothing, so I went back in and lowed the bird until it came to a large just walk away and leave them alone,
told her to let me get some sleep. When anthill covered in small bushes. It kept and they wont harm you.
I went out the next morning, I saw the
track of a big snake entering our hut FAST FACTS
through a gap in the grass, so I quickly
got Win out and sent my men in to
search the hut for the snake. Suddenly
Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
they all stampeded out and announced IDENTIFICATION: Skin colour olive to grey; ting large amounts of potent neuro- and car-
that there was a huge snake curled mouth interior blue-black, which is display- dio-toxin with each strike just two drops can
up in a tyre by the head of our beds. I ed when threatened; coffin-shaped head; ath- be lethal! Before the advent of antivenom, a
went in with my shotgun and shot the letic body up to as much as 4m (13ft). bite was usually fatal, within 20 minutes.
BEHAVIOUR: Sometimes lifts up to a third PREDATION: Feeds on rodents and small
snake as it came out of the tyre. It was
of its body off the ground when confronted, birds. Killed by birds of prey and other sna-
a four-metre black mamba! After that I spreads cobra-like neck-flap. Moves at up to kes, especially black-necked spitting cobras.
was more inclined to believe Win if she 13km/h (8.1mph). Lives up to about 30 years THREATS: Habitat destruction due to human
said something was moving around. in the wild. Lays 6 to 17 eggs in midsummer; encroachment but no conservation status.
On another occasion, I had collected hatchlings measure up to 60cm. DISCOVERY: Known to missionaries and resi-
DISTRIBUTION: Savannas and rocky hills of dents prior to 1860. Name taken from the
an American client at Zambias Kenneth
southern and eastern Africa. Found in old Zulu word imamba. First formally described
Kaunda International Airport (formerly termitaria, hollow tree trunks and rocky out- by Albert Gnther in 1864. In 1896, Geor-
Lusaka International). His first question crops. Often seen basking in tree branches ge Boulenger lumped black and the smaller
was, Are there black mambas in Zam- early morning. Active during the day, return- green mamba together as Dendroaspis angus-
bia? Of course there are, I replied, but ing to the same place at night. ticeps), until Vivian FitzSimons split them into
VENOM: Mambas strikes repeatedly, injec- separate species.
this is winter and we wont see snakes

Test Report by JACQUES BOSHOFF
GamePro Spotlights
L
ight-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs, are a has no battery of its own, so youll probably get the full
lighting technology that has generally changed the 50 000 hours of LED lifespan out of it. The Bubo has a bat-
world for the better. LED lamps have tery, making it more portable, but we all know
far longer lifespans, with electrical that battery lifespan can be limited.
efficiency several times higher than Both models come with a three-year war-
that of incandescent lamps and significantly ranty but the Bubos excludes the battery. I
higher than most fluorescent lamps. was highly impressed with both spotlights,
The first LED was invented in 1927 by a and I intend to buy a Bubo for farm secu-
Russian, though the white LEDs familiar to us rity and the occasional bushveld night
in flashlights and spotlights today were drive its a good lightweight spotlight
developed in the 1960s. Initially expen- and doesnt need plugging in.
sive and inefficient, their output and effi- The GamePro range of spotlights comes
ciency has grown exponentially, doubling with outputs of 300lm, 600lm, 1 040lm,
every 36 months. 2 000lm and 4 000lm, retailing from R749
Lite Optec, importer of the GamePro to R2 399. The Bubo (1 040lm) has a sug-
range of mobile LED spotlights, recently gested retail price of R1 399 and the Tyto
asked me to test two of their models, the (4 000lm) R2 399. For wholesale enquiries or
GamePro Tyto which generates a massive for your nearest dealer, contact Lite Optec on
4 000 lumens (lm), and the GamePro Bubo which gener- 011-462-6986, or info@liteoptec.co.za.
ates 1 040lm.
The GamePro Tyto spotlight comes with a CREE 45W LED
lamp that boasts a life of 50 000 hours. It works on a normal
12-volt (V) car cigarette lighter socket. With such a large
output, one might expect a big bulky unit but it weighs just
680 grams and the overall diameter is only 165mm. Its alu-
minium and ABS construction makes it a bit heavier than
the Bubo. The Tyto comes standard with a red filter lens and
a carry bag; an optional 7aH powerpack can be ordered to
provide 1.5 hours of independent operating time.
The packaging claims a beam distance of 850 meters. I
was a bit sceptical until I tested it on a game farm outside
Modimolle in Limpopo on an almost full moon night: at 350m
I easily picked up the eye of a hare; at over a kilometre a
reflective road sign was clearly visible.
The GamePro Bubo XL (1 040lm), equipped with a CREE
T6 15W LED lamp, really impressed me. Unlike the Tyto, the
Bubo has a built-in 3.7V 3.6aH lithium battery which provides
a run time of 2.5 hours. It comes with an AC mains charger,
and another that plugs into a cars DC 12V cigarette lighter.
Users are warned not to charge and use the spotlight at the
same time, as this may permanently damage the battery.
Over-charging can also permanently damage the battery,
but the AC charger has a red light that turns green when fully
charged, to alert you. The beam distance claimed on the box
is 620m, and although the LED is not as strong as the Tytos,
I still got very good reflection from the road sign at over a
kilometre.
Like everything in life, there are pros and cons. The Tyto

Book Shelf
done by contacting a field trial club 2008. It is argued that there are,
that specialises in your chosen breed, however, practical reasons for dock-
and by insisting on some form of writing hunting dogs tails. Working dogs
ten proof that documents the parents will often do more than 100km in a
working ability. It is also important to single day through thorny and rocky
assess the sire and dam in action: if terrain, which can lead to a serious risk
they have a trainable temperament and of injury.
are not gun-shy, it is likely that their Tail damage often fails to heal well,
progeny will have similar traits. because of constant knocking into
The book comprehensively cov- objects and licking. Should the tail not
ers training techniques, and features heal, amputation may be required, so
a number of articles written by club docking is not for aesthetics, but rather
members and leading experts. as a preventive measure.
All the training methods discussed This commemorative edition cel-
were used on dogs from proven work- ebrates the 30th anniversary of the
ing stock. founding of the Transvaal Hunt, Point
Dog owners should look after the and Retrieve Field Trial Club. It is edited
health of their animals, and this is by club chairman Dr Slang Viljoen,
especially true of working dogs. Time in well-known field gamebird expert and
the field comes with its own risks, and specialist in wildlife management. He
knowing how to act in an emergency draws on 30 years of members experi-
The German Shorthaired may save your dogs life. ence in working with these dependable
Pointer in South Africa The book covers canine first aid and and versatile dogs.
Edited by Dr Slang Viljoen explains what signs of distress
to look out for. Leg mala-
The German Shorthaired Pointer in dies are some of the most
South Africa is a comprehensive guide common: limping, swelling
to the breeds selection and training. and malformation, or the
While the book mainly focuses dog biting at the injury,
on shorthaired pointers, it provides are all signs of a possible
a wealth of useful information on fracture, and veterinary
gun dogs in general, from selecting help should be sought as
a pup through to proper training for soon as possible.
wing-shooting, and caring for your The best way of
dogs health. avoiding health prob-
Choosing a gun dog pup is not easy. lems is to ensure that
The book advises wingshooters to your dog is well-disci-
ensure that both parent dogs are from plined and will resist
registered working stock. This can be its natural inclination
to attack. Snake bites may be rare but The German Shorthaired Pointer in
its important to know what to do in South Africa is in A4 hardcover format
such an event. Training your animal to and has many beautifully rendered illus-
point out snakes serves the dual pur- trations as well as colour photographs.
pose of protecting your dog as it will It opens with a history of the club and its
be standing still and you will know activities, featuring many photographs,
where the snake is, giving you control clippings and anecdotes. With over 300
of the situation. The book illustrates a pages, nothing is left out, and it should
Dont miss a single copy
number of dangerous snakes to look prove an excellent reference for owners
out for when out on a hunt, including of the breed, or for anyone interested in
www.manmagnum.com black mamba, puff adder, rinkhals and gun dogs in general.
Cape cobra. The book is priced at R500. Please
mail@manmagnum.co.za A controversial topic is docking email Dr Slang Viljoen at slangvil@
tails, a practice condemned by the iafrica.com for more information.
subscriptions@manmagnum.co.za
South African Veterinary Council since Morgan Haselau

Matching Knives
to Historic Guns
by ROBIN BARKES
An early hunter or explorer in

Africa would carry a general
purpose knife with his pistol.
A working marriage of
cold steel to hot lead

F
rom their very beginning, tol? Well, I guess he used anything
guns were backed by cold sharp he could lay his hands on, but
steel. For the first 500 or for this pistol I chose a slim-bladed
600 years of firearm his- knife that wouldnt be a hindrance.
tory, once a man had fired You see, its only in comic books that
his slow-loading muzzle-loader, pirates boarded ships with knives
his close combat weapon was a clenched between their teeth. In the
sword or a knife. For explorers, days of sail, a knife might have been
hunters and early settlers, swords useful in a tavern brawl, but the
were clumsy things to lug around weapons used for boarding ships
but a knife was essential if a fellow or repelling boarders were muskets
wanted to survive. with bayonets, cutlasses, boarding
This old spear-pointed blade was a good match with a
While all knives remain basic- axes and belaying pins. However, pirates double-barrelled flintlock pistol.
ally similar in having a blade and most pirates carried knives of one
a handle, different shapes, styles kind or another, and as you can see,
and sizes were developed accord- this antique spear-pointed knife with
ing to purpose, the most important its dark wooden handle goes well
improvement being the steel used with the pistol.
for the blade. Firearms developed
and changed quite dramatically NEXT, I TURNED my attention to
according to technological progress, the trailblazers of early America.
especially during the 1800s. These brave men would disappear
While mulling over the subject of into the wilderness for years and
close-quarter weapons, it occurred sometimes disappear forever. The
to me that certain knife designs first buckskin-clad adventurers
Early trailblazers in North America relied on big
were probably used in conjunc- carried long, slim Pennsylvanian knives for survival and defence.
tion with certain handgun designs rifles that became better known
common to each period of firearm as Kentucky rifles. And, of course,
development. I figured it would they carried a pistol and a knife to
be a fun exercise to speculate on back it up. So, studying my Ken-
such marriages and to round up tucky pistol, I pondered over the
the appropriate historical guns and style of blade that would go with it.
knives for a photo collection, a pic- Traditionally, a man would carry a
ture being worth a thousand words, heavy blade that could be used to
as they say. chop saplings to fashion a shelter
Where possible, I coupled original or build a canoe as well as cut up
antique weapons, but in some cases a deer. And, if attacked by a couple
modern replicas stood in for the gen- or three injuns, once hed fired
uine article. Id like to have begun off his rifle and pistol and things
This huge Bowie knife dwarfs a pair of big
this pictorial history with the first got up close and personal, his Walker Colts.
crude handgonnes followed by the blade needed to be longer than the
matchlock, then the wheel-lock, and injuns. So I chose an ancient heavy
so on, but unfortunately the earliest blacksmith-made blade with a
designs Ive ever come across are scrimshawed stag horn handle that
flintlocks, so thats where I started. looked just dandy with the pistol.
As a boy I was enthralled by the Moving along in history, I hefted
pirate films starring the swashbuck- an original .60 calibre percussion
ling actor Errol Flynn, and I loved pistol in my hands and my imagina-
playing at being the scourge of the tion rolled back to the early hunters
Spanish Main. Years later, as a grown in South Africa. Old journals record
boy, a double-barrelled flintlock pis- that these fellows carried pistols to
tol became the pride of my collec- deal with close-quarter confronta-
tion. But what knife would a bucca- tions. But it would appear that the Confederate soldiers had to provide their own knives
neer carry as a backup to his pis- knives they carried were mostly and they liked em big!

good quality, general-purpose blades used for a multitude
of daily chores. However, in their wagons they always car-
ried a few dozen good knives of different sizes used for
skinning the trophies they bagged. So the knife I chose to
match the big bore pistol was a good blade that could be
sharpened by a few strokes on a whetstone.
Next, picking up a pair of heavy Walker Colts, the
famous Bowie knife immediately came to mind. Although
Jim Bowie died at the Alamo 10 years before the Walker
Colt was introduced, the knives he gave his name to were
still at the height of their fame. Therefore I could not resist
selecting a huge special-order Bowie made by Port Eliza-
beth knife-maker Jonny Kable to go with the big revolvers.
My historical journey then took me to the American Civil
War. The most common handguns used in this conflict were
ABOVE: Yankee soldiers in the American Civil War were issued with knife, army and navy Colts. These revolvers were standard issue
fork and spoon sets.
to Union officers and cavalrymen because the Colt factory
BELOW: Accompanying Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson would have carried a was in the industrial north. The well-equipped Northern sol-
pocket revolver, and perhaps a small penknife in his waistcoat. diers were issued with a combination knife, fork and spoon
set and I decided an original Civil War cutlery set would go
well with the Colts.
The Confederacy could not afford to equip its army with
the luxury of combination eating utensils, therefore sol-
diers supplied their own knives. As I have examined many
old photographs showing rebel soldiers posing with enor-
mous knives, I matched the Southern-made Spiller and
Burr revolver with a big knife, the kind of thing Johnny Reb
would have used mostly to cut firewood, butcher a hog, or
dig a rifle pit. Surprisingly, Civil War surgeons reported see-
ing very few wounds caused by bayonets and knives during
the four-year clash between the states.
FROM THERE MY mind was led to the railhead towns of the

expanding American west. In the smoky saloons, shady card
sharps cheated gullible railroad construction crews and inno-
cent settlers in crooked games that often ended in violence.
A gambler would carry a hideout gun such as the small,
pocket Colt backed by a hidden knife. The blade I chose to
match the hideout gun was an Arkansas toothpick a deadly
stabbing weapon usually carried tucked into a mans boot.
As the railroad clawed its way across the plains, more
rip-roaring frontier towns sprang up, and as more settlers
arrived, the army built more protective forts. This annoyed
the Indian tribes who took the word progress to mean inva-
sion of their territory and so began the full-scale Indian
wars. During these times one breed of frontiersman stood
out above the rest the Indian fighter! Here was a man
who knew the country, the Indians, and most of all he knew
how to survive on the vast treeless plains that stretched
from Canada southward into Texas and from the Mississippi
west to the Rocky Mountains. The hardy frontiersman was
employed by the army to track down illusive war parties
a
During the late 1800s a hunter would always carry a revolver and of Indians and no wagon train could move without a hired
knife such as this Bushmans Friend by Wostenholm. scout. His close-quarter weapons would have been a Colt

A gamblers hideout gun backed up by a deadly Arkansas toothpick. A cowboys companion tool for his six-shooter was a pocket knife like
this horn-handled folder.
revolver and a fighting knife. To match sheath knife. So I figured a hunter of Baker Streets numbers did not reach
the revolver I selected a medium-size the 1880s would have carried the same 221 during the time of the Sherlock
clip-point blade with a stag horn handle. kind of knife on a belt with his revolver. Holmes adventures (18811904)
Once the free-roaming Indian tribes The original old Wostenholm knife though the London Post Office did
had been shut up on reservations and (called the Bushmans Friend) which receive many letters addressed to
the buffalo practically wiped out, the big I chose as a companion piece for the Holmes at that number. As a young
cattle ranches took over the Great Plains handgun was a perfect match. fellow, I was intrigued by the master
and the day of the cowboy reached its Across to London well, sort of. sleuths skill at solving complex cases,
pinnacle. Although these hard-working Of course, Sherlock Holmes and his but noted that in times of danger he
men all wore guns they were not insisted Watson carry his Bulldog
gunfighters. The weapons they revolver. So, examining a beau-
carried were used to kill predatory tiful ivory-handled pocket pistol
animals, shoot crippled horses of the same type, I deduced that
and defend their herds from rus- the good doctor, being an Eng-
tlers. They all carried knives, but lish gentleman, probably carried
the blades were merely tools of a small, elegant penknife in his
their trade, and in most cases the waistcoat pocket Elemen-
implements were folding knives tary, my dear Barkes. I think
carried in their pockets. With the this one with its mother-of-pearl
possibility of being thrown from handle would have met with
your horse, carrying a fixed- Watsons approval. Incidentally,
blade knife on your belt was not this pocket pistol drives me mad
a good idea. So the pocket piece I with frustration because Id love
selected to go with the cowpokes Along with his Colt .45, an Indian fighter would carry a knife to fire it but the ongoing search
handgun was an original oldie with like this stag horn-handled fighter. for its oddball .442 calibre
horn scales. ammunition has been in vain.
Continuing my historic journey I companion Dr Watson were not his- As a living history buff, I have
arrived back in Africa. The year was torical figures, but fictional characters always undertaken the shooting of
1880 and thoughts of a Martini Henry created in the imagination of Eng- historical guns in the true spirit of the
and Webley revolver immediately lish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle original. To me, matching a knife to a
came to mind. Well now, I thought, Ive (though he fooled many readers). gun is as important as casting bullets
hunted with a Martini and although I Likewise, Holmess famous address, around a campfire and wearing histor-
never carried a Webley I did carry a 221B Baker Street, was fictional ically correct outfits.

Typical east African hunting scene of the early 1900s. A line of porters bearing ivory after a long foot safari.
T
ime was getting short as the
Stalking Big
rains might break any day.
Once the rains began our
chances of success would
be very remote as the ele-
Ivory in
phants move right out into the desert
country and dont return to the rivers
or permanent waterholes until the coun-
try dries up again. Two days hunting in
frightful heat produced no signs of any
Northern Kenya
bulls, although I had the camp moved
each day and hunted fresh country.
The third morning, as usual, I sent
the safari on to wait some distance
down stream and was soon sorry Id
done so, as we had not gone far when
my tracker found an imprint which he
by PAT MZEE AYRE
said was fresh and was that of a big
bull. We followed it as quickly as we
could but did not progress very fast,
as the tracking was very difficult and
I constantly marvelled that he did not FINAL
lose the spoor completely. The old bulls
feet left very slight traces of his pas-
sage and he had not fed much (this
would have helped a bit, as he would We continue with the late Pat Ayres tale of an
have dropped leaves and bits of chewed
twigs as he fed along). After several
elephant hunt in Kenya in the early decades of
miles we perceived hed been joined by
another bull, and the tracks now held
the 1900s, told in his own words, and recorded
on a straight course away from the by James M Hurt, who gave Bwana Askari per-
river along a well-worn path, heading
for some rocky hills in the distance. mission to publish them in Magnum
Finally, we reached the hills and came to a curi-
ous jumble of rocks which gave the impression of
having been placed in position. I was so struck by
their strange appearance that when the tracks led
through an opening in some rocks that looked for
all the world like a gateway, I was paying more
attention to the curious formation than to the job
in hand. An excited whisper from my tracker woke
me with a start and directed my attention to what I
took for two elephants showing up vaguely through
the thorn bush about 60 yards away. They were
standing under a big thorn tree, each facing away
from the trunk of the tree. A hasty test of the wind
decided me to work around the right and try to view
the ivory, so I edged around as carefully and quickly Pat Ayres friends, Martin and Osa Johnson, in a lion cage car, typical of the times.
as possible. When I could again see the elephants,
I was surprised that they were both facing me and
that the ivory was small. Presently I made out what appeared animal would need to be blind not to notice an object mov-
to be another one facing the other way. The only way to make ing against the sky at about 20 yards away. The only thing
sure was to work around still further to try to see his ivory. to be done was to shoot from where I was. It was not easy
shooting: though the distance was short enough, there were
THE STALK TOOK me behind and through a mass of rocks. several thorn branches which did not improve matters. I took
Had the elephants made off then, there would have been no a shot at the brain but did not hit it; however, the heavy bullet
chance of a shot and I spent an anxious few minutes crawl- went close enough to stun the animal temporarily, and gave
ing around, not knowing what was happening, or whether or me ample time to fire a shot at the heart. This seemed to
not the old bulls were getting restless. I nearly died of heart wake him up and he spun around and started off, enabling me
failure when a porcupine that had been lying in the shade of to put a shot into his other side as he made away.
a rock rushed out, making an awful noise with his quills. It When the crashing died away I scrambled out of the rocks
seemed impossible that it would not disturb the elephants. to follow up and see what my shots had done. The first thing
I was also much concerned that it might bump into me by I saw was my gun bearer trying to rescue his woolly cap from
mistake. However, my luck was in and I finally got onto a a high branch of a thorn tree. It turned out that he had been
rock which gave me a clear view of the third tusker. His ivory following me around toward the elephants when I fired, and
seemed very long and appeared almost to reach the ground. they had all stampeded in his direction. In his hasty scram-
The position was risky, as I was on the skyline, and ble to get out of the way his cap had in some way got up
although an elephants sight is not supposed to be good, an to its lofty perch. My other boys then joined us and asked
what the ivory of the fourth elephant was like. For
a while, I couldnt make out what they were talking
about, but they declared that while I was sneaking
around to see what the bulls under the trees were
like, Id passed a large elephant only a few yards
away. I can only suppose that, as he was standing
motionless in a patch of bush, and my attention
was riveted on the ones Id seen, there had indeed
been another elephant, though what he looked like
Ill never know.
A short walk along the blood-sprinkled spoor
brought us to the old bull lying dead. His ivory
was very long, but rather thin, so it did not prove
as heavy as I had expected. The tusks scaled 85
pounds each when weighed later. Quite pleased with
my success, even though Id not met the old gen-
tleman whose tusks were beyond his power to carry
alone, we started for camp and reached there late
The end of a successful elephant hunt. in the afternoon. We were all pretty tired, but much

more cheerful than wed been for days, does on boots, so the porters fared a bit Evening was approaching when we
and the boys chattered late into the better than I did. reached the first of the local villages. I
night about the days doings, and no Midday saw us at the river, which bought food for the men and arranged
doubt swapped a number of lies about was a large one without a bridge. One for some to be sent to the two left in
previous hunts. look was enough to convince me that charge of the truck. A fowl was pro-
I got to work next day as early as the only way Id get home was by walk- duced for my dinner. It turned out to
possible, cutting out the ivory, and ing unless I stopped there until the be the toughest thing Id ever tried
lunchtime saw me under way for home. rains finished in a few months time. Of to chew and might as well have been
The rains seemed about to break any the two prospects I preferred walking. allowed to live for all the use it was as
minute, and when they do set in travel- Its easy to be wise after the event is food. All it did was to make me wish the
ling is no joy. I pushed along as fast as finished: had I had the sense to have harder for a real meal.
possible, and for a time travelled ahead left the truck on the bank of the river, The next day was spent in climbing
of the safari, hoping to get a shot at I might have managed to cross the to the top of the range of hills, and I
a good lesser kudu which are reason- other rivers, as the worst of them was thought my food troubles were over
ably plentiful in those parts. However, I bridged, and the others not very large. when we pitched camp near a small
found that it did not pay, as the porters The only thing left to do was to fol- Indian store. However, the store-
lagged behind, so I took up my posi- keeper did not cater to anything except
tion at the rear of the safari to keep local trade, and all he stocked were
them moving. We had not gone an hour blankets and wire, neither of which
in that order when two splendid kudu seemed good eating to me. All he could
bulls cantered across our line of march, sell me to eat was a small quantity of
within easy shot of the leading porter, rice, about as unsatisfactory a meal
but too far for me to shoot at. My lan- when eaten without anything to flavour
guage is best left to the imagination. it as I wish to meet again.
THE THIRD EVENING after bagging the EACH NIGHT IT rained now, but fortu-
elephant saw me just 12 miles from my nately the days were fine so every day
truck. I hoped that the rain would hold I travelled as far as the porters could
off for another night and let me reach manage. I had found a pair of light
it by noon next day, so that I could be shoes very comfortable in climbing up
home in the evening. My provisions the range, but I made the mistake of
were about exhausted, as was the food wearing them to descend the other
for the porters. I managed to shoot a side, with the result that my feet kept
hartebeest, but did not take much for sliding down into the toes of the shoes
myself, keeping enough for a couple of and blistering the tops of my toes on
meals only. The Clerk of the Weather, both feet. However, I was nearing the
who had no doubt been watching pro- end of my trip and from the hills could
ceedings, and chuckling to himself at see home, a very cheery sight, but still
the surprise he was going to spring, A hundred-pounder, the Holy Grail of every a days march away.
set to work that night to show what he elephant hunter. Though I had enjoyed the trip, I
could do when in earnest. was pleased to be back. My partner
Rain started soon after nightfall and low the river upstream until we got to met me with a cheerful grin as I strag-
seemed to keep on all night. To make a native bridge and cross there, then gled in at midday and said: You may
matters worse, a perfect cloudburst fell make for the native villages in the think youve had a good time, but you
on the hills that fed the rivers I had to hills to get food for the men and for certainly dont look as if you had! At
cross. Morning dawned without a cloud, myself. This I proceeded to do as soon any rate, work seemed far less irksome
but walking was very hard going. Most as arrangements had been made for a than it had before Id had my fling, and
of the road was black cotton soil which, couple of men to stay with the truck it was some little time before the old
when wet, has the nasty habit of stick- to see that the tyres were not cut off urge to go and look for the father of all
ing to your boots and packing there and converted into gents footwear, for elephants asserted it self again.
until the weight gets so great that the which purpose they are very popular n This concludes the three-part series
lump falls off, only to repeat the pro- with most east African natives, and any on Pat Ayre, brought to us by Magnum
cess again. It does not appear to pack motor car left unattended long is too contributor Bwana Askari
so badly on the natives bare feet as it good a chance to be missed. Editor.

by MORGAN HASELAU Test Report
NiteCoreTIP
Flashlight
Dynamite comes in small packages
T
he NiteCore TIP is tiny. 360 lumens (lm) to a maximum beam Having only two buttons, the TIP
At only 60mm long and distance of 74 metres thats some is simple to use. It has an On/Off but-
weighing just 23 grams, it serious illumination for such a small ton, and one which cycles through the
is designed for attachment flashlight. There are four different brightness modes. Pressing the two
to a keyring, small enough brightness settings, ranging from low buttons in various combina-
to sit comfortably in your pocket, ready to turbo. I dont have 74m of open tions will lock the flashlight
for use when needed. But dont let its space at home, but the TIP clearly lit so that it does not
size deceive you the power that this up my 20m driveway, and Im con- come on in your
little flashlight produces is astounding. fident it could do three times pocket, and you
The TIP is the successor to the that with ease. can access the turbo
NightCore Tube, a popular everyday The turbo mode mode to see how much
carry (EDC) flashlight. Like its prede- is bright enough to charge remains.
cessor, the TIP is a rugged, lightweight, disorient someone if My only gripe is that
compact EDC torch. The workings are shone into their eyes, there is no cover for the USB
protected by an aluminium alloy outer which could buy you port, which risks dirt or lint clog-
case, and it should be able to withstand crucial seconds in an ging it up. Considering the TIP will
a 1.5-metre drop. It is also scratch-re- emergency. probably spend most of its life in
sistant wise considering it will most The battery is USB-rechargeable, your pocket, this seems quite an
likely be attached to a set of keys. The obviating the need to carry spare bat- oversight.
TIP is rated IP54 for dust- and water-re- teries around. The battery will fully The TIP is an excellent EDC flash-
sistance, meaning it is protected from recharge within two hours. Running light, and if there is anything else on
limited dust ingress and from water the TIP on the 360lm turbo mode has the market that matches its brightness-
spray from any direction. It comes in a a runtime of 30 minutes, while using it to-size ratio, I have yet to see it.
variety of colours, among others blue, on the lowest setting of 1lm gives 46 n The NiteCore TIP is available across
black, silver, green and red. hours of continuous beam. I carried the country and retails at about R565.
It features a powerful Cree XP-G2 the TIP with me for a week during the For a dealer near you, contact NiteCore
LED which produces a top output of test and did not once have to recharge. SA on 083-410-6005.
The NiteCore
TIP fits snugly
in your hand.
The battery is
recharged via a
USB port. No
spares needed.

Precision engineering has put
Truvelo South Africas leading
rifle maker on the world stage
Truvelos 12.7x99
long-range rifle,
one of four in the
Counter Measure
Sniper series.
Down to the
Last Detail
The four main calibres for which Truvelo
makes rifles: 7.62x51mm, .338 Lapua
by ANTHONY SHELLEY Magnum, 12.7x99mm and 14.5x114mm.
F
rom a small one-man show Frans-Joseph Gebert known as Oom The brand name Truvelo, a combi-
that started in a Pretoria Joe and father of current CEO Ralf nation of the words true velocity for
garage more than five dec- Gebert registered a patent for a sen- accurate speed measurement, now
ades ago, Truvelo is today a sor which could accurately detect vehi- covers all divisions of the Truvelo manu-
renowned manufacturer of cle speed. As an instrumentation tech- facturing group. The first company was
precision rifles, barrels and rifle acces- nician who had worked for the Council registered in 1974, producing barrels for
sories, with a military and commercial for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Bisley shooting community. Truvelo
customer base that stretches across Oom Joe spent many hours in his little Africa Mechanical Division was estab-
the world. workshop attached to the garage of the lished in 1994 when it was licensed to
The business goes back to 1966, family home in Lyttleton, where he also manufacture armoury products. Truvelo
when its founder, German immigrant took in firearm repairs. Africa Electronics Division concentrates

1
on vehicle monitoring equipment for road ers in South Africa and abroad, by provid-
traffic law enforcement. Both divisions serve ing barrels via gun dealers and gunsmiths.
international niche markets, while the new- It also provides a service for occasional
est addition to the group is Truvelo Africa, a repairs, and expertise in fault analyses.
black-owned entity opened in 2014 to service In a tough market, Truvelo generally
the South African markets. finds customers at international arms expos,
The group operates out of premises in where one becomes a captain of the indus-
an industrial park in Midrand where it has its try by delivering firearms and components
manufacturing and proofing facilities and an that meet the highest expectations in qual-
underground shooting range. The company ity materials and precision engineering.
also has a sales office in the United Kingdom. The company gets a bit of marketing help
from South Africas Department of Trade
THE ARMOURY DIVISION has remained small and Industry. And then there are the criteria 2
and flexible, in order to be fluid to meet the demanded by Aerospace Maritime Defence
production needs of any particular client. Of (AMD) member companies for the supply
the total staff complement of about 30, 16 of products and services to the Department
work in production while most of the oth- of Defence, government organisations and
ers are involved in compliance, testing and other contractors, both locally and interna-
administration. The complement includes two tionally, in the defence and security market
full-time research and development (R&D) sectors. AMD member companies provide
engineers. Persistent dedication to tech- high-tech solutions at competitive prices,
nological improvement, along with sophis- with a constant need to secure export 3
ticated testing and continual evaluation of orders, which in turn lead to local skills
materials and processes, has seen the brand development, job creation and retention.
become a world leader in superbly accurate, Similarly, Truvelo must take cognisance of
long-range high-precision rifles. Calibres the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initia-
range from 6.5x47mm Lapua to 20x110mm tive, launched in 2007, to support R&D pro-
Hispano in fact, the company can make jects in the aerospace, space, defence and
any barrel from .22 to long-range 40mm. security sectors.
Much of Truvelos production serves mili- Once an order is on the table, enormous
tary and police markets, with the majority of effort has to go into contract management.
its exports going to military clients overseas. Applying for permits and originating docu-
It also supports a far smaller commercial ments for each consignment, especially for
market, which includes private rifle own- clients in the United States and Europe, can be
6 4
1. Barrels that have been deep-holed and honed are lined up ready for rifling.
2. From left, a raw billet of steel, a semi-finished action and one thats almost complete.
3. A five-axis CNC machine with a batch of newly made bolts.
4. Stages in manufacturing an aluminium receiver.
5. Barrels, actions and muzzle brakes come together.
6. The stock assembly with an unattached receiver and barrel.

Getting the Proofing Right
TRUVELO PROOF-TESTS to CIP specifica- chamber pressure than the CIP maximum for
tions. The firearm is checked for its essen- the cartridge in its commercial version.
tial mechanical dimensions: all measures Voluntarily testing beyond the CIP maxi-
and tolerances in the chamber are verified. mum pressure limits is also possible for cus-
After the rifle has passed a visual inspec- tomers who intend to use their firearms under
tion, cartridges overloaded to produce 25% extreme conditions (hot climates, long shot-
more chamber pressure than the CIP maxi- strings etc).
mum for that specific cartridge, are fired in The CIP independently assesses, approves
it. Head space should not change after firing and publicises manufacturers data, such as
high-pressure rounds. Each rifle that makes chamber dimension specifications, maxi-
the grade is stamped with a proof mark. mum allowed chamber pressures, calibre
The same would apply if cartridges were nomenclature, and the technical proofing
being tested, which would be done at regular processes used.
intervals against the CIP pressure specifica- The CIP formally distributes established
tions. For pistol, revolver and rim-fire cartrid- data and decisions to its members through
ges, the standard proof is performed with diplomatic channels, which are generally
overloaded cartridges that produce 30% more accessible to all users.
United States. Steel is made to specifi- the mandrel. The mandrel is then with-
cation and may have to be ordered as drawn, leaving a perfectly rifled barrel.
much as six months in advance on pre- For bigger calibres from 0.50" or
Truvelo employs a shadowgraph, an optical paid shipments. To avoid possible short- 12.7mm and above Truvelo use the
method that uses light to measure contours.
falls downstream, some raw materials button method. The buttons also
and premade parts are kept in stock, tungsten carbide are essentially very
a minefield of red tape. Its exacting work ready go into the production process short mandrels: bore-diameter cylin-
theres no room for error in completing when an order comes in. ders with integral lands raised to the
and collating all the paperwork that goes Production generally adheres to precise groove diameter for that cal-
into delivering each order. Along with just-in-time principles. For accuracy, ibre, and appropriately off-set to pro-
all the usual documentation involved longevity and finish in boring and rifling vide the specified rifling twist. For
in importing raw material and shipping barrels, custom-designed buttoning is this process, the steel barrel blank has
finished products, there are invariably used, along with forging, grinding and already been drilled all the way through
special customs clearances, end-user lathing processes for the various steel
certificates, tax forms, shipping permits components that go into a rifle. A lot
some countries abroad have their own of the machinery is of German origin,
bureaucratic quirks, all of which add to some using electronic controllers to
the huge cost of administration. Some support the computer-numerically-con-
permits are restricted to time frames, trolled (CNC) production that relies on
or require annual renewal, which must sophisticated 3D software to execute
be considered when planning production detailed technical drawings.
and timing deliveries, particularly when For rifling the smaller-calibre bar-
a permit application can take as much as rels, such as their popular .308 and
seven months waiting for an approval. .338 LM, Truvelo use a hammer forging
Military and police contracts alone keep process with a mandrel. The mandrel
two full-time Truvelo staffers busy. is a calibre-sized tungsten carbide rod
with raised lands along its surface fol-
TRUVELO IS ONE of few privately owned lowing the specified rifling twist for
firearm manufacturing companies to do that particular calibre (ie the bore inte-
almost all its own R&D and production, rior reversed in solid form). An over-
and the only one in Africa to do its own sized tube of unformed barrel steel is
proofing. Very few rifle components fitted over the mandrel, and then pow-
are outsourced; triggers and pistol erful hydraulic hammers pound the
grips, along with some minor parts, are barrel steel down onto the mandrel,
farmed out to support local engineering so that the interior of the barrel tube Magnum staffer Jacques Boshoff with a
works, while recoil pads come from the takes on the precise size and form of 14.5x114mm rifle bolt.

to the precise bore diameter for that calibre. The button is
Lightweight Precision
then forced at enormous pressure through the drilled bore,
its raised lands compressing or ironing grooves into the
surface of the bore, which follow the specified rate of twist.
The outer barrel is then lathe-turned to the required shape
and diameter. Truvelo makes both the mandrels and the but-
tons in-house. These barrel-making methods ensure close
tolerances in the rifling, and barrels thus made are potentially
less likely to warp as they heat up during firing.
Truvelos rifle barrels are then fluted externally, which not
only reduces the overall weight of the rifle, but creates a
larger external barrel surface area, affording more rapid heat
dispersal. Fluting is a CNC-grinding process; the width and
depth of the flutes depends on the calibre. The barrels are
free-floating, the only contact being their junction with the
rifles receiver. Even as they expand with heat during firing, TO SATISFY THE demand of snipers need for more surgical
no part of the surface comes in contact with the stock or any accuracy to neutralise targets at long ranges, Truvelo deve-
other pressure point which might interfere with the barrels loped its compact and lightweight Counter Measure Sniper
(CMS) series for urban warfare, where easy manoeuvrability
harmonics (vibrations) as the bullet proceeds through the
is important. There are four calibres in the CMS series, namely
bore. This feature enhances accuracy potential. 12.7x99mm, 14.5x114mm, 20x42mm and the 20x110mm His-
pano. All can be made available for anti-material cartridges
ANY BARREL OF .338 calibre and bigger has a muzzle brake when military snipers need to interdict targets such as missile
as a standard feature, which releases a measure of the embankments and armoured personnel carriers.
Probably Truvelos most popular CMS rifle is the CMS .338
expanding gas from the bore just before the bullet exits the
Lapua, a tactical rifle for long-range precision shooting in mili-
muzzle; this redirected gas creates a rocket effect which tary and desert warfare where targets can be at 1 000 metres
opposes the rearward thrust of the recoil, thus reducing the and beyond.
felt recoil. The design includes a foldable stock, fully adjustable recoil
Truvelos rifle bolts are machined from bar steel, while assembly, adjustable grip, stanag picatinni rails and a remov-
able bipod. Various fore-end lengths are available on request.
their receivers are machined from aluminium for weight
reduction. After CNC-shaping, the action components are fur-
ther honed and polished to tighten the tolerances, and racked
CMS .338 LAPUA SPECIFICATIONS
for assembly. This combination of materials, design features, Mechanism: Bolt action with four locking lugs
precision engineering and strict quality control ensures that Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
their rifles inherent accuracy is held within 0.5 MOA. Barrel length: 660mm
Overall length: Unfolded 1 265mm, folded 1 000mm
Manufacturing precision components for firearms may not
Number of grooves,
seem much different from making close-tolerance compo-
twist rate: 6, 1:10
nents for other types of machinery. However, what makes Weight: 7kg, including telescope and magazine
the difference at Truvelo is the need for proofing and compli- Accuracy: Better than 1 MOA at 500m
ance. Due to the absence of local firearm proofing facilities, (ammunition dependant)
when Truvelo started making armoury products some five Effective range: 1 800m (ammunition dependant)
years ago, electronics engineer Ralf Gebert soon realised the Standard accessories: adjustable cheek piece, muzzle brake, operators
need for the company to develop its own laboratories and manual in English, and two five-shot magazines.
OEM specifications, especially if it was to remain competitive Optional accessories include silencer, mono pod, provision for night
with global technologies. For example, each barrel has to be vision and thermal imaging attachments.
measured and traceable at each stage of its production. Each
manufacturing procedure on each barrel is measured, and
each operation is traceable using the barrels unique number, when a rare glitch comes to light, or a design needs adjust-
with its own lab reports, to ensure compliance with standards ing for a future project. Its all about innovation in producing
of material durability and precision engineering. The bore and weapons that are lightweight, adjustable, accurate and reliable,
rifling of every barrel is verified, along with in-camera proof- a philosophy that underpins Truvelos guarantee of accuracy and
ing, before it is stamped with its own proof mark. reliability. Suggested retail prices are about R77 000 for smaller
After completing each batch and discussing any produc- calibres; R83 000 for the .338 Lapua, and R107 000 for the
tion issues, data packs with relevant technical drawings are 12.7x99mm model. For details telephone 011-314-1406/8, or
updated and backed-up. This saves work in the long run, email Truvelo at localsales@truvelo.co.za.

Safari Hunting as a
ConservationTool
by ROBIN HURT
PART 2
Anti-hunters and legal hunters share the same goal
58 | and
Father ManMAGNUM
Son. | June 2017
M
ost safari hunters come to had no commercial value. Conse-
Africa for the wilderness quently landowners continued to regard
experience. They come for wild animals as a threat to domestic
the challenge of hunting livestock as competitive grazers, dis-
wild animals on foot, on a ease-carriers and fence-breakers. At
one-to-one basis animals that occur best, game was seen as a source of
nowhere else on earth. They come for cheap meat.
the excitement of the chase fair chase Then the government did an about-
where the stalk is everything and the turn, declaring the landowner to be the
quarry has every chance of escape in its legal owner of the game on his farm,
vast habitat. They understand that when granting him ownership or user rights
the chance factor is removed, it is no to wildlife in effect, entitling him to
longer hunting but culling. They come profit thereby. In doing so the gov-
for the sense of adventure and for the ernment placed the responsibility for
camaraderie of evenings around remote the conservation of wildlife (outside
campfires with like-minded friends. of national parks and game reserves)
A shining star is Namibia, the most squarely on the shoulders of private
hunter-friendly country in Africa. land owners.
Namibia is pro-conservation through This was an instant success. Over-
utilisation; ownership of wildlife is night, wildlife became valuable. Safari
encouraged and its wildlife numbers are and game ranch hunting became a via-
steadily increasing. It now has 82 com- ble alternative to traditional livestock
munity conservancy concession areas ranching. This was such a triumph that,
registered, funding poverty eradication in 1990, community land holdings were
programmes for formerly disadvan- given the user rights to their wildlife,
taged human communities and turning with carefully set quotas. The game
former poachers into anti-poachers. and hunting fees received benefited the
According to Dr Chris Brown, of the indigenous peoples of Namibia, leading
Namibian Chamber of Statistics, during to poverty alleviation. This resulted in a
the 1700s, Namibias land mass prob- sharp increase in wildlife numbers, and
ably had an estimated 8 million wild today Namibia has over 3 million wild
animals. As occurred throughout most animals countrywide more than its
of Africa, these numbers were quickly human population of 2.3 million. Over
depleted as the result of subsistence 16 million hectares of Namibias land
and commercial hunting for hides, mass is dedicated to wildlife conserva-
skins and ivory, and settler farmers tion.
viewing game as competing with their Recently, Namibian President
livestock for grazing. The situation was Hage Giengob publicly stated that he
exacerbated as the indigenous peoples had banned the banning of hunting.
acquired guns and horses wildlife was That shows how important the use of
simply wasted. By 1960, the land mass wildlife is to Namibia and her people.
of Namibia had fewer than one million Economically, safari hunting is a most
wild animals. Game laws were in place, important industry for the well-being of
but had not halted the decline in wildlife the country as a whole, and is the very
numbers. foundation of its successful conserv-
ancy programme. The sustainable use
TOP TO BOTTOM: BIM Gill with his 102 x 100
LEGALLY, LANDOWNERS WERE free to of wildlife is enshrined in the countrys
pounder, Tanzania, 1968.
hunt game on their farms for their own constitution. Hadelin Diericx with his big tusker both
consumption and if it posed a threat to By contrast, countries that have over 100 lbs a side. Tana River, Kenya, 1970.
their livelihood. They could also invite banned legal hunting have experi- Hans Kuderli, game scout Hapana Fakiri and
friends and relatives to hunt it for sport enced a decline in wildlife. In Africa, tracker Laboso Arap Sura with a set of fine
Sudanese tusks both more than the magic
and for meat, but they could not legally people deriving little or no benefit from
100 pounds aside, 1974.
sell the game or game products, nor wildlife see little reason to conserve South Sudan savannah elephant tusks
profit from hunting. Game, therefore, it, and as a result, communities turn larger tusk 104lbs, circa mid 1970s.

to poaching. As soon as legal, Tanzania is not the only Afri-
conservation-minded hunters can country to have reopened
are removed from the bush, hunting after closure. Recently,
the game is subjected to illegal, having seen the negative results
non-selective poaching with no of such bans, Uganda and Zam-
thought given to conservation. bia have reintroduced safari
Poachers show no concern for hunting as a viable and sustain-
tomorrow their sole imperative able management tool for con-
is for a lucrative return today. servation.
Elephant and rhino poachers The story of South Sudan
indiscriminately shoot animals is a sad one. This was one of
of any gender or age; payment the richest wildlife countries
for tusks and horns is by weight, in Africa, with huge, unrivalled
size matters little. Poachers have herds of elephant. I hunted
no love or feeling for the animals there from 1973 through to
they destroy. Bush meat poach- 1984, and left only because of
ers set far more snares than they the civil war between the north-
can successfully monitor, result- ern Muslims and the southern
ing in the cruel, indiscriminate, Christian and Animist popu-
and wasteful deaths of numer- lations. I witnessed incred-
ous animals whose carcasses ible wildlife numbers, including
rot away where they lie. And the numerous northern white rhino,
sale of bush meat benefits just a sometimes in groups of up to a
few individuals, not whole com- dozen. Today there is not one
munities. remaining. It was the same
Kenya banned all hunting in the Democratic Republic of
in May 1977, when that coun- Congo (formerly Zaire) where
try had an estimated 176 000 I hunted briefly in 1984, in the
Author Robin Hurt on safari in Botswana.
elephant; today the number is north east. In my hunting area
down to 23 000. Kenyas black alone I saw numerous forest
rhino population has declined from hunting came in the nick of time and elephant bulls, many with tusks weigh-
8 000 to about 680 at the time of writ- saw substantial growth in wildlife pop- ing over 100 pounds a side. It was a
ing. All other game has declined by ulations, particularly elephant which hunting paradise. Unfortunately for us,
70% all during a time when no legal increased to about 130 000. Then, our legal presence effectively curtailed
hunting was permitted! This was due soon after the new millennium, fuelled poaching and the illegal ivory trade
in part to a burgeoning human popula- by Asian demand, poaching again unbeknown to us, we were treading on
tion and its consequent encroachment increased throughout Africa. the toes of influential persons. Pres-
(along with attendant cattle and goats) More recently, this situation was ident Mobutu closed safari hunting
on wildlife habitat. However, the pri- exacerbated when the US Fish and and we were forced to leave the bush.
mary cause remains poaching for bush Wildlife Service stopped all imports Today, elephant in this part of Africa
meat, ivory and rhino horn. of ivory legally hunted by American verge on extinction and the remnant
sportsmen in Tanzania, even though northern white rhino are extinct in the
HISTORICALLY, TANZANIA WAS the such exports were covered by CITES wild. How tragic.
first east African country to ban hunt- quotas and permits. This effectively
ing. This was in 1973, when that coun- stopped elephant hunting in Tanzania I NO LONGER hunt elephant, but that
try had an estimated 380 000 elephant. by Americans, which led to the familiar does not mean I am opposed to legal
Safari companies were forced to shut old scenario: no legal hunting presence elephant hunting quite the contrary.
down, consequently the wilderness in the wilderness meant that the void I believe legal elephant hunters are
areas became a free-for-all poachers was once again filled by poachers. The an anti-poaching force to be reckoned
paradise. Realising its mistake, the result has been huge declines in ele- with. During the past 54 years of my
government reopened safari hunting a phant numbers not only in southern career, I have seen dramatic declines
few years later, but during that period, Tanzania but also northern Mozam- in wildlife and changes from the time
massive declines in elephant num- bique. What a miscalculation that of my youth when small islands of
bers resulted. The reopening of safari restriction has proved to be. people were surrounded by a sea of

wildlife, to today, when tidal
waves of people are drowning
the remaining islands of wildlife.
This is particularly true in the
case of elephant. Since 1979,
African elephants have lost over
50% of their range due to human
encroachment on their habitat.
Elephant need vast ranges in
which to find sufficient food and
water.
At the start of the 20th cen-
tury, Africa had an estimated
five million elephant. By 1960,
there were probably something
over two million. Today an esti-
mated 415 000 remain. Some
believe that just the East Afri-
can countries alone: Kenya,
Tanzania and Mozambique, have
collectively lost over 70 000
elephant in recent years. Dur-
ing the same period in Gabon,
Three white rhino.
the last stronghold of the for-
est elephant, populations have
declined from well over 80 000 down effort directed at the end-user of ille- knowledge, while the latter group bases
to fewer than 60 000. gal products derived from poached theirs on proven scientific and histori-
Only in the southern African coun- elephant and rhino, instead of continu- cal fact, and personal experience. It is
tries of Namibia, Botswana (currently ally targeting the licensed hunter? The a pity we cant work together for our
closed to hunting but enforcing a pol- answer is clear not much can be done common goal.
icy of zero tolerance of poaching), to control poaching in countries with Africa today still has fabulous game
Zimbabwe and South Africa do we see uncooperative governments or corrupt fields and wilderness areas with wild-
s t a b l e e l e p h a n t n u m b e r s . W hy ? officials, and the same applies to the life populations unrivalled anywhere on
Because of proactive management, pri- illegal markets. Its much easier to be the planet. But the simple, unassailable
vate ownership and sensible user rights seen to be doing something by forcing fact, confirmed by scientists involved in
importantly, community conserva- more and more bans and regulations hands-on wildlife management, is that
tion programmes such as Zimbabwes on the lawful hunter. wildlife needs hunters dollars to sus-
CampFire scheme. The key must be tain the populations outside of national
to tackle the illegal end-user no black CHINA RECENTLY PROMISED to close parks and protected areas. You can help
market equals no poaching. As long down all dealings in ivory an impor- by explaining to non-hunters the ben-
as there is demand in Asia, poaching tant commitment that will certainly efits of legal, ethical hunting. Bone up
will continue. The comparatively few help reduce the demand for illicit on the facts and tell people what hunt-
remaining elephant will be subjected to ivory. Hopefully, other Asian countries ers do for conservation. Emphasize the
ongoing decimation as the price of ivory will follow Chinas example. But what important fact that most of Africas wild-
escalates in inverse proportion to the about the trade in poached rhino horn? life occurs outside the protected areas.
decline in the numbers of animals. Perhaps an announcement on that will Lets keep it that way as a competitive
The recent Convention on Interna- follow soon. and sustainable form of private land
tional Trade in Endangered Species of Lets face it, the ideals of the anti- use. That is what conservation hunting
Wild Fauna and Flora CITES) conven- hunter and the legal, ethical hunter is all about.
tion in South Africa recognised that the are the same: the healthy, long-term CREDIT: My thanks to Esmond Martin,
legal, sustainable utilisation of wildlife survival of wild animals. The difference renowned authority on African elephant
is an important tool for conservation. is that most of the former group tend to and rhino populations, for checking pop-
This is a welcome advance. Now the base their arguments on sentiment and ulation figures given in this article with
question remains: why isnt greater emotion backed by little or no scientific IUCN in Kenya and his own files.

The HW100 Sport is a quality PCP.
O Weihrauch
ver the last few years, air rifle
shooting in South Africa has
grown in leaps and bounds, and
we are currently spoiled for choice
HW100AirRifle
when it comes to the availability
of springers and PCP rifles. Quality and prices
vary widely, and imported Chinese PCP air rifles
can be bought for as little as R3 500.
However, with PCP rifles, keep in mind the
additional cost of an air reservoir (R4 100 new)
and a fill adapter (R1 500). So, even when opt-
by PHILLIP HAYES
ing for a budget Chinese brand, it entails an
initial outlay of about R10 000 if you buy new.
I recently had the opportunity to test a pre- Superb accuracy from a top quality PCP
mium quality PCP by Weihrauch. I was keen to
know how this rifle, which retails for just under
R20 000 (yes, thats for the rifle only) performs for my taste and the initial first stage travel
on the shooting range. This German company was almost non-existent. On several occasions
has been making quality air rifles for decades the light trigger surprised me by going off too
and its springers, such as the entry-level HW30 early. This can be easily remedied with a couple
and HW50 rifles, are legendary. of adjusting screws, but I decided to stick with
The test rifle was the HW100 Sport in what I presumed to be a factory setting and see
5mm. It weighs 3.9kg without a scope and whether I could get used to it.
first impressions indicated a quality piece of The magazine can be removed by cocking
equipment. The Sport is 1 070mm long and the side lever, sliding a button to the rear and
has an oiled, dark walnut stock with a raised then taking the magazine out. Loading up with
cheek piece for scoped use the rifle does 14 pellets takes only seconds and once the mag-
not have any open sights and is fitted with azine is replaced, moving the side-lever forward Five shots at 25m with JSB
Exact pellets.
a dark recoil pad and white spacer. The pistol pushes a pellet into the barrel. A side safety
grip, including its cap, and the fore-end are (similar to those on Sako and CZ rifles) operable
immaculately chequered. with the thumb of the right hand is another fea-
The model I received was stocked for right- ture that makes this air rifle perfect for hunting
handed use and had a very ergonomically preparation. Once a shot is fired, the side lever
shaped pistol grip. The 60cm barrel came with is cocked, which turns the rotary magazine, and
a moderator. The HW100 came with a 14-round on closing, the lever pushes the next pellet into
magazine made of steel, and with the neces- the barrel. Once a pellet is fed into the barrel,
sary fill adapters. I filled the cylinder to about cocking the side-lever will not cycle the maga-
180 bar and zeroed the scope at 25m with JSB zine again unless the shot is fired, an ingenious
Exact pellets. The two-stage trigger is fully feature that precludes your loading two or more Three shots with the heavy
adjustable and was set very light too light pellets into the barrel by mistake. Samyang (23.7gr) pellets at 25m.

The trigger can be adjusted with Allen keys.
The cocking lever is pulled back to cycle the magazine and when pushed forward feeds a pellet
into the barrel.
My first couple of shots did not pro- just over 30 shots before the velocities The HW100s cylinder is fitted with its own
duce promising results, but I soon got the started dropping. easy-to-read pressure gauge which, unlike
those on some PCPs, is very accurate.
hang of the trigger and things improved. When I first handled this rifle, it
Shooting from a bench, I proceeded reminded me of a Sako centre-fire in
to test for accuracy at 25m, expecting 6mm PPC I once owned, being more
good results. Initially, I simply rested my or less the same weight and size, and
elbows on the benchtop with the rifle rest- both being exceptionally accurate. This
ing in my hands. I shot a five-shot group makes the HW100 an ideal air rifle to
that could easily be covered by a R2 coin. use for practising for the hunting sea-
Thats impressive accuracy. son accurate enough to inspire con-
fidence and to expose human error.
I THEN RESTED the rifle on a sandbag. According to a ballistic programme,
Settling in comfortably, I fired a series if I zero my Hawke 3-9x40 scope at The safety is similar to that found on some
centre-fire rifles.
of five-shot groups. The rifle clearly 25m, I can use it out to 110m without
grouped better with the JSB Exact mechanical readjustment merely by
pellets, five shots forming one ragged using the mil-dots for elevation. On ing the normal report to a soft phud
hole despite a steady breeze. Due to calm days, the HW100 will make an sound. I am a tall man, and with
rain and strong wind, I was unable to excellent rifle for practising shots from this full-sized stock and the silencer
test this combination at longer ranges, field positions at life-size springbuck attached to the 600mm barrel, I found
but I believe that a sub half-inch five- targets out to 100m. I cannot imagine the rifle quite long and not suitable for
shot group at 50m should be possible, an easier and less expensive method youngsters unless they were to shoot
even for someone like me who seldom to prepare for the hunting season. And from a rest. Weihrauch does offer a car-
shoots from a rest. youll have fun in the process. bine which is 975mm long and has a
Polymags Predator (13gr) and The moderator is one of the best 410mm barrel, but for those starting
Samyangs heavyweight 23.7gr pellets Ive had the pleasure to use, reduc- out, I would suggest one of the spring-
shot slightly larger groups, but it was evi- ers, such as the HW30.
dent that the HW100 was exceptionally Overall, the HW100 is an impressive
accurate with whatever I fed it see the air rifle made to extremely high stand-
accompanying photographs for results. ards. Accuracy is simply outstanding
Fired over a chronograph, the JSB and the 14-shot magazine makes light
Exact pellets (13.73gr) clocked 964fps work of reloading. This quality comes
for 27.9ft-lbs (37.6J) of energy, the at a price, but for those demanding
heavy Samyang (23.7gr) at 727fps the best, the HW100 is a must on the
for 27.8ft-lbs (37.7J) and the Polymag shortlist, and it should survive for sev-
Predator 13gr at 943fps for 25.7ft-lbs eral generations.
(35J). These are impressive figures for The removable steel rotary magazine n For a dealer near you contact Inyathi
an air rifle. Moreover, one refill fired takes 14 pellets. Sporting Supplies on 012-808-9911.

Test Report by ANDR GROBLER
T
rijicon, the American optics
company, has come a long
way since 1981 when it
m a r ke t e d t h e A r m s o n
occluded eye gunsight. It
has established a solid reputation for
reliable high-quality optics for various
applications from handguns to bows.
Trijicon sights are used by military and
law enforcement agencies, competition
shooters and hunters.
The Trijicon AccuPower 3-9x40 rifle
scope features a battery-powered illu-
minated reticle with adjustable bright-
Trijicon AccuPower
ness settings. It weighs 483g and is the
only scope in the AccuPower series with
a 25mm tube.
3-9x40
The body is aircraft-grade alumin-
ium, which is durable and lightweight,
coated with a hard, matte black ano-
dised finish that protects the scope
against scratches, corrosion, water
and sweat. The tubes are waterproof the eyepiece incorporates a speed lever brightness settings and an Off feature
and filled with nitrogen to eliminate for quick adjustment and has the same between each setting, enabling the illu-
fogging. The eye relief is 90mm, which heavy grooving as the turret caps. minated reticle to be switched off with
is ideal for all calibres except perhaps The 3-9x40 Trijicon AccuPowers one click of the dial. The wide range of
very powerful hunting rifles producing lenses are multi-coated, producing brightness settings caters for all light
heavy recoil. a brightly defined picture up to the conditions.
Features include the usual dials to edges. I could not find any image dis- The reticle is in the second focal-
adjust for windage and elevation (one tortion and the scopes light-gathering plane. The crosshair is fine, hence at
click moves the point of impact a quar- capabilities are excellent. higher magnifications, quickly disap-
ter-inch at 100 yards), a magnification The scope has a third turret with 11 pears against a dark background or
ring and a rotating eyepiece for focus- target. This is where the illuminated
ing. A separate knob adjusts the bright- reticle comes in. Whatever the prevail-
ness settings for the illuminated green ing lighting conditions, the crosshair
reticle. The dials are covered by turret illumination can be adjusted for the
caps that are grooved for easy handling appropriate contrast. The reticles lower
even with gloves. The dials have direc-
tional arrows and their clearly marked 1 half is the bullet drop compensator type
with additional dots on both sides of the
gradations are further indicated by a lower vertical wire to compensate for
click that you can both hear and feel.
To reset the dials, simply raise the 4 cross-winds.
This is a lightweight scope with a
dial knob, turn it to the zero mark and low-profile design for versatile applica-
push it down in line with the indication hunting rifles, semi-auto firearms
tor on the turrets. Resetting to zero and competition. It is a quality product
allows the shooter to dial in windage
3 that should deliver years of good ser-
and elevation adjustments for various
distances. The dials are numbered to
2 vice. Its only drawback is its somewhat
bulky magnification ring which requires
quickly return to a previously zeroed high scope mounts for it to clear the
setting. Firing a group, then moving the scope eleva- raised bolt handle.
tion setting down, firing a shot, moving the
The diopter adjustment ring in the The recommended retail price is
impact point to the right and firing a shot, up
eyepiece turns smoothly and easily, but and firing a shot and finally back to the origi- R15 030 not cheap, but good optics
not so easily as to move inadvertently. nal setting, resulted in the final shots landing never are. To find a dealer near you
The magnification ring at the front of almost where the first ones had. contact ECM on 012-329-4116.

ReadersMarket
ARMTEC SYNTHETIC STOCKS

PO Box 20481 Noordbrug 2522 (Potch)
Chris 082 853 7134, Office (Daleen) 083 531 5860
fax 0866 284 893 www.armtec.co.za
Manufactured from multi-layered

fibreglass cloth, laminated under pressure and
filled with hi-tech composite material.
Finished in non-slip, chip resistant epoxy coating.
Available for Lee-Enfield, P14 and Brno.
Custom built stocks for all other makes
Pigeon Rotary
The Ultimate Pigeon Decoyer
083 270 4970 www.decoys.co.za
www.manmagnum.com

ReadersMarket
For Sale
n Winchester Mod 70 any condition, will pay
wooden and synthetic cash. Jan 082-565-5916
stocks, short and long (012).
action. Offers? Trevor n AYA 12ga dou-
n Several skull mounts 082-419-9199 (033). ble-barrel shotgun
by Highveld, including n .300WM Sauer side-lock ejector, good
kudu 51''+; 2x sable 202 Wolverine, 26'' condition. Paul 082-
43''-45''+; nyala 23'' bull-barrel, imported 411-0210 (033).
shoulder mount, price 2015, threaded for n Arms collector
neg. Paul 011-883- silencer, very accurate, buying old guns,
6032. R32,000. Jaco 074-116- swords, bayonets,
n Pachmayr adjustable 9318 (027). any condition, free
rear sight for 1911A1, n P14 .303, new barrel, valuations and advice.
3-dot system, never Sporter stock, scope Peter 031-562-9591,
used, with screwdriver bases fitted, R5000. 083-415-5627.
& allen key, R450 plus Brian 072-309-2143
General
postage. 082-923-8069 (012).
(021). n Lyman 9.3x62m dies,
n .303 geweer; .38 Spl new, R450; Simplex
Rossi rewolwer; .22 pis- .416REM dies, used,
tool; .22 geweer; Baikal R250; Speer Hotcor 9.3 n Swap 100x Sako
12 Boor haelgeweer. bullets, R400/50. David .38Spl 115gr FMJ car-
Maak n aanbod. Isabel 082-654-6939 (012). tridges, for one box of
082-450-9047 (012). n Colt Magnum .357 6mm .243 85gr Sierra
n Winchester .22 Mod- revolver, 6'' barrel, gun GameKing bullets.
el 63LR, c1938, scope, bag, leather holster, Danny 018-788-5905
60x cartridges; BSA pistol grip included. (016).
.410 bolt-action c1910, 082-850-7890 (011). n Swap 50x .308
both good condition. 150gr Nosler Partition
Offers? 046-624-1116, bullets, for 7mm
072-377-5785.
n Collectors item, Brno Wanted 140-160gr of similar
quality. Piet 083-293-
Model 21H 7x57 rifle, 0065 (012).
R19,500; Custom Sako
9.3x62, excellent, with n Once-fired 7x64
scope, R28,000 without brass. Thys 076-114-
R20,000. 072-356-6213 9732 (011).
n Sako .220 Swift rifle, www.manmagnum.com
(051).
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MINIMUM CHARGE PER ADVERT: R80,00 (incl) for twelve words; thereafter R5,00 per
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classifieds@manmagnum.co.za fax 086-520-3711
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sandveldhunting.co.za 500m skietbaan, bring co.za

Gallery
release, the A4-type of competency doc- semi-auto rifle licences expire, your com-
Solving Confusion ument has no expiry date on it, and petency for these categories of firearms
many firearm owners have erroneously expire 10 years after date of issue.
About Competencies interpreted this as meaning that their It is important to note that all compe-
To overcome possible confusion among competencies are valid indefinitely. tencies, regardless of the Sections, must
firearm owners, the National Hunting and The validity of a competency is calcu- be submitted for renewal 90 days prior to
Shooting Association (NHSA) has clari- lated from the date of its issue: five years the expiry date. Morgan Haselau
fied the validity of competencies and for a firearm licensed under Section 13
when these should be renewed. (self-defence) and 10 years for a firearm SA Moves Toward
It has been generally accepted that a licenced under Sections 15 and 16 (hunt-
persons competency for a specific cate- ing and/or sport shooting). These time Legal Rhino Horn Trade
gory of firearm such as a handgun, frames also apply to the respective fire- Privately owned rhino horn can now be
rifle, shotgun or semi-auto rifle expires arm licences. sold in South Africa, subject to certain
only when that of the oldest licence If you own a handgun under Section conditions. Of the estimated 20 000
expires. However, under the SAPS Direc- 13, then the competency must be rhino in South Africa, about 40% are pri-
tive of 7 January 2011, this is true only in renewed along with the licence five years vately held, and owners wishing to sell
some situations it certainly does not after the date of issue. However, if you their horn stocks can now do so legally,
mean that all ones competencies expire own a Section 13 handgun as well as a subject to standard government and pro-
only when your oldest licence expires, handgun under Sections 15 and 16, then vincial permitting requirements.
irrespective of the firearm type. your handgun competency is valid for 10 This follows a ruling by the SA Consti-
In many cases, all the competencies years after the date of issue. tutional Court in April this year, lifting the
a person holds are printed on one docu- Validity of competencies for rifles, national moratorium imposed in 2009.
ment a white card or an A4 sheet doc- shotguns and semi-auto rifles are easier The ruling has been welcomed by the Pri-
ument which could, for example, cover to interpret as all these firearms are usu- vate Rhino Owners Association (PROA)
all four competencies: handguns, rifles, ally licensed under either Sections 15 or which feels that the moratorium has con-
shotguns, and semi-auto rifles. However, 16, and thus have 10-year licences. Irre- tributed directly to the poaching
according to the associations press spective of when your rifle, shotgun or onslaught in recent years by turning an

Gallery
existing legal market into an illegal one, which has driven up

Guineafowl and Worms? prices and led to increased poaching.
While poaching will not cease overnight, PROA hopes that
the domestic sales of horn from legal, ethical and humane
I am often asked if guineafowl have worms. It has always sources will relieve some of the frontline pressure on rhino. For
been a difficult question to answer, as I have shot and now, the international ban on rhino trade remains in place, but
cleaned many guineafowl, and other gamebirds, during the PROA says the court decision could be the first step towards
last 34 years, and never seen any worms in their meat. Of international legalisation, as this is the only way for legal trade
course, all animals have intestinal worms and, in fact, even to be truly effective.
worms have their own species-specific parasites, namely The association hopes the sale of horn in SA, from both
other worms! Humans are also hosts to a variety of para- private and national stocks, will bring in much-needed funds for
sites, with many calling our intestines home. keeping rhinos safe through various anti-poaching and security
When cleaning guineafowl during the 2015 season, I measures, as well as encouraging private owners to invest in
noticed that several birds felt lighter and their breasts were community-based natural resource management projects as
a lot thinner than the other birds. Usually, I skin them and these will now be sustainable.
remove the breasts and legs without cutting open the However, opponents to legalisation argue that the move will
abdominal cavity. This time, as I was in a hurry, I decided have negative consequences. Morgan Griffiths, of the Wildlife
to remove the skin and then gut them, preserving the car- and Environment Society of South Africa, was quoted on the
cass for processing at a later date. Surprisingly, all the National Geographic news website saying that, If these regs
skinny birds had worms within the abdominal cavity. I took are promulgated, we will see a significant rise in poaching, as
some photos, and sent them to a friend who is an expert in poachers use the significant loopholes to cater to the increased
these matters. Dr Volker Schwan, a senior lecturer in hel- demand for horn in the Far East. Morgan Haselau
minthology and ectoparasitology at the University of Pre-
torias Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, had this Protected Areas Missing
to say:
The good news is that there is nothing to be concerned 75% of Their Elephants
about. The images clearly show specimens of adult tape- A new study at the University of Pretoria (UP) estimates that
worms which usually reside in the small intestine of animals protected areas in Africa are missing 75% of their elephants
acting as definitive hosts. As seen in the images, they were some 730 000 individuals.
found in the abdominal or peritoneal cavity, most probably The study undertaken by UPs Conservation Ecology
as a result of migrating out from gut injured by a pellet, Research Unit (CERU) aimed to estimate the number of ele-
bullet or slaughtering. phants there should be in 73 protected areas spanning 21 Afri-
Tapeworms, with very few exceptions, have an indirect can countries. Based on recent counts, these areas are missing
life cycle and birds mostly become infected by ingesting three-quarters of their elephant populations. A third of protected
invertebrates (for example, insects, snails and slugs) which areas have less than 5% of the elephants that they should.
act as intermediate hosts. This is not an unusual finding The study used remote sensing of the most important
and I can assure resources for elephants (vegetation and water), poaching data,
you that there is and the largest population database for any mammal species,
no threat to to model the density at which individual populations should
humans! stabilise.
So, yes, guin- The studys lead author, Ashley Robson, says, In the past,
eafowl can have weve had relatively good estimates of how many elephants
worms, and that there are, and how many are poached. But now, weve deter-
does not alter mined how many elephants there should be in the first place.
the fact that While the magnitude of loss due to poaching is devastating
fowls are very 730 000 elephants are missing across the 73 protected areas
tasty when assessed I dont see our work as more doom and gloom. On the
braai-ed, fried, contrary, we provide ecologically meaningful goals for elephant
stewed or pot- conservationists to work toward. Its a positive step for elephants.
jied! Leslie Rudi van Aarde, supervisor of the project and chair of CERU,
van der Merwe says elephants thrive in a huge variety of conditions, from
Continued on page 70

Youth
How to compete
in sport shooting YOUTH
sitional shooting, requiring shooters to master each posi-

tion, namely standing, prone and kneeling. Pistol shooters
progress from sitting with full pistol support, to freehand
shooting while standing.
Each of the member provinces has its own competition
structure, but generally there are between four and seven
school competitions per year. Shooters are placed in age
groups from under 10 to under 20 (the youngest at the last
national event was just eight years old) and can choose to
shoot in the rifle sporter, springer or precision classes, or to
use an air pistol.
Provincial competitions generally consist of 1 000 points
for rifle shots and 400 for pistol shots, while national com-
petitions consist of 1 600 points for rifle shots and 800 for
pistol shots.
At a national level, there are three opportunities for
shooters to compete:
Early in the year, shooters can take part in a postal
league, shooting at their home facilities in competition con-
ditions. Results are then measured against shooters in dif-
ferent parts of the country, and sometimes internationally,
to determine winners.
As in any sport code, there is a national event, held annu-
ally in October, where provincially selected teams compete.
The third event is actually trials, normally held around
March, and used to select a team to represent SANSSU
internationally. This is where the top shooters battle it out
for a place in the national team. This year, selected shooters
will compete in the United States in July.
If you want to become a sport shooter, you will need
The South African National School Shooters Union some basic equipment. For rifle events, you will require a
(SANSSU) has been built on the foundations of the old high rifle, pellets, prone mat, kneeling roll and a scope. For pistol
schools cadet system. The union has shooters in 11 regions shooting, a pistol and pellets are needed. For the younger
around the country, representing all nine provinces, and its pistol shooters starting in a supported position, a support
1 200 members make it one of the biggest sport shooting structure is also required. You may choose to add gloves,
bodies in South Africa. visors, arm slings and rifle stands to your pack. Normally
Initially .22 rifles were used, but as the schooling envi- you will need to buy these items, but some schools hire
ronment has changed so air rifles have been introduced and them out to competitors.
are today used along with air pistols. To find out more about SANSSU, go www.sanssu.co.za,
The shooting disciplines are developmental, requiring where there are provincial contact details. Elzaan Fourie
participants to master different positions which make it is
easy to progress into any of the senior sport shooting Magnum would like to encourage sport shooting
structures, with their building blocks in place. It is a sport among youngsters. Send your stories, pictures and
that takes discipline, patience and dedication of course, local competition results to mail@manmagnum.co.za,
safety is key. The air rifle discipline is called 3P, or three-po- or call 031-572-6551.

Gallery
deserts to lush forests, so elephant densities vary according to

local resources.
There is no single ideal elephant density. Ecologists have
PEOPLE
known this for a long time, but its never been quantified until
now. Improved remote sensing, decades of count data, and a
huge effort from my research team have enabled us to estimate Meet Our Contributors:
benchmarks for elephant populations. The current study is the Herman de Wet
culmination of a decades work.
The historical trade in ivory and the renewed poaching Our contributor of
onslaught have influenced elephants across the continent, and the month is
masked the relationship between population size and environ- Herman de Wet,
mental conditions, Van Aarde says. from Durban. He
But weve accounted for the impact of poaching in our models was born in Est-
to predict ecological benchmarks the size populations would court in KwaZu-
reach if environmental factors rather than human influence con- lu-Natal and his
trolled population growth. This has been a hotly debated question, favourite hunting
especially here in southern Africa. grounds are in
According to Robson, Everyone with an interest in conserva- Pongola.
tion protected area managers, policy-makers, international His calibre of
funders, and the public should consider this study. Weve made choice is the reputable 8x57 which was the German military
it possible to target resources to the protected areas most in need. cartridge during both World Wars, and is an outstanding
Of course, this isnt just for the sake of elephants. Elephants hunting cartridge in its own right. His favourite animal to
play a major role in shaping the savannas that in Africa cover as hunt is bushbuck. Away from hunting, he enjoys deep-sea
much land as continental United States and Europe combined. fishing and golf.
Losing elephants is detrimental to our savannas and the species
that rely on them. More About Our Subscribers:
While the conservation targets are a positive step, our study
is a wake-up call. About 70% of the current distributional range of
Tony Forsyth
African elephants falls beyond protected areas. That elephants
arent doing well, even where protected, means we need to take To n y l i v e s i n
action, Robson says. Morgan Haselau Botswana and
has been a Mag-
Westley Richards Appoints New MD num subscriber
since 1982. His
Following the death of Westley Richardss managing director preferred calibre
Simon Clode in December 2016, his right-hand man and former is .375H&H but
director of operations, Anthony Trigger Alborough-Tregear, has the .30-06 and
been appointed as the new MD of the iconic British gun and rifle .338 SABI fol-
making firm in Birmingham. low closely
Anthony Alborough-Tregear has been an integral part of the behind.
business and is the perfect person to build on Clodes legacy and For danger-
maintain the high standards that he set. ous game, he
I am greatly honoured to have been appointed as the new MD uses a .450'' Express built on a Brno ZKK 602 action. His
of Westley Richards, says Alborough-Tregear. Obviously, the favourite hunting grounds are in the Tuli Block on Botswanas
position comes with enormous responsibility and pressure to eastern border with Zimbabwe and South Africa, where on
maintain and uphold the reputation and standards that have been his last trip he hunted blue wildebeest.
set over the past two centuries. However, I have every confidence
that the future of this great company is a bright one. Knife Winners
We have some tremendously exciting plans in the pipeline,
and I am certain that with such a great team, we will continue to Arnold Stoch, from the Western Cape, and Bobo Molapo,
break new ground, exceed expectations and uphold the Westley from Gauteng, are this months winners, each getting an
Richards legacy of producing the finest guns and rifles that money ultra-light Honey Badger knife.
can buy. Morgan Haselau

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Read more on p54.

Photo courtesy of Truvelo. 64 Trijicon 3-9x40 Scope 9 770256 067003

20 A BOER MAKES A PLAN

24 FEARLESSREVOLVER FOR WOMEN

36 PISTOLS AT DAWN PART 1

40 SHY BUT DEADLY

46 MATCHING KNIVES TO HISTORIC GUNS

50 STALKING BIG IVORY IN KENYA PART 2

54 TRUVELO DOWN TO THE LAST DETAIL

58 SAFARI HUNTING AS A CONSERVATION TOOL PART 2

62 WEIHRAUCH HW100 AIR RIFLE

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Subscribe and Save Win a Bushill

6 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

8 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

SIG Sauers 1911 Max

Something old and something new

10 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

The gaping ICE Magwell

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 11

12 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

Factory Avg. Group Best Group Velocity (fps)

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 13

Die bloedsweet vir buffels in

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June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 15

16 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

18 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 19

How a small-town Free State blacksmith invented a machine gun

20 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 21

22 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

The Nirbheek is Indias

24 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 25

Crooks Corner, and the Limpopo River top right.

Pursued by police in three countries,

and smuggled ivory an interesting episode in

26 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

SHORTLY AFTER THIS, Bvekenyas camp on the Save River

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 27

28 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 29

Nobody knew much

Photo by Daryl Balfour

30 | ManMAGNUM | June 2017

A WEEK LATER, a game guard THE LION HAD travelled just

S CHOICE S CHOICE S CHOICE S CHOIC

June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 31

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June 2017 | ManMAGNUM | 35

A pair of flintlock officers pistols made in duelling style (dual-purpose) in