Counting down from .600 to .256 - John 'Pondoro' Taylor

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Firing Range > Counting down from .600 to .256 - John 'Pondoro' Taylor

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Remember infrared's threads on Elmer Keith and Charles Askins?

Pondoro Taylor (1904 - 1969) was a contemporary of theirs, and an infamous big game hunter and ivory poacher. He spent over thirty years in the bush, and shot almost every caliber of rifle that was available in Africa at his time, from .600 Nitro Express to 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schönauer, and took meticulous notes on each. In 1948, he published 'African Rifles & Cartridges', which is still considered the greatest book ever written on African hunting by many today.

quote:

My object in writing this book was threefold:

Firstly, to amuse myself during a period of enforced inaction owing to the fact that my rifles, cameras, kit and equipment, and pretty well everything else I possessed in the world, were stolen whilst I was away in the war.;

Secondly, because my good friend Tom Samworth, who publishes it, asked me to; and

Thirdly, in the hope that it may be of assistance to American sportsmen who will be thinking of taking a run out here to Africa for a smack at the big fellows, as they did in days gone by, by describing the most suitable weapons for different types of hunting. It is really lamentable to think of the costly, useless weapons that unscrupulous gunsmiths - or let us give them the benefit of the doubt and say "ignorant" - used to foist onto inexperienced sportsmen coming out to Africa for the first time, in those palmy days between the two World Wars.

# ? Dec 31, 2012 17:16

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# ? May 20, 2013 00:32

Mr.Bob: Oct 22, 2010

Wow, an ivory poacher. I sure am a big fan of ivory poachers.

# ? Dec 31, 2012 18:35

Ninja Rope: Oct 22, 2005; Wee.

6.5mm Mannlicher-Schönauer is 6.5x54? Wikipeda mentions loads for 139, 159, and 160gr, which seems awfully light for African game but apparently was enough to reliably kill elephants and lions. I wouldn't have guessed.

# ? Dec 31, 2012 22:14

gimpsuitjones: Mar 27, 2007; What are you lookin at...

Ninja Rope posted:

6.5mm Mannlicher-Schönauer is 6.5x54? Wikipeda mentions loads for 139, 159, and 160gr, which seems awfully light for African game but apparently was enough to reliably kill elephants and lions. I wouldn't have guessed.

Google W.D.M "Karamojo" Bell

# ? Jan 1, 2013 01:23

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Just for an overview:

quote:

Contents

1. Definitions and Details of Rifles
2. Double vs Magazine
3. The Large Bores
4. The Large Medium Bores
5. The Medium Bores
6. The Small Bores
7. An All-Around Rifle
8. Sights, Sighting and Trajectories
9. Marksmanship in the Bush
10. Bullet Design and Construction
11. The Revolver or Pistol as Auxiliary
12. A Summing Up
13. Miscellaneous Odds and Ends
14. Afterthoughts

Here's some tidbits from chapter 11:

quote:

I used to always carry a revolver in the days when most of my shooting was done with single-loaders, and still do when after lion. (...) But don't weigh yourself down with a great .45 or .44 Special and a belt of shells, which you won't be wanting, when hunting on foot. (...) Besides, I'm not advising anybody to go hunting with a hand gun. A revolver or pistol should be looked upon solely as a stand-by for use in an emergency. Since, if it's wanted at all, the range will probably be a matter of inches, there is no need for a heavy gun.
I used to recommend an automatic pistol of not less power than the long .38 Colt [Super] Auto because of the metal-covered bullets; in those days metal-jacketed slugs were not available for revolvers.

quote:

Self-consciousness is an ingrained trait in the average Britisher. In my humble opinion it's the acme of conceit to imagine that the rest of the world can find nothing more interesting to observe or discuss than you and your doings but there it is. The ordinary Britisher has a positive horror of appearing the least bit "different"; he must conform to his own conventions and ideas of the "fitness of things." And one of these is that it's "not done" for anyone to carry a revolver- folk might think that one was playing at being a cow-puncher! But they turn a condescending, supercilious and slightly-amused eye on Americans who carry them, and wonder if the poor mutts really think they are necessary, or is it just that they like to imagine they are back again in the days of their own wild and wooly West- "when men were men and women durned glad of it!"

That doesn't sound too unfamiliar, does it?

quote:

I was mighty glad I was carrying [a revolver] on two different occasions: once when a leopard sprang on me out of a tree without the slightest warning; and again when a wounded lioness came for me. (...) When she charged I knocked her down [with a single-shot Martini-Henry rifle] but failed to kill her and she was on me before I had completed reloading. But the .455 Webley revolver settled both animals' hash. The leopard had made something of a mess of me- they will use all four feet as well as their teeth, where a lion or tiger will usually only use his paws to hold and then bite- but the lioness didn't even draw blood. The leopard was shot with the muzzle of the revolver actually touching his chest; the lioness had her brains blown out from a range of 2 or 3 inches just as her mouth closed on my knee.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 1, 2013 around 08:10

# ? Jan 1, 2013 07:56

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Back to the beginning:

quote:

My authority to offer advice on such an important subject is based on nearly thirty years of professional elephant hunting. And when I say "thirty years" I mean just that;because I hunt from 11½ to 12 months a year and not merely three or four months at a stretch as is so often the case when a man speaks or writes of "My Twenty-Five Years Big Game Hunting" or something of the sort. During the years I have been hunting I have experimented with practically everything that has appeared on the market from .256 to .600, both inclusive. Some of the calibers I have had two or three times so as to check up on the notes I had made in the past on their behavior.

quote:

However, there are one or two small points connected wth balistics which cannot be entirely ignored, so I have just touched on them as briefly as possible. (...) All nitro powders are affected by tempreature: the higher the tempreature the more violent the combustion, and therefore the higher the pressure generated. This is a point that must not be forgotten or overlooked, especially by Americans who are so keen on hand-loading their shells and boosting the standard velocities of the factory-loaded ammunition. (...) Accordingly, if the delightful little squibs and squirts that produce these terrific speeds show very high pressures in the states, it would be better to leave them back home when coming out here to Africa.

One thing you may have heard about is Taylor Knock-out Factor, which he calculated to get a comparison of "the actual knock-down blow, or punch, inflicted by the bullet on massive, heavy-boned animals such as elephant, rhino and buffalo". It's occasionally misapplied, which is why I quoted him verbatim here. Taylor was very much a proponent of slower, heavier bullets rather than high velocities.

# ? Jan 1, 2013 17:06

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

quote:

I am not really in a position to discuss powders because hand-loading of large bore ammunition is something unknown in British territory. The British, as I have said before, are nowhere near so rifle-minded as the Americans- except in their colonies they get little opportunity to shoot a rifle, other than miniatures. [Rifles with a muzzle energy of less than 1500 ft.lbs.] I doubt if there is a chronograph station the length and breadth of the African continent. It would be extremely unwise, to say the least of it, to hand load nitro-express shells without having each batch tested for pressures and velocities- particularily when they are for use in double rifles. In my case, it would be out of the question, because I am a tent-dweller and have no facilities for setting up a powerful reloading machine.

quote:

I was quite fascinated when I first heard of American hunters nearly all hand-loading their own ammunition, and reckoned that this was a game that would surely suit me- and started studying the advertisements. However, on reading Keith's book [Big Game Rifles and Cartridges] what horse sense I possess rose up and scattered my day-dreams to the four winds with a number nine moccasin! I don't suppose that any man living knows more about rolling his own than Elmer Keith does, or has more experience, yet Keith relates numerous occasions when he had misfires and hangfires with his own shells. Well, a misfire may occasion no more than a disappointment and some profanity when it takes place with non-dangerous game at long range; but it's a very different matter when you are tackling the big fellows that can hit back and they're only maybe a few feet away. Under these conditions a misfire is something you just cannot risk; whilst a hangfire... Well, picture it for yourself: You've just fired one barrel and now find yourself being charged by an elephant or buffalo; your rifle misfires; you dare not wait that five seconds, in case it's a hangfire, to open the breech; you break the breech, take hold of the shell- and then have that 75-100 grains of cordite let go!...

# ? Jan 1, 2013 19:36

nplus1 elephants: Oct 23, 2010; I say it's perfectly heartless your eating muffins at all, under the circumstances

This is all so

I was planning on a trip down to the local used book warehouse, I'll have to keep my eyes open for this.

# ? Jan 2, 2013 04:41

QuarkMartial: Sep 25, 2004; I've seen the future, and it has hooves.

Please keep posting excerpts. I really like the Let's Read threads like this.

# ? Jan 2, 2013 17:28

Cyrano4747: Sep 25, 2006; I am a closet nazi apologist.

I love how this guy read Keith's book and his reaction to reloading was "awwww hell no"

# ? Jan 2, 2013 21:20

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

The book has some photgraphs of living in the bush, as well as some excellent cutaway illustrations of most of the bullets he talks about later on, but unfortunately I don't have a scanner to provide an example.

Here's part of the discription of the photograph of a hunter's tent:

quote:

It will be noticed that there is no thorn fence or zariba around this camp. Actually, it's really totally unnecessary unless you're in a very bad man-eater's area. The ordinary hunting lion won't worry you. He may stroll up to take a look at you but once his curiousity's satisfied he will wander away again. Don't bother your head about him.
It's rather touching to see how, in a man-eater's area, your coons, without saying a word to you and apparently by mutual consent amongst themselves, will light fires all around where you are sleeping and sleep in pairs around those fires. The idea being that if the lion attacks he will grab one of them and not the lordly white man. They are all blessed with the happy philosophy that it will be one of the others that will be the victim- and the chances are, naturally, in favor of it being one of the others. The chances are still more in favor of it not being the white man but there is no guarantee in thses matters. White men have been taken from the centre of their camps, altho sleeping in closed tents.
It's best not to worry about such matters. As I look at it, if your bell rings you go- whether it's lion, elephant, snake, or a stroke of lightning and if it does not, then you won't go. And that's all there is to it.

This is the first time in the book, as you could expect would happen sooner or later from something written at that time, where you get rather bluntly acquainted by the realities of Colonial Africa. There's something to keep in mind, though; Taylor uses "coons" all the time when talking about his porters and staff. But the connotation of that particular word seems to have been (and apparently still is) quite different in Africa than in America:

The Last ‘Coon’ Parade

quote:

Still, the local authorities have attempted to rename the carnival Cape Town Minstrel Festival, due to American tourists’ perception of the term “coon” as offensive, degrading and evoking of racial stereotypes. Some criticism of the carnival comes from the Colored middle class, which fears that the Minstrels’ marches solidify the stereotypes about the group. In a multiethnic and multiracial South Africa, however, the perception of the term “coon” is different and not negative. South Africa’s colored community has defined itself proudly as Coons for 150 years and has no plans to change its interpretation of the word coon to the American one.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 3, 2013 around 03:33

# ? Jan 3, 2013 00:10

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

And a follow-up on hand-loading:

quote:

I reckon that any man who attempted to roll his own nitro express shells for use in powerful double rifles which he intended to take against dangerous game in the Tropics, and didn't know exactly what he was doing and didn't have a pressure barrel at hand and an up-to-date chronograph station within reasonably easy reach, would be qualifying for the bug-house- if not the river Styx.

I distinctly get the impression he really would have loved to do it anyway, if only he could have figured out a way. After experiencing a number of misfires in his early days, he took to ordering his ammunition directly from the factory, in soldered 50 or 100 round cases.

Stupid gun-related poo poo over-heard by the campfire:

quote:

I've seen such incredibly foolish things done in Africa, some of them by men who had been hunting all their lives, that I'm half scared to mention them sometimes for fear of being accused of over-exaggeration. However, I'll risk it here. What would you think of a man who had an old double hammer .577 Black Powder Express chambered for the 3" shell and regulated for 167 grs. of powder and a 610-gr. bullet who used 2" Snider cartridges loaded with 70 grs. of powder and a 480-gr. bullet for lion "because they were cheaper"? And who then couldn't understand why he failed to kill the lion (the barrels would not be grouping within maybe six or eight inches of one another)! And the same man who then used 3" .577 Nitro-Express ammunition in the same rifle for elephant: 100 grs of cordite back of a 750-gr. metal-jacketed bullet showing a velocity of 2050 f.s. for a chamber pressure of 14 tons, whilst his rifle was regulated for a velocity of 1650 f.s. and proved for only 10 tons pressure? And that isn't all! The original strikers had long been broken and this hero calmly use nails from a packing case instead! He told me they sometimes stood up to three or four shots. ...

quote:

Then there was another fella, a man who had spent his whole life in the Bush and done an immense amount of hunting. Somebody told him there was a wounded buffalo not far away, so out he went; his only weapon being an old 10.75mm (.423) Mauser from the muzzle of which he had lopped off an inch or so because it had become bell-shaped, his foresight was only tied on because he hadn't yet had time to solder it, the bore was so badly worn and rusted that he had hammered his bullets square so as to make them touch the bore at least somewhere; his right eye had failed and he had only recently started to learn to shoot off his left shoulder, never previously having bothered to practice; he knew nothing about the buffalo. But the Gods must have taken pity on the old fool- he was getting on for 70- because the buff was dead when he found him.

# ? Jan 3, 2013 00:52

bunnielab: May 19, 2005; Ask me about Herbs

Oh god please just take pictures with your phone of the illustrations and photographs.

I loving love this stuff, keep it up.

# ? Jan 3, 2013 00:55

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Here you go. All the bullet illustrations are on a 1:1 scale. Note the cordite.

# ? Jan 3, 2013 01:24

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

The photographs are hard to make out in the book itself too, unfortunately. Mine is a reprint from 1974, I don't know if older or more recent editions are better.

There are four or five people drawing water from that tree in the center. One standing in front of it to the left, one to the right reaching up to another, and you can see one shadowed at the top, to give you an impression of the size.

# ? Jan 3, 2013 01:40

B4Ctom1: Oct 5, 2003

gimpsuitjones posted:

Google W.D.M "Karamojo" Bell

# ? Jan 3, 2013 01:52

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Taylor's quite opposed to gunsmiths sacrificing bullet weight for higher velocity, but he also has this to add:

quote:

There is a lot of misunderstanding about this question of velocity. Inexperienced men have heard someone saying something about the extraordinary killing effect of high-velocity bullets, or perhaps read something somewhere about it, and instantly jump to the conclusion that they have the secret at last; velocity! velocity! there's your answer! But they entirely overlook the all-important point: if a given bullet with a very high striking-velocity is so much deadlier than an identical bullet with a lower striking-velocity, then what is the "critical" striking-velocity at which this increase in killing power first becomes apparent, and below which it is not seen? That this enhanced killing power is there is indisputable; there is a wealth of evidence in support of it; tho the reason for it is still wrapped in mystery.
It has been observed time and again that when striking-velocity is really high a new factor becomes apparent. These high-velocity bullets seem to possess a peculiar property of "shock" which appears to paralyze the animal's entire nervous system; but to obtain this effect the striking-velocity has to be no less than about 2350 f.s. at the moment of impact. In other words, you require a rifle with a muzzle velocity of no less than 2500 f.s.; what is now referred to as a "Magnum."
It was the .280 Ross, somewhere about 1910 if I remember rightly, which revolutionised or ideas as to the requirements of a sporting rifle, and with which this particular killing property was first noticed. There was a rush to buy a Ross rifle; but men overlooked the fact that the little light 140-gr. expanding bullet would disintegrate all too readily if it happened to hit a bone on all but the smallest of animals, and thereby dissipate the killing power before reaching the vital point. After one or two men were killed by lions which their .280s failed to stop, it was discarded other than for the pot. But it served its purpose in showing us the enormous advantages of high striking-velocity, provided the bullet was heavy enough to hold together.
But I do not think that the reasons for this "pole-axing" effect have ever been explained. Some years ago an intensely interesting discussion, in which I took a small part, ran thru the pages of the British journal, GAME & GUN, and evoked such wide-spread interest that it ran on for a couple of years. It dealt with this question of "Velocity and Killing Power." We even persuaded surgeons and medicos to give us their views, but finished up not much wiser than when we started.

Realizing that people have been literally posting their half-informed theories about things like hydrostatic shock long before the internet was even a glimmer in Al Gore's eye gives me a weird but not unpleasant sense of continuity with the past. Later on, Taylor relates how he had a little back and forth with ~~a troll~~ someone going by the handle of 'Jungli Bains'. I don't know if he signed his ~~posts~~ letters "Pondoro", however.

quote:

It was shown that if an animal was hit by a bullet of sufficient weight and of suitable pattern, so as not to smash up on impact, he was either killed instantly where he stood or, if the bullet struck remote from an immeditately vital spot, he was totally paralyzed and incapable of moving until either finished off with another shot or left to keel over himself, stiff-legged, like a child's toy. (...] But what causes it? What is there in the speed of penetration to cause complete paralysis of the nervous system?(...)
One theory that has been put forward is "that there is a phenomenon of 'shock' differing in its features from any with which we are acquainted. That the passage of a projectile of a given diameter, at a high velocity, thru tissues of high liquid-content, sets up a violent 'wave' (of pressure or oscillation) at right angles to its course and against the inertia of the surrounding tissues. This 'wave' of mechanical shock, transmitted thru and indefinitely far around the tissues about the axis of the bullet's course, directly (and far more extensively than the bullet itself could) affects the functions of all vital structures and elements it reaches- in short, a blow against all the minute cells compirisng living tissues- but, without causing as much visible laceration as certain expanding, or disrupting, bullets of smaller bore and higher velocity are known to." That's the theory offered for examination.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 3, 2013 around 02:49

# ? Jan 3, 2013 02:34

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Just a short update today;

quote:

There are really only two main types of rifle in general use in Africa at the present time: doubles and Mauser-actioned magazines. The old Farquharson falling-block single-loader, that was so popular in days gone by before it was superseded by the Mauser, is rarely seen now. It was a splendid action, one of the very best that has ever been designed; strong, simple, silent and reliable. Its one weak point was the extractor; the design did not lend itself to permit of much leverage being available for primary extraction, and the result was that if the chamber was at all pitted, or if a very high pressure cartridge was used, the fired shell would sometimes stick in the chamber. It was usually the fault of the owner for allowing his chamber to become pitted; but there it was, and I am afraid that there are good many more pitted chambers in Africa than clean ones. At the same time, there can be no doubt that if magazine rifles were barred from sport as, in my humble opinion, they ought to be, the combined brains of the gun trade thruout the world would be brought to bear on this question of primary extraction and some improvement or modification of the existing action would appear which would once and for all render it as sure and as certain as it is on doubles.

Ban all magazine rifles. You don't need rapid-fire bolt actions for hunting.

Basically, as he explains in a different section of the book, he hates it when inexperienced hunters don't make sure of their shot, because they believe the magazine lets them follow up quickly anyway, resulting in a wounded animal that gets away, either to die miserably, or possibly to endanger humans in case of dangerous game. He's had to hunt down a number of those.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 9, 2013 around 13:16

# ? Jan 4, 2013 15:33

Cyrano4747: Sep 25, 2006; I am a closet nazi apologist.

It's easy to write off a guy like that as a cranky fudd who doesn't think people should have more than the minimally required gun, but man it's got to be frustrating as hell to see some of the sort of people who would come out to shoot a buffalo or whatever.

This is just a baseless assumption on my part, but I imagine there must have been a large number of rich guys who had basically never shot in their lives who wanted to take the "big African safari" and go home with a crate full of trophies. The combination of money and ignorance must have made for a 19th/early-mid 20th Century tourist-from-hell scenario.

# ? Jan 4, 2013 15:59

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

I'd say it's more of a sliding scale from never having shot in their live to having the experience to judge a good shot from a bad. As usual, the most careless people will be those who think they already know everything they need to know. But you're right about everything else. African safaris were definitely "a thing to do" when you're rich in the early 20th century.

# ? Jan 4, 2013 17:29

Scratch Monkey: Oct 25, 2010; Proč bychom se netěšili když nám Pán Bůh zdraví dá?

Cyrano4747 posted:

The combination of money and ignorance must have made for a 19th/early-mid 20th Century tourist-from-hell scenario.

Sort of like climbing Everest nowadays

I don't get the idea that he doesn't like magazines rifles. He just doesn't think they're well suited for big game hunting.

# ? Jan 4, 2013 17:46

Icehawk_OS: Aug 2, 2009

What was Pondoro's favored cartridge?

Also, anyone able to steer me to the Charles Askin thread? I found the Elmer Keith one: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3180130 but no dice on my Google-fu for Askins.

*edit* linkage for the Askin thread found in the Keith thread, nice. http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=2787071

Icehawk_OS fucked around with this message at Jan 5, 2013 around 07:45

# ? Jan 4, 2013 19:03

Frozen Horse: Aug 6, 2007; Just a humble wandering street philosopher.

Cyrano4747 posted:

It's easy to write off a guy like that as a cranky fudd who doesn't think people should have more than the minimally required gun, but man it's got to be frustrating as hell to see some of the sort of people who would come out to shoot a buffalo or whatever.

It would be a great job if it weren't for the drat customers.

# ? Jan 4, 2013 21:35

Sperglord Actual: Nov 27, 2011

Cyrano4747 posted:

I imagine there must have been a large number of rich guys who had basically never shot in their lives who wanted to take the "big African safari" and go home with a crate full of trophies.

According to my grandmother, clueless rich Americans would come up to New Brunswick and try to hire her father as a guide for their Canadian trophy trips. I expect the same phenomenon has occurred in many regions.

# ? Jan 4, 2013 21:48

DookieSandwich: Nov 14, 2012

Interesting character, drat shame that his last years were spent in poverty and rejection.

# ? Jan 5, 2013 05:06

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Icehawk_OS posted:

What was Pondoro's favored cartridge?

Also, anyone able to steer me to the Charles Askin thread?

Here's Askins:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=2787071

There is no straight answer on the first question; as a professional hunter, he'd have a battery of rifles in different calibers, depending on which game he was after. He primarly hunted elephant, but there's always the need to bag game for the pot. Occasionally, he'd go after man-eaters too.

Of all the bolt-actions he shot, he liked the .500 Jeffery (aka 12.7x70mm Schuler) the most, though he never owned one himself. His all around favorite was probably the .450/400 Nitro Express. He recommends it, along with the .375 H&H Magnum, as the caliber to get for all-around hunting in Africa.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 5, 2013 around 16:09

# ? Jan 5, 2013 09:06

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Here's quite an interesting outside view on Taylor

This is from 'The Winds of Havoc', the memoir of Portugese hunter and safari organizer Adelino Serras Pires. He was about twelve at the time.

quote:

At that time, the Zambezi Valley was awash with the big five. Lion were considered vermin. There were no hunting regulations, and no licenses were required. In fact, people were paid a small bounty for bringing in the tails of lions, leopards, and elephant, but not of buffalo. Game often attacked tribal livestock and also destroyed the crops of villagers, this being especially true of elephant, the hunting of which was opened in Mozambique in 1937. They were also declared vermin. Some of the old-time ivory hunters were active in the region during my childhood, and it was my strange destiny to meet one of the most notorious before I was much older.

(...)

My education in Rhodesia began in January 1940. This exposure to a classic, British colonial school with its rigid code of school uniform and discipline was directly responsible for my meeting one of the most controversial characters in African hunting literature. I had just returned to Tete at the end of that year for the long Christmas summer holidays and was, in fact, walking past one of the more notorious bars in Tete, the Rapa, showing off in my school blazer and tie when a loud boozed voice called out to me in strangely accented English: "C'm 'ere, lad. Let's 'ave a look at ye!"

The foggy-eyed White man in a crumpled khaki shirt and shorts wore sandals and a grubby calico turban. He was lounging on the veranda of the Rapa Bar, an institution in Tete. The sun was like a freshly stoked furnace that day as this strange individual called me over in what I eventually learned was an Irish brogue.

I stopped, turned, and came over. The man asked how it was that an obviously Portuguese child, dressed in the Sunday-best uniform of a snooty Southern Rhodesian school and who, so he said, spoke almost the King's English, happened to be in a sweltering backwater like Tete, "for the Almoity's sake!"

Enter John "Pondoro" Taylor, son of an Irish surgeon, who had converted to the Islamic faith and who had gone "bush" after years as a professional ivory hunter. He is the subject of the landmark biography by my late friend, Peter Hathaway Capstick, in collaboration with another long-standing friend, hunter, and published author, Brian Marsh, who attended high school with me in Salisbury. Taylor was a well-known sight in Tete, where he would come in with his porters and sell his ivory to the local Indian merchants after lengthy absences spent hunting elephant in all-but-uncharted country. Now, what a convert to Islam was doing, much the worse for wear, in the Rapa Bar, is a matter for conjecture.

I never forgot that meeting. Taylor offered me a lemonade and asked me to sit down. I had, in fact, seen this strange and solitary man on one or two occasions in past years, and I had heard stories about his legendary bar brawls. In fact, one of Tete's two White policemen and a friend of my father, had to smack Taylor over the head with his truncheon one night to prevent him from firing his guns in town and endangering the population. Contrary to the stories about him, Taylor never learned to speak Portuguese. He was a high-born misfit who generally avoided Whites. I think he struck up that conversation with me not only out of curiosity but also, perhaps, out of nostalgia for his own distant youth.

I discovered that this rogue Irishman had known my Uncle Adelino, who had since been transferred to Zambezia Province on the Indian Ocean. In fact, Taylor told me how my uncle had helped him open a small trading store at Benga. It was run for the eccentric Irishman by a Black man, my uncle keeping an eye on things in general during Taylor's very lengthy absences. The opening words in Taylor's Maneaters and Marauders have a special ring for me: "I used to have a small trading store at Benga on the Revugwi not far from its confluence with the Zambezi, and had given the native who ran it for me an interest in the business so as to keep him on his toes."

Taylor asked me if my uncle had ever told me the story of the man-eating lions of Benga. That opened the floodgates of conversation. Taylor was clearly surprised at what I told him of my first hunting experience that tense night overlooking the near-moonless gully. I described the dead lionesses and the cubs which came back to Tete with us on the ferry and of the near-riot among the Nyungwe paddlers who could not fathom this fresh evidence of the mzungu's (white man's) madness in wanting to save the cubs of animals which had been killing their people at random in past months.

I remember sharing with Taylor my story of hearing the lions on Christmas Eve in 1936, and of my father's prediction about my growing up to become a hunter. I recall with equal clarity Taylor's ice-blue, booze-smudged eyes boring into me as he replied, " 'Tis a devil's life, me lad. 'Tis a devil's life."

This must have been shortly before he went off to WW2; he spent so much time in the bush that he only learned about it way after it had already begun.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 5, 2013 around 21:57

# ? Jan 5, 2013 17:06

HuskerDu: Dec 15, 2006; Richard Hell Rules Everything Around Me

Cyrano4747 posted:

It's easy to write off a guy like that as a cranky fudd who doesn't think people should have more than the minimally required gun, but man it's got to be frustrating as hell to see some of the sort of people who would come out to shoot a buffalo or whatever.

This is just a baseless assumption on my part, but I imagine there must have been a large number of rich guys who had basically never shot in their lives who wanted to take the "big African safari" and go home with a crate full of trophies. The combination of money and ignorance must have made for a 19th/early-mid 20th Century tourist-from-hell scenario.

Makes me think of the The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber.

EDIT: beaten badly. I love that short story though.

# ? Jan 5, 2013 20:06

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

I've been meaning to catch up on Hemingway's writings on Africa, so the link to that story was very much appreciated.

# ? Jan 5, 2013 22:11

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Some details about the construction about double rifles, but for the most part nothing you couldn't also learn from wikipedia nowadays.

quote:

The Mauser-pattern bolt-action is the only type of magazine rifle seen nowadays in Africa. The Mannlicher-Schoenauer, with its revolving magazine, was very popular in days gone by because many claimed that reloading was easier and smoother than with the boc magazine of the Mauser and Lee actions; and it is still occasionally seen with the 6.5mm (.256). However, it would seem that its revolving magazine could not be adapted to the larger and very much longer shells of the Magnums and other more powerful introductions. The Mauser is very strong and comparatively cheap, whilst given a high grade weapon it is very reliable. All really powerful magazine rifles are fitted with this action.

quote:

Double vs Magazine

(...)Let me voice an aphorism to start with: The type of weapon you prefer in in which you have most faith, is the best for you. It matters not whether it is a shot gun, hand gun or rifle you are considering for any particular purpose, within reasonable limits you will always perform best with the type of weapon that most appeals to you. That is sound rifleman psychology. But don't forget that just because a certain type of weapon is the best for you, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will therefore as a matter of course be the best for the next fella. And it will be noticed that I have qualified that statement with the words "within reasonable limits." Naturally, you don't need me to point out that just because you are a whale of a 'chuck-hunter with some super hotted-up .22 fitted with a 12-power target scope that you would do equally as well with your pet bull-pup when using it against Africa's lions.

quote:

All in all it can be stated that the average range at which most African shooting takes place will average out betwen 75 and 175 yards, with an occasional shot at 200. Dangerous game are shot at very much closer ranges. (...) I calculate that the average range at which my elephant have been shot would probably work out at somewhere between 12 and 20 paces- frequently very much closer. (...) Get as close as ever you possibly can, and then make dead certain of your shot.

There is one rule that is, or should be, as immutable as the Laws of the Medes and Persians: Never attempt to press trigger against dangerous game until you can clearly see your way to either kill or cripple.

quote:

At ranges under 150 yards a double will shoot as closely as could ever be needed in practical sport; whilst for close range work there is nothing whatever to choose between double or single from the point of view of accuracy.

quote:

Personally, when tackling the big fellow at close quarters in very thick cover, or at night when they are raiding the food crops, I consider balance of far greater importance than accuracy. Any good rifle will have all the accuracy you could possibly require when you are reckoning your range in feet, not yards. Under such conditions I would very much prefer a moderately accurate weapon which was irreproachably balanced to the most accurate rifle that has ever been built, if the latter was not well balanced.

When shooting with a perfectly balanced, perfectly fitting double rifle at close ranges it is not necessary to think about the sights at all; just look as the spot on the animal in which you wish to place your bullet, swing up the rifle, and press the trigger as the butt settles into your shoulder. It's an incalculabe asset when taking quick shots at close quarters. I do not doubt but that one's eyes do actually take note of the sights, but you are not conscious of doing so.

# ? Jan 7, 2013 18:34

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

quote:

With a double the second shot is always there and is absolutely certain. And I think it is this knowledge, this absolute certainty, that is the reason of the double's great popularity amongst big game hunters. It's true, if there's no jam, three or possibly four shots can be fired more rapidly from a magazine than from a double, but if you are within a matter of feet of your quarry it's the second shot that counts.

Then there's the question of silence: one seldom hears this spoken of or mentioned in writing except, of course, by other staunch upholders of the double; but personally I consider it of the very utmost importance. No matter how careful you may be, you cannot avoid the metallic clatter of the bolt when reloading with a magazine rifle. It frequently happens that game stands motionless after the first shot, quite unable to place the danger zone; if you want a second shot you can get it with a double; but the inevitable clatter of a magazine will stampede them before you are ready to fire with that type of weapon.

Also in this connection, you can carry two different types of bullet all ready for instant action with a double rifle, whereas you can never have more than one type ready to fire with any pattern of magazine weapon, hence there is the very real advantage that if necessary you can draw one of those cartridges and substitute another with a different pattern of bullet when close to game without scaring them.

Even the sharp "click" of the ejectors in an ejector double rifle is enough to start the stampede if the elephants are close. Because in very thick cover you must never fire your left barrel until after you have reloaded your right: it must be kept in reserve in case of a sudden and unexpected attack from right beside you on the heels of the shot you may have fired at some other member of the herd.

With every ejector rifle I have ever owned in the past, I have had to remove the ejector springs when tackling elephant in very thick cover, because of this "click" as the breech is broken.

quote:

In America shooting with the single barrel is almost universal, yet it is noteworthy that American sportsmen, when coming out to Africa or Asia usually arm themselves with powerful doubles in addition to their magazines; [Revered W.S.] Rainford used a double .450 Rigby for heavy game; the Roosevelt party had double 500/.450s; [lots and lots of more names and their guns.] Altho these men had probably never used a double rifle before coming out to Africa, they realized that there must be something in it, that the double must have something the magazine hadn't, or why did all these Britishers use them, both professionals and amateurs.

The double possesses another advantage which I have not previously seen in print, altho I consider it of great importance, and that is the rapidity with which it can be gotten ready for action in an unexpected emergency. Its safety slide, of the shot gun pattern, is in exactly the right position on top of the grip for your thumb to come naturally in contact with it.

Let me give you a concrete example or two from my own experience to press home the point:

On one occasion I was trekking thru a patch of thick thorn-bush in which I was unaware that there were any rhino. It was in the days before I had learnt that the hunter must always carry at least a light rifle himself. I had given my rifle, a Manton double .470, to my gun-bearer to carry muzzle-foremost on his shoulder immediately in front of me so that I had only to reach forward my hand if necessary, to grab it off his shoulder, and so that I would know immediately if he dropped out of the march to tie up his sandal or answer a call of nature or anything of the sort. I was not hunting; just passing thru. Suddenly there was a crash and a snort in the bush on my left. It was a rhino, and he was much too close to be pleasant. I grabbed the rifle off the boy's shoulder and snicked forward the safety catch with my right thumb as the barrels dropped into my left hand and the rhino's head broke thru the bush beside me. There was no time to even bring the butt to my shoulder much less in which to aim. From a range of about a foot I fired with the butt on a level with my waist. As I fired I twisted my body slightly, and it was doubtless that slight twist that saved me from being impaled; his horn only missed me by inches. He tossed me over his head; but I guess it was merely the up-throw of his head as he fell, because my first shot had killed him. Naturally, I gave him another when I came down just to make doubly sure; but I don't think it was necessary.

Now I am positively certain I could never have gotten the safety of a Mauser action across from the right to the left side of the bolt in time; further, unless the rifle had been fitted with an abnormally short barrel, it might have been impossible to get the bullet into the rhino at all even supposing I had been able to get a shot off before he got me.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 9, 2013 around 20:59

# ? Jan 9, 2013 12:12

Captain Foo: May 11, 2004; IF U CN RD THS, SCK M FCKNG CCK NTL T SPRTS LL VR R FC

That is one hell of a story about the rhino.

# ? Jan 9, 2013 12:21

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

quote:

Then there was another occasion when I was charged without the slightest warning by a buffalo bull that some coon had wounded the previous day with an old gas-pipe muzzle-loader. I hadn't the remotest idea that there was a wounded buff anywhere in the district and was making my way thru long grass over my head to get to a place where I knew I'd find buffalo. By this time I had learned my lesson and was carrying a rifle myself, a double .450 No.2, my gun-bearer carrying my second rifle. I was carrying it on my right shoulder, butt foremost. Hearing a rush thru the grass, I heaved down on the butt and as the barrels dropped into my left hand, my right thumb again snicked forward the safety just as the buffalo's head appeared on my immediate left. I fired with the butt of the rifle clasped between my right forearm and side, and had to jump aside or the buff's nose would have whipped the legs from under me as he fell and his momentum carried him forward. I am quite convinced that I could not have gotten a Mauser into action in time on that occasion either.

One could continue recounting such incidents for a long time; but I guess the two given are enough to show that the double's advantages are not merely theoretical, but are genuine practical advantages. They show themselves again and very clearly when you are following up a wounded lion. Remember, the advantage is all with him; he is motionless, whilst you are moving; he will choose his spot and will merge into his background so perfectly that you will almost never spot him until he launches himself forward in his charge; his rush will come from close quarters and at an altogether unbelievable speed. But, and this is the point, he will generally loose a savage snarl the instant before he hurls himself forward. It's true that there will be but a split second between the snarl and the rush, but at least it gives you the direction in which to look.

And because of the speed with which the first shot can be fired from the double on account of its perfect balance, you may be able to get a bullet into him while he is still a more or less stationary target. If it knocks him down, even tho it fails to kill, you should be able to finish him then and there with your second barrel. On the other hand, if he is already under way before you fire, you have a much better hope if you are using a double rather than a magazine. Because the whole secret of stopping a charging lion with certainty is to wait until he is close, really close, before firing your first shot; and it stands to reason that you can safely let him come much closer when armed with a double-barreled weapon than you dare with a magazine, because if the shot is no too well-placed you can give him the second barrel, without the slightest difficulty, movement, fumbling, delay, or risk of a jam.

# ? Jan 9, 2013 12:33

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

quote:

Commander Blunt relates a story concerning the well-known amateur hunter, the late Sir Alfred Sharpe. He writes:

"... He had some miraculous escapes, two of which he reckons were due to using a double barrel instead of a magazine rifle. On one occasion he was tackling two elephant in open country without any kind of cover and grass knee-high, when one of the elephant charged him. Having fire his two rounds and accounted for his beast, he was attacked by the other. As the boy carrying his ammunition had bolted, and as there were no trees to climb, he went to ground, lying down and watching the elephant as he came towards him."

Now how could any man, finding himself in a predicament of that description, honestly blame it on his rifle? When all is said and done, the finest double rifle that has ever been built cannot reasonably be expected to fire more than two shots without being reloaded! On a case of that sort I say that if there is any blame floating around it should come home to roost on the sportsman's own shoulders for buckling more than one elephant with a double rifle and not having a single solitary spare round of ammunition on him. Granted that wealthy sportsmen are not accustomed to, and do not care about, carrying any unnecessary weights; but surely two spare shells, or even only one, in the pockets of your shirt cannot be termed an excessively heavy load.

quote:

But altho the double is undoubtedly preferable for dangerous game at close quarters, it must not be imagined that you cannot hunt without even a reasonable degree of safety and satisfaction with a magazine. You certainly can. Some of the most experienced hunters use and prefer magazines, tho admittedly they are in the minority. The usual battery consists of a medium bore magazine for general use, and a large bore double for dangerous game.

I have noticed that many magazine enthusiasts have the notion that the double-barreled man invariably blazes off both barrels into every animal at which he shoots, and that is the idea of having two barrels. Nothing's farther from the truth. It's a fact that nervous men have been known to make a practice of firing both barrels together; but as I have shown, one of the greatest advantages of the double is having that sure second shot in reserve- you cannot have it in reserve if you fire it needlessly.

Taylor occasionally uses some Auctor/Lector interjections; I'm not sure if he uses those terms correctly. The "Auctor" seems to be his editor/publisher posting questions about certain details, unless I'm mistaken.

quote:

Auctor: When you are speaking of the silence in which the non-ejector double could be reloaded, it occurred to me that there was a point there in connection with magazines that you might have mentioned. You might have pointed out that most men using these weapons, and wishing to see the result of their first shot, lower the butt from their shoulder and then reload. The result is that there is an appreciable hiatus between the firing of the first shot and the clatter of the bolt. Whereas, had they instantly whipped back the bolt and slammed it forward again on the heels of the first shot, and without waiting to lower the butt from their shoulder, in very large measure the clatter of the bolt would have merged, as it were, into the disturbance of the first shot whist the animal's ears were still ringing with the report. Well, what do you think of it?

Lector: You've got something there, son. That's sure sound reasoning; but how many men do it? I don't know whether animals' ears ring like ours do when a powerful rifle is discharged in our direction unexpectedly; but I see no very good reason to suppose they don't. Seems to me if men reloaded as rapidly as you suggest with their magazines they would not be so liable to scare the remainder of the herd; but they would need to do a good deal of dry-practicing in camp or there would be a grave risk of giving themselves a jam thru not drawing the bolt back far enough. And I can see many a fella cutting his chin or cheek with the bolt thru not raising his head sufficiently- and I guess that would be the end of his experimenting. Still, there's no doubt you're right; and I dare say there are many magazine enthusiasts who do as you suggest, but I can't say I have ever seen it advised anywhere. Tho I've used many magazines from time to time, most of my shooting has been done with doubles and single-loaders; yet I can recollect shooting four buffalo in rapid succession with a scope-sighted .375 Magnum magazine without shifting the butt from my shoulder. I don't seem to remember that I had any particular difficulty in doing so either. All the same, I don't like recommending anything that might tend to make an excitable man jerking his trigger in his anxiety to get his hand to the bolt lever with the minimum delay.

Incidentally, I just noticed that Taylor's friend and publisher, Tom Samworth, also published Elmer Keith's "Big Game Rifles and Cartridges", which arrived in the mail today.

# ? Jan 9, 2013 13:14

Captain Foo: May 11, 2004; IF U CN RD THS, SCK M FCKNG CCK NTL T SPRTS LL VR R FC

quote:

I don't like recommending anything that might tend to make an excitable man jerking his trigger in his anxiety

TFR disagrees, I think

But seriously, this is some pretty interesting stuff. Taylor comes off as extremely knowledgeable, maybe a bit arrogant. Not really arrogant, just "does not suffer fools?"

# ? Jan 9, 2013 18:17

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

Taylor was a pretty unusual character, even for a white hunter; he loved hunting and guns, and little else. He probably cared a lot more for the Africans than was considered proper for a white man at the time, but in a book written for an American hunting audience in 1948, you obviously only catch glimpses of that. I find it fascinating that he converted to Islam at some point, which he only mentions a single time in passing. It's from the 'Revolver as Auxiliary' chapter I have quoted before:

quote:

Just as this book was about to go to press, I casually mentioned in a letter to my publisher that I had killed a lion a night or two before with my old .455 British Service Webley revolver and metal-jacketed slugs. He insists that I tell the yarn here. So here it is:

I and my good lad Ali were sleeping in the open, just the two of us. Somewhere in the night I woke up convinced that I had smelled a lion. We can hear lions roaring and singing to themselves almost nightly as they drift down to the river for a drink and then wander away again but they did not usually come around where we stayed. It was a stinking hot night, so we had no fire.
There was an old daisy, some kind of half-breed, who had a goat kraal about 50 yards away, and occasionally hyenas would come around trying to get at the goats. But I was certain it was no hyena I had smelled. My only weapon was my old Service revolver, a faithful friend ever since the end of World War I. It spends its life under my pillow. I got hold of this but didn't like to go wandering off leaving my companion fast asleep like that in the open- in case things went wrong. So I put my hand on his shoulder, and, like the well-trained lad he is, he was awake on the instant and not a sound out of him. I told him what was in the wind and suggested he slip into the grass hut until I got back. This was merely a shanty we used when it rained, and for cooking; it had no door. Ali just gave me one look, and then reached down and picked up the fine hunting knife I had given him, and which he keeps like a surgeon's amputating knife, drew it from its sheath, threw down the sheath, and nodded to me to get going. I knew it was useless to protest. We have been comrades in so many escapades over so many years that it was unthinkable for him to remain behind like a woman and let me go looking for a lion with nothing but a hand gun.

So off we went. I had no flashlight but the moon served my purpose. There was an old disused hog pen or sty or whatever you call the thing about 15 feet from the goat kraal and we sneaked up behind this and peeked around it. I was quite right. It was a lion. He was prowling around slowly, looking for a weak spot in the side of the kraal, or possibly hoping that the occupants would make a concerted rush from his smell and break it down- a favorite trick of cattle-killers. I reckoned it would be a good thing to slip inside the old hog pen, which was stoutly built of poles about 4 inches in diameter well-sunk into the ground. It had the remains of a thatched roof. I figured it would at least break the force of the lion's rush if things went wrong. I didn't fancy the notion of going lion-hunting with nothing but a revolver but I figured it would be better to get after him whilst he was occupied with thoughts of goat, than wait for him to come sneaking over our way. Ali and I are both Muhammadans and therefore are not in the habit of messing around with hog pens but under the circumstances did not hesitate to slip into this one. It was well dried-out anyway. The poles were about 2 or 3 inches apart.

I tried to see if I could aim but could not see my sights at all. I then tried to see if I could get anything approaching an aim by looking along the edge of the semi-octagonal barrel but that was no good either. So I decided to take the shot from the level of my hip next time Leo came around. Altho I had practiced shooting a rifle off both shoulders, I had done practically all my revolver shooting in the past with my right hand. But thanks to World War II, there isn't quite so much of that hand now as there used to be, and I find that I can't manage a big gun like the Webley with it. So I was, perforce, compelled to use my left, which was not really such a handicap as it might seem, because I have always been ambidextrous.

In due course the lion appeared from my left, making just about as much noise as a puff of smoke. I waited until he just wasn't opposite, and then let him have it. I had hoped to take him thru the shoulder-blade about halfway between the centre and the withers, where the bone should be getting a mite thinner but as I afterwards discovered the bullet smacked into his spine at the top of the withers- say 3-4 inches or thereabouts higher than I had intended. He dropped instantly and lay flat on his side, his back towards me. I immediately gave him another in thru the top of his head. That one was better, and took him within mebbe an inch of where I had meant it to. On receipt of it he gave a convulsive jerk and kick of the upper hind leg proving conclusively that it was it that had killed him, and not the first one. Whether or not the first would have proved fatal I'm not enough of a medico to say- one doesn't take chances- if wise- with lions that drop instantly on the first shot when placed as that one was. But there was no doubt about the second. I ran out to make sure but there was no need for any more. And I looked up to find Ali beside me, naked knife in hand.

As he mentioned at the beginning of the book, this was after had all his guns and other belongings stolen; presumably, he used the money from this book to set himself up again.

I have no idea about the economic history of the ivory trade in the early and mid-twentieth century, but he kept at it long after the heyday had passed. I get the sense he simply stuck at it so he could keep on hunting and living in the bush, away from modern civilization. Yeah, he was a poacher, and he admits to it; but it seems to have been a case of either poaching, or no longer being able to live like this.

Also, I guess this is as good a point as any to mention that he was allegedly gay. I haven't read the biography that makes this claim, but that would also go a long way to explain why he didn't care very much for proper British society and its conventions.

# ? Jan 10, 2013 01:20

Scratch Monkey: Oct 25, 2010; Proč bychom se netěšili když nám Pán Bůh zdraví dá?

He was also apparently a Muslim convert. That's pretty interesting. I wonder how religious he actually was.

# ? Jan 10, 2013 15:08

Captain Foo: May 11, 2004; IF U CN RD THS, SCK M FCKNG CCK NTL T SPRTS LL VR R FC

Well, he's definitely one hell of a character. Like him or not, he's a very interesting person.

# ? Jan 10, 2013 16:23

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

quote:

The Large Bores

Altho these rifles are defined as calibers ranging from .450 upwards, I always reckon that there should be a sub-division for the .577 and .600 bores, they are so much more powerful than anything else in the group and far too powerful for anything but elephant and possibly rhino. Further, they are really too heavy for the average man to carry around himself, as he would need to do when hunting rhino in thick bush. Consequently, I like to class them by themselves as "Ultra Large Bores" and deal with them separately as second rifles, for that is really what they are, and it is as second rifles that they show their worth. By "second rifle" I mean a weapon that the hunter does not carry himself, but normally only takes over immediately before the shot to get the benefit of the full power when a particular difficult or tricky shot is called for.
For example: suppose a hunter armed with a double .400, .450 or .470, a rifle that is which he can carry easily and yet which has adequate power in case a sudden and unexpected shot is called for, has followed two or three good tuskers into a dense, matted tangle of bush. It's a physical impossibility to maneuver around owing to the density of the bush and the fact that it's practically all of the "hawk's bill" thorn variety. He can only see bits of one of the elephant, but he can hear all three of them. No vital spot is showing into which he can slip a bullet. If the gentle breeze is fitful it may carry the scent of man to the elephant any moment; one step and they've gone and he probably won't see them again that day, if ever. If he waits too long for a better opportunity the light may fail. What's he going to do?
If the rifle in his hands is the only weapon he possesses, he can't do anything except hope. It's of no earthly use blazing off at elephant and trusting to luck if you can't put the bullets in a vital spot. Whoever coined the fatuous expression "fill him full of lead" merely shows his ignorance and utter lack of knowledge and experience of elephant-hunting- You can fill an elephant full of holes as any colander, and still you may lose him; in dense bush you will seldom get more than one shot at the animal, because the instant he moves you lose sight of him. But if our hunter has a .577 or .600 along with him, he can take it over now and, because of the tremendous blow it delivers, can slam a heavy bullet from it into that tusker's head with the certainty that it will stun him for an adequate length of time to enable him to tear his way thru the tangle of bush intervening and still be in plenty of time to give the elephant another shot to finish him before he has recovered consciousness.
A .577 will keep an elephant down for anything up to about twenty minutes; a .600 for close to half an hour. There is no question about this.

I get the image of Taylor carefully waiting next to a few dozen such downed elephants with a stopwatch, for science!

quote:

In days gone by, when these calibers were more widely used than they are today, it not infrequently happened that a careless hunter, having dropped his elephant with a head shot, cut off the tail and sat himself down for a smoke and a rest. After a while, he got up and returned to camp; but when his men went out to cut out the tusks, they found that the elephant had come-to and cleared off minus his tail. I have shot two or three tailless elephants, and have heard of quite a few others. At least one of mine had a .600 bullet in his head.

# ? Jan 12, 2013 20:10

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# ? May 20, 2013 00:32

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

quote:

My .600 weighed 16 pounds and was regulated for 100 grs. of cordite and a 900-gr. bullet. With that load and weight I found it pleasanter to shoot than the 13¼ pounds .577 which was regulated for 100 grs. of cordite and a 750-gr. slug; but it must not be imagined from that that the .577 was anything of a man-killer- it certainly wasn't.
Men who haven't used these big guns get queer notions about them. Admittedly, either of them is quite capable of knocking you for a home run if you were to try standing on one leg when shooting them; but then nearly any gun bigger than a .22 rim-fire would do the same under similar circumstances. I never experienced any unpleasantness or discomfort either at the time of firing or later. The greatest number of shots I can remember firing from either of them "at a sitting" was five from the .600, and these killed five grand tuskers.

quote:

The full-powered .577 Nitro was widely used by professional elephant hunters during the first quarter of the present century. It had made a great name for itself originally as a B.P. Express and, of course, became a vastly more powerful weapon in its new Nitro Express guise. It took the old timers a long while to realize how enormously enhanced was the killing power of the various Expresses with the new loading, not only on account of the higher velocity, but even more so because of the much deeper penetration of the metal-jacketed bullet. Accordingly, since in the days of black powder it had been essential to think in terms of large bores and heavy weapons where elephant hunting was concerned, it seemed but natural to still do so, and provide yourself with the heaviest and most powerful rifle made. And so you will find that, with but a few exceptions, nearly all those hunters, both professional and otherwise, who shot most of their elephant during the first two and a half decades of the present century, had at least one if not two .577s in their battery.

quote:

And now for the main group of large bores.

John Rigby pioneered these back in '98 by introducing the .450 Nitro, which immediately became a stock caliber thruout the British gun trade. To those accustomed to black powder weapons with their lead bullets, it was a revelation. The enormously enhanced penetrative power of the metal-jacketed bullet made it an astounding killer. I have not included these .450s in the ballistic tables because, some years ago, the British prohibited all weapons of .450 caliber both in India and the Sudan. Consequently, these rifles are only built to special order nowadays. However, they can be and still are widely used thruout other parts of Africa, tho naturally they are becoming somewhat elderly now since if a man wants a new gun of that power he buys one of the corresponding bores.

quote:

In those days there was nothing between .450 and .500, nor was there the slightest need or demand for anything. The .500 was never very widely used, and has tended to be somewhat overlooked, because in days gone by it was almost invariably built far heavier than it need have been- somewhere around 12-lbs.; the result was that if a man reckoned he wanted something more powerful than one of the .450s, he usually went the whole hog and got himself a .577 or .600.

Hannibal Rex fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 18:22

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:46

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Firing Range > Counting down from .600 to .256 - John 'Pondoro' Taylor