NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 06/07/03 09:31 PM |
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Re: Guns of the Kenyan Settlers
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My guess is the .303 has probably taken a wider variety and number of game than any other cartridge. Though one has to admit it is a pretty ordinary designed round for a bolt action.
The low cost of surplus military would have been the main cause of its popularity. The large capacity magazine has to be an asset.
The article doesn't mention it but I wonder how many farm houses also had a .450 Martini behind the back door.
The Mannlicher-Schoenauer I would have thought would have been a higher priced rifle for the day but from accounts was very popular. Those long 6.5 mm bullets seem to fit the African style of hunting.
The conclusion seems to sum it up:
In reply to:
one inescapable fact emerges. Within reasonable limits, the choice of cartridge is not all that important. Whether a gnu is thumped with a 6.5 mm, a 7 mm mag, an 8x60 mm or a .375 H&H seldom makes any noticeable difference. It will run about as far when shot through the lungs with one as with any of the others.
Even today, as it always has been and ever will be, it is not the rifle or its cartridge that matters so much, but rather the skill and knowledge of the hunter who is using it.
PS Mean looking lion dog in the photo. Very cool hat too I agree.