NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40482
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
|
|
OK, many of you may have seen this before, but it is a very good article and I want the link recorded here for others who have not seen it before.
"Guns of the Kenya Settlers"
by Finn Aagard
--------------------
John aka NitroX
 ...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
|
Will
.333 member
Reged: 04/02/03
Posts: 303
Loc: Kansas
|
|
I wish I had the nerve to wear a cool-looking hat like that!
--------------------
_________________________________________________
Bill Stewart
Once you have been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
|
Miller
.275 member
Reged: 01/05/03
Posts: 54
Loc: Sydney, NSW AUS
|
|
John,
Thanks for the link. A geat read, I am alway interested in learning more about the weapons used by people that depended on them for a living.
Also I have lately developed an interest in metric calibers, since in the US, you do not hear to much about them, because of the overwhelming influence of American gunmakers.
The 8X60mm Mauser looks like a caliber worth looking into, I like cartridges that get the job done without a lot of noise and commotion.
Lynn
|
iqbal
resigned as a member
Reged: 05/02/03
Posts: 778
Loc: Karachi,Pakistan
|
|
Another old cartridge extensively used by the tribesmen of the North West Frontier and Baluchistan province around here is the 303 British,in a Lee Enfield rifle.I fired one a few times and was surprised by its power and accuracy.In fact even now some of the Border scouts(militia)are equipped with this rifle and would not exchange it for any other.
|
NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40482
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
|
|
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.
--------------------
John aka NitroX
...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
