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HiWalll

Great information you posted.

Can you tell me, does IPSC also have an exemption to use larger than .38 calibres? I believe they were having problems not being an "Olympic" or C/W Games sport.

4seventy

You may be interested in an article in "African Hunter" magazine.

They conducted tests on various pistols and calibres to see which would be the best "stopping" calibre a PH should use.

Interesting they found the .357 Magnum was the ideal calibre.

This is based on their criteria which was maximum penetration. They were not looking for a hunting pistol but one to be used on nasty critters in an emergency which may have to penetrate lots of bone, muscle and tissue. Basically on large game it has to be a brain shot. So penetration was the key requirement. For hunting a 44 Mag would probably be better ie if going for chest shots - with a largerwound channel.

I thought at the time the fact no hunting provision for pistols used by PHs was put into the firearms legislation was idiotic and wrote a submission but you know how far that got. The problem is it isn't a big industry and is probably looked at with some distate by the greenies that infest our government and wildlife "management" departments.

An incident with "Big Five" and I when I hunted with him in South Africa last year. Big Five uses a 9 mm Beretta. I wounded a bushbuck and it managed to get into very thiick bush between the wheat crops (where it had been feeding) and a river. Bushbuck have a fierce reputation for charging when wounded and some people claim they should be no.6 on the Big Five list. Now to enter this thick bush we had to crawl through a tunnel maybe less than 3 feet high and wide for 8 metres or more. No swinging on rifles in that space. If a wounded animal decides to have a go at you there no chance. The trackers eyes were certainly showing their whites and the bushbuck barked at us close by. Except for a pistol and Big Five wisely brought his out - just in case. The animal was finished off with my .375. Its spine had been damaged above the chest but it could still hobble. Yet it moved a good 100 metres away from where it was initially shot.

If farmers in Qld can still get a licence for pistols that's the way to try to get legal access. You will probably be limited to the properties named on the form. You could list the lot of course. Perhaps use something along the lines of a professional roo and pig shooter but add the PH work as well.

PS Sorry mate I missed your second post. The African Hunter article was obviously dealing with game and to and including cape buffalo and elephant. So I guess scrub bulls would be relevant in the range

. I will try to find the article if you want it. Remind if I forget

Tell us about the incident. If you were filming and the scrub bull got close enough for you to feel the need for a pistol it must have got interesting

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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"

Edited by NitroX (07/11/03 11:34 AM)