Man Magnum Nov/Dec 2022

AS WITH food, art and much else, when it comes to firearms, there is just no accounting for taste. Much can depend on the influence of parents, mentors and friends, or books and articles on the subject, or it can simply come down to personal preference. I grew up in Natal, historically a British colony, and during the 1950s it remained very English, so I cut my teeth on classic British side-by-side shotguns. Since then, I have never been able to get excited about over-under designs. The sporting rifles we encountered were pre-WWII bolt-actions by Jeffery, Cogswell & Harrison, Westley Richards and the like, also British double rifles. Similarly popular were Oberndorf Mausers, on which the British designs were based. To me, these classics have the look of African rifles.…

Schütze Products Test Report The Test Report on Schütze Firearm Care Cleaning Products in the September/October edition of Magnum refers. Regarding Mr Hayes’ gripe with the acronyms for the different Schütze products, every single person using or selling Schütze has had the same complaint. So he is in good company! – Oelof Maree, Omchem, Free State Magnum Tactical Guide I have recently seen your Facebook posts for the Magnum Tactical Guide but have been unable to find a copy in my local shops. Please advise where I can try for one in my area. – J Smith, Western Cape Magnum replies: The Tactical Guide is no longer on sale in the shops as our new Magnum Knife & Hunting Guide has been released and is now on sale in its…

I WAS a guest at the campfire of professional hunter Dave Lincoln in Botswana, when he produced an unlabelled jar of evil-looking gunge which he proceeded to add to the potjie. “Grief, Dave, what’s that stuff?” I asked. “Taste it,” he said, offering me some in a teaspoon. Taking it on my tongue, I savoured it. “Whoa! Sharp!” I exclaimed, adding, “But good! That’s powerful chilli. Though that isn’t normal brine, is it?” Grinning, Dave offered me the jar. “Try a sip of the brine.” “Nooo thank you, I’ve seen what that can do – real Johnny Cash stuff.” “What do you mean?” asked Dave. “Oh, just something that happened on my first mountain zebra hunt in the Namib Desert with two German friends. It was a very hard hunt…

IN THE previous edition I wrote about the Turkish-made Canik SFx Rival, and although a competition pistol, I found it good enough to consider as a defence handgun. Of course the Rival is not ideal for this role but the new Canik Mete SFT, basically a Rival in the form of a full size duty pistol, certainly fits the bill. Just like the Rival, the new Mete SFT has certain improvements that sets it apart from most mainstream pistols – most notably for me was the subtly redesigned beaver tail which allows for about the most comfortable (old school CZ75-style) grip of any pistol currently available, and of course the superb striker -fired trigger which can compete with single-action models. Canik states that their changes include an integrally flared mag-well…

I HAVE often been asked why I choose a .375H&H to hunt blue wildebeest, the insinuation being that a lesser calibre would be quite adequate and that I am over-gunned for my quarry. My usual reply is: “Because I don’t have anything bigger.” Truth be told, we all know there is no substitute for good shot placement, and in most cases a bigger bullet diameter will not make up for seriously bad bullet placement. However, I must confess that I do have a fondness for the bigger bores and would rather be over-gunned than under-gunned. It gives me a sense of confidence, and confidence in one’s rifle and cartridge is all important in hunting. I have always been an avid hunter of wildebeest; drawn to the challenge they offer, I…

‘The game scout was in a bad way, he had a horn through the side of his stomach, a horn through the top of his right shoulder, and the entire back of his thigh muscle had been ripped off right up to his buttocks… it looked bloody ugly.’ PH Craig Robinson in conversation with the writer about game scout Hungwe’s goring by a buffalo in the Gonarezhou National Park. Throughout my lengthy bush career, it never ceased to amaze me how much physical punishment, by way of serious injuries, remote dwelling tribal Africans are able to absorb, and in many cases miraculously survive. There are numerous accounts of game scouts and trackers (while not excluding tribal poachers) being mauled, stomped, and gored to within an inch of their lives, and…