Indholdsfortegnelse for Sept/Oct 2023 i Man Magnum

LANGUAGES change and develop as man improves upon his various inventions, including firearms. This can become a problem in publishing, especially since most firearm literature entering Southern Africa in recent decades has been American. Formerly we locals followed British terminology. It becomes necessary to settle on fixed terms for various items so that the subjects under discussion are always clear to our readers. This can be tricky, as so many terms have been incorrectly used for so long that they have become part of the lingua franca (I doubt we will ever persuade newspapers or movie makers that the items loaded into breech-loading weapons are not ‘bullets’ but cartridges). I’ll confine this discussion to the terms applied to the various types of firearm. The one generic term that can be…

HUNTERS, fishermen and campers need vacuum thermos flasks that are unbreakable. Those with glass interiors break on falling, and in my youth I went through many. Fifty years ago, an American introduced me to Stanley stainless steel flasks; I bought two, which have endured extremely rough use on more hunting, camping and other trips than most people are likely to undertake in a lifetime. Those same two flasks remain in regular service as I write this, half a century later. The ‘lifetime warrantee’ that comes with a Stanley flask means exactly that. I recently received two Stanley Classic Bottles and a Stanley Trigger-Action Travel Mug for evaluation. These bottles are their stock-in-trade products – see also page 63 of Magnum’s May/June edition for their limited ‘retro’ edition. Incidentally, Americans call…

A GOOD hand held flashlight and/or a weapon-mounted light is mandatory for low-light defence shooting. You simply cannot press the trigger without first identifying the threat. Two of the greatest advancements in weapon-mounted lights are the light emitting diode (LED) and the rechargeable Li-Ion battery which affords a greater power source. This translates to impressive illumination, reduced weight and improved running time, all in a compact size. A weapon-mounted light is a good choice for defence shooting as it enables the shooter to have both hands on the gun, which translates to better recoil control, hence faster, more accurate shooting and better weapon retention. One of the better offerings on the market is the Olight PL-Mini 2 Valkyrie, which is a typical example of this innovation, offering a blinding 600…

THIS article is aimed at the novice wingshooter; it attempts to answer the fundamental questions generally asked by prospective shotgun buyers. As such (and given magazine space limitations) it will, of necessity, be superficial, and broad generalizations are unavoidable. I will focus on game guns – some points may not apply to guns intended for clay target competition. I will exclude pump-action and semi-auto designs which are not welcome at gamebird shoots given that fellow shooters cannot readily observe these to be unloaded, whereas a break-open gun held or carried open, renders this immediately obvious. If means are severely limited, there is no reason why a beginner should not start with a single-barrel shotgun. It is good in the sense that you learn to get it right with the first…

In 1916, James Cole Rous received an invitation to attend a hunt in a state-owned area of the Lydenburg district of what is now Mpumalanga. Rous was not a keen hunter and his only rifle was a .22 Savage Hi-Power. He accepted the invitation largely for the fun of a wilderness adventure, and it was exactly that – there were no roads in the area; transport was by ox-wagon and mulecart, and it took ten days to get there. He cheerfully accepted the extreme discomfort, fighting off the cold at night by stacking beer bottles filled with hot water against his body! It was a ‘driven hunt’ – several hundred local tribesmen were employed to form a long line, clacking sticks together to drive the game towards ten strategically positioned…

We have received a number of queries about our print subscription renewals. Subscriptions are now handled by On the Dot. In the month before a subscription is due to lapse, On the Dot (OTD) will email and/or try to phone a subscriber at least five times in an effort to process the renewal of the subscription. A further two attempts are made just after the subscription lapses. Please bear in mind that these phone calls are coming from a call centre agent so the number that appears on your phone is going to show as “Unknown Number”. Should you wish to make a note of the numbers being used to contact subscribers they are: 0100-650-990 and 011-713-9130. Email addresses and cellphone numbers used for the renewals are extracted from the…

WITH the Rugby World Cup being decided during the next two months there is no better way for firearm enthusiasts to enjoy the sport than becoming proud owners of a ‘green and gold’ pistol. Canik SA decided to celebrate local rugby by embarking on an ambitious project to deliver specifically 1889 optics-ready pistols to collectors and enthusiasts. Canik SA states that from its initial conception it took a year to witness the precision production of the pistols at the Canik factory in Samsun, Turkey. Rugby originated in 1823 in England and captured the hearts of many. South Africa, a nation united by this sport, embraced it in the later 19th century, culminating in their inaugural inter-provincial championship in 1889. The number of Rugby SFT pistols mirrors this historical moment. The…

THE Defender CCW (designed for concealed carry weapons) is Vortex’s latest micro sight which allows maximum concealment while still delivering enough functionality to be considered a serious option on an every-day carry pistol. The sight weighs only 26.9 grams and is 40.4mm long, 26mm high, and 28mm wide and uses the Shield RMS/RMSc mounting footprint. It has a large, hard-coated aspherical lens without magnification which delivers a distortion-free sight picture. The dot is motion activated and shuts off after 14 hours if not used. A polymer insert is used in the design to help absorb shock to the 7075 aluminium body. The test model has a 6MOA dot but a 3MOA option is also available. I thought that the 6MOA dot would be too big for precision shooting but was…

I MET Alistair Hull in the BSAP (Rhodesian police) in the late 1960/70s. In 1975, he transferred to National Parks & Wildlife, dedicating his life to preserving wild places and animals in what later became Zimbabwe. Al has been a licensed PH and guide for over 40 years, during which he has served in military actions, professional hunting and tourism. He lives in the Chisipite Hills north of Harare. My late uncle, an ex-Native Commissioner, was a close neighbour. Al kept copies of his official reports; this story is based on those and on our correspondence. Elephants can be docile, though occasionally have a bad tooth day. They are accustomed to deference from all, but there are times when man irritates them and they feel inclined to swat such pests.…

Win one of three fantastic prizes from Stanley!! We have a Trigger-Action Travel Mug in blaze orange; a Classic Bottle in Bottomland Mossy Oak Camo; and a Classic Bottle in Country DNA Mossy Oak Camo. Trigger-Action Travel Mug This 470ml travel mug in blaze orange will not only stand out but will also keep your coffee hot for hours. Weighing just 360 grams this innovative mug has double-wall vacuum insulation, a trigger-action, push button and easy-clean lid, is leak proof, dishwasher safe and is car cup compatible. Rated for 7 Hours Hot, 10 Hours Cold, and 30 Hours Iced. Classic Bottles Stanley have collaborated with Mossy Oak®, to bring you this timeless, tough-as-nails bottle for your next hunting, fishing or camping trip. These legendary 1 litre bottles come with double-wall…

FOR precision shooting, nothing beats a stable and comfortable shooting bench. To zero a rifle properly, such is important because you are not testing your own shooting ability, but the scope’s setting, relative to the intrinsic accuracy of the rifle and/or loads. Although many game farms provide proper shooting benches, too many venues expect visiting hunters to shoot over a bakkie bonnet or shooting sticks to verify the scope’s zero. In addition to a suitable shooting rest, I have learned to take along my own targets and target stands, as you never know what you will find on some farms. A lightweight, portable shooting chair makes a lot of sense, and can also serve for voorsit shooting of driven game. I recently tested such a chair made by Hannes Nell…

My polymer frame handgun has a fairly slippery/smooth grip. Other shooters have suggested that stippling be applied to enhance the grip. I looked it up on the internet and saw that some shooters are doing it themselves. Is it safe to do this? – Pieter Erwee, Gauteng Stippling on a handgun is the process of melting tiny holes into the polymer frame. This creates a rough texture and allows for a better grip. Stippling is found more commonly on competition handguns but a rough grip surface on a handgun intended for defence purposes has distinct advantages as cold, wet hands, oily hands (you might be working on your car when attacked), or a bloody hand (you might get injured during a fight), will severely limit your ability to grip your…

Vermont Sales, who import TorkCraft products, have brought in an updated model of the PF220 TorkCraft 600m laser rangefinder as tested by Magnum in the May 2021 edition. The updated model has a fresh new look with a slope feature. The unit has a magnification of 6x and a field of view of 7 degrees – it was previously 6 degrees. The objective lens diameter remains at 22mm, eyepiece diameter at 16mm and exit pupil diameter at 3.7mm. There is now a magnetic strip on the side for better support stability and a target lock eliminates interference and locks target ranging. Other features include a built-in lithium rechargeable battery, LCD display, eyepiece adjustment, and trajectory compensation which calculates (±20 degrees) between distance and vertical angle. The small size and light…

Bennie has lived in Pretoria, Gauteng, since 1989. His favourite hunting areas are the bushveld and the Eastern Cape mountains because he finds it a challenge to hunt on foot (walk-and-stalk) in these areas. He also enjoys hunting in places where you can do basic long-distance shooting out to 300m. He shot his first springbuck ram in the south of Namibia at 10 years old and says, “My grandfather and father taught me how to shoot and hunt and they gave me my .243 WM Lyttelton RSA rifle with which I shot my first springbuck.” Bennie is a biltong hunter and enjoys using his .338 WM and .243 WM calibre rifles, the latter being the same one he was given as a child. He also loves to shoot with his…