Man Magnum July/Aug 2024

IN RESPONSE to Questions Unanswered (Trail Talk, May/June 2024 edition) a reader asked why Magnum put so much emphasis on pistol choice, and wanted to know whether a holster (good or bad), will not play a significant part in surviving an attack. During a similar discussion, I was reminded by someone who carries a small .22lr pistol for defence purposes, that the firearm is but a part of the whole, and that they consider the holster to be as important as the firearm. Finding the right holster, which should ensure that your firearm is carried daily, is not always easy. Our discussion soon turned to custom-made options. A good quality, comfortable holster that you can wear all day is a must because being uncomfortable will soon end up with you…

Query on “You’ve Missed!” In the Magnum Hunting and Shooting Guide 2024, Koos Barnard talks of setting up a 10cm target to be shot at 100m from a field position. This is perfectly feasible. He then goes on to state that you should increase the distance to 250m. This results that, in terms of minutes of angle, you reduce the target size from 3.6 minutes to 1.44 minutes and seems to be unrealistic. I therefore presume that as he increases the range, he increases the target size to maintain the same ratio in terms of minute of angle. Please confirm that this is the intention, he implies this when using the full size animal targets, but does not make this clear when using the bull’s eye target. – Steve Berkemeyer,…

RONNIE KAYS, the early Botswana hunter, was 73 when we shared a fire in Maun in 2002. The conversation got around to some of his many narrow escapes when hunting dangerous game. “Ronnie,” I asked, “which member of the big five gave you the most excitement during your hunting career?” “Definitely buffalo. They also gave my clients the best stories to take home.” “Tell me,” I said. “Well, I had one 75-year-old client on safari with his 45-year-old girlfriend. He wasn’t too steady and couldn’t do much walking. He wounded his buffalo, which took off into the mopane belt above the Kwai Lodge. I had a Land Rover that was built up as a hunting car with big wheels and open doors, and the lady was sitting beside me in…

THE Turkish-made Ermox X-Fire striker-fired pistol deviates from the norm, having an all-metal frame rather than one made of polymer. Also, although it can be regarded as another Glock clone, it smacks of other influences too, one of these definitely being the CZ75. The X-Fire model features a 4140 steel slide, space-grade plated aluminium frame, and an all-steel dual recoil spring. Two interesting design features of the Ermox pistol are that it uses Glock magazines (two 15-round mags are provided in the box), and it comes with a Glock compatible barrel. According to the manufacturer, the barrel has a nitride finish and is honed, burnished and plated for accuracy. Another departure from the norm is that the pistol features a full rail system that runs the entire length of the…

MOST of us have heard or read the oft-repeated descriptions of Cape buffalo: “they look at you like you owe them money” (Ruark) and that they have “attitude”, and so on. Perhaps the title of this article should read, “All bovines are tough”. I have been fortunate to take ten in all, if I count two feral water buffalo hunted in Northern Australia. Those two bovines were bigger than any of the Cape buffalo I have been privileged to hunt and they took multiple shots with a .416 calibre rifle to put down. In both cases, however, things terminated fairly quickly and neither attempted a charge. The toughness of the Cape buffalo is legendary, and it is said that more armed hunters have been killed by this animal than by…

THE .22LR, dating back to 1887, has always been very popular. Its low noise and absence of recoil make it ideal for beginners – a mild cartridge makes it easier to teach proper marksmanship techniques. Although .22LR ammunition is by no means cheap in South Africa anymore, it is still far more affordable than any centrefire ammo. Also, not all ranges can accommodate the long distances needed for centrefire rifles. Rimfires are more user-friendly at indoor ranges and their barrels last forever – our current licensing system makes replacing a worn barrel very difficult. In recent years the .22LR’s popularity has risen another notch or two. When I was a kid, we only had ‘Bisley’ target shooting and hunting, but now a variety of .22LR sporting disciplines exist. Silhouette…