Indholdsfortegnelse for July/Aug 2025 i Man Magnum

CANIK is a well-established firearms brand with a reputation for offering value for money. All their pistols come in a quality case with backstraps, a holster and tools. In most instances you just need ammo to be able to head out to the range. For more on the company and its products see the articles Turkey Firearms Revelation (January/February 2025 edition of Magnum), and Canik Tour (March/April 2025 edition). Canik’s latest addition to the local market is the Mete MC9 Prime, chambered in 9mmP, which was launched in June 2025. This pistol is the flagship of the popular MC9 series. The original MC9 was their first micro-compact pistol, which evolved to the L and LS models, and now the Prime. As the MC9 was tested in the November/December 2023 edition,…

WITH today’s high cost of hunting, it is vital to get as much venison from our quarry as we can. Bloodshot meat is not fit for human consumption. There are, however, ways to avoid or minimise it. The main causes of meat bruising are: high impact velocity, overly rapid bullet expansion/disintegration, and ‘secondary missiles’ (fragments of bullet and bone propelled in all directions). A bullet in motion carries kinetic energy which empowers it to do work. Firstly, kinetic energy drives the bullet forward through the animal’s flesh and bone, crushing a ‘tunnel’ through it of roughly ‘calibre’ size (i.e. the expanded bullet diameter, which varies as the bullet progresses and slows through the tissue). This wound channel is known as ‘permanent cavitation’ because the hole it makes is permanent. Secondly,…

THE T1x MTR (multi-task rimfire) with its black synthetic stock was introduced in 2018. This was followed by the UPR with an adjustable fibreglass stock, and later the Hunter, with a wooden stock. Earlier this year the T1x ACE was launched with a Tikka chassis. We’ll look at the chassis of the ACE rifles in a later edition. For this article I’m concentrating on the barrelled action with conventional stocks. Rimfire rifles have never been more popular with PRS and NRL22 type competitions growing in leaps and bounds. Some of these matches are shot out to 100m but there are many where the little .22 is stretched (with success) to 300 and 400m. This means that manufacturers like Sako, Tikka, CZ, Savage, and Bergara, now cater for the renewed interest…

Correction: 7.62x39mm vs 7.62x54R I recently read the article SDM AK47S: A Viable Sport Shooting Option in the May/June 2025 issue and really enjoyed it — the detailed look at the SDM rifles was informative and well presented. As someone who genuinely enjoys your magazine and looks forward to each issue, I wanted to point out a small historical inaccuracy that may have slipped through. The article refers to the 7.62x39mm cartridge as a “derivative of the rimmed 7.62x54R Mosin Nagant,” and suggests the rimmed cartridge “was originally designed for the SKS rifle.” From what I understand: • The 7.62x39mm was developed in the 1940s as a new, rim-less intermediate cartridge, intended for platforms like the SKS, AK-47, and RPD. • The 7.62x54R is a much older rimmed cartridge, introduced…

I WAS standing on one of the high river-banks overlooking the Nzhelele River, and as I peered through my scope, I saw a beautiful kudu bull that had just stepped into the dry riverbed. By this time of year, the river had almost completely dried up; only a few pools of water remained. On the whole, the area was very dry, resulting in a dense concentration of wildlife along the river where there was still some water and greenery available for foraging. The bull moved slowly across the riverbed while I tried to gauge the distance. So far, he was unaware of our presence, but something made him stop. He immediately looked up and stared intently in our direction. We dared not move a muscle. I had my crosshairs settled…

I WAS enjoying one of my favourite shoots of my shooting calendar. The well-known professional hunter and author, Leslie van der Merwe, organises an annual guineafowl hunt on a farm just outside Bela-Bela (Warmbaths). The farm comprises a combination of natural bush and cultivated fields which attract guineas in record numbers. Early in the morning, Leslie drove into the harvested fields where a large flock of guineafowl had congregated, and flushed the birds into the natural bush area that borders the fields. The plan was to ambush the dispersed birds. The guns were divided into two teams, one of which would enter the natural bush area to walk abreast and shoot any of the birds that flushed; the second team took up an ambush position on a farm track at…

DIE vallei tussen die groot berg aan die suidekant en die laer rante aan die ooste-en westekant, waarin ’n plattelandse dorpie sou kon nestel, was gebaai in die vroeë oggendson. Afloop reënwater uit die berg het oor millenia ’n delta van verskeie beboste lopies gevorm wat verder af in groter spoelslote ineengevloei het om water uit die kom te dreineer. Hierdie vallei was ook die tuiste van ’n rooiboktroppie wat in die digte bos aan die voet van die groot berg oornag het. Die afgelope paar jaar was ek gelukkig genoeg om ’n aantal mooi ramme en ooie uit dié omgewing huis toe te vat. Ek en my jagmaat Andries was terug op Andries Troskie se plaas Jaskraal in die distrik van Somerset-Oos, met die vooruitsig om ’n paar aangename…

MY GRANDSON waited until I was seated comfortably at the fire and had started sipping my beer before he asked, “Will you let me fire your rifle tomorrow, Grandpa?” “Sure Jimmy. What do you want to shoot at?” “Anything… maybe that big ant-heap we saw across the river?” “No, Sonny Jim, not that.” “Why not, Grandpa? It’s just sand. It would only kill a few ants living in it.” “Well, I can see you need another lesson.” “What lesson?” “Okay, firstly, learn to get the names right. That’s not an ant-heap, it’s a termite mound. Termites are not ants; they’re part of the cockroach family. There is no such thing as an ant-heap. Ants don’t build ant-heaps.” “But… but my teacher said ant-heaps are where flying ants come from.” “That’s…

THE renowned gun-making company John Rigby & Co. was founded in Dublin, Ireland by 1775. In 1858, John Rigby’s grandson, also John, took over from his father, William Rigby, and in 1865 he opened a branch at 72 St James’s Street in West End, London. Business was conducted in both cities until the Dublin office was closed in February 1897. In 1912, the London office was moved to 43 Sackville Street. Like his grandfather, John Rigby was a top target shooter. He developed the .451 muzzle-loader Rigby Target rifle which soon became the match rifle of choice throughout Britain. John won several Wimbledon Cups and was the Irish shooting champion on three occasions. In 1874, when the Irish shooting team toured America, a Rigby Target rifle was presented to Col…

THESE days, people always seem to be in a rush doing everything, especially a one-day hunt. Hunters usually leave home in the early hours of the morning and head for a destination many miles away. On reaching the venue, they’ll have a rushed cup of coffee with the landowner before heading into the veld. The day-long hunt usually ends with a festive evening braai that can go on until fairly late. Then, after hand shaking farewells, the weary hunters face a long trip home in the dark – a tiresome journey they rush to get over. This is very dangerous. It’s something I often did in my carefree youth, driving home barely able to keep my eyes open while a friend snoozed in the seat beside me. With no one…

IN ANCIENT Rome, a Centurion was chief over 100 soldiers, roughly the rank of a Captain today. While the .270 Winchester does not have a military service record like that of its parent cartridge, the .30-06, the honorary rank is well deserved, and definitely sounds better than the .270 Centenarian. When a rifle cartridge reaches the century mark (see the article in the May/June 2025 edition of Magnum) and remains in use in the hunting field almost worldwide, this is a definite indication of practical effectiveness. While debates rage over which modern cart-ridge is most efficient, with many shooters poring over trajectory tables and studying technological advances, the .270 Winchester soldiers on, reliably killing game and filling freezers every season. It comes as a shock for some to learn that,…

THE 13th HuntEx exhibition was held from 25 to 28 April at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. The event was hugely successful attracting 36 388 visitors over the four days. Those who attended were able to explore the offerings of 405 exhibitors that were spread across four halls covering a total of 22 000m². The product range was diverse – from firearms to spices – along with optics, knives, clothing, leather goods, vehicles, hunting destinations, tactical equipment, ammunition, reloading supplies, outdoor gear, wildlife art, fishing destinations, and more. While the majority of exhibitors were based in South Africa, there was also strong international participation with exhibitors from China, Türkiye, the United States, Germany, and Pakistan. Initial feedback from exhibitors has been very positive. Many reported record sales that exceeded…

Johannes grew up in the Eastern Cape and this is where he started hunting as a young boy. He often hunts in the Jansenville area in the Eastern Cape where he has friends with farms. This is where he hunted twice, earlier this year, for two kudu bulls. “The Eastern Cape in general is a very special place to hunt as you have thick bush areas and then plains areas as well – and there are so many different game species to hunt.” From about 6 years old, Johannes accompanied his father on hunts and he was the one who taught Johannes to hunt – he shot his first antelope, a duiker, at the age of eight. On average Johannes manages to hunt two or three times per year. His…