Innehållsförteckning för Mar/April 2025 från Man Magnum

I HAVE always been fascinated by short, handy, bolt-action hunting rifles. To me these rifles make much more sense than a long-barrelled piece that snags on every branch when stalking, they are much more comfortable to carry all day as they are lighter, plus they are handier to use. Being well over 6 feet tall, I have it difficult enough winding my way under overhanging branches or through thick bush to have to worry about the rifle getting hung up on brush. Yet, I have never owned a true mini action rifle as the calibres they are made in were too small for my purposes. I resorted to having the barrels of my regular hunting rifles shortened. Mini actions were available locally – the Brno ZKW 465 comes to mind.…

IN DIE skemer het ek iets teen die berghang gewaar. Was dit ʼn bobbejaanmannetjie? Dit het so gelyk, nie een in die fleur van sy lewe nie, maar wat uit die trop gegooi is in ʼn droë jaar, met deurmekaar hare, en die indruk skep dat sy arms te lank is. Wat my bekommer het, is dat kees skynbaar kort op die hakke van twee van ons jagmaats was. Ek het gewonder waar die derde jagter van die groep was, maar uiteindelik kon ek deur die verkyker sien die gehawende figuur is nie ʼn bobbejaan nie, maar wel die derde lid van die geselskap. Ek kon sien aan die drie se stap dat hulle moeg en moedeloos was. Ek het ook oor die radio gehoor dat die drie die kloof…

HuntEx2025, Africa’s premier hunting and shooting exhibition, returns to the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand from April 25 to 28, 2025. As the largest event of its kind on the continent, HuntEx brings together the latest innovations in hunting, sport shooting, tactical and defensive firearms, ammunition, optics, archery, clothing, footwear, accessories, and outdoor gear. This internationally recognized consumer exhibition is a must-visit for hunters, sports shooters, game farm owners, and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. Why You Can’t Miss HuntEx2025 Since its debut in April 2011, HuntEx has evolved into South Africa’s most influential gathering for firearm owners, professional and recreational shooters, and hunters. It serves as the ultimate onestop destination to discover cutting-edge technology, equipment, and products while networking with industry experts and like-minded enthusiasts. Whether you’re passionate about hunting, competitive…

I have long wondered how the popular idiom ‘sitting duck’ came to enter the English language, used metaphorically to describe someone who is acutely vulnerable. The implication is that ducks sitting on water haven’t got a chance. A person who lowers his defences in any way makes himself a ‘sitting duck’ or an ‘easy target’ for those who wish to oppose or defeat him. Whoever originated this idiom had probably never attempted to shoot a duck sitting on water. It’s about the hardest way imaginable to kill one. The accompanying photos show that the most vulnerable body parts of sitting ducks and geese (the vital organs) lie below the surface of the water. Above the water is mostly folded wings, and the tile-like wing feathers form a remarkably effective shield…

Ek het nou die dag ’n groot swartmamba hier by my op die plaas in Namibië raakgeloop. Toe hy behoorlik weg was, het ek die plek waar hy van klip tot klip gelê het gaan meet en by so byna 4.5m uitgekom. Dit is groot in allemanstaal. Ek het al voorheen mambas in die veld raakgeloop, en nie een van daardie voriges was egter so duidelik swart soos hierdie een nie. Ek het na die voorval gaan oplees in Johan Marais se boek oor Suider-Afrikaanse slange om te kyk of my lengteskatting darem naastenby in die kol was, en daar gesien dat die benaming “swartmamba” eintlik niks te doen het met die kleur van die slang nie, maar met die kleur van die binnekant van sy bek; volgens Johan: “die…

Double Terai Hats I refer to Gregor Woods’s piece on Double Terai hats and the Trader Horn movie poster which illustrated it. The reason Gregor has found only one or two references to Double Terai hats in Indian hunting literature is that this was an item of military headgear – not a hunting hat. As I understand it, a Double Terai hat consisted of two ordinary felt bush hats stitched together (and probably starched) to provide stiffness. They were issued to the Gurkha regiments of the old Indian Army and, I believe, are still issued to the Gurkha regiments transferred to the British service. I would expect that they are also still issued to the Gurkha regiments of the modern Indian Army. Certainly, the Gurkha regiments of the Indian Army…

HUNTING season is upon us, the mornings are crisp and the evenings are getting cooler. If you haven’t started your annual hunting preparation yet, do so without further delay. In the 2023 March/April edition of Magnum I wrote an article that covered numerous things hunters need to take into account when preparing for the hunting season. Here are some more tips that you might find useful. Let’s start with your rifle. If you haven’t used it regularly during the off-season, now is the time for a thorough check-up. Any cracks in the stocks or maybe a rusty spot here and there on the steel? Are the guard screws still tight? A while back I had a surprise with my BRNO .22 Hornet. During a plinking session at gongs at 100m…

CANIK launched their Mete MC9 Prime pistol at SHOT Show 2025. The Prime is based on their popular MC9 (micro-compact) pistol, and in short, it has a longer slide and grip, and has a ported barrel. It takes full duty pistol 17-round magazines in the slim, lightweight package. I was lucky to see and handle a prototype of the Prime at their factory in Samsun, northern Turkey, during a factory tour in October last year. Although I could not shoot the pistol, and the development and test team was not overly forthcoming with much detail as the pistol was still officially a secret, I knew immediately that I wanted one. It struck the perfect balance between large capacity and still a decidedly concealable carry gun, that should be very controllable…

THE clatter of hooves on stony ground suddenly alerted the two hunters. Excitedly pointing a finger, the younger rifleman exclaimed, “There they are!” As the small group of kudu slowed to a trot he dropped to his knees and levelled the .303 saying, “Must I shoot?” “Yes! Yes!” urged the older man, “Be quick!” With that, a shot shattered the silence and a kudu bull went down. The young hunter stood up, his grin big enough to shame a Cheshire cat. The older man patted him on the back. His son had just shot his very first kudu. The boy was just eleven years old. When Neil Pretorius told me this story of his first great adventure which took place way back in 1966, I was amazed by the dedication…

FOR three years now, I have bought venison labelled BUSHVELD’S FIN-EST, packed and sold by Shoprite Checkers. I have been pleased with the meat quality – tender, tasty and non-gamy. Initially, if it was springbuck, a stick-on label stated so, but it seems this has ceased. I can’t speak for the mince or wors, but the roasts and chops have all been from smaller antelope, my guess being impala. Usually, the roasts appear to be boud or part thereof, while the chops and stew meats are usually shoulder. This time, however, we saw something different – log-like in shape, and tied around with butcher’s string all the way along. It looked to be rolled sirloin (rugstring with flap of flank attached). The label simply read “Venison roast”. However, on opening…

ONE young hunter at the lodge had brought his girlfriend with him, but I’d noticed that she never accompanied him in the veld. In fact, she never left the building and spent her days reading novels. Her boyfriend, Jason, was a keen hunter and enjoyed discussing hunting with the rest of us around the lapa fire, but Pam never joined in, though she was friendly enough towards us. On the third evening, a hunter named Dirk, who’d been manifesting a somewhat arrogant and opinionated attitude, asked her why she didn’t join Jason in the veld. She smiled but shook her head, “I don’t approve of hunting.” “Then why did you come to a hunting lodge?” frowned Dirk. “Because Jason likes hunting, and I want to be with him.” Sensing that…

THE first ever Paul Kruger Hunting Stake, where the handler and dog teams do their own hunting and shooting, was launched in September 2024 on the Springbok Flats – another first for the Tvl HPR Field Trial Club. While there are similar trials elsewhere, this is the first trial developed by hunters for South African conditions. Owner and dog were judged as a team, and each team was allowed 30 minutes hunting time plus a water retrieve. Two teams worked in pairs as though hunting together, and points were awarded for all positive work such as pointing, backing, retrieving, working rate, gun safety, hunting manners, shooting skill, etc. Points were deducted for all negative acts such as chasing, biting, missing the bird or stealing the bird. The top scoring team…

METHINKS hunting history has been made. In 2023, Frikkie Botha shot a southern greater kudu with normal, matching horns, the longest measuring 71 ⅜ inches. Fred Camphor then owned Zanddrift ranch near Sentrum in the Thabazimbi district, where he allowed limited hunting to control game numbers. He generally cropped younger bulls; he liked to see the older ones growing glorious and spreading their genes. One such kudu bull died of old age; Fred found the horns, the longest one measuring 61¾ inches, and this got him thinking. From time to time, he’d sighted a bull with even bigger horns, also nearing the end of its life, so he asked PH Boetie Kirchner to find a South African hunter who’d really appreciate such a trophy. Boetie immediately thought of Frikkie Botha,…

CAN YOU get a first focal plane scope with an illuminated reticle with .2Mil sub-tensions, magnification of 7–35, 34mm tube, 56mm objective lens, excellent tactical turrets with a great zero stop, superb tracking, and decent Japanese ED glass for under R15 000? DNT Optics (DNT stands for Day Night Technologies) based in the US, claims their Chinese scope, with illuminated TOR reticle, specifically designed for this scope, delivers all of the above for R14 900. The first impression is that it’s a big scope; it measures 406mm and weighs 1.19kg. That’s without the sunshade, which is 73mm long (a rubber scope cover is also included in the box). Immediately noticeable are the large, clearly marked turrets and closer inspection reveals an ingenious and very easy to use zero stop. This…

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