Dangerous game calibres book?

[palmer_mike]

Any recommendations for a book about calibres suitable for dangerous game and Africa generally?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[VSS]

"The Perfect Shot" by Kevin Robertson?

 

[CarlW]

'Shooting the British Double Rifle', Wright.
'Big game and big game rifles', Taylor.
'Safari Rifles II', Boddington.

 

[palmer_mike]

Thanks guys, guess I should have said it’s the calibres and chamberings I’m particularly interested in (if that makes a difference?)

 

[Frank Homes]

The classic Work is African Rifles and Cartridges by John Taylor, unsurpassed in my opinion, probably consolidated in Big Game and Big Game Rifles by the same author but published later. As Carl says Wright’s book is also very good.

F

 

[bowji john]

The classic Work is African Rifles and Cartridges by John Taylor, unsurpassed in my opinion, probably consolidated in Big Game and Big Game Rifles by the same author but published later. As Carl says Wright’s book is also very good.

F

+1

Well worth the read

 

[palmer_mike]

Thanks everyone,
Some great books for me to read there!

 

[enfieldspares]

Taylor is OK but it stops where it stops. Cartridges of the World is useful and the long out of print 'Elephant'
by Blunt. Also 'With gun, rifle and hound' by Snaffles has cimprehensive listings for the ideal, and the economic gun list for Africa and India at the late blackpowder and early smokeless era. It describes nito cartridges below .450" as 'smallbores'!

 

[Basil H]

"Rifles for Africa" by Gregor Woods (Safari Press) is a more modern way to feed your thoughts and dreams.

 

[JabaliHunter]

In addition to Taylor, I would seek out:
Mike La Grange - Ballistics in Perspective
Pierre van der Walt - African Dangerous Game Cartridges - has some more modern cartridges, but a bit encyclopedic on loads

I would also highly recommend:
Richard Harland - Ndlovu - everything elephant hunting and rifles
Kevin Robertson - Africa's Most Dangeous - everything buffalo hunting and rifles
Woods - Rifles for Africa - as mentioned above, by far the best general rifles book for African hunting
Wright - Shooting the British Double Rifle - 3rd Edition - everything you need on DRs

 

[JabaliHunter]

A couple of others:
George Hoyem - The History and Development of Small Arms Ammunition, Vol. 3: British Sporting Rifle Cartridges
Bill Fleming - British Sporting Rifle Cartridges

 

[JabaliHunter]

Wal Winfer's British Single Shot Rifles series covers the various proprietary cartridges developed by British makers

I'm sure I'll think of more, but all mine are currently in boxes...

 

[Heym SR20]

Boddington’s Safari Rifles

 

[palmer_mike]

Err,
So I’ve just had African rifles and cartridges by John Taylor delivered.
Had a quick flick through and seems quite interesting.

I’m not however very comfortable with his use of the words coon, nigger and half breed In on of the anecdotes I read........

 

[Freeforester]

Happy to offer £5 for the book if you're looking to offload the offensive article, obviously too dangerous to recycle or put to landfill, I promise I'll go through it with my redacting pen before I read it properly

 

[Loki]

Hi

Tony Henley and his 'Round the Campfire..........' and O'connor's 'Hunting Rfles' may also be of interest.........

L

 

[VSS]

Err,
So I’ve just had African rifles and cartridges by John Taylor delivered.
Had a quick flick through and seems quite interesting.

I’m not however very comfortable with his use of the words coon, nigger and half breed In on of the anecdotes I read........

You'd better not read the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn then!

My view is, if it is what was considered acceptable at the time that the book was written then that's OK - it's part of the history. There's nothing worse than an old book that's been "modernised" to make it PC (like taking the golliwog out of the Noddy books, or re-naming Little Black Sambo). However, like you, I would be a bit uncomfortable if I were to find a modern writer using those terms in anything other than a historic context.

 

[CarlW]

You'd better not read the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn then!

My view is, if it is what was considered acceptable at the time that the book was written then that's OK - it's part of the history. There's nothing worse than an old book that's been "modernised" to make it PC (like taking the golliwog out of the Noddy books, or re-naming Little Black Sambo). However, like you, I would be a bit uncomfortable if I were to find a modern writer using those terms in anything other than a historic context.

I agree. I read a lot of Victorian and Edwardian big-game-hunting memoirs and the language jars until you accept that it is 'of its time' amd mentally filter it out.

Equally shocking is the size of the bags (dozens of elephants per day, for the commercial ivory hunters), and, of course, the amount of game that those guys wounded and didn't bother to follow up. One hears many stories of the old boys knocking over elephants with small calibres; but just as many ran off with a limp and a headache...

 

[Frank Homes]

Err,
So I’ve just had African rifles and cartridges by John Taylor delivered.
Had a quick flick through and seems quite interesting.

I’m not however very comfortable with his use of the words coon, nigger and half breed In on of the anecdotes I read........

Taylor was a bit of a one off who eventually got kicked out of Africa. Once you’re done with African Rifles.. you could try a Man Called Lion by Peter Capstick which chronicles Taylor's ‘ interesting’ life.

F

 

[palmer_mike]

Taylor was a bit of a one off who eventually got kicked out of Africa. Once you’re done with African Rifles.. you could try a Man Called Lion by Peter Capstick which chronicles Taylor's ‘ interesting’ life.

F

Will do!