Innholdsfortegnelse for Nov/Dec 2022 i Man Magnum

IN THE previous edition I wrote about the Turkish-made Canik SFx Rival, and although a competition pistol, I found it good enough to consider as a defence handgun. Of course the Rival is not ideal for this role but the new Canik Mete SFT, basically a Rival in the form of a full size duty pistol, certainly fits the bill. Just like the Rival, the new Mete SFT has certain improvements that sets it apart from most mainstream pistols – most notably for me was the subtly redesigned beaver tail which allows for about the most comfortable (old school CZ75-style) grip of any pistol currently available, and of course the superb striker -fired trigger which can compete with single-action models. Canik states that their changes include an integrally flared mag-well…

LOVEX single- and double-based propellants are produced by Explosia in the Czech Republic and have been locally available for some time now. The single-based powders comprise nitrocellulose (90% – 98%) with additives such as stabilisers, surface treatment agents, flame reducing agents, etc. which determine their combustion characteristics. Most are surface-coated to achieve the progressiveness of burning. The Lovex single-base powders are: shotgun: S015, S030, S035; handgun: S011, S020; rifle: S040, S053, S060, S062, S065, S070 and S071. The double-based powders, in addition to nitrocellulose, include nitro-glycerine (8% – 23%) for increased energy per unit weight, plus the usual stabilisers. Lovex double-base powders are: shotgun: D013; handgun: D032, D036, D037.1, D037.2; rifle: D060, D063, D073.4, D073.5, D073.6 and D100. For my tests, I concentrated on Lovex’s handgun powders: D032, a fast…

THE definitive Battle of Blood River, fought between Boers and Zulu, shaped the colonization and political future of Southern Africa for more than a century. Much has changed since that century; perhaps it’s time for a review. The Great Trek, undertaken by Boers from the Cape Colony, began in 1836. Intent on removing themselves from British domination with its dispossessing new laws, parties of Boers in wagons trekked out to seek new lands. When some of these parties, especially those led by Retief, Potgieter and Maritz, reached Natal, they were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful piece of country with only a handful of British settlers at Port Natal. However, the Voortrekkers were less pleased to encounter a nation of Zulus occupying the very land they coveted. Their diplomatic efforts…

• Magnum is offering FREE Advertising to landowners who have hunting for sale to South Africans• Adverts will be published in the January/February 2023 and the March/April 2023 editions of Magnum and online at www.manmagnum.com• Adverts must not exceed 30 words• Include name of district and details of species available• Be sure to include game prices• Adverts cannot be booked by telephone• Submit by 15 December 2022 for the Jan/Feb ‘23 edition and by 1 February 2023 for the Mar/Apr ‘23 edition Just type your advert in an email or, complete the form, one word per block, then scan and email it to us. Email your advert to: huntopps@manmagnum.co.za Please submit your advert by 15 December 2022…

PHILLIP HAYES – Laser Bore Sighter When testing scopes I have to mount them on one of my rifles, mostly my Sabatti Tactical in .308Win. This means that I’m bore sighting fairly often. Getting this done should be a lot easier and faster with the G-Sight Laser Bore Sighter (laser cartridge). Machined from durable brass, the calibre-specific cartridge chambers directly into the firearm. The self-contained bore sighting system emits a powerful constant red laser, aligned with the bore axis for sighting the point of aim with ease. It is twist cap activated and you can sight in magnified, non-magnified, and iron sights quickly without firing a shot. Available online for R819. ROBIN BARKES – Cartridges of the World Many years ago a friend gave me a copy of Cartridges of…

GOING camping this holiday? Here are some creative ideas to consider for a ‘fun’ trip. (Original has been shortened.) New Camping Gear By Bruce Truter February 1995 I have been a camper for as long as I can remember. I used to go camping every school holiday. For the first week back at school after a camping holiday, masters were forever sending me to the principal’s office in the mistaken belief that they could smell smoke on my breath. It wasn’t just on my breath, it was all over me. Over the years I have become so impregnated with camp-fire smoke, that if I walk into a building where the smoke detectors have been set a mite too finely, I set off the fire-alarms and activate the sprinkler system. Because…

Schütze Products Test Report The Test Report on Schütze Firearm Care Cleaning Products in the September/October edition of Magnum refers. Regarding Mr Hayes’ gripe with the acronyms for the different Schütze products, every single person using or selling Schütze has had the same complaint. So he is in good company! – Oelof Maree, Omchem, Free State Magnum Tactical Guide I have recently seen your Facebook posts for the Magnum Tactical Guide but have been unable to find a copy in my local shops. Please advise where I can try for one in my area. – J Smith, Western Cape Magnum replies: The Tactical Guide is no longer on sale in the shops as our new Magnum Knife & Hunting Guide has been released and is now on sale in its…

THE SAINT is a mid- to lower-priced semi-auto AR 15-type rifle in 5.56mm (you can use .223 ammo in it) with a few features that makes it stand out from the run-of-the-mill AR-platforms. The test rifle, supplied by Safari Outdoor, has a 16" barrel with a 1:8 twist. Low profile adjustable flip-up sights come standard. The upper receiver is forged 7075 T6 aluminium, Type III Hardcoat anodized, with a forward assist and M4 feed ramps. The lower receiver (also forged 7075 T6 aluminium and Type III Hardcoat anodized) features an Accu-Tite Tension System which ensures there is absolutely no play between the upper and lower receivers. An M16-style bolt carrier group is used and features a Carpenter 158 steel bolt with a rugged Melonite surface treatment throughout. The direct impingement…

THE name blunderbuss is derived from the Dutch donderbus, meaning thunder-gun (when I was a schoolboy in the 1950s, the Afrikaans word for gunpowder was buskruit). No doubt this weapon was so named for its very loud report, for it was typically a big-bore which fired a hefty charge and had a very short barrel. The slight trumpet-shape of the muzzle may well have amplified the noise, and doubtless also spewed out a frightening amount of blitzen. A smoothbore, it was loaded with what we today would call buckshot (Afrikaans: lopers) and was intended as a close-range anti-personnel weapon. Researching the blunderbuss on the Internet brings a confusing array of contradictory statements as to its introduction. Surviving examples prove that blunderbusses were made throughout the 1700s and early 1800s. I…

Die Skietwinkel in Bloemfontein is hosting four group shooting competitions during the year, with a fifth and final competition where the year’s best performers will shoot it out for the top honours. Each competition entails a short and sweet five-shot group at 100m and the same at 200m. During the preliminaries, Wanda Schlebusch (Bloemfontein) managed an astounding 8.97mm centre-to-centre group at 100m with a borrowed .308. The shooting platform, owned by Pieter Janse van Rensburg of Die Skietwinkel, consists of a Tikka T3X barrelled action on an MDT chassis, Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56 scope (EBR-7C MOA reticle) and Swedish made RCC suppressor. From left: Willem Botha, owner of Die Skietwinkel, Wanda and Pieter. Pieter is Wanda’s unofficial coach. Wanda, a newcomer to the sport, has not touched a firearm for…

I WAS a guest at the campfire of professional hunter Dave Lincoln in Botswana, when he produced an unlabelled jar of evil-looking gunge which he proceeded to add to the potjie. “Grief, Dave, what’s that stuff?” I asked. “Taste it,” he said, offering me some in a teaspoon. Taking it on my tongue, I savoured it. “Whoa! Sharp!” I exclaimed, adding, “But good! That’s powerful chilli. Though that isn’t normal brine, is it?” Grinning, Dave offered me the jar. “Try a sip of the brine.” “Nooo thank you, I’ve seen what that can do – real Johnny Cash stuff.” “What do you mean?” asked Dave. “Oh, just something that happened on my first mountain zebra hunt in the Namib Desert with two German friends. It was a very hard hunt…

‘The game scout was in a bad way, he had a horn through the side of his stomach, a horn through the top of his right shoulder, and the entire back of his thigh muscle had been ripped off right up to his buttocks… it looked bloody ugly.’ PH Craig Robinson in conversation with the writer about game scout Hungwe’s goring by a buffalo in the Gonarezhou National Park. Throughout my lengthy bush career, it never ceased to amaze me how much physical punishment, by way of serious injuries, remote dwelling tribal Africans are able to absorb, and in many cases miraculously survive. There are numerous accounts of game scouts and trackers (while not excluding tribal poachers) being mauled, stomped, and gored to within an inch of their lives, and…

MY HOME library contains a book on guns and hunting that is extremely rare. Not that the volume is old and fragile with yellowing pages, but rare because it is the only one in existence. I am extremely proud of the book because it is filled with my own cherished memories. You see, some years back I asked a friend in the printing game if he could bind a selection of my very early Magnum articles into book form. Well, my pal excelled himself and the result was a beautiful boxed volume with simulated leather cover and the title in gold embossed on the cover. I call it my Treasury of Memories and I hope that in the far distant future, some descendant of mine will own the book and…

IN SOUTH AFRICA we are blessed with a variety of small antelope species, three of which are similar in size, namely the mountain reedbuck, the springbuck and the vaal rhebuck (some describe these as medium-size antelope). Springbuck prefer open plains, vaal rhebuck thrive on the high mountain slopes, while mountain reedbuck usually inhabit broken terrain on hills and koppies at lower altitudes, but also the loftier slopes – I have hunted them in the Lady Grey area, right up among the vaal rhebuck. I shot my first mountain reedbuck in 1987, on a farm near Lime Acres in the Northern Cape. The afternoon sun was touching the horizon as I watched four animals moving up the slope of a fairly high hill. When they came within 200m of me, I…

DURING the last 20 years I have hunted in various parts of South Africa and my most challenging and satisfying hunts have been on foot for kudu. I have been fortunate to end a few of these opportunities with kudu biltong on the line but, at other times, I had to be content with the experience of hunting only. Nothing beats waking up early in winter while it is still dark, with daybreak just around the corner. Drinking strong, warm coffee keeps away the cold while plans are being shaped for the day’s hunt. The farm on which I hunted for many years contained a section of very thick mopane bush. While driving through this section we often spotted kudu which always tempted me to start walking in this area.…