Man Magnum Nov/Dec 2024

YET another year has sped by, and as usual, I can complain about not being able to find enough time to go hunting or shooting. This year was especially bad, I have been unable to produce a single handload for my own use! But of course, I have no reason to complain, because I was privileged to test a variety of weapons on the range and spent most days talking, reading or writing about hunting, shooting and firearms. Normally when depression (mostly caused by hunting depravation) hits, I am able to counter the worst by picking up a good read, normally a book or old magazine – not something on the internet! This ‘therapy’ normally takes place late at night when the house is quiet and everyone long asleep. Lately,…

Gen Jan Smuts In the September/October 2024 edition, the photo of SA’s forgotten leader on page 65 is that of Gen. Tobias Smuts with his Krag-Jorgensen rifle and not of the famous Gen. Jan Smuts. – Abel Bezuidenhout, Eastern Cape Gregor Woods Replies: Thank you for pointing out this error. I took the photo and the caption details from the book The Making of South Africa by Martin Meredith, which is how the error occurred. The photo appears opposite page 287 of that book, and its caption clearly reads, “General Jan Smuts”. Wanting a photo of Jan Smuts holding a rifle, I assumed the caption to be correct, and looked no further. After you pointed out the error, I found the same photo in Ron Bester’s book Boer Rifles and Carbines…

Calling all readers…. Do you have a story that would be of interest to Magnum’s readers? We are looking for new articles to publish in Magnum and encourage you to consider writing something for us of your hunting, wingshooting, or similar, firearm experiences. We like our articles to have something different; a special or funny experience, odd animal behavior, an important milestone, a lesson learned, an element of intrigue…whatever applies. We aim to be as informative as possible while at the same time providing an entertaining read. Before you start writing, please contact us to receive a free copy of Magnum’s Writers’ Guidelines and to bounce your article ideas off us. Email Gail Osborne at gosborne@manmagnum.co.za for a copy of our Writers’ Guidelines and to check on your article ideas.…

MY GRANDSON, Jimmy, was growing into a thoughtful boy with a natural curiosity and a love for nature which pleased me immensely. He enjoyed camping, and the evening fireside chats invariably became question sessions. “Grandpa,” he said, “you remember a couple of years ago, I found a weaver bird’s nest and you told me how they wove them? You said nature gives them knowledge to do things that their tiny brains could never have learned. Same as the trapdoor spider’s nest we found. You said it was instinct.” “That’s right, laddie.” “Well, I told my teacher about the mud nest the swallow’s built on our veranda, and he says our swallows fly to Europe each year, then the very same pair fly back to our veranda nest the next year.…

LOCALLY we are spoilt for choice with quality firearms imported from Turkey and I’ve been fortunate to enjoy memorable shooting experiences with a wide variety of these budget-priced firearms in different configurations and calibres. One such example is the Stoeger STR-9MC pistol. Stoeger celebrates 100 years in the firearms industry this year and the firm is well-known worldwide especially for their shotguns and air rifles, while their pistols have also grown a reputation for good ergonomics and reliability. And, as the firm is part of the Beretta Group it is backed by Beretta’s aftermarket service. I have shot Stoeger pistols in the past and have always been impressed by how comfortable and shootable they are. With the STR-9MC being a micro compact design, my biggest concern was whether it would…

MY OLD friend and fellow ex-PH, Neil Pretorius, told me a story of a hard desert hunt he’d had way back when he was much younger and fitter. It all started, Neil said, after reading a Magnum article by Gregor Woods who wrote of a backpack hunt he’d done in Namibia for a Hartmann’s mountain zebra – a 3-day hunt that left him utterly exhausted because it involved climbing down into a deep, waterless rocky canyon, hunting the steep, ruggedly broken canyon slopes and then carrying the skin and meat back up again, requiring three trips. Neil wanted to do the same thing, so he contacted John Wambach, the PH who had organized Greg’s hunt. After a chat, Neil, who seems to be a glutton for punishment, booked not one,…