Innholdsfortegnelse for Jan/Feb 2025 i Man Magnum

HUNTING has been one of the main contributors of good memories in my life. I most enjoy hunting alone, as it gives me the opportunity to enjoy nature without any distractions, although having an old rifle and a good dog as companion is hard to beat. These two hunting companions, especially the dog, really help create unforgettable memories. Reminiscences of my first gundog are tinged with regret, mainly because I was not able to train her properly, never finding the time in my busy schedule. This was inexcusable. When the time came to get a second German shorthaired pointer, I was much better prepared. He started his adventurous life being carried around in the bush in my sleeveless hunting jacket’s pocket when he was only 5 weeks old. At 12…

WHY would anyone want to embrace a loading method generally considered obsolete, inconvenient, slow and inefficient? Well, if you own a shotgun for which ammo is costly or hard to find, you can shoot it as much as you want – cheaply. I own two break-barrel shotguns – a 147-year-old combination Cape gun in 16-bore and .577 Snider, and a single-shot Brazilian .410. Both are cylinder bored, i.e. not choked. Factory-loaded ammunition in these calibres is hard to find where I live. Even if I find it online elsewhere in the country, dealers cannot legally ship it to me. And because 16 gauge and .410 calibres are far less popular than 12 gauge, the ammo – when available – is very expensive and the selection is limited. You have…

THE Labradar LX chronograph is the Canadian company Infinition’s take on a small doppler radar to compete with the Garmin Xero C1 Pro. Both are small, portable units that take up very little space and are very easy to use. Labradar has been around since 1996 and their doppler radar chronograph has set the standard for accuracy and convenience. Doppler radar detects a bullet in flight by emitting energy and analysing the returned pulse. This is the most precise method available of measuring velocity. My first impression on opening the small box was that the orange and black unit (the same colours used in the older, bigger model), is a little bulkier than the competing Garmin, but it feels more sturdy. However, it’s still very small, only measuring 70mm front…

SWAROVSKI Optik North America, a subsidiary of the Austrian based company, has unveiled a new rifle scope for 2025 at the recent Shot Show in America. It is called the Z5i+ and is an upgrade of their Z5 line of scopes. Swarovski states that the upgrading was done after feedback from North American hunters on the features they’d like to see in the Z5s. The most noticeable changes are 30mm tubes instead of the old line’s 25mm ones and bigger objective lenses for the 3.5-18x and 5-25x models (50mm instead of 44 and 56mm instead of 52mm). Three Z5+ models will be available: a 2-10x42; 3.5-18x50 and a 5-25x56. To cater for those who shoot at longer ranges, the elevation adjustment has been increased to a full 80MOA. Another key…

VARIOUS Derya firearms have featured in Magnum during the last year and so far all have been well made, quality firearms at affordable prices. We recently received the Derya DY9 pistol to test – a double stack striker-fired 9mmP based on the Glock 19 Gen 3. It’s Glock heritage is immediately obvious as it uses Glock magazines and, on field stripping, the internals closely resemble the Glock. However, there are quite a few features that differentiate the DY9 from the Glock, most notable being the sights and better ergonomics. More on this later. The Derya pistol is similar in size to the Glock 19 with an overall length of 175mm, is 29.5mm wide and 115.9mm high. It has a 4-inch (102mm) barrel. Empty weight is 670g and the trigger…

IN THE history of hunting weapons it is often seen that the most faithful and affordable workhorses receive the least attention. Classic examples are the 8x57 in Europe, .303 British, 9.3x62 and .404 in Africa, as well as the .30-30 Win in the USA. Most of the focus has been on the unusual and extreme, at the expense of the everyday and ordinary. It wouldn’t surprise me if the .600 NE calibre got more publicity than all of those mentioned combined. This phenomenon is particularly evident when it comes to the most widely used and least respected of all workhorses – the .22LR. There is hardly a single shooter or hunter who has not fired a weapon designed for cal. 22LR. Despite the fact that it has been the world’s…

THE Bravo 22 is a locally-produced chassis for rifles chambered in .22lr. What caught my eye about it was that apart from fitting modern rifles, it’s produced with an inlet for the Brno Model 1 and Model 2 rifles. As I own a Brno Model 2 (manufactured in 1982), I asked AIM Engineering to send me the Bravo 22 to see whether it would enhance the capabilities of my old rimfire. Also, given my size, the original wooden stock of my Brno would not be practical for use in NRL22 or PRS competitions. This is especially true if you want to balance the rifle with weight, which is something a chassis allows. The Bravo 22 can be used for serious competition shooting while the smaller size also makes it more…

I HAVE always thought of the 1800s as the century of great inventions. At its start, flintlock guns were still in use, soon to be eclipsed by cap-locks, then cartridge guns; and by the end of it, bolt-action rifles and machine guns had taken over. During that century, ships changed from wind-driven wooden vessels to iron clad monsters propelled by powerful engines. Railway systems appeared, as did electricity, the telegraph, telephone and many other wondrous new things. Among the most important of all, a simple box-like device was used for the first time to capture accurate pictorial images of the people and times of long ago. This amazing invention was called a camera. A Frenchman named Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the first camera in 1816, and the idea was picked…

DURING long summer afternoons, I sometimes close my eyes and imagine the perfect winter’s morning. I imagine my breath billowing white in the crisp air as I insert two cartridges into the breach of my shotgun with fingers numbed by the cold. I watch the dogs excitedly running to and fro and scenting the cold morning air for any sign of their quarry. I feel the frost crunch under my boots as we set off walking abreast. I feel the dew soaking through my clothes till I feel the wetness on my legs. The breeze carries the unmistakable call of the Swainson’s spurfowl to my ears. Suddenly, one of the dogs goes on point. Instantly he is transformed from a bundle of bounding energy into a single-minded hunting machine. Every…

Peter has been a Magnum subscriber since 1985 and keeps most of his magazines in copy paper boxes to read again. He lives in Gauteng province and on average enjoys one hunt a year now. Peter’s father taught him to shoot and a very dear friend of his, Bruce Lutman, taught him to hunt. Peter started hunting aged nine years old in what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Bushveld is his favourite type of hunting ground and he has enjoyed hunting with Alsha Safari’s, Vryburg, for over 24 years. He believes that walk-and-stalk is a good way to hunt. His choice of calibre for hunting is the .375H&H and he has done handloading since 1997. PMP cases and bullets were his first choice when they were available, as was Somchem…

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.…

D&M Holding Company, Inc., an ammunition and energetics engineering group based in the USA, was founded in 2018 by Dan Powers. Powers, a former president of the SIG SAUER Ammunition Division, started as an early innovator in frangible ammunition as the owner of Precision Ammunition before selling the company to RUAG, the then Swiss Government-owned defense conglomerate. He stayed on as the President of RUAG USA, managing US operations and consulting on modernization at other RUAG-owned ammunition companies in Europe. After leaving RUAG, he developed the business plan for SIG SAUER’s ammunition division and built the division from scratch. One of his many achievements was the development of the SIG V-Crown defence bullet. D&M’s White River Energetics, LLC, facility, currently manufactures standard and nickel plated primers in small pistol, small…

THE traditional 500 lumen powerhouse weapon-mounted light from Streamlight for subcompact handguns is now available in a rechargeable model. The Streamlight TLR-7X sub is a multi-fuel rail-mounted weapon light that accepts either Streamlight’s SL-B9 USB rechargeable protected Lithium-ion battery pack or the readily available CR123A Lithium batteries. To recharge, simply remove the SL-B9 battery from the light housing by unscrewing the lens, then charge the battery by plugging your USB cable directly into the battery. There is no need to remove the light from the gun and, if you have a spare, fresh battery ready, just pop it in and you are back in business. The battery can also be charged in a vehicle or by using a power bank. This feature is extremely helpful for those unpredictable, extended night-time…