Carl N. Brown
Member
From the accounts I have read, WD Bell had a surgeon's knowledge of elephant anatomy and could place a bullet exactly where it would have the most effect. What worked for him would not work for me.
One of my favorite cartoons of all time. Wouldn't be seen today in any 'with it' magazine for it's truth vis a vis the 2nd Amendment.It's whatever this guy is carrying...
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Though I've long enjoyed reading the works of Elmer Keith, W.D.M. Bell, Peter Capstick and John 'Pondoro' Taylor about big game in Africa, I'll reserve my opinion on which guns deserve the elephant moniker.
Instead, if you like science fiction, here's a link to the text of L Sprague de Camp's classic short story, A Gun For Dinosaur:
https://www.baen.com/Chapters/9781625793614/9781625793614___2.htm
Thanks for posting this. I was a quarter of the way into it before I realized I had read it first way back in high school.
Same here, just don't hear that term like we did "back in the day".
A big heavy caliber that people actually use to hunt elephants efficiently with, which includes a number of big boppers. My .458 Win Mag is an entry level gun in that regard. Since it will likely never kill anything bigger than a pig, is it an elephant gun? It has the proper potential.
Well, according to someone who should know - because he had, as they say, "boots firmly on the ground," i.e., John "Pondoro" Taylor - it was Jeffrey's.404.What Constitutes an Elephant Gun?
There was a guy that used to hide in trees and unload a revolver into elephants ear, can't remember where or what gun.Where are all the 9mm guys and their "a hit with a 9mm is better than a miss with a 458" or all that "quick follow up" baloney.
Yeah, but the fun part is in owning them and handloading for them at 'reduced' velocities so you can take them afield and kill deer, hogs, black bears, elk, and about anything else considered 'Big Game' in the lower 48.This thread has me searching gunbroker for rifles I can't afford, to hunt animals I can't afford, on a continent I'll never set foot on.
Yeah, but the fun part is in owning them and handloading for them at 'reduced' velocities so you can take them afield and kill deer, hogs, black bears, elk, and about anything else considered 'Big Game' in the lower 48.
For the more dangerous critters with the snappy jaws and sharp claws or heavy antlers and stompy hooves, you - or I - might sooner get up to Alaska than Africa.
Rifles and cartridge suitable for African game will also dispatch AK's brown bears, Grizzlies, and moose.
Caribou too, but those aren't that hard to kill. Heck, some of the native Inuits up there harvest caribou with SKSs and x39 ball ammo.
It is! For what it costs to go to Alaska to hunt bear 'or' moose, you could take several head of African plains game. Probably have more fun doing it. My uncle has hunted all over the world, has dozens of trophies including a full mount Alaskan brown bear and muskox. Every time he goes to Alaska he nearly dies.last I looked it’s even more expensive to hunt in Alaska than Africa!
They also head shoot swimming caribou to stock up for winter. What the natives do isn't really relevant to the rest of us.Caribou too, but those aren't that hard to kill. Heck, some of the native Inuits up there harvest caribou with SKSs and x39 ball ammo.
It is just about time in this thread when “that guy” types that there were more elephants killed with the 7 x 57mm Mauser than all other calibers combined - it’s coming, wait for it.
My mistake. The rules have changed and .375 will cover most nations. The new rules have a power floor.Various nations have legal minimums for hunting elephants. Most start with #4. You won't be in Texas.