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For pith helmet aficionados . The one modeled on left is a Kitchener Pattern - late 19th century and to right is a Wolseley Pattern more typical of WW1 & 2 . Both very comfortable in hot weather . Denys Finch Hatton wore a pith helmet but Redford refused to wear one for “Out of Africa”.

Link Orient in Vietnam is where I got mine .

Agree 100% . Have owned quite a few Land Rovers old and new . Hate them . Give me a HiLux any day. .

Coke hats are bowlers and were originally designed for beaters on the Holkham Estate in Norfolk next door to Sandringham . Holkham was one of the great pheasant shoots in England and owned by the Earls of Leicester . Their family name was Coke .

The pressure on meat producers is to turn the animals off younger . Does not make for better meat but does make for better cashflow .

Tim - Looked very similar to my stomping grounds east of Katherine and Mataranka . Enjoyed reading about your recent hunt in South Africa . Peter

I think Courtney boots are very comfortable and lightweight but not very durable . While buff hunting in Australia’s NT the glue holding on the rubber sole of a fairly new pair of Courtney boots failed mid stalk and left me flapping around for a whole afternoon. Once I got back to camp I wrapped...

Some great looking buff and they can get very big . Given a 9 hour drive from Darwin and country shown in your photos I am guessing you were down past Mataranka on the Roper River .

Yes the problem had already been solved by Otto Bock .

Nor do I .

You are spot on . In best grade WR bolt rifles the followers were modified to take the 425 cartridge . In cheaper models they used old military actions and did not replace the followers . My 2 rifles are best grade and are well used . They do not have clips and have zero feeding problems .

Sorry but I don’t know where they have gone .

Yep . We didn’t even have a 22 or a 410 . If something needed shooting one of the stockmen would do it . Dad had a total aversion to firearms . WW2 probably had something to do with it .

Based on your recipe I will give it another go .

Interlaken Estate was overrun with fallow deer . Can’t guess how many I shot there between 2004 and 2021.

I do OK !

Funny thing in OZ is most people operating farming and grazing properties are not hunters . My family had numerous grazing properties and we never owned firearms . I only got into hunting when I lived in the UK. You are also correct that most farmers do not eat culled meat . But how do you dress...

Camel does need to be very young . I had a TBone near Alice Springs once which was superb . Told a mate who had some camels bothering him . He shot ( what he claimed ) was a young male and proudly brought some of it over to me . It was bloody disgusting . The dogs would not eat it . Very...

Superior to a 308 in every way and can fire much heavier bullets . The old No1 Mark iii Lee Enfield was and remains very common in OZ.

Hogget !

Hogged is even better than lamb - but nobody knows what it is !

Interesting commentary on croc hunting in the NT . I have shot a few - no cost . They have all been problem crocs and permitted kills . One was a cattle killer on a Station . I have a long standing relationship with the owner and he has the permit and gave it to me .The other was at request of...

Sorry I missed your earlier post . I have 425s , 404 J and 416 Rigby rifles . The 404 is a Mauser Type A single square bridge magnum made circa 1925 . The 416 is a new Rigby Big Game . The 425 in both my rifles is easier to shoot than the 404 and 416 . The old 404 is very light at circa 9 lbs...

That’s interesting that you used to live at Lake Crescent . I was co-owner of The Interlaken Estate which fronted onto the west side of both Lake Crescent and Lake Sorrel . The fallow deer were out of control even though we allowed known hunters onto the property ( plus poachers ) . They only...

Bob you have convinced me . How could I have doubted you ?

But think how big they would get if a group of 35 Whelen owners got together !

Holland & Holland have totally lost the plot since purchased by Beretta .

I think the life of Colonel JH Patterson is just amazing . That ghastly movie “The Ghost and the Darkness” did him a great disservice . He was literally on his own - no Irritating Michael Douglas as back up . A professional engineer not a professional hunter trying to solve a terrible problem -...

And the photo !

Here is a pic of my girl Pippin . She is a bitch literally and metaphorically but wonderful company and a great guard dog. In this pic we have just come back from a shoot and she is “helping” me unload my 425 WR .

Thanks Daniel I appreciate your comments. It really is a great rifle and a dream to shoot . It was built by Bob de Vries in Melbourne Australia . I used it 2 years ago on a few buff in Australia . Norma PH ammo - 600 grain bullets at 2150 FPS . All side on shots right in the boiler room at circa...

Some photos of my old 505 it is a massive rifle . 25 or 26 inch barrel ( can’t remember) single square bridge magnum and weighs 11.5 lbs . It is the second rifle from right between a 458 Lott Ruger M77 Safari Magnum and a 600NE falling block rifle

Some photos of my old 505 it is a massive rifle . 25 or 26 inch barrel ( can’t remember) single square bridge magnum and weighs 11.5 lbs . It is the second rifle from right between a 458 Lott Ruger M77 Safari Magnum and a 600NE falling block rifle. It somehow manages to make a 600 with 26 inch...

I seem to remember the bolt face on the 505 is 3/4 of an inch . A monster action . Was the GMA action based on the Brevex ?

I have never heard of the 500A2 but I have never had a problem getting components for my 600NE , 500NE or 505G . It does sound like a very impressive cartridge .

I agree sold my 458 Win Mag and Lott - kept the 450 Rigby - Love it .

Thanks Mark - sorry I missed Darwin but Mauritius is a good second prize . And thoroughly enjoying the local Rum at A$10 per bottle . Cheers Peter

Mark - I would have loved to come up and participate but I had to go to Mauritius and sit on a beach for 2 weeks . I am certain there would have been some astonishingly wonderful rifles on display and some great shooting . Cheers Peter

And the winner was Brisbane’s own Graeme Wright . Author of “Shooting the British Double Rifle “. He’s a bloody good shot with all rifle types and pretty handy with a shotgun too .

The rifle in pics is a 303. The Knox form has the full length rib faired into it with the BSA logo stamped in . I forgot to mention the A&N rifle has a shotgun type safety . Both have Metford rifling . Barrels are good on both .

I have a real soft spot for Lee Speed rifles . Five or ten shot magazines in the trusty 303 . In Australia we all grew up shooting Lee Enfield No1 Mk 3 military surplus rifles in 303 . But the Lee Speeds were far classier rifles often retailed by great British gun makers . I have this very old...

Me too - I love them in the trusty old 303 .

I have Westley Richards 425 and 318 takedown rifles . Both over 100 years old . I take them apart for cleaning otherwise they remain in one piece . Both are interrupted thread systems . I have never noticed any change in accuracy over my years of ownership but due to iron sites and my hunting...

I had a 404J double . A clamshell action made by Genschow pre WW2 . The Germans made quite a few 404J / 10.75x73 double rifles . Mine was a rather clunky rifle. Sold it and bought a WR 450/ 400 NE . A nicer rifle shooting a 400grain bullet at same speed as the 404.

My understanding is that A-square ruined many good rifles because of a confusion over land vs groove bore measurements .

I disagree the 600grain pills at 2100 fps are very similar in performance to the great 500NE which shoot 570grain bullets at a nominal 2100-2150 fps ( in reality 2050 fps through 24 inch barrels ). My experience is 2100 fps is plenty .

Here is my GMA 505 Gibbs with 24 inch Krieger barrel when it was being stocked . It is now finished and I will pick it up when I get back to Australia .

I can’t assist with members outside Australia but I have had old shot gun cases restored and take down rifles fitted to oak / leather and canvas tropical cases by Des Hill at Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast . Des sources and restores gun cases and seems to be able to find cases to fit most...

I have got the right woman in my life . Over the past 37 years she has bought me double rifles from H&H , Purdey , Rigby , WR and John Shirley . No Italian DRs although I admire their shotguns very much. Any DR in the 450-470NE calibres really does need to weigh around 10.5 pounds in my opinion .