Yes I also enjoyed your story.
And like the rest Im interested in hearing more.
On a personal note my Dad gave me all the Jim Corbet books and used to scare the living daylights out of by reading them at bed time
.
I even visited his Jim’s grave when in Kenya he’s in good company with Robert Powell.
I do have a question why did you use those firearms? Where they the only on offer, or the only ones allowed?
Thanks again.
Thanks.
At that time, I was working a government job in a forest department of a third world country which was only 10 years into it's independence. We used what we had.
I bought that Pakistani shotgun from a government warehouse (where all the confiscated firearms of criminals are stored) for the equivalent of 50 Cents (U.S money) in 1975. I was given a choice of buying any shotgun from there. And I really wanted a nice side by side. But when the shotguns lying around in the warehouse were all examined, I learnt that most were either:
A) In very poor condition (being holdovers from the British colonial era prior to 1947)
Or
B) Proofed for black power or 2 1/2" shells
Or
C) Had been locally repaired.
That Pakistani single barrel shotgun was just about the only shotgun there which was practically in mint condition. And was actually capable of handling modern shotgun shells. It was actually a very strong shooting piece. It's fully choked barrel could put all 8 pellets from an Eley Alphamax L.G shell into a 12" circle at 20 yards. But the ejectors of these shotguns are not very well made. Also the firing pin was prone to frequently breaking off and needed replacing.
I bought the Pakistani 7x57mm Mauser Churchill Gun Makers Model Deluxe rifle in 1989, with the intention of using it against the final man eater. I picked that caliber, because 7x57mm Mauser was the only center fire rifle caliber for which fresh ammunition had been imported after 1971. Due to lack of demand, only firearms and ammunition in 12 gauge, .22 caliber (L.R, W.M.R & Hornet) and .32 caliber (S&W Long & A.C.P) were imported. Waterfowl hunting, upland hunting and small game hunting was/is very popular here amongst locals. Relatively few people hunt(ed) big game (predominantly Axis deer, Muntjac deer, wild boar & the odd Sambar, Nilgai or Serow). And those who did/do, mostly prefer(red) shotguns as a general purpose firearm which could be used for both birds and big game (as well as for home defense).
T.C.B (Trading Corporation Bengal) had imported 20,000 rounds of Winchester Super X 175Gr soft point factory loads for the 7x57mm Mauser in 1985. When I bought that 7x57mm Mauser rifle from a local gun store in 1989, the owner could only manage 12 cartridges with it for me at the time. Fortunately, I only needed one shot to bag that final man eater.
I selected the Churchill Gun Makers brand of 7x57mm Mauser, because it was the only available brand of 7x57mm Mauser which was available in gun stores at the time. 50 of them had been imported into the country by East Pakistan Rifle Club in 1967.
I eventually gifted the Pakistani shotgun to the son of one of my old family servants, since he was (and still is) an extremely avid waterfowl hunter. He still works for my family and lives quite near my house. In 1990, I bought a brand new 12 gauge 3" Magnum Beretta Model 626E boxlock ejector side by side shotgun with a single selective trigger and 30" barrels (left barrel is fully choked and right barrel is half choked). And I love that Italian shotgun so much that I never sold it (and I never will, hopefully). I still use it for most of my hunting purposes. I've even taken it to Africa several times over the years for hunting Guinea fowl, sand grouse, rock pigeon, Egyptian geese and Spurwing geese.
I've retained the Pakistani made 7x57mm Mauser, as well. It's an extremely accurate and reliable rifle, built on a 1942 made military surplus Mauser Oberndorf action. And I mainly use it for hunting Sambar, Nilgai & Serow. I've also taken it to Africa several times over the years, for hunting plains game. These days, whenever I go to the U.S (at least once every year)... I always bring back 100 rounds as part of my personal luggage. Since Winchester no longer makes 175Gr ammunition for the 7x57mm Mauser, I use a custom American loading company called "Hendershots". They load good quality ammunition for me, by using Winchester cases and 175Gr Hornady Interlock bullets.
