Hi guys,

I want to know how many have hunted with a black powder rifle in Africa and what have you killed?

What is a comfortable hunting distance for you?

I have seen some articles in old Magnum magazines of black powder hunts. Looks like an awesome way of hunting.

Gerhard

Why would you want to hunt with a black powder rifle.Snap out of it!

It is one of my greatest pleasures...When I hunt for myself I use a black powder rifle. Either a Mrtini ir a Lyman deerstalker I bought in SA.

For me it add's just a little touch of class to the hunt.

Personally with the powder we have an the bullets avilable, I would stick to plainsgame at reasonable ranges, but have tryed A TC Encore and Did use the Lyman to make a one shot kill on an elephant stuck in a snare.

Report on that in the April edition of the African hunter I believe.

It is a gentlemans way to hunt, and if you can hunt from horseback, even better.

Jakkals,

Ganyana said it just perfectly: "... it adds a little touch of class to the hunt." It is IMHO a true 'gentelemans' sport'; although a few rouges like myself and ? also indulge in it!

My personal hunting weapon is a .45 cal Westley Richards "Monkeytail" with 1873 stamped on the sidelock. Although it 'could' be used as a breach-loading black power rifle, I have obturated it and use it only as a muzzleloader. Mine is in military configuration and is very happy with 100 gr. FFg and a 405 gr soft lead bullet. Shoots a consistent 3" to 4" groups at 100 m when I use a replica of the period 4X scope.

Many springbok and blesbok in the Free State and Eastern Cape grassveld have fallen to it - furthest at 97 paces, most at about 85 to 90 long paces. I stalk them until I feel comfortable about taking the shot, which always seem to be about this distance.

There is simply nothing better to HUNT for biltong or meat: It forces you to stalk closer, it kills very well, the meat damage is only a 1/2" diameter 'hole' of meat wasted - no bloodshot jello!

Come visit me one weekend and I'll show you the ropes and a springbok to stalk!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Ganyana,

I am sure I have seen a picture of you in the Magnum with a black powder gun at full recoil.

Looks like a mean recoil.

Was it a 4 bore?

Gerhard

Jakkals

1750gr bullet. 14 drams black powder in an 8lb rifle = significant emotional event.

50 or 58 cal is alot more civilised.

You guys should start driving around in ox wagons and horse carts to to completely fit into the picture.

Sounds like we are talking a different type here, but I did a blackpowder safari in 2005. I took kudu, gemsbok, 2 impala, warthog, blue wildebeest with mine. Very comfortable to 150 yards, but I think 120 was my longest shot and most were 35-60 yards. I am a muzzleloader nut, and felt like it made a plainsgame hunt much more of a challenge. It would have been a piece of cake to shoot everything at 250-300 yards, but I had to stalk and make more of a hunt out of it with my muzzleloader.

SpringTrap,

Maybe we must try it...

I love to bow hunt as well.

Gerhard

quote:

You guys should start driving around in ox wagons and horse carts to to completely fit into the picture

YES!!
Ox-wagon safaris in the bush, coupled with something I am determined to do - hunt with camels in the kalahari. hey, if Wilfred Thesiger could hunt lions off camels in Sudan...

I reckon these would be great...sign me up!

Ok stupid question here I'm sure. How do you get black powder or BP equivilant once you get to South Africa. You obviously can't bring it on the plane.

Can you just buy it or do have to a premit or what?

Gerhard /

Butch from TN took this buff in August 2004 with his powder ....



Butch Winter on (Dendro Park - Zambia) with PH Dene Bird / 41" cape buff - Pedersoli .45/70 Blackpowder double

Butch passed away only 2-months after returing home from his hunt, dream fulfilled but sadly his life has passed

Regards, Peter

Some of you who are not up to date on muzzle loading, may be surprised to hear just how effective the modern M/L's are becoming. Some say "too modern" but for those who follow M/L'ing, take a look at Howa's magnum. It uses 200 grains of black powder substitute and falls within the "accurate at 500 yards" club. A friend of mine here in the States has been to Africa twice while field testing new M/L'ing bullets (wildcat). He took a good number of plains game up to Eland in RSA without problem. Their new M/Loader is busting milk jugs at 300 plus yards..consistantly, and now they have gone to smokeless powder with higher velocities and flatter trajectory. It remains a muzzle loading rifle however. If this all sounds outrageous, look at what the Confederate Soldier did in the American Civil War with Whitworth and Kerr target rifles. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I have recovered their dropped .451 diameter, 525 grain bullets (proving their firing position) and recovered fired examples at ranges of 800-900 yards (impact position). Personally, I haven't taken any of my M/L's to Africa as of yet, but it's in the cards. As for powder transport, that will require calling the airlines before travel as rules change constantly. In the past I've had no one tell me they had problems. Hunting with a M/L is an adrenalin rush, especially for those who like the smell of gun powder in the morning.

Surestrike

A very limmited selection of Black powder is avilable in South Africa and up north- given sufficient warning your operator should be able to get you some. We had Harald Wolf from Hatari Times come out and take an elephant with an original 4 bore last year. Sat in camp and cast the balls on a mopane log fire the day before etc. Good fun

David Kieth- The South African Muzzle loading boys always beat the army once you get back beyond 900 yards. They hold competitions occasionally just for humor.

Ouch! Seems I'll have to get rid of my .45 smokepole and cancel the deal on the .58 Pedersoli double, then? Hell, no - I really enjoy my 'retro hunting'. It does introduce a challenge, I guess much like bowhunting or handgun hunting does.

I've taken 2 impala in Natal with my 0.50 Lyman Stainless Deerstalker, using Lee Maxi-Ball (?) conicals. I have discarded using percussion caps for ignition as they tend to fall off at inopportune moments and have adopted the Surefire (?) system where you can insert a shotgun primer. The setup has a little cap with a built in firing pin. It works a treat!!

The both impala folded like an accordion and meat damage was nil. I shot one up the arse and the bullet was recovered under the skin of the shoulder - 100% retention through a smashed shoulder blade. Other was straight through the lungs, took 1 step sideways and keeled over.

Keep it to 75m or less.

Last summer, I hunted Africa with a Sharps, using blackpowder and proper bullets. Worked just fine from under 50 to 215 yds, taking oryx, warthog, springbok, eland, and hartebeast.

The Sharps is my go-to rifle for all occasions, but a .577/450 Martini would be more appropriate for Africa - I have one but could not get it shooting well enough before we left, so the Sharps it was and probably always will be.

I can't imagine using anything but a blackpowder rifle for any type of hunting rifle larger than .22 rimfire.

I believe there is an outfit that was gearing up for ox cart safaries. Not sure where - Botswana? Now that would be cool!

man that ox cart safari sounds great

Brent- I din't have any grey hair until I began trying to get my Martini's to shoot well.

They run Ox wagon safaris in the Midlands conservancy along the old Hunters road. Wish I had the time and the money... It is where that famous Photograph of Selous was tken with him Sittining next to the wagon with a gibbs leaning against it and a kori Bustard hanging up. About ten Years ago, John Ormiston who used to own African Sporting Gazzette borrowed Selous .450 Gibbs and too an ox wagon safari to the same place. Posed with a couple of guinea fowl for the photo...

Don,

Thank you for the reply.

I may have to give that a go next time. I've hunted with a rifle and a bow in Africa so this would be a neat addition.

Greg

Doggone it. Now I am nearly sick that I am taking a CZ 9.3 to Namibia instead of a muzzleloader ... Ox-cart safari sounds wonderful. As to BPs available in RSA and Namibia -- Wano?

Just one short note for those that may not realize it, but if you are shooting black powder cartridges, you can take loaded ammo with you just like anyone else. It is only muzzleloading hunters that need to find bp on the other side...

There is a shop in Windhoek that could almost certainly arrange for bp for you. I'm not sure what brand, but probably Swiss or Schuetzen. I can't recall their name, but I could probably find out if anyone really needs to know.

Brent

The brand of BP that's sold in RSA is Wano.

I know most of this is aimed at non-dangerous game but my mind keeps going back to a passage I read in one of capsticks books, it went something like this;
Should you be under the impression that the most terrifying sounds in the world when hunting Africa's dangerous game is the very close snarl of a man-eating lion or the screaming trumpet of bull elephant right over your head, you would be wrong. It's the cold dead metallic "click" of the firing pin striking a faulty primer!
He goes on to say there is no sound quit like it and it's one of the truest sounds of death.

quote:

Originally posted by RayRay:
He goes on to say there is no sound quit like it and it's one of the truest sounds of death.

So, he wrote this as an angel or ?????

quote:

Originally posted by Balla Balla:
Gerhard /

Butch from TN took this buff in August 2004 with his powder ....



Butch Winter on (Dendro Park - Zambia) with PH Dene Bird / 41" cape buff - Pedersoli .45/70 Blackpowder double

Butch passed away only 2-months after returing home from his hunt, dream fulfilled but sadly his life has passed

Regards, Peter

OH MY GOD!!! Black powder and a 45-70 that picture must surely be a fake

quote:

Originally posted by Brent:

quote:

Originally posted by RayRay:
He goes on to say there is no sound quit like it and it's one of the truest sounds of death.

So, he wrote this as an angel or ?????

Uh yea, had you not heard of Saint Peter????