hey guys, where is a good place to get a nice safari shirt. the kind with the full epulets, not the ones that only go halfway across the sholder like tag safari or the cabela's one, long sleeve with the button so you can button your rolled up sleeves, and preferably a pocket on the sleeve and a shooting patch on the shoulder (same color as the shirt) olive drab. any info would be appreciated. my friend has a book written by craig boddington "safari rifles" that has a pic of him wearing one of this style shirts, so i know they're out there. thanks.

Try these folks out LONG-GRASS OUTFITTERS

Their shirts are comfortable I wear them all the time!
Customer service is great and they are nice folks and forum members.

byf42,
I don't suppose you have a spare stock I could put on my byf44?

Yes, deffinately Long Grass. Next time we meet up, I'll wear mine to show you.

rusty- no, i do not have one for a byf 44 (waA135), but i think i know someone who does... let me see what i can dig up for ya. is yours a russian capture, or do you want a original stock? i'll try to find you an original, and i'll keep you posted

terry, i got your email. thanks, it'll be really neat to read about your hunts in africa. soon as i can figure out how to open the attachments ( i wish computers were as simple to use as a mauser action ) take care, and i'll respond to the email soon.

byf42,

Check out www.boytharness.com They have excellent safari shirts with the features you asked for. I believe that Craig B. has worn them in the past.

RCG

byf42, I think you designed your own shirt, after looking thru the book in question I could not find a single shirt that fit your description. Some shirts had the roll up w/botton but the epelets did not go all the way to the shoulder and those that went to the shoulder did not have roll up with a sleeve pocket. The ones refered to by Rusty do not match your description. I think Cabales Serengeti Safari Shirt is the closest you will come to that discreption. Just my observence.

I appreciate your help BYF42. No, it is not a Russian capture. My uncle who owned the rifle "sporterized" the stock many years ago and I wanted to return it to it's original stocking.

Die Ou Jagter- which ones have an epulet that goes all the way across? where should i go to get one "custom made"? with the features on it? thanks.

rusty- i asked around today. do you want one with the numbers matching to your rifle? if so, that stock is looonggone. you have a one in 14 million chance of finding it . however, i can find you a mauser stock with the mauser waffenampts on it. let me know what you want me to do sir. thanks.

BYF,
Please email me at rkmojo@aol.com
I apologize for hijacking your thread on clothing!

bfy42,

Good choices so far.

Give 'Lewis Creek' a good look. I highly recommend their shirts.

Good luck with your search.

Sam
eclemmons@hotmail.com

I get khaki long sleeve shirts as Sears, Lands end makes some nice ones, but I'm not very "in", since I found out what a Tetsi can bite through, and found out all those pockets are pretty much worthless and really fit nothing, and are bothersome when full...I have one of those friggen Rhino hide jackets with umpteen dozen pockets, nicks and crannys and they must have been designed by some waffle booted meadow muffin out of work...

rusty- no apology needed... always glad to offer my services to a mauser owner!

byf42, I don't know where to get custom made shirts. I don't know why the epelet must go to the shoulder, other than that the Cabelas shirt meets your description. Ray I have one of theose jackets also and if you use all the pockets it must be very very heavy. What I like best about the Cabelas shirt is the zippered pockets above the chest pockets. I carrry somethings I just don't want to loose and they provide the security I want. I just went thru the book in question picture by picture and I apollogize as I did see some pictures with the shirt you described, it appears Craig wears most any style shirt over the years. Maybe you just have to get in touch with him, hell with all of his travels who knows where he may have picked up a shirt like that, eh.

Whatever make of shirt that you buy, I would recommend that you check the shirt carefully to make sure that it is not sewn with any nylon thread. 2 years ago, I bought several safari shirts from Cabelas. When in the bush in Zimbabwe, the camp "laundromat" used an iron heated with hot coals to press my cotton safari shirts and melted the nylon threads. Needless to say, the shirt started coming apart at the affected seams. That was something that I had never even thought about.

Let me know if you find anything you really like. My business is logo'd products, so I know most of the clothing manufacturers. Lewis Creek Shooting Shirt is currently the most comfortable and best quality (how it holds up after repeated cleaning). The fabric breaths well. It isn't cut "on the bias" so it doesn't twist after washing. The long sleeve "retainer tabs" tuck in descrete and HEMMED slots when they are rolled down. Both left and right handed models are available. The shooting patch extends down the chest well below your nipple. Ever spent a cool day with a stitched seam rubbing you raw? Most shooting shirts will do just this. However, it does not have the eppaulets you desire. Call customer service,800-255-0206, while you're looking at their website (www.lewiscreek.com) under "Classic Shooting Shirt". I strongly recommend ordering your size and the next larger, then wash in hot water and dry (just like they'll do in camp at least three times before choosing your size and placing a full order.

Unfortunately, inventory has often been an issue with Lewis Creek. I outfitted my chapter with these, and everyone loves them... however, they are presently out of the colors we need. There were at least three "hunting" colors at one time: a sage, darker sage, natural, and maybe a moss or mud brown.

Again wonderful shirts if you can get them.

The company you really want was called Willis & Geiger, and you describe one of their Safari Jackets, not the shirt. I have one, and wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING. Here were Willis & Geiger's credentials:
1902 Ben Willis Developed clothing for his Artic Exploration.
1908 Outfitted Teddy Roosevelt for Journeys to Alaska and Africa
1917-18 Oufitted US Aviation and Alpine Troops in WWI
1926-29 Outfitted Adm. Byrd's Flights over the North and South Poles
1927 Outfitted Charles Lindbergh for Trans-Atlantic solo flight.
1930's Outfitted Aviation Pioneers, Jim Doolittle, Amelia Earhart and Roscoe Turner.
1931 Awarded US Army Air Corp Contract for A-2 Flight Jacket
1932 Created Willis & Geiger BUSH POPLIN for safari use.
THIS IS THE FABRIC YOU WANTED IT WILL TURN TETSE FLYS, ACACIA THORNS, and it BREATHES
1935 Outfitted Ernest Hemmingway with Bush Jacket of his own design.
1939 Outfitted American Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers Fighting in China
It goes on through WWII, Korea, Edmund Hillary's climb up Everest, etc. etc. etc. Their last major undertaking was to outfit America's Team Peking to Paris Vintage Auto Race. This was all done out of a very few store fronts, and mail order. They were lower price than Filson, and infinitely higher quality. An expansion into retail occured in the late 90's, and Land's End bought them lock, stock and patents. Merchandise was liquidated over Land's End's website in the late 90's and, then they shut everything down. I wrote and received a nice letter from the President of Lands End, but he said no one wanted to buy the company so I assume they still hold all the patents, designs, etc.

The Boyt's website someone mentioned earlier shows one of the shirts Boyt Harness/Bob Allen did for this year's SCI Reno show. I forgot to get one this year, but the ones I saw were very close in weave to the Willis and Geiger Bush Poplin.

You can always go to one of the Saville Row type custom clothiers. I know Norton and Sons has some pretty fine fabrics, but that is part of their problem. Too fine to be durable. A good tailor can create whatever you want, and a good dress maker may be able to do a better job since they're more familiar with "working" pleats.

If you have any pull at Lands End, or want to start a letter writing campain, I'm game. A site like this one could probably generate enough orders to justify some fabric rewoven to the old specs. All we need are the W & G specs from Lands End. I don't think they ever sold it.
Let me know.

Safe Hunting
Clint

Clint,
I don't know this for a fact, but I rather think that Orvis bought out Land's End Willis and Geiger stock as well as their mill. When W&G disappeared, I mourned but then, lately, I have been noticing a number of what look for all the world like W&G knockoffs or relabels or whachamacallums in the Orvis catalog. I haven't written to Perk Perkins about my suspicions, but look carefully there. Unfortunately, the ideal safari shirt doesn't seem to be one of the products they decided to reintroduce.