Just watched the latest UWS show this morning. It was Tony's 3rd Elephant hunt with Johan, this time using a customized stutzen 375H&H by Blaser.

I don't mean to pick on this guy but as I've said before, I don't think I've seen any other hunting show host, week in and week out, that has as many equipment problems as does Tony.

1st Ele hunt it was a Hang Fire on the 577 which caused him to miss. He later has a short segment on how his loader let him down because he "usually takes great care in selecting who loads his ammo". 2nd one he doubled the 600. I don't remember exactly but I think he had some kind of ammo issue here as well, or claimed to.

This week, his 3rd ele, his missed the side brain shot from about 20 yards and everyone starts pumping in rounds as it turns to run. He later states that me missed because he "forgot" he was shooting a scoped rifle so the bullet hit 1.5 inches lower than where he was aiming!!?? Really?? Then the best part is while trying to reload the rifle because as he said, he "shot it til it was too hot to hold", he jammed the action. As Johan watched him attempt the clear the weapon, he announces, "oh, no wonder it's jammed, I'm trying to load a 404 into it. Someone back in the truck put a 404 round into my ammo box"!!!

I'm sorry but I think something is not right with this guys credentials ... and it's always some else's fault. Tony is a likable TV personality and it's a quality show from a production standpoint, but something seems wrong to me. Anyone else or am I being overly critical?

If you hit 1.5" low of the proper aiming point on a side brain shot, you still have......

A very dead elephant.

I like the show, despite Tony's pimping for Blaser. Gotta pay the bills or no show.

The double-fire with the 600 NE was explained by Tony like this:
Initial sighting in: right barrel was off by several inches with first shot, and second shot with left barrel was dead-on-bullseye.
Johan and Tony conferred and decided he should shoot the left barrel first at elephant.

So he never tried it again until on elephant.
Then the disaster to Tony, but luckily it was a disaster for the recipient elephant also.
Good brain shot with the first, we were never told where the second landed.
He explained it by informing us that the front trigger for the right barrel was set very light by maker,
Schuler (IIRC, the only 600 NE double ever known to have been made by Schuler of 500 Schuler fame).

The rear trigger had heavier pull weight for left barrel so as to prevent double-fire with first shot from right barrel.

Jarring of recoil from initial pull of rear trigger set off the hair-trigger front trigger.

Take it for what it is worth, Tony's explanations, but at least this one does make sense.

Yes, a double-fire of a double rifle that is simultaneous does produce twice the impulse to the gun, hence twice the recoil velocity, hence 4 times the recoil kinetic energy.
150 ft-lbs free recoil with a single shot,
would approach 600 ft-lbs with a double fire,
if simultaneous.
And what Tony had was about as close to simultaneous as it gets.
Hence he was knocked flat and got a bloody nose and bruised shoulder.
Luckily no broken clavicle, brachial plexus injury, nor detached retina.

Tony continues to bring us one of the greatest hunting shows on TV.
Despite any lame or correct excuses for his foibles.

Johan Calitz, PH:
I like it when he chews on a cigar while driving his swamp buggy boat with brightly colored plugs sticking out of his ears.
I met him at DSC last time I went, he was in tweed with Windsor-knotted tie.
No cigar, still cool.
Wish I could afford his services once yearly.

Tony's latest brain shot misses with the .375 H&H Blaser on elephant: It was more of a blazer than a Blaser unfortunately.
Ended well however, with Johan's backup shooting help with a bolt action (.416 Rigby?).

The elephant landed in upright posture on all four folded legs, with tusks stuck in the dirt, holding head upright.
Plus-70 pounds per tusk they estimated.
Such a huge head and body, made the tusks look smaller than they were.

This is one of the only shows I can stand to view anymore. I think the photography and production quality are second to none. I am also glad that Tony chooses to let us see his mistakes and failures on the show. He could easily edit them out. Reality is that if you hunt long enough things will break and shots will miss their mark. Tony allows us to see this and maybe learn a little. I have nothing but respect for the man and hope he keeps making shows for years to come.

quote:

Originally posted by ROSCOE:
This is one of the only shows I can stand to view anymore. I think the photography and production quality are second to none. I am also glad that Tony chooses to let us see his mistakes and failures on the show. He could easily edit them out. Reality is that if you hunt long enough things will break and shots will miss their mark. Tony allows us to see this and maybe learn a little. I have nothing but respect for the man and hope he keeps making shows for years to come.

Ditto that. Tracks Across Africa, Under Wild Skies, Hornady's Africa and Sports Afield are the gold standard in terms of today's hunting shows. I cannot stand to watch the SA bow hunts over a concrete pond, the arm pumping, whooping it up kill scenes, etc. Seems like everyone with a video camera is trying to do a show today.

Well, I guess I'm being overly critical. Fair enough.

Todd - I do not think you are being overly critical. While I enjoy UWS and the other shows mentioned, I see several "hunters" I would not care to share a camp with. For sure, when I am facing dangerous game, I want to make sure I can count on the guy next to me 100% of the time, which is exactly the same way he counts on me. No excuses - period. If you practice diligently and know your rifles inside and out, I find "equipment malfunctions" to be very rare.
IMHO

Mangwana

I always enjoyed UWS when I could get it on the satellite. It's a 'premium' channel so I have not seen it in a few years.

I can't think of any programs, at the moment, that featured African hunts that didn't hold a little interest for me. Whether it was listening to the emerald spotted doves cooing in the dreaded heat of midday in the back ground to seeing the dry grass bend in the swirling wind or the bitter eye of a Cape buffalo glaring through a tiny opening in the tangled mopane brush at the camera...

It's all good to me.....

Forget the sometimes goofy hunters and absorb the rest!

Overall, I do like the show. One of the things I like is that Tony and Johan do a really good job of showing the proper respect for the game animals. Like I said in the OP, the show is top quality from a production standpoint and Tony is a likable TV personality, but the continued equipment malfunctions are troubling. I'm not talking about missing the brain "because of the scope". I'm more talking about every time an equipment issue arises, which is more often than not, the blame goes else where.

Let's put it this way. On this latest episode where he tried to shove a 404 into his 375, don't you think you would make sure and double sure as you leave the truck that you have the correct and ONLY correct ammo? I know I do. He shoved that 404 into the 375 hard enough to jam it. But what if he had been hunting with a 404 and in his excitement, he shoved a 375 into the chamber. Would YOU want to be the guy standing next to him as an observer, PH, cameraman, tracker, fellow hunter when that thing went off? Then the reply is, "someone put a 404 into my ammo box". What if someone had put a 300H&H in his ammo box instead of the 404? Or a 30/06.

Yes, it is one of the better shows on today. Certainly better than the SA plains game stuff and certainly more expensive to produce. But it seems to me that with all these continued "uh-oh's", eventually, someone is going to get hurt.

quote:

Let's put it this way. On this latest episode where he tried to shove a 404 into his 375, don't you think you would make sure and double sure as you leave the truck that you have the correct and ONLY correct ammo? I know I do. He shoved that 404 into the 375 hard enough to jam it. But what if he had been hunting with a 404 and in his excitement, he shoved a 375 into the chamber. Would YOU want to be the guy standing next to him as an observer, PH, cameraman, tracker, fellow hunter when that thing went off? Then the reply is, "someone put a 404 into my ammo box". What if someone had put a 300H&H in his ammo box instead of the 404? Or a 30/06

I was going to post almost the exact same thing... +1

I prefer TAA simply because watching the same guy shoot stuff over and over gets to be pretty boring.

I used to watch Shockey a lot and it dawned on me I can't remember the last time I watched his show.

The best shows are those that film a guy like you and me on a real hunt, for which we paid full price.

Yeah Todd I'm gonna flag you for unnecessary roughness here. It's at least refreshing when a host shows the mess-ups. Tony is up there with the best of the best, production quality and marksmanship. One of his drawbacks is his desire to shoot so many different guns, which prevents him from really getting intimate with any one of them.

We're lucky to have the variety of African hunting on TV and I think it's good none of the top tier shows look the same.

Last week he was honest about the long followup of the wounded cape buffalo through the swamps of the Okavango. He shows all of that as well as his screwups because it's real. That how hunting is.

Now some of these guys, I don't wanna point any fingers or look in the mirror, make you think everything in the bush is 'one shot slam bam down it goes next animal please,' when it comes to dangerous game.

Mark,

I thought about the fact that Tony uses so many different guns on his shows and how that may contribute to the equipment issues I mentioned. It is nice to see the different weapons and especially some of his vintage doubles.

But I think it's also a testament to the old sage about being intimately familiar with what ever rifles you intend to use. Especially when going after Dangerous Game.

I really don't mean to bust on the guy or the show. But back in 1987, while taking a senior Naval Officer (while I was a Junior Naval Officer) on his first deer hunt, I was part of a firearms mishap that occurred because of his lack of attention to detail. He was not a hunter but had a lot of experience with firearms. He even had a Class 3 FFL at the time if I understand correctly. To make a long story short, in his excitement after shooting his first deer, he failed to place the rifle on safety and unload the rifle, resulting in him firing the rifle inside the truck which hit the fuel line which caused a fire and subsequently the total loss of my truck which burned and smoldered for the next 12 hours. We were very lucky that neither of us were struck.

This incident has made me overly sensitive to lapses of attention to detail around weapons that sometimes lead to small "uh-oh's" and sometimes something much much worse. As everybody here realizes, you usually get one mishap with a firearm in a lifetime.

It may be great that he shows how it really happened. And I may very well be overly critical but if that had been a 375 round into a 404 instead of a 404 into a 375, I'll guarantee the showing it the way it happened would have ceased with the previous episode.

Guys, I apologize if my opinion on this is harsh. And what does my opinion matter? Not much really. It's worth what was paid for it.

quote:

One of his drawbacks is his desire to shoot so many different guns, which prevents him from really getting intimate with any one of them.

I think the quote above says it all. This would be unacceptable for someone hunting dangerous game with me. Could you seriously count on someone to back you up who is not intimately familiar with the rifle he is shooting? Well, I could not. Enough said.
Mangwana

quote:

Originally posted by subsailor74:

quote:

One of his drawbacks is his desire to shoot so many different guns, which prevents him from really getting intimate with any one of them.

I think the quote above says it all. This would be unacceptable for someone hunting dangerous game with me. Could you seriously count on someone to back you up who is not intimately familiar with the rifle he is shooting? Well, I could not. Enough said.
Mangwana

Dunno about you fellows but I would prefer to get intimate with the likes of some gals I know and familiarize myself with a new rifle.

NOBODY but NOBODY takes care of my guns or ammo but ME! I like Tony's shows and appreciate he shows the screw up, but it did suprise me with all of his experience he was not aware that "normal" doubles are set with a lighter trigger set on the right barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
NOBODY but NOBODY takes care of my guns or ammo but ME! I like Tony's shows and appreciate he shows the screw up, but it did suprise me with all of his experience he was not aware that "normal" doubles are set with a lighter trigger set on the right barrel.

Yes and some of these 'film stars' should worry less about their looks and attire, reduce the running commentary by half and get to know their working tools better to reduce the risks of a screw up!

It is amazing what a lack of "realistic" practice with weapons will produce.

For instance, reloaders are well known for "hand removing" spent brass, even in hunting situations. I've even seen folks (in person and on videos) slowly work the bolt, remove the brass and put it in their pocket before closing the bolt... all this, while the animal is hit once, still in sight and on its feet.

Professionals that carry guns are guilty, too. Cops were infamous (until training became improved) of caring more about a spend magazine hitting the ground and getting dirty than quickly reloading a fresh one. Not good in a gun fight.

When I had a portion of a hunting company in Wyoming, I watched folks try to find game in their scope with it turned to 12x and with only one eye open (about impossible), slings get tangled up in heavy brush (because the rifle has never been to the bush, but only to the rifle range) and "new" hats get in the way of bow strings or a good cheek weld with a scope.

If you're going to spend $10K to $100k on a safari, maybe a visit to a shooting school, dedicated to DG hunting would be appropriate, particularly if you use the actual equipment you plan to take to Africa.

Being all wise , I spend lots of time on my deer lease with my daughter before her first DG safari. I set up blaze orange clay pigeons on a course through out the property and we walked/stalked them, she wearing her "Africa" gear, using her .375 (or a .22 bolt gun), setting up on the same sticks she'd use on safari, etc. At several locations, I set up "doubles" so she'd have practice working the bolt quickly. It worked.

BTW, I've found women easier to teach than me. They don't have bad habits to overcome... like I had before double rifle brass became readily available... Dang, it was hard learn to let ejectors sling brass over your shoulder when it was as precious as platinum!

Very true JudgeG on all the above.

There's a tendency also to be overly concerned about scratching the barrel or the wood on the stock, fore end and pistol grip. Is that why guys who shoot doubles wear gloves? To hell with that!

Why shell out all that dough for a nice double, only to be obsessed with preventing it from getting scratched. All those nicks and scratches can be sanded out and restained, the pistol grip can be re-checkered and the barrels can be re-blued.

The gloves are also just another layer which prevents you from getting intimate with your rifle AND trigger.

To hell with gloves. Man up. Allow you and your gun to become one. Get your gun dirty if need be. Don't worry about sweaty palms, bug spray or sunblock getting on your wood. It's a safari.

Gloves with doubles? It's like Curley in Of Mice and Men.



Actually, a splinter forend can get quite slippery with sweaty palms (particularly with an well used gun with worn checkering) and some doubles will burn the pee out of you after several shots... or that's what I've heard... 'cause I never miss.

on myself, of course.

Yep you got that right. The gloved man is the man who plans on pulling the trigger lots of times.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by subsailor74:

quote:

One of his drawbacks is his desire to shoot so many different guns, which prevents him from really getting intimate with any one of them.

I think the quote above says it all. This would be unacceptable for someone hunting dangerous game with me. Could you seriously count on someone to back you up who is not intimately familiar with the rifle he is shooting? Well, I could not. Enough said.
Mangwana

Dunno about you fellows but I would prefer to get intimate with the likes of some gals I know and familiarize myself with a new rifle.

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The above post would fit well in the playboy forum, but the concept doesn't prepare you for taking on any dangerous game other than your wife if she catches you in the BUSH!
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First Tony is not there to back someone up. That is why the PH makes the big bucks. More than one shot, well I did my last walk across the lake yesterday so I wear gloves. Also if I am hunting the guys that strike back I wouldn't want a crowd just the necessary people, PH, tracker and Game Scout. I hope this doesn't turn into a rag on TM thread.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
First Tony is not there to back someone up. That is why the PH makes the big bucks..

Pardon me but you are wrong! Where in the rules of dangerous game hunting, is it written, that the PH cannot be the first one hit by a buffalo, or lion leaving YOU to shoot it off him?

The above is a mindset that has always bothered me. It is often the excuse for useing a small rifle not well suited for the hunting of things like Buffalo, and elephant, saying "it's alright, the PH is there to back me if I get in trouble with this rifle!"

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I am not saying shit can't happen, but how many "sport hunters" go hunting DG with that thought in mind. In fact I see many cases where not only is there a PH but an ass't (won't say appy) armed and ready. I am not sure many PHs want the client to be his main back up. Yes in a perfect world a hunter should be able to back up.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
NOBODY but NOBODY takes care of my guns or ammo but ME! I like Tony's shows and appreciate he shows the screw up, but it did suprise me with all of his experience he was not aware that "normal" doubles are set with a lighter trigger set on the right barrel.

Absolutely right!

I make it absolutely clear from day one in camp that NO ONE is to touch my rifle. I carry it from my tent. I put it in the truck. And I take it back.

I cannot comment on this particular show.

But, having watched a few shows on the Outdoor Chanel, I cannot help thinking that those who appear in these films are more concerned of being Hollywwod stars rather than hunters.

And that is where the problem lies.

PH Peter Chipman is alive today because client Wes Hixon killed a lion that was mauling Peter.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Moja:
PH Peter Chipman is alive today because client Wes Hixon killed a lion that was mauling Peter.

Right Marc, and shortly after that happening he bought himself a 470NE Merkel double rifle because that lion charged so fast that Peter didn't have time to get another round in the chamber of his 458Win Mag bolt rifle! When I talked to Peter at the DSC show,he said that he was lucky that he had another PH and Wes there or he would have been in real trouble.

On another note ask Johan Callitz about the time he stepped in a hole,fell and broke his ancle, while trying to stop a Buffalo, if he cared who shot that buffalo off him.

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I for one really enjoy Tony Makris and Under Wild Skies. He chooses to not edit out his mishaps. Good for him. It is nice to see an expert doing some of the things most of us have also done. I really enjoy his passion for unusual guns and his description of the guns he uses. I really enjoy guns and like to hear what they are using. Many moons ago Jack O'connor wrote that every article should have a description of the rifle and scope used as well as the load he was using. I wish more writers would do the same.

I have hunted with and filmed under the protection of Ivan Carter's big double countless times and the level of comfort I feel is due to the fact that I know, for literal DEAD CERTAIN, that he shoots the hell out of that rifle, both in Africa and back home. Having Hornady as a sponsor sure helps out with the cost , but this has been his practice for as long as I have know Ivan. Many times on safari, away from game or near camp, Ivan will walk along with double on shoulder, stop, swing it into position and bang,bang without warning. He and I then amble over to a dead tree and examine two very large holes in a knothole or blaze. This type of practice is vital to good marksmanship, and believe me when I tell you it instills all kinds of confidence in Mr.Fulson when we are in the shadow of a bull elephant. Shooting different rifles is sometimes a reality in our TV thing, but whatever rifle you use, especially on dangerous game, you had better practice with it or pick another more trusted rifle.

I rather enjoy the shows that show the warts or when our hero doesn't get that Lord Derby Eland- That is real it isn't always bang flop, who would want it to be? The hook is in showing the human condition which ain't always perfect. UWS,TAA, Sports Afield - good stuff.

Many Thanks

HBH

Ummmm. Wes Hixon gut shot the lion first. Major detail.

I love the show and rate it up there with TAA. However, I could do without some of the "cheese" factor. Is the red bandana necessary? Especially with a wide brimmed hat? I can see the purpose of a bandana, but RED? It is almost like the sleeveless fellas...

DCS, I am not sure but my understanding is Tony has some problems with the sun thus the wide brimmed hat etc. The red bandana is better than a pink or light blue.

After a very bad case of sun posion on my second safari I wear a wide brimmed hat when the hunt is in the open and I wear gaters for ticks. I really don't care what I look like in the bush just want protected.

I wear a leather glove on my trigger hand because the 470NE kicks enough to make a very large cut on my index finger when I shoot the left barrel....kld

Had a Spanish client with tsetse phobia - he emerges from his tent with a smug look on his face in a custom tailored camo bee keeper's outfit, face net and all the frills - it dawned on him too late that the scope was beyond reach.

The tsetses had a field day

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
DCS, I am not sure but my understanding is Tony has some problems with the sun thus the wide brimmed hat etc. The red bandana is better than a pink or light blue.

After a very bad case of sun posion on my second safari I wear a wide brimmed hat when the hunt is in the open and I wear gaters for ticks. I really don't care what I look like in the bush just want protected.

DOJ, I completely understand the wide brimmed hat for sun protection. I often wear a green bandana hunting to protect the back of my neck with a ballcap, but I don't get the red. Maybe he has a trademark look. The gloves could also be part of the sun issue, but I don't remember if he has worn short sleeves/rolled up sleeves.

I do like the show. He spoke at the DSC monthly meeting last month I think. I couldn't make it, but wanted to hear what he had to say.

Let's not be in too much of a haste to criticize Tony for the 600 doubling mishap. I really doubt that Shuler set the front trigger so light that the rear trigger would make it double. The Germans are way to persnickety about things to let that happen. I think it is more likely that one of the past owners had some gunsmith unfamiliar with double rifles lighten the front trigger. I also don't think that many double rifle owners here have checked to see if the rifle will double if the left barrel is fired first. I know, I know you did! The first thing I always do with any new double is to load the right barrel and shoot it, then check to see if the left barrel is still cocked. I repeat with the left barrel first. This is esp. important to do on old or any second owner double.

465H&H

I enjoy UWS ... and would be very happy to have Johan back me up pretty much anywhere.

I guess I relate to Tony a bit ... though I probably spend more time getting the equipment ready. Shit does happen and I do have some empathy for the problems experienced by Tony.

All in all, I would be delighted to be a third on a hunt with them.

I enjoy all of the shows as well.....but make no mistake about it, the hunters on the TV shows we watch are not all "experts". Experts, and I use the term sparingly.... practice, practice and practice until the likelihood of personnel error is all but eliminated. PHs qualified by the rigorous exams required in Zimbabwe probably qualify as experts. As any US Marine will tell you, regardless of rank, every Marine is a rifleman first. US Marines are experts with rifles - they have to be to survive in combat. I notice a lot of Marines also wear gloves for wahtever reason. I wear them on Safari for better control of my rifle and for some protection against thorns....and in case some folks have not noticed, everything from the grass to the trees in Zim seems to have horns on them! A rifle error once in a while - yes - that could happen to anyone. Repeat errors with rifles as have been discussed do not happen with "experts". My best hunting buddy is a US Marine (ret). He is an expert with his rifle, and I trust him with my life.....and I like it that way. The backup from my PH is secondary.
Mangwana