Quote:

---

Then watching the object, not afraid, but hesitating before going down the bank to drink with such a thing opposite him, he saw a man figure detach itself from it and he turned his heavy head and swung away toward the cover for the trees as he heard a cracking crash and felt the slam of a .30-06 220-grain solid bullet that bit his flank and ripped in sudden hot scalding nausea through his stomach.






Macomber did not know how the lion had felt before he started his rush, nor during it when the unbelievable smash of the .505 with a muzzle velocity of two tons had hit him in the mouth, nor what kept him coming after that, when the second ripping crash had smashed his hind quarters and he had come crawling on toward the crashing, blasting thing that had destroyed him.



�You might as well shoot the Springfield,� Wilson said. �You�re used to it. We�ll leave the Mannlicher in the car with the Memsahib. Your gun-bearer can carry your heavy gun. I�ve this damned cannon. Now let me tell you about them.� He had saved this until the last because he did not want to worry Macomber. �When a buff comes he comes with his head high and thrust straight out. The boss of the horns covers any sort of a brain shot. The only shot is straight into the nose.

---

Several things in the story, while good reading, bring to mind some questions.

First, just how well did Hemingway know the ballistics and cartridge/bullet selection side of hunting, or did he just not let this knowledge get in the way of a good story.

Second, would you consider a 30-06 with 220 grain solids as an appropriate first choice to use on an unwounded lion without the PH as backup (he was still on the vehicle, right)?

Third, just how many fps is a muzzle velocity of two tons ?

Fourth, would you want to follow up a wounded buff in the thick stuff with a 30-06 when you had a heavy rifle available, and isn't a shot into the bridge of the nose on a charging buff a shot into the brain?

This brings us to number five, was Mrs. Macomber already sleeping with Wilson, which would explain questions two and four ?

Obviously Hemingway was a great writer, but how literally should you take his hunting related writings? I personally feel that he was more interested in a good story that getting all the details right, but I guess that falls under the category of "literary license".

Jim

Quote:

---

As to the Springfield going into the tall grass... The PH seemed to know what he was doing in the recommendation. Macomber only missed braining the buff by an inch or so by hitting the bosses instead of the nose.. And no one would deny that a solid of most any caliber with a SD of .330 wouldn't do on a brain shot. Of course, the .505 was right there, too, not to mention that Macomber was working that Springfield bolt pretty darn quickly.

---

Then that brings us to more questions. Who messed with the sights on the Springfield to cause the bullet impact to be high, and was the PH aware of this in advance? The conspiracy theory plot thickens .

Jim