Ladies and Gentlemen,

Your charter plane crashes in remote Africa. The pilot is killed but you and your spouse survive with minor injuries. You estimate it will take you about 14 days to walk to the nearest road. This part of Africa is unpopulated and full of elephant, lion and buffalo.

The plane wreckage catches fire as you are retrieving your rifles. You can grab your .458 Lott but you can only find 5 rounds of ammo, or you can grab your 30.06 and 20 rounds of ammo.

Which rifle are you going to grab?

Regards,

Terry

'06--and a copy of WDM Bell's "Wonderings of an Elephant Hunter", if I can find one

[ 07-15-2003, 23:21: Message edited by: TrademarkTexan ]

The 06. 5 rounds isn't going to feed you for 2 weeks if you are on the move with no storage ability for meat. And you can't fire signal shots (3) if you have only 5 rounds.

The .30-06. I would then assiduously avoid contact with any 'bad actors', by speaking aloud while walking and not moving at night.

Pop an impala, cook up some fillets, and move on.

This assumes that there is water around.

George

The Lott.

You murder your spouse, invite the neighboring bushmen to a barbeque, promise to kill an elephant if they carry you and the ivory out to the nearest road, sell the ivory to the black market, and buy a ticket home.

Problem solved.

Will
The pilot is already BBQ'ed....
Don't like your wife???
Jeff

I'm thinking at the current prices for illicit ivory, there will only be enough money for one ticket!

I'll take the old 06, and the 20 rounds, then follow behind Will, real close, so every time he shoots another elephant, I can get meat, and save my ammo for lions!

Will, that was funny as hell!

I don't think meat provision really needs to be taken into account. You can easily go 7 days without food before you experience ill effects. Assuming that you do have to shoot something with a nasty attitude, you've provided all the meat you'll need already.

Of course, you'll likely be too sick from the water by day 7 to walk, so save at least two rounds for you and your wife when the hyenas start circling.

No brainer: the 06.

wife carries the -06, and rounds...

you carry lott, with 5 rounds....

use the pilots' stomach and pants for a cantine

jeffe

ill take the Lott and follow the old lady out. she is gonna be so pissed about the plane going down aint no animal on earth gonna mess with her.
The Lott is to keep her from killing me because the plane went down!
dean

OK, wise guys.

What if your choice is a .22 with 20 rounds or the Lott with 5 rounds.

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
I'll bet, before Bill gets to the plane to get a rifle, his wife has already killed him with a rock.

Terry,

Hey, please keep all such suggestions to yourself!

Lost Tourist Incidents Spark Debate in Hospitality Circles


The Namibian (Windhoek)

July 9, 2003
Posted to the web July 9, 2003

Maggi Barnard
Windhoek

THE death of a Dutch tourist who got lost in the Kunene Region last month has sparked a debate in the industry over what went wrong.

The missing tourist couple made headlines when they were found in a remote valley about 30 km south-west of Twyfelfontein.

Mieke Schrijver (55) was lucky to survive 16 days without food and water, but her husband Jan Snel (56) did not make it.

Ten days ago four German tourists went missing for four days.

They were eventually found unharmed by South African visitors who happened to be in the same area.

"I am surprised this does not happen more often," a tour guide, who often works in Damaraland (southern Kunene), told The Namibian.

"Something needs to be done about the self-drive tourists, otherwise we are going to end up looking for missing people all the time," he said.

Chairperson of the Tour Guides Association of Namibia (TAN), Erongo branch, Gaby Tirronen-Henrichsen, said: "The car rental companies should never ever send tourists into the Kunene Region by themselves".

She said information on road conditions and appropriate vehicles and equipment was lacking.

Most guide books, web sites and other information brochures on Namibia only mention a "well-established road network of which 5 450 km is tarred and 37 000 km consists of gravel and earth roads".

Nothing is said about how remote and desolate some of the roads are, even if they do appear on a map.

There is no mention of the advisability of travelling on certain roads with more than one vehicle.

Nor is any warning given to self-drive tourists to stock up on water and extra fuel.

Tirronen-Henrichsen said it was the duty of car rental companies to provide necessary information to clients.

"The tourists, who are mostly European, do not realise how different our conditions are to Europe," she added.

"Tourists see a place name such as 'Rooi Drom' on the map and they think it is a town or settlement where they will find food and fuel. Little do they know that it is exactly what it says, it is only a 'rooi drom' [red drum] and nothing else".

Chairperson of the Car Rental Association of Namibia (Caran), Gielie van Zyl, agreed that tourists visited Namibia to experience the vast open spaces and fresh air, "but they do not realise in order to get this experience they will have drive long distances alone".

In defence of car rental companies, Van Zyl said all Caran members handed out a brochure in four languages containing important information about driving in Namibia, as well as maps.

Depending on the type of vehicle hired, they were briefed on other aspects as well.

"They are briefed on survival tips when they rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle," he said.

According to him, the Dutch couple's vehicle was fitted with a water container and an extra fuel tank.

"It is up to them to fill it up and make use of the facility. You can take a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink," Van Zyl commented.

He said another problem was that tourists often did not divulge their plans.

"They want to rent the cheapest car and hide from us that they plan to drive on gravel roads. Some vehicles are better suited for gravel roads and we recommend these to clients. In the end they get what they pay for - it is the customers' choice".

Van Zyl said they have also had to adjust their advice about driving on gravel roads.

"People were given a false sense of security because we used to tell them how dangerous it was. They expected very bad roads and when they get on the gravel roads, which are usually in excellent condition, they drive faster and faster," he noted.

"According to statistics there is a direct correlation between speed and accidents. Most accidents on our gravel roads have happened on straight stretches of road. When you speed and hit a bump, you lose control and the vehicle rolls".

He said in one case, data from real-time tracking fitted on Avis vehicles revealed that a client was driving at 170 km/h on a gravel road when the tyre burst.

Fitting global positioning system (GPS) equipment on vehicles is one way of keeping track.

In Namibia only Avis has done this so far.

Another problem is that not all car rental companies are members of Caran.

Of more than 50 companies operating in the country, only 18 are members.

Regulations are expected to be implemented by November by the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB).

Said NTB CEO Gideon Shilongo: "We are still debating the practicality of enforcing the provision of information, but it is clear that we have to work together to make Namibia a tourist-friendly country".

Is the 22 ammo loaded with solids or softs?
Blacktailer

Blacktailer,

Good one.

We have the same problem in Australia as the article mentions in Namibia. But usually there is adequate information on roads, fuel stops etc on maps or guide books. But people will be very obstinately stupid sometimes, might have something to do with natural selection.

I notice in the article the government spokesman blaims the car rental companies and says how they should provide all sorts of extra information (which they should BTW). But I'm sure the Namibian government also levies a pretty hefty tax on the car rentals so shouldn't IT be doing something about the provision of driving information. The taxes are not only just for Swiss bank accounts you know.

***

If its a choice between a .22 and a .458, most .22's are pretty light. Can't it be carried too?

But in the spirit of the thread I would choose the .22 with 20 rounds. While the danger from large game would increase, 5 rounds isn't going to feed one for long. If there were enough small antelope around such as duiker or impala, one could try to ambush one at dusk if a waterhole existed. Also little rodents such as dassies. A dassie barbequed on a stick. (Hey is this the next KFC?). It is also lighter to carry.

If there aren't any waterholes or water supplies you are pretty f**ked anyway within 2 or 3 days in the heat.

PS This assumes you are stupid enough to try to walk out rather than stay with the airplane crash WHERE you are most likely to be found.

Hard to find a pile of dry bones in the dust.

I saw this in a Tarzan movie once. Just wait for Tarzan.

Very funny, leo--too. But your plan works only if Kerchak, Numa, Sheeta et al. don't get there first.

This reminds me in a way of the old 1911 vs. Wondernine or M14 vs. M16 debate. I'll always take the big cannon and fewer rounds over the little popper and more--as long as fewer rounds doesn't mean hardly any.

The Lott is enough gun for anything, and five rounds are enough, too, if one spends them wisely.
-----------------------------------

"No free man is safe, without enough gun."

mrlexma

This thread reminds me of one of Capstick's stories. He and another PH or two were in a vehicle crash in a remote area. All of the heavy rifles were destroyed and only a shotgun and a .270 remained. They were doing ok living off the land until an unhappy elephant visited their camp one night. According to the story PHC pulled the .270 softpoints from their cases with his teeth, turned them around (to use as solids) and fired them at the elephant. As I recall there was also some drama of shooting the elephant in the eyes with #8 shot or something. End result- dead elephant. Good story the truth of which I cannot say. I'm sure many of you have read the same account- please correct me if I mixed anything up. I'd take the .30-06 over the Lott and the Lott over the .22. I'd prefer a GPS & Satphone over either though!

I have been broke down in such areas in a vehicle while traveling in to set up camps, its terrible, so under the conditions you describe I think I'd just through up my hands and fall through my a$$ thank you!

Almost sounds like flatlander tourists driving through Colorado during January. Just kidding.