I posted this forum in African Hunting earlier thinking it would be of interest to that crowd...Dogcat has suggested I post it here in Books as well....had never been here!! Here we go:
ANOTHER GREAT BOOK FOR AFRICAN HUNTERS-& BIGBORE SHOOTERS-

"AFRICAN DANGEROUS GAME CARTRIDGES" by Pierre van der Walt, South Africa 460 pages

I have recently received my copy of Pierre's new writings and it is simply fantastic for new or old Dangerous Game Hunters! I have been fortunate enough to visit the Dark Continent 10 times to date (two cruise/photo only) and 15 separate safaris and I feel I am still learning...and this book has been very enlightening to say the least. I would like to share my comments with you.

The title of the book would lead one to believe it is only about cartridges and maybe handloading. Well, not the case....over 30% (first 135 pages) of the book is dedicated to the rifles, clearly a controversy between bolt and doubles to begin with!! He begins with Terminology, ie Big and Dangerous game, caliber and bore sizes, velocity classification and threshold, then ventures into recoil and physical response to it, enough, fitness, etc. From there Pierre covers optics and alternative sighting systems, even scopes on dangerous doubles. Then into bullets and Nick and Flip theory, supercavitation, stabilization...things I have never really thought of directly...some I have learned by observation but clearly not understood the technical side...makes sense completely when explained as he does....and something to think about too...like needing a tighter twist for stabilizing dangerous game bullets!

From there, Pierre dives into all aspects of handloading for Dangerous Game, even regulating for Doubles and powder burn rate, and then into loading the 48 Transition Bores, Large Bore, and finally Super Bores (.465-600) cartridges covered in depth with a plethora of loading data for each! He begins with the 9.3x62 and wraps up with the 600 NE. There are several pages on each and every cartridge and a format on each that covers Cartridge History, Characteristics, Performance, Optics and Sighting, and finally Handloading with often a couple of pages or more of specific loads. Simply a treasure trove for handloaders for Dangerous Game Rifles!!

Pierre is South African born, a Lawyer by education (we can't hold that against him!!), a former military officer, PH and one of the founders of the Bigbore Association of South Africa (BASA). He is the producer of the AIM Show, the premier sporting show held in Johannesburg every year. He has incredible experience in the field as his credentials would suggest and he writes from an African PH and personal hunter perspective, ie with experience of what can and does go wrong in the field...not from the clients (limited, relatively) perspective that most always has the PH for back up when the chips are down. His writing is very witty as well as technical, and he has a bit of a delightful twist to his dialog as his mother tongue is NOT English, ie he is translating...so we get a bit of a SA flare of that too.

This is a delightful book that I will be keeping by my easy chair and on the loading bench when working there. This is a coffee table sized book, close to 5 lbs with many, many great pictures of fine rifles, hunting shots and of course interesting people. The book critics are calling this book a potential sequel to John Taylor's African Rifles and Cartridges...I would add 'on steroids' with all of the color pictures and loading data!!

I am told this book is nearing a sell out of the First Printing, already...so don't wait, if you think you want this great book!! I believe Safari Press has a few copies here in the States. Incidentally, I received my copy as an incentive for extending my subscription to African Hunting Gazette for 4 years...a great bargain, in my opinion, and also a great quarterly magazine if you are not already subscribing (you should!)....and mine, an autographed edition signed by the author and Richard Lendrum, publisher of AHG. It is advertised in AHG and African Hunter, Safari Magazine, etc.

I thought y'all might enjoy this book as I am...and not to be missed. It goes far beyond any other book presently available on African Dangerous Game Hunting-guns and ammo, in my opinion!! I have nothing to gain here, I am just sharing my thoughts on a great book so you don't miss it....

Enjoy!!

I ordered John Taylor`s African rifles and Cartridges.It should be a good book-it has many good reviews and John Taylor has some knowledge in this area.I might get Pierres`s book too.

Taylor's book is dated, and limited in scope. Pierre's book is much better.

Bill Quimby

Eddy, thanks for the book review. I will have to find a copy.

I agree with Bill, Taylor's book is a great old classic and I have a first printing my self. Just remember, lots has changed since that book was written, bullets and powders, rifles and optics...but so has hunting and borders of hunting areas where animals can run and you lose them if not dropped quickly...they didn't have those issues back then!!

I finally finished van der Walt's book. I felt it packed about three hundred pages of material into a 460 page book. It often seemed contrived, and wordy.

I went off to college many years ago as an eighteen year old. Our English 101 class was in an amphitheater with a class size approaching 240 students. The second week the professor assigned us to write an essay about something that interested us. One fellow asked how long it should be. The professor's answer was a classic. "An essay should be like a mini-skirt on a tall, slender, and shapely young woman. Long enough to cover the subject; yet short enough to be entertaining and leave the viewer wanting more..."

This one read, to me at least, like he was paid by the word.

Rich

REMEMBER, Pierre's mother tongue is Africaans, not English...and educated as a Lawyer, Nuff said??
I also think it depends on how saavy one is in undertstanding the technical issues so well covered...if you short the words you leave many in the dark!!

Cheers!!

Anyone know where this book can be found or have one that they'd part with?

quote:

Originally posted by 470EDDY:
I posted this forum in African Hunting earlier thinking it would be of interest to that crowd...Dogcat has suggested I post it here in Books as well....had never been here!! Here we go:

"AFRICAN DANGEROUS GAME CARTRIDGES" by Pierre van der Walt, South Africa 460 pages

(snip)

I believe Safari Press has a few copies here in the States. Incidentally, I received my copy as an incentive for extending my subscription to African Hunting Gazette for 4 years...a great bargain, in my opinion, and also a great quarterly magazine if you are not already subscribing (you should!)....and mine, an autographed edition signed by the author and Richard Lendrum, publisher of AHG. It is advertised in AHG and African Hunter, Safari Magazine, etc.

Two comments:

1. Altho the book offer has expired as well as the 4 year subscription (now 5 years), you might want to call Nicole at AHG and plead your case. They had a few autographed books left and she graciously gave me the 4 year subscription, the autographed book and the raffle drawing.

2. I am somewhat in agreement w/ISS. 'Tis not quite what I had expected after all the build-up. Still a valuable contribution to the literature.

Now if only we could talk Safari Press into persuading Gregor Woods to update his 2002 edition of Rifles for Africa, I think the bases then would be pretty well covered between, CB, TW, PvdW and a new Woods.

You can order directly from publisher-
info@pathfinder-publications.com
Postage from South Africa so expensive, but I think worth it. Author is working on US distributor now for this book and new medium bore cartridges as well.
AHG may still have a few in US, call Nicole, the Montana phone number on the AGH website.

quote:

AHG may still have a few in US, call Nicole, the Montana phone number on the AGH website

That worked! Nicole was able to help me out and they are shipping my copy. Thanks.

I agree with Rich on van der walts book.47 lbs. in a 20 lb. sack. As to the reference of Taylor's works being outdated;I strongly object. I understand that some drive Ford's + some drive Chevy's never the twain shall meet;however whoever called it outdated needs to back to History 101.No we do not still use stick cordite,but CUP remains the same.I believe that the major objection was "Taylor's 'Knock out formula'by the high velocity crowd.I work with both camps.

quote:

whoever called it outdated needs to back to History 101.

My comment was that Taylor's book was dated (meaning aged or old fashioned), not outdated (meaning obsolete). I stand by my opinion. For starters, we have calibers and ammunition that did not exist in his day.

Also, many of Taylor's comments about the quality (or lack thereof) of firearms and ammo he used or spoke about are no longer relevent.

What dates his book more than anything else, though, is that Taylor wrote when it was rare for "ordinary" hunters to understand the fundamentals of ballistics.

More than a few readers today find the portions of his book where he attempts to explain this subject too basic to hold their interest.

I am among those just mentioned.

As for Pierre's book being wordy and repetitive, the formats of his book and Taylor's book differ greatly, and the format that Pierre chose requires much duplication.

His book is not something to be read chapter-by-chapter from cover-to-cover for entertainment but as a work to turn to for specific information.

Bill Quimby

quote:

I stand by my opinion. For starters, we have calibers and ammunition that did not exist in his day.

I honestly believe if the old guard had access to today's A-Frames, TSX's, CEB Solids, Barnes Banded solids etc, their opinion of calibers would be much different. SOmething tells me they were (at times) trying to use brute force to compensate for lack of reliable performance from their bullets. Just my opinion.

Kind of like the old notion that the way to make a car go around a track faster is to only add horsepower and ignoring steering and braking. FPS and FPE are components of performance, not the extent of it.