APPENDIX II
GAME ANIMALS COLLECTED
Lion Bush pig Grant's gazelle
Serval cat Baboon Thompson's gazelle
Cheetah Colobus Gerenuk gazelle
Black-backed jackal Hippopotamus Coke's hartebeests
Silver jackal Rhinoceros Jackson's hartebeests
Striped hyena Crocodile Neuman's hartebeests
Spotted hyena Python Chandler's reedbuck
Fennec fox Ward's zebra Bohur reedbuck
Honey badger Grevy's zebra Beisa ox
Aardewolf Notata gazelle Fringe-eared oryx
Wart-hog Roberts' gazelle Duiker
Waterbuck Klipspringer Harvey's duiker
Sing-sing Dik-dik Greater kudu
Oribi (3 varieties) Wildebeeste Lesser kudu
Eland Roosevelt's wildebeests Sable antelope
Roan antelope Buffalo
Bushbuck Topi
Total, fifty-four kinds
GAME BIRDS COLLECTED
Marabout Gadwall Lesser bustard
Egret European stork Guinea fowl
Glossy ibis Quail Giant guinea fowl
Egyptian goose Sand grouse Green pigeon
White goose Francolin Blue pigeon
English snipe Spur fowl Dove (2 species)
Mallard duck Greater bustard
Total, twenty-two kinds
APPENDIX III
For the benefit of the sportsman and gun crank who want plain
facts and no flapdoodle, the following statistics are offered. To
the lay reader this inclusion will be incomprehensible; but I
know my gun crank as I am one myself!
Army Springfield, model 1903 to take the 1906 cartridge, shooting
the Spitzer sharp point bullet. Stocked to suit me by Ludwig
Wundhammer, and fitted with Sheard gold bead front sight and
Lyman aperture receiver sight. With this I did most my shooting,
as the trajectory was remarkably good, and the killing power
remarkable. Tried out both the old-fashioned soft point bullets
and the sharp Spitzer bullets, but find the latter far the more
effective. In fact the paralyzing shock given by the Spitzer is
almost beyond belief. African animals are notably tenacious of
life; but the Springfield dropped nearly half the animals dead
with one shot; a most unusual record, as every sportsman will
recognize. The bullets seemed on impact always to flatten
slightly at the base, the point remaining intact-to spin widely
on the axis, and to plunge off at an angle. This action of course
depended on the high velocity. The requisite velocity, however
seemed to keep up within all shooting ranges. A kongoni I killed
at 638 paces (measured), and another at 566 paces both exhibited
this action of the bullet. I mention these ranges because I have
seen the statement in print that the remaining velocity beyond
350 yards would not be sufficient in this arm to prevent the
bullet passing through cleanly. I should also hasten to add that
I do not habitually shoot at game at the above ranges; but did so
in these two instances for the precise purpose of testing the
arm. Metal fouling did not bother me at all, though I had been
led to expect trouble from it. The weapon was always cleaned with
water so boiling hot that the heat of the barrel dried it. When
occasionally flakes of metal fouling became visible a Marble
brush always sufficed to remove enough of it. It was my habit to
smear the bullets with mobilubricant before placing them in the
magazine. This was not as much of a nuisance as it sounds. A
small tin box about the size of a pill box lasted me the whole
trip; and only once did I completely empty the magazine at one
time. On my return I tested the rifle very thoroughly for
accuracy. In spite of careful cleaning the barrel was in several
places slightly corroded. For this the climate was responsible.
The few small pittings, however, did not seem in any way to have
affected the accuracy, as the rifle shot the following groups:
3-1/2 inches at 200 yards; 7-1/4 inches at 300 yards; and
11-1/2 inches at 500 yards.*
*It shot one five-shot 1-2/3 inch group at 200 yds., and several
others at all distances less than the figures given, but I am
convinced these must have been largely accidental.
These groups were not made from a machine rest, however; as none
was available. The complete record with this arm for my whole
stay in Africa was 307 hits out of 395 cartridges fired,
representing 185 head of game killed. Most of this shooting was
for meat and represented also all sorts of "varmints" as well.
The 405 Winchester. This weapon was sighted like the Springfield,
and was constantly in the field as my second gun. For lions it
could not be beaten; as it was very accurate, delivered a hard
blow, and held five cartridges. Beyond 125 to 150 yards one had
to begin to guess at distance, so for ordinary shooting I
preferred the Springfield. In thick brush country, however, where
one was likely to come suddenly on rhinoceroes, but where one
wanted to be ready always for desirable smaller game, the
Winchester was just the thing. It was short, handy, and reliable.
One experience with a zebra 300-350 yards has made me question
whether at long (hunting) ranges the remaining velocity of the
big blunt nosed bullet is not seriously reduced; but as to that I
have not enough data for a final conclusion. I have no doubt,
however, that at such ranges, and beyond, the little Springfield
has more shocking power. Of course at closer ranges the
Winchester is by far the more powerful. I killed one rhinoceros
with the 405, one buffalo and one hippo; but should consider it
too light for an emergency gun against the larger dangerous
animals, such as buffalo and rhinoceros. If one has time for
extreme accuracy, and can pick the shot, it is plenty big; but I
refer now to close quarters in a hurry. I had no trouble whatever
with the mechanism of this arm; nor have I ever had trouble with
any of the lever actions, although I have used them for many
years. As regards speed of fire the controversy between the lever
and bolt action advocates seems to me foolish in the extreme.
Either action can be fired faster than it should be fired in the
presence of game.
