Thread: Karamojo Bell article

Trust me, there is a reason it is illegal to hunt the big 3 with anything under .375 h&h.

As velocity increases penetration decreases.

Of course a bigger case has more potential for energy it is just that in the case of a brain shot calibre or bore size is really irrelevant.

Not that I have any wish to ever shoot an elephant I don't doubt that a well placed shot brain or heart would kill very well with the appropriate projectile out of a 308.

Would I deliberately take a 308 to shoot my first elephant? No , if I was to hunt dangerous game I would be taking something like a 416 rigby .

Originally Posted by john m

As velocity increases penetration decreases.

With expanding projectiles. solids are another matter.

Anyone that shot as many elephants as Karamojo Bell and died in his bed did know what he was talking about

Originally Posted by Graeme Sturgeon

Anyone that shot as many elephants as Karamojo Bell and died in his bed did know what he was talking about

Yep, but its one man's opinion, nearly all the other great elephant hunters, selous, Taylor, Johnson, hunter to name a few preferred big bores.
Most of them died from othe causes too.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

With expanding projectiles. solids are another matter.

Solids distort and deform and lose direction and sometimes tumble.

Originally Posted by Spudattack

Solids distort and deform and lose direction and sometimes tumble.

Depending on construction and velocity, just like soft points,plastic tips HPs etc pencil a straight line or cause a massive deep wound channel or a shallow dinnerplate sized wound on the surface.

It all depends on construction and velocity, after all we can manufacture projectiles that will penetrate a foot of hardened steel on 45 degree angle then set fire to whatever is on the other side.

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Some of this stuff from Bill Axbeys unpublished manuscript on the great New Zealand elephant Hunter 'Deaf Banks' is amazing. He is whittling down the Kings Herd of Elephant with his bloody old 303 like you wouldn't believe. One of our original poachers I wouldn't be suprized, makes me proud just to read about him.

elephant

Interesting article on the subject.

Hell this manuscript is amazing. Banks must be in the Congo now as he is donkey deep in tusks he' has shot from a herd that belonged of the King of Belgium. I can almost hear the crack of the three o and feel the crash as another tusker bites the dust.

All of the big bores are away in the big cites telling the world how they would be doing it if they were out there again. After forty pink gins they will toddle back to their Boma and bleary eyed run a oily rag over the four bore that they would use again if only the elephants would come back close to town like they used to.

Another legendary Ivory hunter that was a proponent of big bores, his interesting theory on "knock out power," just for a bit of balance to the discussion...

John Howard "Pondoro" Taylor (1904 - 1969) | AfricaHunting.com

From what I have read of Taylor, he wasn't much of a gun guy. I would take Walter Bell over him.

Let us remember also that much of the government culling of elephant in the 1970's/80's was done with SLR's and .308 military ammo.

Harry Rayne was another New Zealander from Dunedin who hunted with WDM Bell in the Karamojo around 1907/08, using the .318 Westley Richards - basically the same thing as a .30/06 with heavy bullet.

Originally Posted by Carlsen Highway

From what I have read of Taylor, he wasn't much of a gun guy. I would take Walter Bell over him.

Really? Have you read African Rifles and Cartridges by John "Pondoro" Taylor?

Let us not forget either that Bell had his gunbearer ready with his heavy double for when the SHTF! The 7mm was cheaper to shoot and huntng was business not pleasure for Bell.