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| from Guns & Ammo July 2006 |
Thoughts From the Gunner's Guru -- July 2006
The Guru discusses hunting in Mozambique, skillful marketing, media misrepresntation, a drop-in trigger system for the 1911, Broomhandle Mauser, lever-action rifles, Gerhard Blenk
By Col. (Ret.) Jeff Cooper
Family member and cousin Steve Lunceford is recently back from Mozambique with all sorts of sea stories gathered up in the Zambezi Delta. There are a lot of animals there for the taking, but it's not especially for the trophy hunter, as the animals generally run small. Steve was using Baby 6 with, as you might expect, consistent success.
Whether one needs a heavy rifle for buffalo remains an open question, and an experienced hunter of dangerous game such as Steve probably does not need one. With perfect placement and the right bullet, even Syncerus caffer will go down to the shot. This bolsters my enthusiasm for the .376 Mannlicher, which I like to call the Dragoon. Using the 300-grain solid, this cartridge will do whatever is needed, although I would not recommend it as first choice for the pachyderms. Its delightful friendliness renders it a joy to handle in the low veldt, as well as in Alaska. The ammunition must be made to order, which is a drawback but not a serious one. Most serious hunters make up what ammunition they need (and return with plenty to spare).
We now have two different sources of information regarding the current international scene. First there is that furnished by the media, and the second is that given to us by returning combat veterans from the Middle Eastern front. The media seem to insist that we are doing it wrong, especially that the current administration is doing it wrong. The men back from the war zone insist that we are doing the best possible job and that while the battle is not yet over, the situation is well in hand. I prefer to put my faith in the word I get from the troops. I know those people better than I do the journalists.
The continued sales triumph of Glock pistols demonstrates the virtues of skillful marketing. The Glock is okay. It is generally reliable, it is comparatively inexpensive, and it is available in respectable calibers. Above all, its aftermarket service is superior. The great part of its sales comes from police departments, where maintenance and quick service are of primary importance. It may not be the best choice for the expert pistolero, but such people are not in the majority.
J.P. Denis, ex-president of IPSC and master pistolero, has developed a drop-in trigger system for the 1911 that requires no gunsmithing. It is available through FNH USA in McLean, Virginia, and is just the thing for the man who has no access to remedial work. It is intended to be used for the 1911 that has the worst trigger that you have encountered.
Action type makes little difference in field service. If you shoot well, you do not generally use a second shot.
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We have had occasion to play around at some length with the Broomhandle Mauser during the last few months. We find this to be an efficient instrument for its task, which is a very curious one. It was never a government-issue sidearm, but it was available for private purchase by officers who were called upon to buy their own sidearms. It worked pretty well for this since it was never a proper defensive pistol but served as a sort of "kit gun" for officers who packed it in its wooden shoulder stock and had available an emergency carbine for unusual situations.
Used this way, and fired normally from the carbine mode, it did a pretty good job for the junior infantry officer. You carried the weapon normally in your luggage in its wooden stock but only went to war as the circumstance demanded. This was not the way it was employed by Churchill at Omdurman, but it did him well, nonetheless, on that occasion. Of course, the .30-caliber cartridge for the original Broomhandle is not much of a combat round, but neither is the 9mm Parabellum. They both go bang when you press the trigger, and you do have the carbine option available.
Lever-action rifles have proven most satisfactory over the years, and I feel that my devotion to the bolt-action principle was not totally justified. Action type makes little difference in field service. If you shoot well, you do not generally use a second shot. Recovery from recoil enables the shooter to operate any sort of action--including a single-shot--if he works at it.
We note that Gerhard Blenk, who designed the Blaser 93, is now pushing a brand-new double rifle for sporting use. We have great confidence in Gerhard Blenk. If he designed it, it must be good.
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