The movie Ghost and the Darkness has always been a favorite of mine and earlier this evening I finally got around to reading the primary source - 'The Man Eaters of Tsavo' (leaflet) written by the Colonel. Was a great, albiet short, read that I enjoyed immensely. It was certainly hunting at a level very few have ever experienced. Being hunted while hunting...
I posted this within this forum because one of the lions is put down with a lead bullet fired from a Martini. I dont know how much energy that round puts out and will have to look it up. He uses his 303 most of the time, which is a caliber I shoot often and have a fondness for. He does mention that the 303 did not have knockdown power against the big lion when he shot it. We all know a 303 with a properly placed shot will kill anything so please let us not debate his choice. He also shoots the lion from almost directly above with a shotgun loaded with a slug and gets minimal penetration. Curious as I would have thought it would be ideal for close range devastation.
I found myself both envious of his adventure and overjoyed not to be there. I myself only have two calibers that I would find preferable for such perilous hunting. A 45-70 (Handi) and a 35 Newton (based on a Mauser Action) that I am carving a stock for. The 35 Newton (cast bullet paper patched) and the multiple shots it offers wins the nod in my book though a single 500 gr boolit from a stoutly loaded 45-70 catrdge would certainly do the trick. What would you carry, currently in your collection and shooting cast, if faced with the same challenge as the Colonel? I say in your collection because he relays convincingly what happens when you borrow a rifle and he did not plan to hunt lions. A reliable and well tested 303 beats the unknown any day. His shots involved near pitch dark, shooting unsure of target location, alone, etc... All to save lives, which makes for a completly different environment than your run of the mill safari with a guide backup.
My original reason for posting was to share his story in pdf form. I uploaded it to my dropbox and am providing a link to the pdf file. Enjoy as I did (can be read in less than an hour).
Leaflet from the Field Museum (short read) https://www.dropbox.com/s/jk11qxrit8...tsavo.pdf?dl=0
Edit to add the full accounting (368 pages) https://ia600500.us.archive.org/21/i...00pattiala.pdf
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