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January 30. The only troubling thing at the Dallas and SCI
conventions were the abundance of negative comments about PH Mark Sullivan. All came from PHs in Tanzania as well as South
Africa, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere. They all had one thing in common--both the PHs I spoke with in person and what people write
on the forums such as Accurate Reloading or Nitro Express--unethical, gut shooting of animals to induce a charge, etc... It
is interesting that NONE of the accusers have hunted with Mark nor have they personally seen such practices. It is ALL third
person, what they heard, but they spoke as if all were facts. I asked many I spoke to how they knew of this and they said,
"so-and-so told me" "everyone knows this" etc... On the other hand and without exception is what I was told by those (over
a dozen) who have hunted with Mark. They said it was the best hunt they ever were on, how Mark works to make the experience
as best as possible, he is an ethical man who does not spotlight his animals or shoot from a vehicle. I mean it was 100% positive
for those that personally hunted with Mark.
Why does all negativity happen. In one word: jealousy.
Mark has carved out special part of the hunting world and has become very successful in it. If anyone else does what Mark
originated they will be accused of copying what he does. And, most do not have the guts to do it anyway. The only course of
action is to point a finger and down grade. It seems to be the same bent as it is with down-grading President Bush. It is
the stylish thing to do in today's PC world and is done, both to Mark and the former President, without facts, to be part
of the crowd.
In any highly competitive field one must set themselves apart from the rest to have
a better chance of success. Mark has done this and done this well. Others have, too. Why do you think John Sharp is photographed
so often without a shirt? Remember the Rolling Stones were called "Beatles clones"--so they became more "raw" to set themselves
apart.
As to the unethical hunting practices folks condemn Mark for doing such as walking up to the
animal and inducing a charge I would state this: does the animal suffer more this way or by waiting 30-45 minutes for the
animal to "stiffen up" before following the spoor? Mark not only dispatches the critter sooner but allows it a nobel death.
I have NEVER heard of any instance where the wounded animal is allowed to escape or gut shot intentionally--first hand experience,
that is.
In closing, I should mention I have not hunted with Mark Sullivan nor are we close friends.
I met him at the Sea Cliff hotel in Tanzania in 2006 and we chatted for about 1/2 an hour. Then at SCI in 2009 when I asked
permission to include some of his hunting experiences in my book on the .600 nitro express rifles. I only state this to let
you know I am not writing an emotional appeal for a close friend. Rather, I am trying to logically sort out what I feel is
a very unfair attack on one of the premier personalities in the hunting world.
I'm very sorry Mark
was expelled from SCI this year and his donation returned. It was "ethics," I was told, and the fear that the antis would
take what Mark does and generate negative publicity for hunting in general and SCI. Let me say something about ethics. I have
personally been offered all four North American sheep in a two day hunt (for the right price), a 400+ point elk on an afternoon
hunt on a 10.5 acre ranch, pre-measured rhino and whitetail deer to assure my trophy places high in the book, seen ranch-raised
plains game turned out at waterholes to be shot, lions separated in paddocks by their mane color, and the list goes on. Where
is the ethics and honor in this? And, the above are all accepted practices in the hunting world as is spotlighting animals
and shooting from vehicles. A good friend in Zimbabwe drives his clients all day looking for game to shoot. Over 50% of a
friend's bow hunters in South Africa shoot with a rifle and pose with their bow.
How does the above
compare with what Mark does? Personally, I'd trade one good fair chase hunt with Mark for a dozen record book ranch-raised
animals. There are too many antis that have lots of money for us to be divided. As a school teacher I ran into many--parents
who asked my hunting photos be taken down so as not to traumatize their kids. When these folks know about guaranteed hunts
and publicize them, we are in for a fight. We should all stick together in this arena.
One last thing.
In the late 1990s a well-known PH was bad-mouthing Mark for his hunting methods and showed me a video on "how it is really
done." His client had wounded a buffalo and the crew jumped in the back of the hunting vehicle that was surrounded with a
1 1/4" steel cage up to their shoulders. The driver tracked the buff through the grass and brush until he was seen and then
he was shot from the cage by the client. It didn't do much for me.
All of the hunting organization
together can't measure up to what SCI has done for hunting. I applaud them and am proud to be a member of SCI and the Alaska
chapter. I hope everyone in this industry can come together for the good of all and make a united stand against those that
hate or fear what we do. I also applaud Mark for what he does and I do hope to hunt with him someday. Thanks for
reading and viewing my site. Cal
January 23. OSR UPDATE. I stand corrected. The last day of the SCI show Graeme Wright came to the Zimbabwe Professional
Hunter's Association's table and asked if I had a few minutes. I walked with him to meet a fellow who showed me his Hollis
.450-400 3" double rifle--most likely a pre-WWI rifle. Graeme said this was an example of over stressed rifling and asked
me to look at the outside of the right barrel by holding it up to the light and seeing the light reflecting down the length
of the exterior. I saw an uninterrupted line of light from muzzle to breech. Next I held the rifle to the light and down the
left barrel. Sure enough the line of reflected light was cut by shadows not quite perpendicular to the light but at an angle.
This was not visible to the eye when held any other way and could not be felt by the fingers and I doubt it could be measured.
Graeme mentioned this was a mild case of OSR and he has seen far worse. I was amazed. I looked over and over again, comparing
both barrels, and there was no doubt about it--it was there.
Now, the main question (and one I can't
answer) was WHY it was there. The owner of the rifle said it was due to a Barnes solid bullet of the old style with the solid
shank--no grooves or bands. He was very upset and I asked him to come to Barnes with me to discuss the matter. He was too
angry to do this even though this happened to his rifle approximately 20 years ago. So, back to the question of why. I have
no information as to the bullet, the velocity it was shot at, the powder charge, pressure, diameter, etc...
Graeme
had an interesting theory. In Australia, where they have lots of doubles, they have Woodleigh bullets and the soft nose, lead-cored,
bullets work just fine. In the states, however, Woodleighs were not available in any great quantity years ago and American
shooters shot Barnes and other monolithic bullets such as A-Square. So, we may have more problems of this nature here in the
states.
That being said, I will be honest with the readers of this site. I have shot Barnes banded
solids 100 times in my Wilkes with no problem and upon my return to Alaska I will examine the barrels as I did in Reno today.
Even though I am witness to this in the one rifle I saw I will still stand by my former statements that with the banded solids
that are .002" undersize and with the bands to lessen pressure and allow for displaced metal to flow they are fine to shoot.
At least in my rifle, anyway. Graeme stated this may be the answer--a bit undersize and with bands--but the older solids were
a hard metal and the solid shank did cause higher pressure.
I don't know if pressure is the culprit
or the fluidity of the metal. I'm not a metallurgist. Older steels are softer than modern steel. Double rifle barrel walls
are thinner than many modern rifles. My .600 barrel walls are much thicker than the .450-400's walls I saw today. That's all
I can tell you and that is what I saw. I will post this to the forums upon my return home. Cal
January
21. Nothing but great stuff at SCI in Reno. Double rifles galore and Africa all over the place. Seeing old friends and making
new ones makes my day. The book sales are going well both at the booth I am at (number 8--Zimbabwe Professional Hunter's Association
with the African Hunter magazine) and at the book signing at Safari Press each day. Not only is Safari Press selling my book
but Griffin and Howe, Westley Richards, and Holland and Holland NY has them. Holland and Holland and Purdey may take some
back to London as is Paul Roberts who is making the new Jeffery rifles. And, a case or two may make their way to Australia
and Zimbabwe. In addition is I have the pleasure to meet dozens of readers of this website in person and hearing the positive
comments of the siet and the book is great! Thanks, all.
Cal
January 17.
It has been a while. Here's a quick update. I'm now in Las Vegas on my way to Reno. Dallas was a GREAT show. Lots of double
rifles there at the tables of Westley Richards, Lewis Drake, Champlin Arms, and Jack Puglisi. New doubles were represented
by Krieghoff, Heym, and Verney-Carron. I was at the booth of the African Hunter magazine with Anthony Williams and my .600
and 4-bore were on the table drawing in lots of interest. In fact, I left my .600 with a friend in Texas to shoot and hunt
with on his ranch as the .600 didn't get much interest when it was next to the huge 4-bore. Lots of interest in my book on
the .600s and my website as well with all comments very positive.
At the SCI show in Reno I will
be with Anthony again at the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters booth and will also be signing my books with Safari Press between
2:30 and 3:30 each day (or, as they say in Zim, between half two and half three). I have been gathering and will continue
to gather information for my next book on the bore rifles as well as additional .600 info for a second volume--not a revised
book, but entirely new info and photos. Since publication I have found 4 additional .600s and know of another 30 (22 English
and 8 European) but the owners are somewhat secretive. Perhaps when they see the first book, they will know I am serious and
will relent to using their rifles--anonymous is fine if they wish.
Lots of interesting data about
African hunting. Many PHs and outfitters have not lowered their prices much in the economy. Perhaps they will do so later
in the year when they realize they may not sell all of their quota. I still see buffalo hunts in Zim for 13,500 to 15,000
USD and that is way too high for this market. Top end hunters still opt for Tanzania and bargain seekers look to Zim. South
Africa has good buffalo (on ranches--but some are certainly big enough to offer a fair chase hunt) but the price is about
13-15K. Tanzania is a bargain if you want to take two buffalo and some outfitters in Zim are offering a second buffalo, too.
South Africa will offer a second buff but at 2x the price which puts many outfitters higher than in Tanzania. As to low prices,
beware of the buff hunts that are 5-7,000 USD. This may be too good to be true. Get references of as many past clients as
possible--not just the few that took great buffalo. Mozambique is opening up nice with some nice trophies coming out of that
country.
I'll add to the site more upon my return to Alaska in a week or so. I have over a dozen
vintage articles on double rifles mailed to me by a viewer and I will scan and add them as well as any info from the Reno
show.
Thanks, all, for looking and your positive comments. Cal
Below
are three photos from my friend, PH Gary Hopkins, and examples of 2009's trophies. Also is the cover of my book on the .600s
and the African Hunter magazine. The AH and myself will team up more for additional articles about the old Africa and double
rifles as well as the Doubles Column,
October 22. Winter is close here in Alaska and the rifles have been cleaned, oiled,
and put away for seven months (one down-side of living in the far north). I will try to put the last ballistic data on the
site for the 4-bore soon.
The first batch of old magazine articles are on the site and should make good reading for you all. These articles are
from the 1940s through the 1970s. Many, if not most, have been lost to time. They now are here for your study--37 articles
on double rifles (9 bore rifles, 11 by Elmer Keith, 3 on black powder express, and 14 on nitro express rifles) and 72 on African
hunting (15 lion hunts, 19 elephant hunts, 5 leopard hunts, 10 cape buffalo hunts, 6 rhino hunts, 4 croc hunts, 4 by Elmer
Keith, and 9 miscellaneous stories). This Africa is no more and never will be again. Enjoy them!
The sales of the .600 book are going fine and my thanks to all of you who purchased the book and emailed or called with
comments. What a few wrote about the .600 Nitro Express book:
"You do good work."............................... Dennis
"It's awesome."...................................... Joe
"Sexy...a great book."............................ Don
"It's beautiful."....................................... my mom
"Great photos."..................................... John
"The pics are fantastic!"......................... Lester
"This should have been long ago.".......... Joe
"Fantastic...high quality pictures."........... Dave
"Surpassed all of my expectations. Wow!"..Chip
"I love your books!".................................Matt
"Very impressive book on the .600.".........Mark
Thank you all for your kind words.
Click on the navigation bar and see the book's covers and some of the rifles photographed. Also, ordering information
is there.
| John Wilkes best quality double rifle, 1914 |
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| .600 Nitro Express, 26 inch barrels, 15 1/2 pounds, extractor |
Welcome!
Welcome to my new web site! It details the two passions in my life--double
rifles and hunting in Africa. The site will not be the gospel according to Cal--my ego is not that big. Rather, it will be
a source of information on the two areas that excite me, and hopefully you, too. Soon I will be posting dozens of articles
from the 1950s and 1960s. Many are unknown to today’s hunters and shooters of double rifles. (I believe the copyright
has expired but, since I’m not selling anything here, I hope any transgressions can be forgiven). As time goes by, I
will post reloading data, photos of my doubles and well as from many friends within my circle. Photos of my hunts as well
as some of the PHs I have hunted with. And, most importantly, contributions are welcomed. Send me as much stuff as you can!
The only items I have but will not post now are those involving the .600 nitro express and extensive reloading data for the
bore rifles (10 to 4 bore) as I am working on books for both of these topics.
To introduce myself, I graduated high school in the People’s Republic
of Massachusetts in 1973, went to college in Mass. (Greenfield, Fitchburg and UMass-Amherst), taught school for four years
in Mass and Vermont and moved to Alaska in 1984. By the late eighties I developed in interest in double rifles and Africa.
Interestingly, my first experience in African hunting literature was through my mother’s books (Bell and Hunter for
two). She was an artist and the only books she could find with African animals was in the hunting books. And, during my junior
year in high school, mom bought me the 1972 Guns and Ammo Annual. If you can find a copy, read a dozen articles on Africa
and the big bore double rifles. At $ 3.95 It changed my life! I still have the issue today. It is bound in clear tape to hold it together and I still glance at it now
as I did 36 years earlier.
Then, in the mid-1980s, I dated an art teacher at the high school I was working
at. She had a copy of Safari: A Chronicle of Adventure by B. Bull. No doubt, one of the best books I have ever read that gives
a chronology of African hunting from the early 1800s to the 1980s. From there I was on a mission to sell my Winchester collection
and acquire double rifles. I was bitten and had the fever!
So, that is where it all began for me. I have articles published in the Double
Gun Journal, The Winchester Collector, and The African Hunter. I currently write The Doubles Column for the AH and would encourage
all of you to subscribe to this, the finest of the African hunting magazines. I currently shoot and hunt only with double
rifles and own or have owned a .450-400 3”, .450 no2, .600, .450 bpe, .500 bpe, 20-.577 light nitro, 8 bore, 7 bore,
and am currently looking for a 4 bore double. I have hunted Africa 12 times and August of 2008 will see yet another.
(UPDATE
7-21-09. I just purchased a 4-bore double rifle by Robert Hughes, circa late 1880s. Weight is 22 pounds, 28-inch barrels,
Jones under lever, exposed hammer. Expect photos soon and reloading data with Fg, FFg, and Blue Dot).
Enjoy the site. Read, have fun, send me your double rifle and African stuff,
hunting and shooting experiences, reloading data, questions (I will try to answer or direct you to one who can), and general
comments. And, one request. If you write something to put on the site, please use language your mother or pastor will approve
of. We can express ourselves without using language that will make another blush! Thanks!
- Cal Pappas
DISCLAIMER
Shooting vintage or modern rifles,
hand loading ammunition, and hunting is potentially dangerous. The owner of this site and any and all contributers do not
accept any liability for the information contained herein.
Consult a licensed gunsmith and have
him examine your rifle before shooting. Have your ammunition loaded by a professional to the pressures your rifle was designed
for.
Carry a comprehensive insurance
policy for your flight, hunt, and medical care before embarking on a hunting trip. The owner and contributers do not have
any control over international political situations. Use caution when traveling to any foreign country and consult the
US State Department for suggestions and /or restrictions for international travel.
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