Old Magazine Articles- Bore Rifles

   The second group of double articles I have on my site, CalPappas.com, are 9 articles on bore rifles.

   These are the biggest shoulder-held firearms in the world and unlike today, when folks buy or make large rifles to have the biggest gun on the block, these rifles were made to serve a purpose--to stop the largest and most dangerous game on earth. George Hoyem's article from a 1972 American Rifleman entitled "Mighty Rifles of the Past" is an excellent history of the bore rifles. "Elephant Stopper Deluxe" and "It's a Paradox", both by Howard French, are informative pieces of the big bores and specifically the Paradox. Howard was the premier bore rifle man in the 1950s and 1960s in the USA. "Big Bores of the British Empire", by Jack Lott, is a good history of the bore rifles and where they were used. Jack's "8-Bore Double Rifle" is a story about his personal Rodda *. "Dinosaur Stopper" deals with using kiln shells in the 8-bores and getting some tremendous ballistics from the old rifles. "Great Guns", "To Down a Mammoth," and "World's Largest Big Bores" complete the list.

   All nine articles give excellent history and ballistic data and should serve to give the reader a comprehensive overview of the topic. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have reading them and shooting my bore rifles.