Good day all. Shooting every few days but summer is half over and that is sad. Look
on the "for sale" page to see two single shot shotguns I just listed--an 8-bore and a 4-bore. Very rare! Prices will follow
shortly after a bit of research. The two are below. Enjoy! The 4 is sold, the 8 is waiting for a new owner. Cal
June 24th update.
Good day, all. The For Sale page has been added as have some double rifles to that page.
This weekend will see some shooting at my cabin and I hope will produce some good photos or video footage. The summers are
short here so the shooting is often. This weekend I hope to see at my cabin for some action are the following: my .450, .475,
.600, 7-bore, 4-bore, Rob's 4-8-10 bores, Brett's .500-450, and Ron's 8-bore, .475, and .577. Should be fun.
June 18th update.
Good day, all. Lots of shooting in the 24-hour daylight of the far north. All of my doubles
have been having a good workout (as well as my right shoulder) and, of course, lots of time cleaning the rifles. All of my
doubles shoot well and developing an accurate load for them is the fun of it all! Here are two targets from my 4-bore Hughes
I shot today. The close group is a 1400-grain ball and 80 grains of Blue Dot. The apart group was the same charge of powder
but with a 1943-grain conical. The split of the group was due to the lower velocity. Bore rifles are much more forgiving as
to regulation as their smaller nitro-charged cousins. Distance was 40 yards over a rest and the projectiles were sized to
.970".
A few more game and double rifle photos have been added to those respective pages and I don't
have a good grizzly story to tell you--no bears and lots of rain on the Denali Highway. But, it was nice hiking remote Alaska
with my black lab and a.600 double rifle. Of other news, I may return a "For Sale" page to the site soon as I still have a
few items to divest of and a few friends may, also. Enjoy the site and please send in a hunt story, hunt photo, or double
rifle photo. Cheers, all. Cal
May 22. A few more photos have come in to the trophy page. Some viewers have asked for larger photos of higher
resolution. While this is possible many computers may take too long for the pics to come up and I wanted the photos to come
up quickly. I do not want a viewer to exit the site as the photos take several minutes to appear. If anyone wants detailed
photos of the doubles or trophies I can email separate higher quality photos. Also, I just put a new article on the log entitled,
"Where Have All the Hunters Gone?" It is an opinionated piece about all the gadgets and attitudes that have developed over
the years to kill more while hunting less. I hope you enjoy it.
Cal
May 9 Home Page Commentary.
Good day all. Shooting several times a week here at my cabin has left my shoulder
a bit tender as there was no shooting at all in the cold seven months of winter. A few new items have been added to the site:
three rifles to the double rifles page (.500-450 Hollis, .450-400 Fraser, and my new purchase of a Wilkes .475 no2) and on
the trophies page are four photos of game taken with my .475 no2--three of which were on a 1955 safari. Also, several questions
from readers I have replied to on my log. These will also be published in the African Hunter magazine. I would ask all viewers
(again) if you have any photos of your double rifles or game taken with a double, please contribute it to the site. The more
double rifle and Africa (or other hunting photos) the better as it is your site. Sunny day today so I'm off to the front yard
to shoot the .600 Wilkes and the 7-bore Locke for my daily exercise. The first week of June I will spend a few days on the
Denali Highway looking for grizzly with my .600. I'll publish any success I have. Last of all, good news. Sports Afield will
publish an article I just wrote: "The .600 Nitro Express--Setting the Record Straight" It will list many of the myths that
have been published over the years and the correct data I have found and also debunk the myths of the .600 breaking shoulders
and knocking elephant off their feet!
Cheers all and thanks for looking! Also, two good hunting photos on the trophy
page--elephant and buffalo.
Cal
Good news. The African Hunter magazine ran an excellent review of my .600 book. Here it is. The books have still been
selling ok but have slowed down a bit. I am still planning to be at the Dallas and Reno shows in January of 2011 with my .600.
I will probably leave the heavy 4-bore home. It was an absolute pleasure meeting so many wonderful folks at the shows a few
months ago. Thank you all for looking at the site, log, and buying my book. Cheers, Cal
April 8. Good
day, all. A few more photos have been added to the double rifle page and the hunting trophies page but it would be nice to
have lots more from you viewers. Show us your stuff! Shooting season is well under way in Alaska with an early and warm spring.
My Alex Henry will be returned soon from Morris Hallowell and I will do some shooting with FFg GOEX to see if that improves
the targets a bit. I never shot this 8-bore much as the condition is too good, and what shooting I did do was with Fg and
Blue Dot smokeless--both about 1300fps. With 2F about 200 fps will be added and I will see if the 50-yard group cam be brought
down a bit. I'll shoot the 7-and 4-bores on Sunday at my home and the .600 at the shoot at the Birchwood range on Saturday.
Also, a few guys have expressed interest in a hunt with Mark Sullivan and this may pan out in the next month or two. I'm talking
2011 if anyone is interested. Cheers, all, and please send your photos. Cal
Home page commentary....
March 23.
Good day, all. Check out the additional
double rifle photos on the double rifle pages and also the new section of double rifles and hunting trophies. I hope readers/viewers
will contribute to both of these section as I would like to have 1000 photos in each area. These rifles and what we do with
them are too cool to keep them a secret. We will have another double rifle shoot in Alaska the first or second weekend in
April and I will post some photos. On the double rifles page, check out the sequence photos of shooting the 4-bore Bland single
shot.
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
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,
Old Magazine Articles for your interest.
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.
.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 $ 3.95It 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.
Top: At my cabin in south central Alaska on July 22, 2009, with my new Hughes 4-bore and the .600 Wilkes. Taken after
an afternoon of shooting and chronographing.
Above: In full recoil with the 4.
Below. The .600
looks small when next to the mighty 4-bore. Initial shooting has been with a 1743-grain hollow-base conical bullet with 90
grains of Blue Dot. MV = 1213. ME = 5696. John Taylor's Knock Out Value = 294.5! And this is only the beginning. I have bullets
of 1400, 1650, 1743, 1900, and 2160 grains to experiment with.
A few more photos of the 4 can be
seen on the double rifles page.
