Dear Editor
I am in the process of compiling a book on hunting, and
other bush stories.
My reason for this project is that there is so much information
known to a few people and shared only with their friends, and
that is generally where it ends, I would love to make these
stories available to future generations who would otherwise
be deprived of knowing what happened in the “olden days”
I really hope that there might be people among your
readership who would be able to find the time and material
to contribute to this dream.
Jack Visser
South Africa
[email protected]
Dear Editor
I thought simple ghost ring sights were common in southern
Africa, as I have often read about them and seen pictures. I
know about some European and American models, but these
are very sophisticated and complicated versions, of which I
think are more hindrance than help, and would in addition
cost a fortune - whereas a simple one, which any competent
gunsmith could fit in a scope base could be very useful. (I
also see what would happen, if trackers, intrigued by such a
new contraption, would "play" with it...)
On another note, I do not understand why African Hunter is
arriving here in France so irregularly. I receive all the other
periodicals regularly not only from France but also from the
US, Germany and Hungary.
Ivan De Klasz
France
Most products like ghost ring sights in countries like the
United States are mass produced for a large market, whereas
the majority of such accessories here in Zimbabwe or in South
Africa will be custom-crafted to the individual firearm by a
gunsmith. So you don’t get a lot of off-the-shelf items like
ghost rings here. I remember when I first came to Rhodesia,
I was amazed when I took a firearm to a gunsmith and asked
for some custom parts. I was told that it would take around
a week to make them and fit them, all from scratch. The cost
in the end was less than I would have paid for the same parts
off the shelf back in the ‘States and the quality was excellent.
African Hunter Vol. 19 No. 1
[email protected]
(I had to pay all of $12 to have my .45 pistol hard-chromed
at the same time!)
I have an original Savage M99 in .300 Savage, and I
have never been tempted to put a scope on it because it is
something of a classic. I’m experimenting now with turning
it into a Scout Rifle ala Jeff Cooper’s concept, and so will
probably eventually fit a low powered long eye relief scope on
the beast. But when I first acquired it, I removed the factory
rear sight and installed a Lyman variable aperture peep sight,
which is a fairly popular modification to the Winchester 94
lever guns. And I found that by simply unscrewing the whole
dial-an-aperture assembly, I was left with a very nice ghost
ring that was still adjustable for windage and elevation, so
that may be an option. The whole point of the various dial-up
aperture sizes of course is to compensate for changing light
conditions. For general bush work I have heard of a number
of folks just removing the aperture disc.
Living in Africa, ever since we moved away from having a
loin-clothed runner deliver correspondence in a cleft stick
(the lions did eat a few, it’s true) we have had problems with
postal delivery. We have tried posting from South Africa and
from Zimbabwe, and have actually found the Zimbabwean
service to be less plagued by strikes and suchlike, but there
are vagaries with both. So to anyone who has experienced
poor deliveries, please just let us know and we will make it
right! - Editor.
Dear Editor
Having managed to get the last issue I was missing, I now
have the complete collection of African Hunter magazine,
from the inaugural issue to the present.
Thank You.
Petrus Erasmus
Zimbabwe
That is quite an achievement - I don’t think even we have the
complete set! - Editor.
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