Posted on 02/19/2003 12:47:20 PM PST by vannrox
I read a few excerpts and it appears that Patterson used three guns in his lion hunting: a falling block action, perhaps a Martini-Henry, a .303 British, most likely tye Lee-Medford (the forerunner of the Lee-Enfield) and a double barreled 12 gauge shotgun perhaps loaded with slugs.
Seems this lion is developing a healthy fear of humans (healthy for people).
The legendary Lee Speed Sporter, if I'm not mistaken. Would he have been using Mk VII ball?
Probably not circa 1898, more likely the Mk II loading that preceeded it, though possibly using a heavier bullet than the the issue 215-grain roundnose. The *Cartridge, S.A. ball .303 inch Cordite Mk III* notoriously known for the production facility at DumDum arsenal in India was in service by 1897 [until 1903] but may or may not have been available in all the other corners of the farflung British empire, and there's also the question as to whether a 215-grain hollowpoint bullet would have had the best- and quickest- effect on large cats.
It wasn't until 1910 that the sharply pointed 174-grain bullet at 2440 FPS was pattern-sealed for production as the Mark VII loading, so it was more likely the Mk I or MkII cordite loading- or the even earlier original black powder loads for the Enfield- that solved the problem. But whether with factory-loaded military projectiles, ammunition produced by another source, or that modified or reloaded to suit the particular hunter, target or rifle, remains an open question.
-archy-/-
That one appears to be a Martini. This one *may* be the Lee-Medford. Oh and some of them were not true .303 rifles, but had bores measuring .299 on the lands and .309 in the grooves, as did some Canadian straight-pull Ross rifle's of that same pre-turn-of-the-century era.
I'd expect he was quite proficient with either.
There...that's better.
He stated in a congressional speech concerning slavery reperations that over 20 million slaves died during the passage from Africa to America and and were thrown overboard and sharks are still patrolling the slave route waiting for more human flesh. To save you some time, the numbers worked out to somewhere around 4000 slaves a day were cast overboard.
This was a not too subtle political jab that crossed my mind when I read where the article stated that the total lion victims were probably much less than folklore dictates. My apologies, I keep forgetting there are a number of people here who go through life with their panties in a wad and jump to ill-informed conclusions.
Have a good evening.
That's too bad. I thought the Lions were a good, charitable organization. I wondered how they got all those eyeglasses though - but eating people!!? I'm going to stay away from them now. Sheesh!
Uh, Major Owens is considered to be an idiot in most circles. Never mind though, the comment went right over your head.
Oh my, what would you do with a brain if you had one?
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