Injured big-game hunter takes aim at bullet manufacturers

Star Tribune (Minnesota) ^ | 16 April 2003 | Howie Padilla

[45Auto]

When a professional big-game hunter on safari in Africa shot a charging lion from about 30 yards away, he expected that the cat would die, or at least be stopped.

Instead, the lion mauled the marksman.

It wasn't bad aim, but bad bullets that allowed the lion to take Rolf Rohwer temporarily out of the hunting game, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against the bullet manufacturers, one of which is the Federal Cartridge Co. of Anoka.

[45Auto]

I guess that'll teach him to use enough gun, like maybe the .416 Rigby or the .500 Nitro Express. Although, the .458 Win Mag, with proper ammunition and proper shot placement will do the trick.

[snooker]

>>> Rohwer, of Scotland, is a wildlife biologist who has more than 30 years of African hunting and wildlife management experience

what's wrong with this picture?

[FateAmenableToChange]

Franecke said from his office in San Rafael, Calif.

I can't say that only in california would you find a lawyer slimy enough to bring a law suit this stupid, but I can say that you'll find lots and lots of the slimy ones there.

[Puppage]

Rohwer was trying a new type of ammunition

Nice time for trying something new there, Einstein.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

I have no sympathy.

First, test the ammo on something that won't kill you, idiot.

Second, the essence of big game hunting is the very real danger to the hunter. You picked on the lion and the lion ate your ass. Justice was well served.

Case dismissed!

[Sam Cree]

The article makes it look like the hunter-biologist was at fault. I have always though Federal was a great ammo company. I have some Winchester .270 rounds that shoot great also.

[dead]

"The lion died basically while chewing on my client."

The lion liked the dinner, but detested the whine.

[dljordan]

Thin skin? I can't imagine the difference between Buffalo skin and Lion skin would be that much. Elephant skin would be a different matter. Could have been a defective bullet but I doubt it. Wonder where he hit him?

[Puppage]

[Wolfie]

Heh...he took on the big cat and lost. He should top whining and be glad he's not dead.

[coloradan]

I've seen boxes of hunting ammuition that clearly indicate what skin-thickness the bullets are intended for, thin-skinned, thick-skinned, etc. If he used thick-skinned bullets for a lion, it's his error not the manufacturers.

[Blue Screen of Death]

Everyone knows that a personal injury lawyer is much more dangerous than a charging lion. Therefore show the jury a test. Shoot 100 p. i. lawyers with this bullet and time how long it takes for them to die.

[Bluntpoint]

What is a good round for a thin skinned attorney.? Is it best to shoot him between frivilous suits or to shoot him during a frivilous suit?

[x1stcav]

He ought to try some of those depleted uranium bullets. Even if the lion survives and kill you, you going knowing that the toxic bullet will eventually poison the lion.

Or so the leftists would have us believe.

[KarlInOhio]

Well there's his problem. He forgot to bring a tasty native with him. < /sarcasm>

[MalcolmS]

A minister who had spent most of his life as a missionary in Africa once showed me a chunk of hippo skin with a medium calibre bullet embedded in it. The skin, about 1-1/2" thick, had stopped it completely.

Hippos are highly territorial, not to mention bad tempered, and frequently kill humans.

Sinced the hippo was missing this particular chunk of skin, I have to assume that the hunter had a buddy with an elephant gun.

[wireman]

Some days you eat the bear, I mean lion,

And some days the lion eats (part of) you.

[Bluntpoint]

Is it legal to bait an attorney, say with a slip and fall victim, where the owner of the property where he fell is insured or otherwise a deep pocket?

[Cachelot]

What is a good round for a thin skinned attorney.?

The BB. One million of them, at a one second interval.

[45Auto]

"When Remington introduced the 416, it was not in Africa. A group of hunting writer went to the Alaska peninsula to try the 416 on the world's largest deer, the Alaska-Yukon moose. And the hunters said they did not feel at all overgunned for the job." "The large frontal area and greater bullet weight give it great striking effect on big game, even though its muzzle energy rating is modestly spectacular. Its problem is that the large frontal area depletes velocity at longer ranges.Thus, the 458 is a specialized, short range cartridge."

"Comparing the 458 and 416 factory loads, the 416 does not have the weight or frontal area of the 458. But in terms of raw energy, it hits harder than the bigger bullet. Because of smaller frontal area and better ballistic coefficient, the 416 holds its velocity longer and penetrates better."

This was purely a lousy shot by this guy who even with his experience panicked. I guess a charging lion at less than 30 yards would scare the crap out anybody! The gun and round was good enough for the job, but you got to hit the animal squarely. I figure the muzzle energy of this load to be around 5000 ft-pounds, certainly not decreased much at 30 yards. The bullet was designed to retain 95% of its weight and to produce a large, deep wound channel. There's no way the gun, the loaded round, nor the bullet could be at fault here. The guy just panicked and merely wounded the lion; and everybody knows that a quick follow-up shot by the backup man (if there was one) would have been a good idea. Nature is not forgiving.