A
SHOTGUN FOR AFRICA
By David L. Brown
Bwana Brown
I
went to Africa the first time in June of 1998.
As most do I took the opportunity to try the wonderful wing shooting that
Africa has to offer. I hunted Guinea fowl and Franklin with a Remington 870
Express I bought just for the trip. My original plan was to leave that shotgun
over there as a tip for my PH. This plan was moot as he already had one exactly
like it. I did not like that shotgun. It was big and clunky, did not fit me and
consequently I did not shoot it very well. I sold that shotgun to a friend
at work when I returned
My Uncle Sam, who accompanied us on our 1998 safari,
took along a Winchester Model 12 in 12 Gauge. I tried it and was impressed at
how slim and elegant it was. I posed for a trophy photo with it and the guinea
we shot. The old model 12 sure seemed at home in Africa and now that I think of
it, I know why.
Ernest Hemmingway took a model 12 to Africa with him
and wrote about it in his second book about his safari experiences. In
"True a First Light" he found himself following up a leopard he shot
from a tree and was not where they
saw it fall. Here is how he referred to it. "The old well loved, once burnt
up, three times restocked, worn smooth old Winchester Model 12 pump gun, that
was faster than a snake and was, from 35 years of being together, almost as
close a companion with secrets shared and triumphs and disasters not reveled as
the other friend a man has all his life." I only wished I could put it that
eloquently but I think he was saying that he liked it and found it to be an
effective shotgun for the type of shooting Africa requires. If you haven’t
read the book he does finish of the leopard with it.
Peter Hathaway Capstick had some comments about his
Model 12 in his first book "Death in the Long Grass".
He was also going close quarters with a leopard. In this case a man-eater
that had taken a boy child of one of the camp staff. He said: " …and
began to thumb the dull, brass cases of the British SSG buckshot loads into the
Winchester Model 12 pump gun. I have always favored shotguns for close work with
thin-skinned, light boned, dangerous game like leopard. Close charges are so
unbelievably fast and unexpected that a rifle could be less than useless. With
the plug out of the magazine and one shell up the spout, the old tooth-scarred
scatter gun could spew as much lead as a submachine gun if I held the trigger
back and fired it from the hip like a trombone player gone mad, slamming the
firing pin into the primer on the return stroke of the pump”. Capstick also
prevailed over the leopard.
The Model 12 has a distinguished career in Africa
and I would bet you would still find one in many hunt camps today. So it was
with no wonder I chose it as my Africa shotgun when preparing for my 2002 trip,
which was originally planned for lion and leopard in Zimbabwe. My plans changed
to just leopard in South Africa, due to the political problems in Zimbabwe.
I found a beautiful old model 12 at my local gun shop. It was manufactured in
1923 and is in great shape. Don't you wish that old guns could talk and tell you
who they were bought by and where they have been used.
I
have short arms and require a shorter pull than what comes standard from the
factory and this old guns stock was either cut down or ordered with a shorter
stock and it fits me like it was made for me. I was a bit discouraged by the
full choke. I guess the wing shooters of old were much better shots than I. I
need a pattern that is bigger than my hat at 30 yards. I placed a call to Briley
in Huston, Texas and they fixed it up with screw in chokes. They are a great
operation. They threaded the barrel and gave me three choke tubes for $150.00.
They also did the work and had it back to me in 14 days, that includes shipping
both ways.
I field-tested the old gal when I got it back and hit 24 out of 25 on the trap
range. I am happy to say that I now have the perfect shotgun for this and all
subsequent trips to Africa.
The story unfortunately is not over. 30 days out from my trip I found out that
the South African government, in an effort to reduce crime have passed some new
gun laws. These laws include prohibiting certain guns from being brought in to
the country. You guessed it. They no longer allow pump action shotguns. All of
that time and effort invested for not. My beautiful classic, tried and true
Winchester Model 12 is going to sit this safari out in my gun safe at home. I
had to buy a side by side to take instead. I hope I can shoot it as well.
I am curious how much of the South African crime problem is as a result of
Safari clients and their firearms. Lets see, Day one travel half way around the
world. Day two, sleep off the jet lag. Day three rob a bank. Day four murder
people in a drive by shooting…. I don't think so. This new law is
"Un-African". Outlawing a classic piece of African tradition.
The new gun
law also states that you cannot bring in any semi-auto shotgun. “No way, no
how”. Even to think of it would be a high crime. As I stood in line to check
my guns I watched as three different hunters ahead of me checked one Remington
1100 and two Browning auto 5s. I wonder if I would have made it through with my
model 12?
The shotgun
I took was a Stoeger Uplander Supreme. It was made in Brazil and looked nice
enough. After using it all I have to say is this. Do you know what Supreme means
in Portuguese? Piece of s#*!
I sold it
back to the gun store where I bought it at as soon as I got back.
The end.