The Gaur Shikar Which Went Very Terribly Wrong

Gun loaders in high volume shoots, are also called secretario in spain and portugal.
Interestingly, in UK it is very much formalized, and gun loaders have their own code of conduct.

https://basc.org.uk/cop/loading-for-other-people/

However, in a DG hunt, in - nota bene - in a hunt where very few shots will be fired, an american client to have guns loaded by someone else.... ehmm.. I am not sure how I would describe that.
Mark Hunter,
I wholeheartedly agree. In my entire life as a Shikari , a Sargeant in the military and as a recreational hunter , l always load my own fire arms. It is just too important. However , in those days , client was king and we had to accomodate many types of clients and their requests ( Some of them were very unusual , as future stories will relate )
 
Hey Guys :D
Mr. Rahman is a cool dude. He gave me 20 pics for my own book " A hobby called Hunting " set to come out in late 2020 about my experiences hunting in different countries of the world with different shotguns and rifles. In the chapter on India and Bangladesh , l will put 12 pages about Mr. Rahman :D . But first , l wanna complete my 2020 Botswana Cape Buff and plains game hunt ;) . So hold your horses :p
The pic of that bullet riddled brute will be in my book .
BTW , Mr. Rahman , that guy should have stuck to making his stupid movies instead of trying to trying to act macho. He was clearly overcompensating for something :p
 
Hey Guys :D
Mr. Rahman is a cool dude. He gave me 20 pics for my own book " A hobby called Hunting " set to come out in late 2020 about my experiences hunting in different countries of the world with different shotguns and rifles. In the chapter on India and Bangladesh , l will put 12 pages about Mr. Rahman :D . But first , l wanna complete my 2020 Botswana Cape Buff and plains game hunt ;) . So hold your horses :p
The pic of that bullet riddled brute will be in my book .
BTW , Mr. Rahman , that guy should have stuck to making his stupid movies instead of trying to trying to act macho. He was clearly overcompensating for something :p
Hoss
Please . We must be respectful to those who have passed away. He was a good man who simply made some choices which were not very well thought out in terms of Shikar. I have no doubt that he was an excellent sportsman with animals in his own country and with other fire arms. My reason for this speculation is this :
He killed that porcupine with clear effortlessness and one bullet from the .22 Long Rifle gun . He had a heart of gold and l felt so bad for him that l told him that l would lie to Sundar Raj about the boar and Gaur and he could collect his trophies and tell everyone that he killed them. Karim would keep my secret no doubt , even if he did not think too highly of the client. The man was a man of honor and he refused to take anything except the porcupine . He even apologized to us many times for the incident with the Gaur and we were repeatedly telling him that it was just bad luck ( even though we knew that his choices were a little unwise ) . We must always respect clients , regardless of whether we agree with everything they say or do. This applies even more for a gentleman who has passed away.
On a related subject , l find his films quite excellent. I have six on them on my VCR still.
 
Thank you so much for the stories! It is very enjoyable to read about adventures in far away places and different cultures!
Your recounting's are superb!
 
Hoss
Please . We must be respectful to those who have passed away. He was a good man who simply made some choices which were not very well thought out in terms of Shikar. I have no doubt that he was an excellent sportsman with animals in his own country and with other fire arms. My reason for this speculation is this :
He killed that porcupine with clear effortlessness and one bullet from the .22 Long Rifle gun . He had a heart of gold and l felt so bad for him that l told him that l would lie to Sundar Raj about the boar and Gaur and he could collect his trophies and tell everyone that he killed them. Karim would keep my secret no doubt , even if he did not think too highly of the client. The man was a man of honor and he refused to take anything except the porcupine . He even apologized to us many times for the incident with the Gaur and we were repeatedly telling him that it was just bad luck ( even though we knew that his choices were a little unwise ) . We must always respect clients , regardless of whether we agree with everything they say or do. This applies even more for a gentleman who has passed away.
On a related subject , l find his films quite excellent. I have six on them on my VCR still.

Sir, I've been greatly enjoying your stories of a hunting era now sadly passed. Looking forward to more!

Your point to respecting clients is well taken. While everyone makes mistakes and poor decisions, these should be opportunities to learn from rather than disparage the individual.

We once hunted with a PH who spent every evening disparaging past clients for every imaginable slight or error. We found the whole experience distasteful and could only imagine what he might tell future clients about us.
 
Sir, I've been greatly enjoying your stories of a hunting era now sadly passed. Looking forward to more!

Your point to respecting clients is well taken. While everyone makes mistakes and poor decisions, these should be opportunities to learn from rather than disparage the individual.

We once hunted with a PH who spent every evening disparaging past clients for every imaginable slight or error. We found the whole experience distasteful and could only imagine what he might tell future clients about us.
rinehart0050
that is most unfortunate to hear . A professional Shikari must always respect his client and treat him like royalty. I am glad that you enjoy this account
 
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Really enjoyed your stories on the Tiger and the Gaur. Please continue to share this history with us.
 
Sir
You have regaled us with a most excellent story. Thank you for taking the time to do so!
 
Sir
You have regaled us with a most excellent story. Thank you for taking the time to do so!
CAustin
Thank you for your kind words. As l write it , l feel as if l am back in those days again. Then , as l finish writing , l realize how time takes everything away from you but also gives to you if you persevere.
 
However, in a DG hunt, in - nota bene - in a hunt where very few shots will be fired, an american client to have guns loaded by someone else.... ehmm.. I am not sure how I would describe that.

Mark, i would describe it as LAZY, or being a DUMBASS. :)

Mr Rahman, a great story. thank you for it. you were not being a coward, i thought your move to a tree was smart and kept you alive and in the fight.

regarding your saying poor things about the .458 winchester...you were simply telling the truth as it happened. it was unfortunate, but surely lessons can be learned even from our failures.

well done i say
 
i thought your move to a tree was smart and kept you alive

When I was hunting blesbok, in Namibia in area where they had rhinos, a cow was pregnant, and more aggressive then usual.
So in case of being suddenly charged by rhino - PH gave me three choices during initial brief.
One was climbing the tree.
Bottom line: climbing the tree is fully recognized method of tackling DG charge, and very valid option.
 
Mark, i would describe it as LAZY, or being a DUMBASS. :)

Mr Rahman, a great story. thank you for it. you were not being a coward, i thought your move to a tree was smart and kept you alive and in the fight.

regarding your saying poor things about the .458 winchester...you were simply telling the truth as it happened. it was unfortunate, but surely lessons can be learned even from our failures.

well done i say
1dirthawker
Thank you so much for your kind words. A hindu Shikari named Rongon Daas actually got hanged in Darjeeling in 1965 , because his client was killed during an incident with a Royal Bengal tiger and a .220 swifts rifle by Winchester. In those days , in Darjeeling , the Shikari could even get sentences to death for letting his client die. It was a very unreasonable law , because we had to take extra care not to let the client get harmed in any manner . And if he got injured , he would have the discretion not to pay for a portion of the Shikar.
 
Dear mr Rahman,
Just out of curiosity - what were the center fire rifles, and in what caliber available in shops in India till general hunting ban 1972?
And the same question, what is available today in Bangladesh, for a hunter to purchase having all permits, etc?
 
1dirthawker
Thank you so much for your kind words. A hindu Shikari named Rongon Daas actually got hanged in Darjeeling in 1965 , because his client was killed during an incident with a Royal Bengal tiger and a .220 swifts rifle by Winchester. In those days , in Darjeeling , the Shikari could even get sentences to death for letting his client die. It was a very unreasonable law , because we had to take extra care not to let the client get harmed in any manner . And if he got injured , he would have the discretion not to pay for a portion of the Shikar.

I apologise to you, your culture, and I fully respect the ideology of the time....BUT... (RETORICLELY)....What dumbass would use a 220 Swift for tiger??

Perhaps I am misreading this but, what books and articles and journals I have read, too often a 60 bore black powder gun, was considered the minimum for tiger. Thus any modern cartridge/smokeless powder cartridge with less than 1 & 1/2 tines animal weight in knock down was considered insufficient.

I for one would not hold the Shikari, fully responsible, for the stupidity of a hunter going under gunned on dangerous game,.......EVEN WHEN protocol stated the "client is king"...!

Even the British used 20 gauge Howa, double barrel "pistols" for protection against tiger attacks while mounted/riding elephants during British rule in India.

Obviously Common Sense was a major lacking back then!

Unfortunately, times and education over the years, regarding proper weapon caliber and recommended bullet, has yet to prevail, not just in India but in all countries.

Your reminiscing of the past is most enlightening.

Please inform us all in great detail of past hunts of your own experience,...and perhaps share a tale or two of other Shikari of the era.
 
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I apologise to you, your culture, and I fully respect the ideology of the time....BUT... (RETORICLELY)....What dumbass would use a 220 Swift for tiger??

Perhaps I am misreading this but, what books and articles and journals I have read, too often a 60 bore black powder gun, was considered the minimum for tiger. Thus any modern cartridge/smokeless powder cartridge with less than 1 & 1/2 tines animal weight in knock down was considered insufficient.

I for one would not hold the Shikari, fully responsible, for the stupidity of a hunter going under gunned on dangerous game,.......EVEN WHEN protocol stated the "client is king"...!

Even the British used 20 gauge Howa, double barrel "pistols" for protection against tiger attacks while mounted/riding elephants during British rule in India.

Obviously Common Sense was a major lacking back then!

Unfortunately, times and education over the years, regarding proper weapon caliber and recommended bullet, has yet to prevail, not just in India but in all countries.

Your reminiscing of the past is most enlightening.

Please inform us all in great detail of past hunts of your own experience,...and perhaps share a tale or two of other Shikari of the era.
Ridge Runner
If only everybody thought the way that you gentlemen do now. Rongon Daas used to work in Sundar Raj Shikar with us . He was my senior by eight years. I will be lying if l say that l witnessed the incident first hand. The client was an American gentleman . I have seen him alive. I have even seen the gun. However , Karim and l were not present during the incident as we were guiding a German client who wanted to shoot crocodiles ( devil lizards , they are. I hate them with a passion and out of all the creatures which l have ever hunted , it is only the crocodile for whom l have no respect ) . The client brought a bolt operation rifle made by Winchester . It had the Mauser type extracting claw device , indicating that it was either specially made or an older vintage. It had no telescopic sights and according to the cartridge box , the weight of the bullet was 48 grains. I remember that we spoke to the client when he first came. He was a big believer in a theory involving fast velocity , light bullets. Unfortunately , his attempt to prove the aforementioned theory cost him his life and Rongon got hanged by the police under orders of the Nilgiri Wild life Association . All of us Shikaris were very scared after that. My mother, fearing for my safety , ordered me not to guide clients anymore , but luckily with a little persuasion and help from my father , she changed her mind in one day as long as l promised to be careful. This is what l envy about modern Africa . The professional hunter is given some value.
 
Dear mr Rahman,
Just out of curiosity - what were the center fire rifles, and in what caliber available in shops in India till general hunting ban 1972?
And the same question, what is available today in Bangladesh, for a hunter to purchase having all permits, etc?
Dear Mark Hunter
I apologise for the late reply.
Let us talk about Bangladesh first. A citizen can officially own up to six fire arms ( although , there are ways to increase this ) . Fire arms ownership laws are fairly lenient. Unfortunately , the .303 bore rifle and the 9 millimeter Parabellum cartridge are still prohibited ( this law remained unchanged from the time when Bangladesh , Pakistan and India were all one country). However , barring this , any calibre of fire arm ( which does not have fully automatic firing system ) may be owned. From a legal point of view , that is fairly lenient , especially when compared to India , Vietnam or South Korea.
The problem is availability . The only cartridges and fire arms for these corresponding calibres which are commercially imported into the country are : .25 Automatic Colt Pistol , .22 Long Rifle , magnum .22 , .32 Automatic Colt Pistol and 12 bore shot-gun cartridges in all lengths . However , these are from various high quality American and European manufacturers.
In 2023 , Bangladesh Shooting Federation has issued orders for the following calibre fire arms and ammunition to be imported : .45 Automatic Colt Pistol , .3006 Springfield and 20 bore shot-gun cartridges. We still have a long journey , before better arms and ammunition are widely available , but l believe that this is a step in the right direction , especially compared to other Asian countries which l have previously mentioned. It must be remembered that Bangladesh had it's Independence , less than five decades ago and we are slowly attempting to rise up and improve our country in every way. Fortunately ( and l hope that it stays this way forever ) , vegetarians are not existent . Even Hindus will eat any meat other than cows. Therefore most people either support hunting or they are indifferent to it. Those who own fire arms in other calibres which are not available , are usually those who travel abroad , purchase 250 cartridges and privately bring it back into the country.
 
Dear mr Rahman,
Just out of curiosity - what were the center fire rifles, and in what caliber available in shops in India till general hunting ban 1972?
And the same question, what is available today in Bangladesh, for a hunter to purchase having all permits, etc?
Dear Mark Hunter ,
Regarding India before that disastrous ban , no new imported arms and ammunition were allowed in the country which had not entered the country prior to 1947 .
The arms available were from the Ishapore Arms Factory and they were of a most foul quality. There used to be three arms available .
The 12 bore double barrel side by side shot-gun with 70 millimeter chambers and 32 inch fully choked barrels . This is the gun that l ( and also Karim ) used after removing four inches of the barrels to eliminate the choke , allowing us to use SG cartridges .
The Ishapore Arms Factory .315 bore Lee Enfield mechanism rifle which held five Cartridges in a removable magazine . The cartridges for this gun all had soft nose bullets weighing ( if l recall correctly ) 244 grains.
The Ishapore Arms .32 bore revolver. It held six cartridges and was a copy of the English Webley revolver.
These were some of the worst arms in existence . The shot-guns were roughly six pounds in weight and , when using SG cartridges , the recoil was terrifying. Also their Katta ( springs ) needed replacing after fifty or sixty shots. They would shoot loose after eight hundred or nine hundred shots and had to be discarded. Towards the end of my career , the strikers in mine began to develop a problem and did not strike the primers in there cartridges with enough force to fire reliably.
The rifles had very soft barrels and aside from frequent misfires , the rifling inside the barrel did not last more than 300 shots on average.
The revolvers were very unsafe to use , if it was loaded with the cocking hammer down on a loaded chamber. That is why the unfortunate users of this weapon had to keep it loaded with five cartridges , with the hammer down on an empty chamber.
( Interestingly , during our 1971 liberation war , officers used to be issued with Soviet pistols made from the firm , Tokarev . It was called a TT-33 in 7.62 calibre . Our Indian instructors would advise officers to carry the gun with an empty chamber. However , officers were well known to disobey this rule and carry the pistol with a cartridge in the chamber anyway )
Ammunition for these guns were also foul . Shot-gun cartridges were available up to number 1 shot size only.
The shot-gun , rifle and revolver cartridges were all notorious for misfiring frequently. The only reason that l chose the shot-gun was because l could use imported SG cartridges or hand loaded cartridges in them .
The happiest moment in my life ( regarding fire arms ) was the day l acquired the 12 bore Beretta over-under s686 special in 1990. Shooting an Italian shot-gun after all those years of shooting that foul Indian shot-gun was very pleasant.
 
Considering how well received my previous account about hunting a Royal Bengal tiger was , and the request of a few members to give an account of a Gaur Shikar , it is my privilege to oblige. I prefer keeping these accounts to moderate length so as not to bore readers.
Here , l will relate the account of one of my more unforgettable Shikar experiences with Gaur. However , it remains unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. This is the story of the Gaur Shikar which went horribly wrong .
It was 1966 in Darjeeling , India . I had gone to the fire arms shop of Sundar Raj . He had acquired a few 12 bore cartridges from an American client who had discarded them after they were left over from a successful goose shooting event. Mr. Raj was selling them very cheaply at only 5 paise per cartridge . I wondered why he would sell them at such frugal prices , especially as Imported arms and ammunition was nearly impossible to get ahold of. Upon reaching shop , the answer was evident . The cartridges had a 76 millimeter length and no Indian shot-guns in Darjeeling at the time had Chambers safe enough to take anything larger than the 70 millimeter cartridge . There was a solution to this problem but not a very ideal one. There used to be a Tamil gun smith who's son worked at a chauffeur for my father's model T Ford family car. He had a devised a method to cut 70 millimeter cartridge hulls down to 65 millimeter some how and would often provide my father with cartridge cases to use in his I Hollis 12 bore side by side shot-guns which took the 65 millimeter cartridge. Therefore , l purchased all of the nine cartridge cases which Sundar Raj had for sale , hoping that the Tamil gun smith would be able to cut the hull of these cartridges down to 70 millimeter length ( whether this would go on to work is a story for another day ) .
It was then , that Mr. Raj told me that he had a new client for us who had come from the United States of America. An Italian American gentleman who was an author of an American gun magazine book . This gentleman wanted to shoot a variety of species , comprising of the following : A porcupine , a boar , a barking deer and a large Gaur. We had agreed to meet the client at the Darjeeling Circuit house .
The following day we met the gentleman whom we were supposed to guide. He was a large , powerful looking man .He seemed quite well read on fire arms and we were eager to see what fire arms he had brought for his intended quarry. India's old fire arms laws for travellers were identical to the current laws of Bangladesh . A foreign hunter was allowed to bring two fire arms into the country and 250 cartridges for each fire arm ( perhaps , in the future , l should do another article on what clients used to bring ? ) . However , this great man brought only one rifle with him. It was a big rifle of bolt configuration made by the firm , Birmingham Small Arms . It was of calibre magnum .458 Winchester , the first l had ever seen . Along with this , he brought several boxes of brand new ammunition from the American firm , Hornady. There were soft nose bullets and bullets with a metal envelope with a slightly flat nose weighing 500 grains . It looked very big and powerful . However , Karim looked at the cartridges and said " Shahib ( sir ) , may l ask a question ? " . The client responded in the affirmative. Karim asked " Shahib , the magnum .375 cartridge is loaded with a lighter bullet of 300 grains , but it has a larger cartridge size to keep a larger charge of powder . If these bullets in your gun weigh 200 grains more , then should the cartridge size not be larger to accommodate a corresponding charge of powder . Why is it smaller than the magnum .375 ? " . The client confidently assured us that the latest powders used in these cartridges did not need large cases.
The gentleman was clearly a professional with fire arms and we were both quickly convinced of his prowess with the magnum .458 Winchester . He was even kind enough to let me shoot it four times at glass gool ( a local alcohol drink ) bottles which were empty . It certainly seemed powerful enough.
We were thus ready for the week. Being two eager young men excited to see what this big rifle would do to game , we were naturally filled with thrill. If only that big rifle were as good as it were big.
The picture was of me , Karim , the employees at Sundar Raj's shop , Sundar Raj's son , Abhijit ( wearing the sun glasses ) and our Italian American Client who is not wearing a shirt and has a cigarette in his mouth . I am on the right side , holding my 12 bore Ishapore side by side shot-gun. Karim holds the client's magnum .458 Winchester calibre rifle right beneath me . Our chokra ( clerk boy ) , Vivek is standing to the left of our client , holding Karim's .22 Long Rifle BRNO auto loader . The man sitting on the far left is Rumesh , a shop employee who is holding an Ishapore .315 bore bolt operation rifle which he took from the shop to pose for the photograph. This would end up being our first and last pleasant moment for that entire week , as my next post will relate.View attachment 308164

Mr Rahman
You are a Sportsman and a true Gentleman. Your stories have brought me great pleasure with the details you have given of the era which so intrigues and many on AH. Please keep writing. Best Regards
 

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