Christmas Special - The Crocodile Which Made Me Appreciate Hand Loading

[Major Khan]

As a Christmas gift to all the members of this forum ( especially those who have enjoyed my articles about shikar in India until 1971 ) , tonight l am going to provide you all with a story about a Ganges ( which we Indians call “ Buri Ganga “ ) river crocodile which caused quite a bit of ruckus among the locals ( and a sizable body count ) . However , the brute helped me in the most unusual of ways : He introduced me to the concept of hand loading ammunition , a skill which has benefited me greatly in the last 50 years. Let us begin , dear readers.




A word about the Buri Ganga river crocodile is requisite here. My learned colleague , friend and fellow forum member , Sergeant Kawshik Rahman has an intense hatred for these saurian brutes and Kawshik’s mother , the dearly departed Mrs. Selina Rahman used to refer to them as “ Devil Lizards “ . Considering how these reptilian villains operate , l am much inclined to agree with them. Let me share a fact with you all .In India ( and Bangladesh) the animal most which causes the most number of deaths to rural people every year is neither the royal Bengal tiger nor the panther. It is neither the gaur , nor the Asian Sloth Bear . It is the Buri Ganga river crocodile. While Mother Nature has created some truly dangerous animals in this world , none will kill you in a manner as sadistic , as the crocodile. They will often pretend to be rocks or try to blend in , with the ground . When their hapless victim passes by , they will grab onto their leg with their razor sharp teeth and drag the miserable victim into the water to drown them . After drowning them , they will take the corpse to a hole in the swamp or marsh and start eating it , only after rigor mortis of the corpse has commenced .
Below , l have provided a photograph kindly lent to me by Kawshik of a Buri Ganga river crocodile which he had killed , for reference. At the climax of this article , l will provide a photograph taken by myself of the crocodile which l am writing about , tonight.

The brute whom l will write about tonight actually killed managed to destroy an entire boat . It did this by.... well, why am l giving away the entire story right here ?
Read the next 3 parts of this article to find out how this story unfolded.
I would also like to pay tribute to forum member @Shootist43 with this story. He was the very 1st person to welcome me on these forums , and the very 1st friend whom l had made on these forums . This story was 1st chosen by him and then a few other gentlemen.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Very excited for this one, I love crocodile stories.

 

[Ridgewalker]

One of my favorite hunts was for a croc! I’d love to do it again!

 

[Major Khan]

It was nearing the end of 1968 and l was in the outskirts of Nagpur , catching fish with my loyal servant boy , Ponual . We were near a lagoon which branched off from the Buri Ganga river and it was a beautiful location for catching Shonar Mashir fish ( 1 of the most delicious fishes in existence , in my humble opinion ) . It was a Friday and a few people were also scattered on different edges of the lagoon , either catching fish , or having picnics or merely enjoying the scenery . In the lagoon water , a group of friends were rowing a small dinghy boat around and round , laughing and just having a good time . We had our fishing poles , bait and a bucket with us and my model T Ford car was not too far away .

I had also ( fortunately) brought along my old Belgian side by side shot gun , with me . just in case l ran into any hostile wild life ( or Dacoits , who would always dwell in the country side and known to rob and murder people for their earthly possessions ) .
The shot gun was loaded with an Eley Alphamax ( 2.75 Inch ) Lethal Ball cartridge in the left barrel , and an Eley Alphamax triple A cartridge in the right barrel ( to deal with those nasty Gui Saap which plague Indian wet lands) .
I had caught 1 Shonar Mashir and 4 Tilapia fish , while Ponual managed to catch 2 Magur fish ( Indian cat fish ) . While we were piling up our catch of the day , we suddenly heard a loud crashing sound in the lagoon and we turned around to see what the commotion was . Something had overturned the dinghy boat and all the young teen agers had fallen into the water. As the terrified young men and girls attempted to swim towards land , Ponual and l eagerly kept staring at them , hoping that they could reach land safely. As they got towards more shallow water , they tried to stand up. Suddenly , a young girl ( perhaps not even 17 ) suddenly began screaming a blood curling cry as something was dragging her down . Her friends were desperately trying to pull her towards them , but water around the girl was getting redder and redder with her blood , as she continued screaming in agonizing pain. It was at that moment , we all saw what the reason , for the poor girl’s pain was . It was a crocodile . Large , green and ugly , and it had latched it’s sharp teeth on to the girl’s upper left calf . When every one around the lagoon caught the 1st glimpse of the brute , panic was over taken them all. Even most of the girl’s friends ( save for 1 young man ) had left her and bolted for land , as fast as possible. I snatched up my shot gun and hurried towards the ongoing carnage , wading right into the water , with Ponual running right after me . I aimed the gun at the brute’s head , and at a distance of 12 feet , l fired a Lethal Ball bullet at it’s head. The lead Lethal Ball hit the brute’s head , but it fragmented prematurely and felt like a mosquito sting to the brute. Why , the crocodile did not even let go of the girl ! I felt hopeless , because l knew that the triple A cartridge loaded in the other barrel , would fare even worse against the scales of the saurian and l had an increased chance of hitting the poor girl. Right at that moment , dear Ponual came to the rescue , holding his Rampuri Chaku in his hand ( a large Indian folding knife with a bowie knife style blade , little above 4 inches in length , made from the spring steel from the leaf springs of old motor vehicles ) . Ponual did something , which is unsurpassed in bravery , by anyone to this date , whom l have ever crossed paths with. He DROVE the knife right into the snout of the reptilian villain and the brute roared in pain , temporarily releasing the girl . This bought the young man enough time , to get ahold of the young half conscious bleeding girl and he carried her in his arms , rushing for land. Neither Ponual nor l waited for the crocodile to recover from it’s pain. We took to our heels and ran out the water as fast as our legs could carry us. We simply did not stop running until we had put a considerable distance between us and the lagoon . We saw a large crowd of people gathered on the road . The young man was crying like a mad man near the corpse of the dead young girl . The femoral artery in her left calf had been severed by the crocodile ‘s sharp teeth and she had lost a fatal amount of blood .
It was not the sight of the dead girl , but rather the reaction of the young man which left an impact on my mind. I am certain that he was in love with her .
I have never seen another man cry like that , except on the 29th of March , 1971 , when the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters first came across the corpses of the unfortunate victims in the March 25th Buet University Genocide . That day , l saw Kawshik cry like that . It was the only time l had ever seen my friend cry in the last 57 years . I do not know what happens to us if we die , but l do know that the ones who love us , will miss us .
I did not have any Lethal Ball cartridges with me anymore and the sun was beginning to set , so Ponual and l decided to return home for the night , instead of pursuing any other course of action for that day . However , in my mind , l had resolved to find this crocodile and end it’s life soon .

Below , l have provided a photograph taken from the internet of a Rampuri Chaku , for reference .

The spring steel flat ground blade could take an extremely fine edge very easily , with a few strokes on a common river rock and then stropping the blade on the uncured side of a leather belt . However , it would not hold an edge , as long as a 440 C stainless steel blade .
I have often used a Rampuri Chaku in the field to shave my face , in times when a safety razor was not available. This was
an application where the spring steel blade had an advantage over a 440 C stainless steel blade ( like the kind used in my friend , Tobin Stakkatz's Buck Model 110 lock knife) . The 440 C stainless steel blade held an edge longer , but the edge was an extremely coarse edge , completely unsuited for shaving ( l actually cut my face once accidentally , in many places , attempting to try to shave with Tobin's Buck Model 110 ) . However , the blade of the Rampuri Chaku was made from leaf spring steel and took an extremely fine edge , which could comfortably be used as a razor , in a pinch . Infact , l got used to shaving in this manner in the field so much , that nowadays l have my morning shave with a straight razor for the last 20 years .
In the next part of this article , l will describe how l made preparations to kill the saurian menace and how we went back to the lagoon to dispatch it.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Sad story of the innocent child.
I’m anxious to read what I hope are the final moments of the croc. Sad too that it is only trying to survive using what Mother Nature gave it. A cruel mother at that!

 

[Major Khan]

At night in my family house , l realized that l had completely exhausted my stock of Eley Alphamax Lethal Ball cartridges . There was not even 1 left in my closet anymore. This was understandable . While Eley had stopped manufacturing Lethal Ball bullets in 1957 , massive quantities of old stock cartridges had remained available for quite some time . My clients had been getting me Lethal Ball cartridges from existing old stock for many years since 1965 . However , in the last few months , the stocks had completely dried up , and no 1 was getting me any new consignments of Eley Alphamax Lethal Ball cartridges for quite a while. So , how was l to keep hunting large mammals ? I realized that l had several boxes of Eley Grand Prix Spherical ball cartridges ( 2.5 inch length ) , lying in my closet . These cartridges , held a 16 calibre solid spherical ball of hardened lead . They were solid , as opposed to the cage type interior of a Lethal Ball bullet , which was designed to make it fragment upon entering a soft framed animal’s body . However , the problem was that these 2.5 inch cartridges had only a 10mm brass length and thus held a very low charge of powder. Consequently, the low velocity of the spherical ball bullet , gave it very poor penetration. So , what was l to do ? At that moment , an idea hit my mind , which would eventually ignite my fascination in hand loading , many years after this incident.
I had some 3 inch Eley Gas Tight cartridges , loaded with no. 1 shot for ducks . What if l removed the shot from these 3 inch cartridges and the sold lead ball from the 2.5 inch Grand Prix spherical ball cartridges , and then loaded the spherical ball bullet into the 3 inch Gas Tight cartridge ? The 3 inch Eley Gas Tight cartridges had a 16 mm brass length , and therefore would have a greater charge of powder , in them.
This would mean , a greater velocity. It seemed like a good idea and thus , l carried out the task . Using some molten wax from a candle to help keep the spherical ball bullets in place inside the cartridges , l soon had a dozen hand loaded Eley 3 inch Gas Tight cartridges , loaded with spherical ball bullets . As an experiment , l went out of the house in the evening to find a jackal to shoot with my new hand loaded spherical ball cartridges . Jackals used to be extremely common in the area around our family house back in those days . After a bit of a stroll , l was able to find my quarry .
Seeing a fine jackal feasting on the carcass of a dead hare , l took aim at it quietly from behind a tree , at about 20 yards distance and l let fly at it , with the left barrel of my old Belgian side by side shot gun , firing from a broad side position . The solid 16 calibre spherical ball of hardened lead , backed by a large charge of powder , blew right through both shoulders of the jackal and exited it’s body , burying itself into a tree trunk nearby . The jackal simply dropped to the ground, having been hit , right in the heart and both it’s shoulders had also been broken. In a few seconds , it lay lifeless. To me , this was a good demonstration of the increased velocity of my hand loaded spherical ball cartridges. I was now adequately armed to face the reptilian villain .
Below , l have provided a photograph taken from the internet of an original Eley Grand Prix spherical ball cartridge . As can be clearly seen , the capacity for powder ( the brass part ) is rather low to accommodate an adequately large charge of powder.

In the next and penultimate part of this article , l will relate our 2nd encounter with this beastly crocodile .

 

[Ridgewalker]

Very creative taking two loads and making 1! I’d be a bit nervous about doing that.

 

[Major Khan]

The next morning , Ponual and l went back to the lagoon , intent on slaying that crocodile by any means necessary. I carried my Belgian shot gun , loaded with my hand loaded 3 inch spherical ball cartridges, while Ponual led along an old she goat , with a long rope tied around it’s neck . We had purchased this old goat from a rakhal ( farmer ) for 15 Indian Rupees and we were going to use it , as bait .
The lagoon was now abandoned by most locals , after the vicious crocodile attack of the previous day. I had Ponual tie the goat , right near the edge of the water , so that it would entice the crocodile even more . Then , we both climbed up a nearby Jambura tree and we waited anxiously for the brute to arrive . We knew that crocodiles are fond of hunting their victims in the same area repeatedly , if they know that there is plenty of food , in the area. Confident that it was completely alone , the old goat had begun to bleat .
Our patience did not go unrewarded . However , we did not expect to get results so quickly . About 2 hours later , Ponual spotted a great big pair of yellow eyes peeking out of the water , at the goat . It was a crocodile and not just any crocodile. It was the crocodile which had struck the previous day. How did we know ? Right there , stuck on it’s snout , was Ponual’s Rampuri Chaku knife , buried to the hilt , in the nose of the brute . We watched the monster slowly creep out of the water , as the goat kept bleating louder and louder , clearly terrified of the reptilian threat coming towards it.
I raised my old Belgian side by side shot gun to my shoulder and took aim from the tree. Right before the crocodile could reach the goat , l pulled my left trigger at a distance of 15 feet or less . Boom ! The shot gun roared , as the 16 calibre spherical ball of hardened solid lead blew into the head of the crocodile. It simply stopped moving , right on the spot. I could see blood seeping out of the marble sized bullet hole , in the back of the crocodile’s head. However , l was not to take any chances . I got down from the tree , with Ponual cautiously walking behind me . I forced the right barrel of my old shot gun , right into it’s eye and l pulled the right trigger. This was completely unnecessary, because the spherical ball bullet just caused more damage to the skull of the crocodile. He was not a very large crocodile. A mere 13 feet.

Below, l have provided a photograph taken by myself of the slain crocodile after the locals had come to see it . They also managed to recover the broken dinghy .

In the next and final part of this article , l will share some reflections on this shikar and the aftermath of the incident.

 

[Major Khan]

When the villagers had cut the stomach of the crocodile open , they found a bone of a human finger and a mass of human female hair , inside the brute . Clearly , this creature had eaten at least 1 more human being in it's macabre " career " .
However , we all suspected that this particular crocodile had actually consumed many more people than just those 2 . My reason for this belief was that in the area around this lagoon , many local children and young women who had gone to the lagoon to wash their clothes , went missing and had never come back .
Occasionally , human body parts in various stages of decay could be found in or around the lagoon and it was not unheard of , for a fisherman to find human bones or rotting limbs caught up inside their fishing nets with bite marks on them , resembling those of a crocodile. However , after l had killed this brute , there were no more reports of any other new disappearances around this area . People still , from time to time , found human bones in or around the lagoon . In 1976 , this part of the lagoon was used as a landfill site , to create more space for an Indian slum . Construction workers and diggers found enough human bones in the bottom of the lagoon to form no less than 29 corpses . The Doctors who had examined these corpses , determined that the cause of death of all of these people , was a crocodile .
Could it have been the same crocodile which l had shot in 1968 ?
Maybe , we will never know .

From that day onwards , l would specify to my clients to bring me Eley 2.5 inch Grand Prix spherical ball cartridges and Eley 3 inch Gas Tight no.1 cartridges .
I would then switch the loads from each of the cartridges , by putting the no.1 shot into the Grand Prix cartridges and the spherical ball bullet into the Gas Tight cartridges , to give me the desired velocity and higher powder charge which l had sought for increased penetration .
As future stories will relate , this gave me some interesting results .
In the 1980s , l would eventually fully learn everything about hand loading from Kawshik and even learnt how to recycle expended cartridges and replace primers and measure powder charges , by using powder scales .
I hope that this story has proven enjoyable . I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year . I am going on a shikar for a hog deer with old Kawshik and a few others on the 27th , and hopefully my next article will be written here on the 28th .

 

[Tra3]

Fascinating story! Thank you for posting this. I’m sure you helped to provide closure to the girl’s family.

What would you equate the power of your hand loaded cartridge to today?

Was the crocodile later eaten?

good luck on your hunt! And Merry Christmas!

 

[mikecatt13]

Thanks for sharing, Merry Christmas!

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I find it very interesting that the knife stayed in the brutes nose, I would have thought he would have pulled it out or broken it off. At least it marked the croc so you could identify him, and your pal got his knife back.
It was very clever of you to to make your own loads, they say that necessity is the mother of invention.
Merry Christmas and good luck to you and Mr. Rahman.

 

[mark-hunter]

Amazing story.! Thank you for posting it!

 

[CBH Australia]

Well done on slaying the beast. I hope you and Kawshik have a good hunt and maybe make for some new memories.

 

[DieJager]

Merry Christmas, sir. Good luck to you both on your hunt.

 

[Major Khan]

Very creative taking two loads and making 1! I’d be a bit nervous about doing that.

Thank you so much , Ridgewalker .It was admittedly not very creative and l was not very sure if it could actually work. What l did , was remove the no.1 shot from the 3 inch Eley Gas Tight cartridges and remove the 16 calibre spherical lead ball from the 2.5 inch Eley Grand Prix cartridges. The , l loaded the 16 calibre lead ball into the 3 inch cartridge case , using molten candle wax to help hold the bullet in place. However , l did this because l did not know any better at the time. May l ask why you would be nervous to attempt something like this. Would you be leery of any particular risk ? I ask out of genuine curiosity , as l am certain that you would have your ( very rational ) reasons for being nervous.

 

[Major Khan]

Thanks for sharing, Merry Christmas!

Thank you so much for enjoying it , Mikecatt13 , Merry Christmas to you and your family.

 

[Major Khan]

I find it very interesting that the knife stayed in the brutes nose, I would have thought he would have pulled it out or broken it off. At least it marked the croc so you could identify him, and your pal got his knife back.
It was very clever of you to to make your own loads, they say that necessity is the mother of invention.
Merry Christmas and good luck to you and Mr. Rahman.

Thank you so much for enjoying this article , Master Smith. At the angle in which that knife had been driven into the creature’s nose , it would have been extremely difficult for it , to attempt to get the knife out . I imagine that it must have certainly tried to remove it . It must be borne in mind that we killed it exactly 1 day after Ponual had stabbed it . Perhaps , after a few more days , it might have found a way to get that knife out . It would be very difficult to break the blade of a Rampuri Chaku , because the blade is made from very strong leaf spring steel ( the same steel used in Bangladesh and India for manufacturing machetes ) . I actually own 1 of these knives and if you would like to see a photograph of 1 for real , then please do not hesitate . I will get it out and show it , to you by posting a photograph of it , here .
Necessity , truly is the mother of all inventions. I always wondered why l had not come up with that idea before.

 

[Ridgewalker]

May l ask why you would be nervous to attempt something like this. Would you be leery of any particular risk ? I ask out of genuine curiosity , as l am certain that you would have your ( very rational ) reasons for being nervous.

Pressures in shotgun (or pistol and rifle) rounds can change drastically just by changing certain components. The brand and shape of even a plastic wad in modern shotgun shells can change the pressure by several thousand psi. Assuming the weight of lead was the same in both loads, the contact act surface to the barrel of the single ball was much less vs the contact surface of multiple shot on the barrel. In theory that should have reduced the pressure. But theory and reality sometimes to not work out to be the same. In this case I believe it did work out well for you.

I have enjoyed this sad tale of the croc! Personally these prehistoric reptiles have survived thousands, if not a million, years with little change. A true dinosaur. Truly an amazing species IMO!

 

[Major Khan]

Pressures in shotgun (or pistol and rifle) rounds can change drastically just by changing certain components. The brand and shape of even a plastic wad in modern shotgun shells can change the pressure by several thousand psi. Assuming the weight of lead was the same in both loads, the contact act surface to the barrel of the single ball was much less vs the contact surface of multiple shot on the barrel. In theory that should have reduced the pressure. But theory and reality sometimes to not work out to be the same. In this case I believe it did work out well for you.

I am enjoying this sad tale of the croc! Personally these prehistoric reptiles have survived thousands, if not a million, years with little change. Truly an amazing species IMO!

I am extremely grateful to you , for your scientific explanation , Ridgewalker . I suppose that in my case , ignorance was bliss. If l knew this previously , then l might not have tried it at all. Infact , now that you mention it , l did make some observations about these hand loaded cartridges , which matches with what you have just said. I will relate 1 such incident in a future article on the 28th and when you read it , perhaps you can help me understand if what happened , was caused by increased pressures .
The crocodile is truly a marvelous creature and l even have a grudging respect for it and it’s level of cunning. My 1st memory of a crocodile was when l had watched Walt Disney’s “ Peter Pan “ in 1955 when l was still a young teen ager . The way Captain Hook used to struggle with the crocodile used to make me laugh hilariously . Unfortunately , these brutes kill at least 200 people in India and Bangladesh , in a year .