For the Chapstick guru's

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

It would be nice to have a registry of stolen "African Caliber" firearms. I wonder how many totally innocent people own some very special stolen firearms without knowing what they own.

 

[K E Johnson]

While not a hunting firearm, and not one that I have any great desire to own, Capstick also wrote he had owned a MAC-10 9 mm submachine pistol.
This was in the book “Death in a lonely land.” It is an article written for the American Hunter magazine, October/ November 1979 titled “The killer baboons of Vlackfontein.”
He also refers to a .375 as being “the old Model 70” In this article.

Not even firearms in the U.S. except in New Jersey and Rhode Island apparently, he has two articles reprinted in the same book on BB guns.
I enjoyed reading them as well. Especially the one on his BB submachine gun he referred to as ” The mini menacer”. I remember the ads for these in the hunting magazines.

He will always be the outdoor author I enjoy reading for his style of writing.
I never got the opportunity to meet him. I was in a bear hunting camp in Alberta with a gentleman from Texas in the late 1980’s. He had managed a seat at a dinner with Capstick. I was told if I wanted to like Capstick that I should continue to just read his books. His description of him in person was not flattering. While his accessment is believable to me, it never changed my feelings on his work as an author. The man could write.

 

[John Wasmuth]

One has to wonder we’re we’re all the Capstick bashers before his death spreading manure and attempting to defame the man’s character? Yes of course, wait until the man is dead and can’t defend his honor to do the smearing.

 

[curtism1234]

Here i thought we were going to have a thread about chapstick

 

[Aaron N]

View attachment 482755
Death In The Long Grass


On a side note, I don't want to get involved in the whole "Whether Peter Capstick's stories were true or not" debate (it generates a lot of controversy). But I'll just add something, anyway:

Jeff Rann actually took Capstick on a hunt in Botswana so that he could claim to have hunted dangerous game. Jeff told me that Capstick was drunk most of the time and wouldn't go near dangerous animals and Jeff actually shot most of the animals in the movie made of the safari.

I try to stay as neutral as possible, because I'm a huge Capstick fanboy. But If you watch the movie, you can see that Capstick was very shaky and was very afraid when they approached a hippo. It must be remembered that I hunted in some of Peter's old stomping grounds during my African Safaris in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of his claims actually seem to be rather a stretch.

But it goes without saying that Peter's writings did a great deal of good for the African safari industry.

Well that’s quite the shot across the bow for someone who didn’t want to open that can of worms.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

While not a hunting firearm, and not one that I have any great desire to own, Capstick also wrote he had owned a MAC-10 9 mm submachine pistol.
This was in the book “Death in a lonely land.” It is an article written for the American Hunter magazine, October/ November 1979 titled “The killer baboons of Vlackfontein.”
He also refers to a .375 as being “the old Model 70” In this article.

Not even firearms in the U.S. except in New Jersey and Rhode Island apparently, he has two articles reprinted in the same book on BB guns.
I enjoyed reading them as well. Especially the one on his BB submachine gun he referred to as ” The mini menacer”. I remember the ads for these in the hunting magazines.

He will always be the outdoor author I enjoy reading for his style of writing.
I never got the opportunity to meet him. I was in a bear hunting camp in Alberta with a gentleman from Texas in the late 1980’s. He had managed a seat at a dinner with Capstick. I was told if I wanted to like Capstick that I should continue to just read his books. His description of him in person was not flattering. While his accessment is believable to me, it never changed my feelings on his work as an author. The man could write.

I laughed & laughed reading about his shooting down Dragonfly’s with his machine BB gun.

 

[sestoppelman]

Stanley & Livingston 4 Bore Elephant Gun

His 4 bore is in safe hands here. Can be seen ,perhaps begged to be handled also.

His Win 76 https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/stanleys-fighting-rifle

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/84/1022/henry-morton-stanley-attributed-winchester-model-1876-rifle

I have a modern Uberti copy of the model '76 in .45-60 Win caliber. Its a big heavy, good shooting rifle that I enjoy a lot.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Well that’s quite the shot across the bow for someone who didn’t want to open that can of worms.

Yeah, sorry about that. It just gets difficult to leave that part out whenever his topic comes up.

You know how every person has multiple sides to them (both good and bad). It‘s a bit like that. I don’t necessarily think that a lot of the things Peter wrote were true (or at least personally experienced by him). I know for a fact that at least two of the incidents mentioned in his books, were taken from previous experiences by two OTHER hunters. But I also do know that the man was a gifted writer, and deserves immense credit for making African Safaris popular again. By all accounts, he was also a very interesting person to be around.

You should have seen enthusiastic young American client hunters going after African leopards during the 1980s. Almost all of them were prying off the aluminum caps of Winchester 300Gr Silver-Tips (for the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum caliber), because they read about how Peter claimed that it was a good idea for leopard hunting. Most of them eventually found out the hard way why this is actually a very unwise idea.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

One has to wonder we’re we’re all the Capstick bashers before his death spreading manure and attempting to defame the man’s character? Yes of course, wait until the man is dead and can’t defend his honor to do the smearing.

John, there’s very little that you and I disagree on. And you made a very good point. But envision the following scenario:

Enthusiastic client hunter comes to Africa, intending to bag a leopard with a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and 300Gr Winchester Silver-Tips. He pries off the aluminum jackets on the Silver-Tip bullets, because he read about it in a Peter Capstick novel. After taking the shot, leopard gets wounded and makes off into the bush.

The white hunter (who also read a Peter Capstick novel) decides to follow up the wounded leopard with a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with SSG, because Peter wrote that it could turn a leopard’s chest into red mush. Later (as anybody who’s actually tried to down a charging leopard with a shotgun will tell you), the buckshot doesn’t stop the charge and the white hunter ends up looking like he lost a fight with a lawnmower (assuming he survived and didn’t die from infection later on).

I know that it sounds very surreal, but I’ve actually seen variations of both the incidents occur.

Yes, Peter was a brilliant writer and a passionate hunter. Just not one who made all of his claims, by basing them on firsthand experience. His books are excellent and I have all of them. They make a novice fall in love with Africa and the world of hunting. But they can’t be a reliable “How To” on hunting dangerous game. The ones who treated his books as such, quickly regretted doing so (and there were several during the 1980s).

 

[PerH]

I have a modern Uberti copy of the model '76 in .45-60 Win caliber. Its a big heavy, good shooting rifle that I enjoy a lot.

Thats good, i wouldnliked one in .50-95 or so of them, the one he used were .45-75 ! Favorite by many it was and effective also.

 

[sestoppelman]

I laughed & laughed reading about his shooting down Dragonfly’s with his machine BB gun.

My son and I were doing that with a .22 rifle one day, it was a blast!

 

[John Wasmuth]

John, there’s very little that you and I disagree on. And you made a very good point. But envision the following scenario:

Enthusiastic client hunter comes to Africa, intending to bag a leopard with a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and 300Gr Winchester Silver-Tips. He pries off the aluminum jackets on the Silver-Tip bullets, because he read about it in a Peter Capstick novel. After taking the shot, leopard gets wounded and makes off into the bush.

The white hunter (who also read a Peter Capstick novel) decides to follow up the wounded leopard with a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with SSG, because Peter wrote that it could turn a leopard’s chest into red mush. Later (as anybody who’s actually tried to down a charging leopard with a shotgun will tell you), the buckshot doesn’t stop the charge and the white hunter ends up looking like he lost a fight with a lawnmower (assuming he survived and didn’t die from infection later on).

I know that it sounds very surreal, but I’ve actually seen variations of both the incidents occur.

Yes, Peter was a brilliant writer and a passionate hunter. Just not one who made all of his claims, by basing them on firsthand experience. His books are excellent and I have all of them. They make a novice fall in love with Africa and the world of hunting. But they can’t be a reliable “How To” on hunting dangerous game. The ones who treated his books as such, quickly regretted doing so (and there were several during the 1980s).

Yes there is very little we disagree on for sure and this is one of them. In regards to using buckshot to sort out a wounded leopard it should be down at a distance measured in inches and feet not yards and I never recall reading anything contrary to that in any of peters books. In my recollection of the majority of tales told by PHC he always gave the credit on who the actual incident occurred to and how it occurred and told it in 3rd person.
Did he embellish stories? I’m sure he did, just like Bell, Ruark, Taylor and the rest.
I just think it’s rather poor form to attack someone’s character if they aren’t around to defend themselves especially since it’s a repeated story that someone heard from a guy that heard it from a guy that heard it from a guy that heard it from a guy that has never even seen the man let alone spoken to him or inquired as to the truth of some tale.
as for popping the tips off silver tips, out of my .270 they acted like solids and wouldn’t open up at all on deer size animals. Popping the tips off made the expand properly on whitetail size game. So yes it does work for that. I’m not going to argue the point further as I make a habit out of not arguing with people on the internet that I don’t know in person.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Stanley & Livingston 4 Bore Elephant Gun

His 4 bore is in safe hands here. Can be seen ,perhaps begged to be handled also.

His Win 76 https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/stanleys-fighting-rifle

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/84/1022/henry-morton-stanley-attributed-winchester-model-1876-rifle

You know something real odd, Per ? For years, we all knew that Henry Morton Stanley’s elephant gun was a 4 bore. But look at this.

This is taken from the book “How I found Livingstone”. Stanley describes the elephant rifle as “Carrying balls eight to the pound”. That would make it an 8 bore. Not a 4 bore. It makes me doubt if the 4 bore Belgium made rolling block rifle in the museum was actually the one carried by Stanley on the Livingstone expedition.

 

[baxterb]

Riddle me this: what did Peter study in college and what was his job before Winchester or as a stockbroker?

 

[F. Vaccaro]

Sneaking up on live songbirds on his parents front lawn & catching them by hand!



I’m still going to enjoy his books!

 

[John Wasmuth]

Riddle me this: what did Peter study in college and what was his job before Winchester or as a stockbroker?

At one point in time he was an Officer in the U.S. Army. I’m sure prior to Wall street.

 

[PerH]

You know something real odd, Per ? For years, we all knew that Henry Morton Stanley’s elephant gun was a 4 bore. But look at this.
View attachment 482801
This is taken from the book “How I found Livingstone”. Stanley describes the elephant rifle as “Carrying balls eight to the pound”. That would make it an 8 bore. Not a 4 bore. It makes me doubt if the 4 bore Belgium made rolling block rifle in the museum was actually the one carried by Stanley on the Livingstone expedition.

Odd,never known or noticed it before. Looked through a couple of hundred overall search's . Rather few compared say " 4 bore", never 8 bore.

 

[John Wasmuth]

You know something real odd, Per ? For years, we all knew that Henry Morton Stanley’s elephant gun was a 4 bore. But look at this.
View attachment 482801
This is taken from the book “How I found Livingstone”. Stanley describes the elephant rifle as “Carrying balls eight to the pound”. That would make it an 8 bore. Not a 4 bore. It makes me doubt if the 4 bore Belgium made rolling block rifle in the museum was actually the one carried by Stanley on the Livingstone expedition.

I trust we will still be fast friends after this. I met Peter once via a friend of mine. He gave me no indication that he was a fraud. Respectfully, John

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I trust we will still be fast friends after this. I met Peter once via a friend of mine. He gave me no indication that he was a fraud. Respectfully, John

I never thought of us being otherwise, John. We’re both mature adults and no two people can never have the same opinions on EVERYTHING. You met Peter and your experience led you to believe that he is 100 % legitimate. I know Peter based on his writings and whatever Jeff told me (this was while Peter was still alive). Since Jeff is a friend of mine, a respected white hunter and actually did hunt with Peter in Botswana … I made my assessments based on the assumptions that he’s telling the truth. But I could be wrong and you could be right. Or you could be wrong and I could be right.

The fault is mine, not yours. I should have just mentioned what firearms Peter used, and left it at that. Going into the subject of his legitimacy as a white hunter, would inevitably be bound to generate debate. I shouldn’t have done that and I’ll refrain from making comments on this subject in the future (unless if it’s a post which DIRECTLY discusses this particular topic).

Either way, I will always remain his ardent fan because it was his writings which almost singlehandedly repopularized African Safaris (at a time when the Safari industry was on the brink of collapsing with Kenya banning hunting in 1977 and all).

 

[baxterb]

At one point in time he was an Officer in the U.S. Army. I’m sure prior to Wall street.

he was? I can t say I remember the army stint?