Review by Larry S. Sterett | Contributing Editor
ELEPHANT! by Craig Boddington. ©2012. Published by Safari Press, Dept. TGM, PO Box 3095, Long Beach, CA 90803. Price: $39.95, plus shipping.
Available direct, or though most bookstores.
This 352-page hardbound volume represents the latest on hunting elephant in Africa, or as the sub-title states, “The Renaissance of Hunting the African Elephant.” Following a short Foreword by Johan Calitz, and an Introduction, it features 23 chapters, from “When Giants Walked,” through “Looking Ahead.” Not only does this tome discuss the elephant, and some of the countries in which such hunting might be successful, it discusses why you should hunt elephants, judging ivory, suitable rifles and cartridges, penetration and bullet performance, shot placement, and more.
Each of the chapters is amply illustrated with photographs, with all but a few vintage black and whites being in full color. A good number of the photos also feature a red-colored dot imposed on the elephant to illustrate the most desirable location for a killing shot when the animal is that position.
This tome covers the subject thoroughly from the glory days of the past to what to expect in the future. As mentioned, a chapter is devoted to what the author considers suitable rifles and cartridges for use in hunting elephants, but there is more. Five chapters are devoted to countries currently providing the best chance for bagging an elephant. These include Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, in alphabetical order, not in order of the best The most authoritative book on elephant hunting today hunting. In addition, another chapter is devoted to other countries where bagging an elephant with smaller ivory is possible. This is probably the most authoritative book on elephant hunting available today. True, it has no appendices, bibliography, or even an index, but the Table of Contents pretty much covers the field. Just realize elephant hunting today is not the same as it was in Teddy Roosevelt’s. The chapter “Drop Twenty Pounds” is not about losing weight, but to expect the ivory to be lighter than it was 50 years or more ago.
Also from Safari Press is Aagards’s African Adventures. This 320-page hardbound volume features a collection of the late Finn Aagaard’s “Two Decades of Thoughts on Guns and Calibers.” The result: Thirty-six chapters, from A Tale of Two Sevens though The Tracker Revisited, with the final two chapters written by his wife, Berit Aagaard. (Those a’s tend to become a bit mixed.) The first 34 chapters originally appeared as articles in the American Riflemanor American Hunter, mostly during the 1980s and early 1990s. The chapters are not illustrated, but a section of more than 50 black and white photographs is located between Chapter 22—The .458 Winchester Magnum—and Chapter 23—The .375 H&H Magnum. The photos are keyed to specific chapters, but not all chapters are represented with photos.
Aagaard wrote what he lived and about the cartridges and rifles he used. His opinions are his own, but he often includes those of other hunters who have used arms of the same type and calibers. Readers may not be familiar with all of the various hunters, or the cartridges mentioned, but it doesn’t make for any less interesting reading. An example is the 6.5mm line which is extensive. Finn considered the 6.5x55mm to be best cartridge of all for use on whitetails within a reasonable range.
(”Katamojo” Bell favored the 6.5x54mm cartridge in a MannlicherSchoenauer rifle, but this cartridge is not exactly plentiful in the United States.) For a shooter wanting to build a rifle for a ‘wildcat’ 6.5mm, he considered the 6.5mm/.308 or .263 Waters Express a good choice. It would work well in most short bolt-actions, including surplus MannlicherSchoenauer actions, and even the Savage M99 lever actions.
This is great book for shooters/ hunters desiring information on suitable rifles and cartridges for their favorite sport. It is reminiscence of Taylor’s African Rifles & Cartridges, but without coverage of the British big bore cartridges, or the same type of illustrations. It’s worthy of space on any shooter’s bookshelf.
