Selous with a muzzleloading 4-bore.
The gun-nerd site Forgotten Weapons has offered up a glimpse of the bane of 19th Century elephant hunters: the dreaded 4-bore. It chucks a one-inch quarter-pound ball (1,750 grains). Frederick Courteney Selous used a 4-bore muzzleloader in the 1870s. It got the job done, but Selous complained that the brutal recoil upset his nerve. It’s certainly a flinch-inducer.
https://www.full30.com/video/4c380ce90a4023ce3613685ea27119f6
And here’s more:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/james-d-julia-an-overview-of-4-bore-stopping-rifles/
Finn says
Big thanks for that link ! Many very interesting videos to watch about firearms…
JimC says
Always a pleasure.
Eccentric Cowboy says
Ahhhh, the good old 4 bore! Hunter explorer Samuel Baker kept one handy during his hunting in India, Sri Lanka and his expedition into Africa. It weighed around 18 pounds of memory serves me correctly. He used it to grand effect but stated that he far preferred his ten bore twin barrel Paradox guns.
His mighty 2 bore was a piece of mobile field artillery at a handy 21 pounds, and even then he hated using it even on African elephants. He said he recommended it to Goliath of Gath! It was certainly fun for him to watch others try to handle though. At times he would let his bearers try it, one man holding it and another behind bracing his shoulder. Every time it ended up flying out of their hands and skittering back several yards behind them.
Boy were those old cave bores fun! 😀
JimC says
Named Baby, I believe.
deuce says
That shooter is no wuss.
Craig Rullman says
Later, at the hospital, four or five experts were still trying to figure out what pieces were left to reconstruct his shoulder with. Loved this…
JimC says
Stupid thing is, I’d love to do this. Once.
Paul McNamee says
Not just the shoulder. The guy almost had his face Piccasso’ed! 😀
John C. says
I noticed that he switched from right handed to left handed in the video, then later acknowledged that both shoulders were OK. That tells me that one shot is about all the body can tolerate per side. I wonder how he would describe how they felt the next morning? No pushups that morning!
I would love to try it once, as well, and would have an ice pack handy for immediate use. I just wish they showed some down-range impact video. That round would supply some insane kinetic energy to a target – say a five gallon jug of water.
John C.
Steve Gluck says
Those white shorts were airbrushed in … (just so you know) …