Major Khan
AH legend
The above 4 photographs taken by myself last year , are of a tool which holds an extremely special space in my heart. It has been my faithful companion since 1959 and has never let me down . Today , my article is not about a particular incident or a particular person . It is about a gun which gave me many great adventures in the last 60 years and still continues to do so.
Our story begins in 1959 . I was an 18 year old young man at the time in Nagpur , India who was passionate about the sport of hunting . My maternal grandfather ( whom we call " Nana " and the man who raised me ) was the man who introduced me to the lovely world of hunting since l was 7 years old. Sepoy Jalaluddin Khan was an avid hunter and sports man . He had purchased a Winchester Model 1895 lever rifle , burning a 300 grain .405 Winchester cartridge during the British colonial period from a shop called Manton and Co and would use cartridge from the company ICI Kynoch . In his entire life , he took countless deer of various species ( sambhur , cheetal and hog deer ) , 4 horned buck and Neelgai with that rifle for the supper table . However , he also took 2 royal Bengal tigers and 5 panthers with that marvellous American lever gun ( like a buffoon , l foolishly let him sell it in 1966 when he could not longer source cartridges for it) . It is needless to say that this great man was my inspiration to enter into the world of hunting . However , what does does every hunter need ? A gun ( or guns ) .
I began to look at what was locally available , as soon as l became of age to get a firearms license ( 18 years being the minimal permissible age for a firearms license at that time ) . At the time , after India became independent in 1947 , new fire arms and ammunition ceased to be imported into the country . The Indian Ordinance Factories began to supply 2 types of sporting firearms for civilian shikarees .
The first was the IOF .315 calibre bolt rifle . The .315 calibre was the Indian name for the 8 millimeter rimmed Mannlicher cartridge , firing a 244 grain soft nose bullet at a velocity of 2000 feet per second .
The rifle was built on a cheap Indian copy of the British service Lee Enfield action and it held 5 cartridges in the detachable magazines .
Never did a fouler weapon exist . The heat treating of the barrels was improper , resulting in worn out rifling after as little as 180 firings . The follower springs of the rifle magazines might as well have been made from pot metal . They were known to break frequently . They were also notorious for failing to extract expended cartridge cases .
Below , is a photograph taken from the internet of an IOF .315 calibre bolt rifle .
The second firearm was the IOF 12 calibre DBBL gun . This was a double barreled side by side shot gun of 12 calibre ( using the 2.75 inch chambers ) with fully choked 32 inch long muzzles , weighing little over 6 pounds . These guns were an insult to the word " shot gun " . The earlier models came with ejectors , but these ejectors never worked in kicking out the empty cartridge case . The later models ( for this reason ) lacked any ejectors or extractors . However , the guns were plagued with other problems . Their katta ( sear springs ) were made from very poor quality metal and were prone to breaking after a considerable amount of firings .
Even if you had the sear springs replaced , you would eventually shoot the gun's action loose after about 1000 firings .
My good friend , Darjeeling based retired professional shikaree , Sergeant Kawshik Rahman had to make do with such a foul weapon for the entity of his 8 year career as a professional shikaree. Kawshik cut down the 32 inch muzzles to 28 inches to remove the chokes and thus allow him to use the gun with s.g cartridges of 12 calibre ( which held 12 pellets to the cartridge ) . However , the poor fellow was routinely battered by the recoil of that light 6 pound gun , loaded with s.g . The fact that Kawshik made do with such an inferior weapon and lived to take 31 panthers and 4 royal Bengal tigers with that gun , speaks volumes about Kawshik's resilience as a shikaree .
Below , is a photograph provided by Sergeant Kawshik Rahman of the biggest royal Bengal tiger ever shot by Kawshik in 1969 ( which was co incidentally his final royal Bengal tiger ) using that IOF 12 bore DBBL gun and 2 s.g cartridges fired into the spinal column of the brute from a tree.
Therefore , what l really wanted was an imported gun . Even though there were no new firearms still being imported into the country , there were still many existing fire arms left in the country from the British colonial period , brought into the country prior to 1947 . It was merely a matter of looking at the right place . However , 1 had to be very lucky . There were also those fire arms privately brought into the country by those English residents who had chosen to remain in India even after the Independence .
They were legally able to purchase one fire arm from a foreign country and bring it back to India at that time .
An English gentleman named Mr. Saunders who used to own a tea garden was leaving back to England in 1959 . Thus , he was selling off many of the things which he owned and he had put an advertisement on the local newspaper . One of the items listed was a " Fine Belgian double gun of 12 bore with 3 inch magnum chambers " for 35 Rupees. The price was rather reasonable.
Intrigued immediately , l decided to pay the gentleman a visit and see the gun for myself . I was immediately captivated by what l had seen . It was a double barreled hammerless shot gun of 12 calibre weighing upwards of 7 pounds . The gun had 3 inch chambers and twin triggers . The barrels were just under 28 inches long . The left barrel was fully choked , while the right was a modified choke. The gun had " full choke " marked on the left barrel and " modified choke " marked on the right barrel. Written on the underside of the gun was " Magnum 12 bore DBBL made in Belgium " . It was equipped with extractors.
It came in an oiled leather gun cover , marked " Mercury " . I knew that l had to have it , no matter what the cost .
Along with the gun , the gentleman was selling off all of his paper shot gun cartridges as well . These came in 3 varieties . There was Eley Alphamax no.6 bird shot cartridges . There was Eley Alphamax triple A cartridges ( holding 44 pellets to the cartridge ) . These were both 2.75 inches in length .
And there was Eley Grand Prix spherical ball cartridges . These were 2.5 inches in length and loaded with a 16 calibre spherical lead ball , designed to pass through even the tightest of 12 calibre chokes .
Below , is a photograph taken from the internet of an Eley Grand Prix spherical ball cartridge , for reference.
All together , there were 600 cartridges ( if l give a round about figure ) . The gentleman was willing to part with the cartridges for just an additional 10 Rupees.
Thus , for a grand total of 45 Rupees , l had acquired this handsome gun and cartridges , in a time when the vast majority of local shikarees were forced to make do with the garbage being turned out of the Indian Ordinance Factories .
I immediately took a liking to the shot gun as l began hunting in the out skirts of Nagpur. Sambhur , cheetal , mouse and hog deer , 4 horned buck , Neelgai , wild boar , jungle fowl and water fowl fell to that grand old gun with impunity .
For jungle fowl and ducks , l was using the no.6 . For mouse deer, geese and cranes , l was using triple A. For the mammals , l was using the spherical ball cartridges , even though l realized that l would often need to shoot them 2 to 3 times to kill them . This was because the Eley Grand Prix spherical ball cartridges were " low brass " cartridges , having a brass length of a mere 10 mm , as opposed to 16 mm on most shot gun cartridges , even at that time . This meant that the powder charge in these cartridges was fairly low . However , l was still extremely content with what l had.
In 1960 , l killed my first man eating royal Bengal tiger using this shot gun and the Eley Grand Prix spherical ball cartridges . I had to shoot it twice . The 2nd shot , aimed for it's head , right between it's eyes , was what did that man eater in .
Below , l have provided a photograph of the very first man eating royal Bengal tiger which l had killed with with my shot gun . The photograph was taken by my servant , Ponual.
After l joined Allwyn Cooper Limited in Nagpur , India , as a professional shikaree in 1961 , l specialized in guiding clients for Royal Bengal tiger shikars . I would request my clients to bring me Eley 12 calibre cartridges from their own countries into India , so that l could build up a reliable stock .
Back in Allwyn Cooper Limited in those days , our employers had a very strict policy ( on account of the commercial nature of the outfitter ) . The only time when a professional shikaree was under a compulsion to open fire at a client's animal was if the wounded animal was in the process of charging at anyone in our party . An escaping animal wounded by our client , was the client's problem .
However , from 1965 onwards , l began to follow up wounded animals shot by my clients to dispatch them anyway and put them out of their suffering .
This is not because l was a good man . No. I was always indifferent to the suffering of animals wounded by clients ( even though , l personally would always follow up any animal which l shot in my personal time ) .
I had an American friend ( and fellow professional shikaree) who made me understand that indifference is not the answer to an animal's pro longed suffering . That friend was Tobin Stakkatz .
At the same time , however , l was growing increasingly unsatisfied with the performance of Eley Grand Prix spherical ball cartridges on larger ( and dangerous animals ) . They worked well on the smaller mammals , like cheetal deer or 4 horned buck driven towards me during beats. However , for the larger species of deer , wild boars , bears , panthers and royal Bengal tigers , the 10 mm brass capacity of powder propellant was simply too low to ensure adequate penetration into the vital organs of an animal . This was exemplified by the fact that a round spherical ball lacks sectional density for adequate penetration with 100 % reliability .
I realized that l needed a change in my choice of ammunition .
During my interactions with my professional shikaree friends , based in the state of Darjeeling : Kawshik Rahman and the late Karim Chowdhury , l heard them give glowing reports about an old stock of ICI Kynoch Lethal Ball cartridges which they had gotten access to . Kawshik , in particular , had successfully crumpled a charging 200 pound panther with a point blank range shot , at the creature's heart with an ICI Kynoch Lethal Ball cartridge , at that time . This was exactly what l needed.
There was a problem , however . Kynoch Lethal Ball cartridges were no longer available on the market anywhere . However , Eley Brothers was selling a 2.75 inch long " Alphamax " cartridge , loaded with the fabled Lethal Ball bullet . Thus , l could simply ask my clients to bring me them , instead of the spherical ball cartridges which l was previously requesting.
There was 1 more problem ; a legal one . Even though Lethal Ball cartridges were perfectly legal for local shikarees to own and use in every other state in India at the time , this was not so , in Nagpur . In the British colonial period , some bird brained colonial administrator had banned the possession of Lethal Ball cartridges by locals after villagers started using them to settle " feuds " . Indeed , the effects a Lethal Ball cartridge can have on a man's internal organs is nothing short of horrifying . However , that is no excuse to ban a sporting cartridge .
I was initially hesitant to write about this , but l was re assured by @Kawshik Rahman and @Shootist43 that members of this site would not judge me too harshly for breaking the law ( even though it was a stupid law 55 years ago in Nagpur which was not even very strictly enforced ) . I was doing something illegal . I knew that clients from foreign countries could easily bring Eley Lethal Ball cartridges into the country with impunity , as the restriction did not apply to them
I asked the owner of Allwyn Cooper Limited , Mr. Vidya C Shukla if l would get into any trouble for possessing Lethal Ball cartridges and using them .
Mr. Shukla , who was already a key player in Indian politics at the time ( he even has his own page on Wikipedia ) coyly told me that if it helped me do my job better , then l could go ahead , as long as l kept the matter to myself . However , he also said that finding ammunition would be my problem .
This , l readily agreed to.
And thus , from 1965 , l started getting supplied with Eley Brothers Lethal Ball cartridges of 12 calibre and 2.75 inch case length .
A Lethal Ball bullet is basically a hollow lead ball with a honey comb shaped interior designed to violently fragment inside the body of what ever ( or who ever ) it was fired at . It was of 16 calibre , so that it could pass through even the fullest of 12 calibre chokes . With a brass length of 16 mm and an increased powder charge , the Lethal Ball cartridges gave me great satisfaction for all dangerous animals l ever shot at .
Below is a photograph originally used by Sergeant Kawshik Rahman in one of his articles of an advertisement of ICI Kynoch Lethal Ball cartridges for reference. I have taken Kawshik's permission to reproduce this image.
Below is an image l have lifted from the internet of a Lethal Ball projectile that would fit a 12 calibre cartridge.
I know that in a previous article , l had made passing mention of the fact that l have killed 12 royal Bengal tigers in my life , 7 of which were man eaters . This is true . However , that is not the whole story and it would be unethical of me not to tell the truth .
Out of the 7 man eaters , it was only the 1st one which l can truly say that l killed all by myself . The other 6 were already badly wounded by some one else ( with varying degrees of blood loss ) . All l had to do was follow them up into the thickets and deliver the killing blow to an already wounded and weakened animal .
The 5 normal royal Bengal tigers which l had killed were already wounded by my clients and would have , in all probability died any way from blood loss or infection . I merely shot and killed them to accelerate their death , because they were trying to charge my clients .
Thus , l personally consider myself to have only truly hunted 1 royal Bengal tiger in the true hunting sense and the only reason , l had succeeded there was through sheer luck . I have provided the account of that story on this site , titled " My first man eating royal Bengal tiger " .
Because of this reason , l have always considered my learned colleague Sergeant Kawshik Rahman to be a better hunter of royal Bengal tigers , because while he only killed 4 royal Bengal tigers in his life , 3 of them were completely uninjured when Kawshik had to contend with them .
Below are some photographs taken either by myself or by my servant , Ponual of some of the royal Bengal tigers which l had to finish off , in my career as a professional shikaree .
I plan to eventually detail every single one of these shikars on this site in the next few weeks.
I do , however take credit for the 20 panthers which l have killed in my life , 13 of which were man eaters , as these l had killed myself , while they were in an uninjured state .
My Belgian shot gun , loaded with Eley 12 calibre Lethal Ball cartridges certainly did the trick on them , at distances of 30 yards or less.
Below , l have provided 2 photographs taken by myself of some panthers ( 1 on the ground and 1 being hung ) which had
fallen to my old gun and the Eley Lethal Ball bullet.
The damage which an Eley lethal Ball bullet can do to the head of a panther at close range needs to be seen to be believed , especially when fired right between the eyes at distances less than 20 feet . It is my intention to relate all of the stories involving the panthers as well , on this site.
A question which boggles the mind of many a site member , is exactly how did l manage to retain my shot gun after the draconian and senseless Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 in India. The answer is sheer luck ( if you can call it luck , considering what happened to me ) .
During 1971 , l had enlisted in the Bangladesh liberation war . Due to lack of sufficient quantity of firearms to be used by the freedom fighters , those of us who had access to personal firearms were encouraged to bring them to the battle field . I brought my Mercury 12 calibre shot gun to the battle field , until l could acquire proper military firearms .
Eventually , l was issued a Sten gun and l kept the shot gun inside a foot locker in the military base at Rajshahi where l was posted .
During the war , l was shot in the face in October of 1971. When Bangladesh became independent on December 16 of 1971 , l was still recovering from my injuries at the field hospital at Rajshahi cantonment .
In the mean time , in India the Wild Life Protection Act was passed in January of 1972 . By the time , l recovered fully and realized what had happened in India , l decided that l would rather stay back in Bangladesh. All of us freedom fighters were given free citizenship there . My fellow soldiers at the Rajshahi base , who knew that the shot gun was mine, had actually brought it back to the hospital before l was released ( people were still decent back in my generation . If something like this happened today , the l have no doubt that the shot gun would have been stolen ) . Thus , through pure co incidence , l managed to keep my shot gun .
Today , my old Belgian shot gun is kept just as busy as it was 60 years ago and it has only gotten better with age .
Below is a photograph l have taken to illustrate it's prowess even now.
Even though , my dearly deceased American friend and former professional shikaree colleague , Tobin Stakkatz had gifted me a beautiful German 12 calibre semi automatic shot gun some years prior to his death and l myself had purchased a .22 Long Rifle calibre Austrian semi automatic rifle in 1996 to shoot pigeons and rabbits , l still consider my old Belgian double barreled shot gun to be the gun which came to define me as a shikaree .
Below , l have provided the photographs of my other 2 of my 3 firearms .
Even though both of these firearms are excellent and l have no intention to part with them , it will always be my old Belgian shot gun which is The Gun that did it all , for me . Granted, it is certainly not the most modern of armaments according to modern notions . But l would not be afforded a life time's worth of adventures without it .
I hope that this article proved enjoyable . Do any of my readers have a sentimental connection to any particular rifle or shot gun in their battery ? If so , please share your experiences.
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