Australian Shooter Letters

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March 2010

Vegan support groups
Matthew Godson wrote a wonderful column about the essay from Dr Flannery titled ‘Now or Never: A Sustainable Future for Australia’ (November 2009 Australian Shooter). I remember an email I received from a friend who lives in the US. Unfortunately, I do not have it to show here. It showed a flyer on a noticeboard at Berkley University in California. It was for vegans and vegetarians, providing them with a non-confrontational and non-judgemental support group, where they would be safe from oppression and ridicule and could be comfortable in the embrace of like-minded people. Below this advertisement was a photo of a bear with the caption, ‘Carnivores don’t need support groups!’ This says it all.
John Bow, NSW
Editor’s note: Thanks for the letter, John. I don’t think the accompanying image is the exact one you are referring to, but we found it circulating the internet and thought it makes an interesting addition to your letter.

Columns a highlight of magazine
I have been a member of the SSAA for a year now and have thoroughly enjoyed getting, reading and rereading the Australian Shooter magazine, along with the Australian Hunter magazine.
It’s interesting to see the positive effect the stories have on my two sons, particularly with the Bushcraft & Survival column with Peter Bindon. My eldest son, 14, has now assembled his own survival/emergency kit, with a few additions of his own. We as a family do a bit of bushwalking and it’s always the first item in the car.
As an offshoot, it’s also begun a thought process in their eager developing minds - a game called ‘What if?’ It basically consists of one of us thinking of a scenario and the rest of us working out how we would go about surviving using only what we have, such as if the car has a blow-out, no spare tyre, on a 42C day, eight hours from the nearest person. This instils in all of us that there is consequence for actions and with knowledge, innovation and inventiveness, there can be a way through.
We hope that these stories will continue, as it is a highlight of the magazine. We feel that these hints are invaluable and a great educational value for anyone who reads the articles. So many potentially lifesaving tips are included. We are amazed at the simple things that can help you to survive that you would never think to use on a normal day-to-day basis. Maybe you could run survival courses in the future, showing how and what to use?
My wife, who’s not a hunter or shooter in the least, also really enjoys Peter’s articles, as well as John Dunn’s Jumbunna column. You definitely have an audience in this household.
Richard and family, via email

Enjoyable reading, even if we can’t own them
This weekend’s inclement weather required me to look for more indoor-oriented entertainment. I picked up a well-known motoring magazine and read several articles about rare and expensive super-cars. Then I happened to flick on to a television show about an expedition to the summit of K2. Later, I picked up the November issue of my favorite shooting magazine, Australian Shooter of course, and read a very good article about a .50-calibre rifle. At no point did I think that a given subject was less enjoyable simply because I am very unlikely to experience any of them in my lifetime. Please ignore those naysayers who think that a particular firearm is not worth an article in Australian Shooter simply because it is not available to them. Keep up the excellent work.
Daniel Gardner, Vic

Camo confusion response
After reading Gerard Clink’s August Australian Shooter letter, I was pleased to see you may do a story on camo gear. After being in the RAAF for 20 years, then owning an embroidery business where I supplied Defence nametags and badges and having been involved with review after review of ‘new’ apparel in Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) and other styles, it will be interesting to read the result.
I have used DPCU and other clothing myself and I have found, as others would have, that a neutral colors, such as olive drab in most dry Australian areas and dark, old-style ‘greens’ (as they were called) in wetlands, blend in with the surrounding area you are in and are most effective when coupled with no or slow movements.
Jungle cams in some sparse areas just invite those goannas to try and run up you! Yes, that was a funny day.
Matt Rossiter, via email

February 2010

A blue-boxed Browning
I have been trying to find out why this Browning Medalist pistol is in a blue box, as all the others are in red boxes. I have asked Browning, but they don’t know.
I have a theory that the pistol may have been one of several used in Australian competitions in the 1970s. I note that the barrel has been shortened, maybe to comply with a competition rule.
Any help readers can give would be appreciated.
Alex McCallum, Qld

SSAA E-alert reply
I participated in your SSAA E-alert poll about tougher gun laws in South Australia and was pleased to read that a correction story was made in the Adelaide Advertiser. Although I do not require SSAA membership for my occupational firearms licence, I am a member so as to protect and promote our sport. Furthermore, I would like to encourage others to participate in these surveys, as for just a little effort, you will hopefully gain a large reward in educating the uninformed.
Lyle, via email

A unique knife response
In response to the question posed by Warwick Greenham in his ‘A unique knife’ letter (October Australian Shooter), I would offer a solution based on personal experience and observation, but not based on special knowledge. I believe the knife to be probably of Bedouin origin of a kind that used to be common (and perhaps still is) in Arab countries, especially the Yemen, Hejaz and out-of-the-way parts of the Gulf States.
In my copy of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Colonel TE Lawrence (of Arabia), there is a photo of Lawrence in the dress of an Arab prince and he has a much larger and more ornate knife thrust through the waistband of his garment. While in Bahrain in the 1960s, I observed that many Arabs carried similar knives, although slightly larger, thrust into the front of the waistband. Many of these knives were ornate, with silver scabbards and ivory handles, and usually varied according to social standing in the local hierarchy. A knife of the size in the photo would be used in the way jack-knives were; that is, as a general utensil.
I was given a knife very similar to the one shown in the photograph. My knife had a scabbard fashioned from wood and the handle was made from buffalo horn. My knife was handmade and I believe that all of these knives were fashioned by Arab smiths and armourers. The knife I had went with me for a year or two, but was unfortunately taken with other mementos when we were burgled in Singapore.
The knife shown appears to be missing the handle. I would say that this would detract from any monetary value, but as a souvenir of this out-of-the-way part of the world, it should certainly interest a collector.
John Harper, Qld

A refreshing article
I enclose a page from the Ballarat Courier (‘Gun amnesty bit of a misfire’), Friday, October 9, 2009, for your interest. It is quite unusual and refreshing to find someone writing the truth. I am 76 years of age, an ex-farmer and I have been a shooter all my life. Over the past few years, the onslaught against shooters has made me feel like an unconvicted criminal. I thank you for your magazine and the assurance that you are prepared to defend my rights.
K Linton Mills, Vic
Editor’s note: Thank you for bringing this article to our attention. It is refreshing to read that the author, Gavin McGrath, argues that firearm amnesties and previous firearm buy-backs have been “public relations exercises” and that the only real way to reduce crime is to “reduce the number of criminals on the street”.

The shotgun debate response
I was reading with some interest Damien Edwards’ article ‘Over-and-under or side-by-side? The shotgun debate’ (Australian Shooter, October 2009). While Damien has some valid points in the article, I would suggest he obtain a copy of Best Guns by Michael Macintosh and Spanish Best by Terry Weiland. Both books are excellent resources for the shotgun fan.
In the USA and in Europe, there is a huge demand for top-quality side-by-side shotguns, not only for premium quality English guns, but for guns made by the trade in Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and other European nations. Names such as AyA, Peter Nelson, Hartmann & Weiss, Bertuzzi, Bosis, Pedro Arrizabalaga - the list is endless. These guns, as well as highly regarded British makes such as Purdey, Boss, John Wilkes, WW Greener, Holland & Holland and others, are much sought-after on both sides of the Pacific and all over the world.
However, there is a new breed of side-by-sides being manufactured in the USA. Shotgun aficionados such as Tony Galazan and Stephen Lamboy have resurrected two great names of yesteryear. Galazan’s Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company has been turning out the new Ansley H Fox shotguns, while Lamboy’s venture has resulted in the Ithaca shotguns being reborn, called New Ithaca Doubles. Both makers produce superb examples of the classic side-by-side shotgun and the price dictates this. The new AH Fox and Ithaca guns are available in various grades and are highly sought-after by collectors and shotgun enthusiasts. Tony Galazan is even producing the Winchester Model 21 Custom Grade SxS shotgun and for around $US50,000 to start with, you can have one built to order.
Oh yes, the side-by-side shotgun is still alive and kicking.
Con Kapralos, SA

An old revolver
A friend of mine, when recently refurbishing an old house, was digging a hole for an extra stump underneath the house and on removal of a large rock, discovered what appeared to be the remains on an old firearm. When cleaned and the metal parts soaked for a couple of weeks in a molasses and water mixture, the result produced the remains of a six-shot revolver, the butt of which had long since rotted away of course.
On closer inspection, it was obvious that the revolver had not been loaded, as the chamber was empty. The firearm must have been hidden beneath the rock prior to the house being shifted and placed there around 1908.
I would be interested to know if anyone can identify the calibre, make and year of manufacture of this firearm. Obviously, the fore-sight has rusted away and it seems the barrel is hexagonal. Any information on this revolver would be greatly appreciated.
Rick Tomkies, Qld

No animals harmed in supermarket meat?
South Australian reader Warwick Greenham recently sent us an email containing the accompanying scan of a letter from a San Francisco newspaper. It would be humorous if it wasn’t already so disturbing to think that people are really this naïve about where their food comes from!

Unique knife item of Sikh faith
In regards to the ‘A unique knife’ inquiry in the October edition in the Australian Shooter, I can shed some light on the subject. The knife is known as a ‘Kirpan’ and it is one of the five items of faith worn by all baptised Sikhs who are from the northern part of India in the state of Punjab.
The Sikhs have a long and proud history in this part of the world and for some 50 years or so before being annexed by the British in 1747, had an empire that stretched from New Delhi in the east to as far as Iran in the west and down to the eastern coast of India near the states of Gujarat. Before being taken over by the British, mainly through treachery and deceit, the Sikhs had a large army of brave, fearless and noble warriors.
As part of the religion, there are five articles of faith:
Kesh: A long uncut hair, which is kept neat and tidy by the wearing of a turban (99 per cent of people in the world today who wear a turban are Sikh, not Muslims. There is distinct difference between the religions.)
Kanga: A small wooden comb, which is kept to keep the long hair clean.
Kara: A steel bangle to signify a link with God and the unending nature of God of a circle of no beginning or end.
Kachera: Long underpants to signify modesty.
Kirpan: A long, curved sword usually 4 to 5ft in length. A sword of mercy or a defensive weapon, it was carried and its use was mastered by all men and women who followed the religion, as it was part of the Sikh identity and their obligation to defend the innocent and weak from repression.
When the Sikh raj (empire) was annexed by the British, only eight or so years after the death of the then ruling king Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the British went about dismantling the whole system of military and armed forces that existed under the Sikh raj. One of the things they did was disarm the population. This was done by outlawing all weapons and also restricting Sikhs with the size of the Kirpan they were allowed to wear by insisting that it be no greater than 6" in length. These restriction are now gone.
The Kirpan shown in the magazine is a mass-produced item worth about $10 to $50 that can still be purchased near most Sikh gurdwaras (places of worship) by anyone. There are better hand-produced Kirpans available, which can range in price from $300 to the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I have one of the Kirpans that is pictured in the magazine, as I am a baptised and practising Sikh.
For more information, see www.khalsakirpans.com/artisankirpan1 and www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirpan
Dr Harminder Singh, Qld