Fritz Joubert Duquesne

“ As a matter of fact, Colonel Roosevelt favored no particular firm. He could not favor one manufacturer, for no makers of arms and ammunition in this country or in Europe can supply at present all the weapons necessary for an African hunter's battery.
For instance, the double-barrel express rifles used to hunt the large African game, such as the rhinoceros, elephants and hippopotamus, are made in Germany and Belgium and sold in England under the names of the various firms that sell them. These weapons run from the .350 to the .600 double cordite express. ”

“ For instance, the Remington Arms Company is noted amongst hunters as the makers of that wonderful piece of American ingenuity, the autoloading rifle, a remarkably ingenious and powerful weapon which, on account of the simplicity and strength of its breech-action and its accuracy and rapidity of fire, has found favor amongst the African hunters who have had a strong prejudice against the lever type of American repeater. ”

“ Each arm in Roosevelt's battery has its special work. The double cordite express is for use on large and dangerous animals, which, unless they receive a smashing blow, will, charge and very often kill the hunter, and it is used only at close quarters, from fifty to loo yards. Colonel Roosevelt's express is a 450 caliber, carrying a 480 grain bullet which has a velocity of 2,200 feet a second and an energy of 4,600 foot pounds. The .600 express takes a 600 grain bullet and strikes a blow of 8,700 pounds. The recoil of this arm is a hundredweight and is very dangerous to the shooter. ”

“ NOW that ex-President Roosevelt is in the wilds of British East Africa and the cables are kept hot with the news of his exploits in the tropical jungle, it is natural that hunters all over the country are interested in the battery of arms the great sportsman is carrying. ”

“ Colonel Roosevelt is not handling the toy weapons. The Remington, is a distinctly American type and the product of American skill. All the European repeaters have the bolt action and are represented by the Mauser and Mannlicher, the standard of Europe. The armies of the world are armed with rifles of the bolt action type, as it is considered the safest. ”

“ They are not manufactured in the United States and. cannot be bought here, for there is no game here dangerous enough to necessitate the use of such powerful weapons. The manufacturers who handle these rifles make a specialty of them, and their names are well known to all the amateur and professional hunters in Asia and Africa. Then in America where there is such bewildering number of calibers and styles of rifles, no one firm could supply all the different types. ”

“ Another important consideration is that more than three or four shots a day from an express rifle is liable to result in permanent injury to the shooter, for the recoil from one shot will leave the shoulder bruised and black, and so sore that it is most painful to the touch. ”

“ When one takes into consideration that every ounce has to be carried by porters, who plod for months across rivers, through swamps, over mountains, traversing the parched veldt and penetrating the dismal forests, often fighting their way foot by foot to reach their destination, it is therefore easy to see that weight is an important factor in cartridge economicsi Four of the ordinary small-caliber cartridges are AFRICAN HUNTER'S HOUSE Beyond Reach of Wild Animals. ”