African Medium Game Cartridges

By Pierre van der Walt

Hunters and gun owners are particularly fond of proclaiming certain publications are the last word on their sport, and this tome certainly comes close. The author’s first book, African Dangerous Game Cartridges, became a modern standard reference on big bores. African Medium-Game Cartridges has around 380 color images and charts; it covers the 39 currently most popular .270, 7mm, .30, and .303 hunting cartridges in the greatest detail we’ve ever seen. It covers not only the history, but the ideal loads, the right projectiles, how to reload them, and the game each cartridge should be used for.

The author has been a long time “guns and ammo” writer for various magazines in Southern Africa. He takes the reader on a grand tour of the history, specifications, design, characteristics, performance, and applications, as well as the reloading quirks, of each of these cartridges. At the end of each cartridge chapter there is a comprehensive range of reloading data for American, European, Scandinavian, African, and Australian propellants. Roughly 7,300 reloading “recipes” are provided in African Medium-Game Cartridges. One reviewer quipped, “Any information not included about a cartridge in this book is most likely not worth having.” Possibly somewhat of an exaggeration, but let’s turn that into a positive: “This book is well worth owning!”

Apart from cartridge information, this book also contains countless photos of, and interesting information about, Africa’s medium game species and hunting destinations.

Binding and pages: Hardbound with a dustjacket; 500 pages; colour photographs.