Big Game and Big Game Rifles

Rating:
Summary: A book equally excellent on hunting, riflery and ballistics.
Review: Taylor writes extensively and expertly on the rifles and ammuntion used throughout his life as a professional hunter and perhaps as inter-war Africa's most notorious poacher. Since many of the sporting cartridges he used are obsolete this book is a valuable reference work for the student of the big game sporting rifle. Unlike many ballistic technicians Taylor repeatedly comments on bullet performance and that a sporting rifle bullet must be used according to the designer's intent. It is the fisrt such book I have read that repeatedly and forcefully cautions against using too-powerful rifles and too-tough bullets on game because of the danger of the bullet passing through the target animal to wound one or more behind it.All the more interesting is the fact that Taylor's experiences span the black powder express days, the rise of smokeless powder express rifles and the advent of small and medium bore high velocity "magnum" sporting cartridges. He provides sad comments on dead sportsmen who placed too much faith in high velocity magnum small bore rifles.Taylor is one of the few African hunter-authors who has great experience with the famed .600 Nitro Express. His comments are enlightening, and tame the beast, so to speak.Taylor has strong opinions on rifles. He favors double rifles above all others, is fond of single shot rifles and does not like bolt-action repeaters. He speaks, of course, as one who shoots from very close range and admits that things are different in North America. He praises the excellent marksmanship of hunters from the USA who use scope-sighted, bolt action repeaters. He labels the USA as a nation of riflemen.