A MAUSER LOST, A MAUSER FOUND!

My father told me that during the political turmoil of the 1940s, South African citizens had to hand in their guns at their local police stations. Some people refused to do this and hid their firearms – even down boreholes. According to my father, my grandfather was a very honest man and adhered to the call for disarmament. Later, upon retrieval of his rifles, the police informed my grandfather that one of his rifles had “disappeared”. As a keen hunter, my father was obviously distraught by the loss of their 9x57 Mauser but fortunately, my grandfather retained the original .22LR Mauser rifle that I still have in my possession today.

As a young man, my father occasionally had the privilege to use the 9x57 while hunting along the Molopo River. He could tell a good story and in later years would, around campfires, nostalgically recount many stories of his hunting excursion with the 9x57. He once nearly got into deep trouble when he accidentally found himself in the veld between a lioness and her cubs. His horse got spooked and he almost lost control