A THING OF BEAUTY
… is a joy forever (wrote Keats)
“AT HI NG OF beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.” These words by the 18th century English poet, John Keats, sprang to mind as I turned over in my hands one of the most impressive rifles I had yet seen. Made by Musgrave, it was a classic in every sense of the word: Mauser 98 action, a heavy barrel in one of the most iconic calibres ever, with a stock that in itself was a pleasure to behold. In my mind, a thing of beauty becomes more valued if designed and created to serve a useful purpose, rather than merely to be admired. Yet it was a mystery rifle in terms of its provenance – a work of art that stirred the imagination. The serial number suggested it was created for a specific personage, possibly associated with an event or historical occasion. This article is about unravelling that mystery, and also about hunting with this rifle in an area of unrivalled beauty.
During the past eight years, my son, his friends and I have been very fortunate in being permitted to hunt in the Glen Rock Nature Reserve, owned by the family of Jacques van Tonder – father and son sharing the same name. The reserve lies about 20km east of the small town of Zastron in the southern Free State. Unlike most of that province, it is an area of spectacular mountainous surroundings and corresponding deep valleys. A perennial stream with intermittent reed-fringed pools runs through a deep gorge which opens out into grassed plains. One could hardly imagine a more ideal place to walk and stalk a variety of game, the largest being eland.
HAPPILY, THE OWNERS have not succumbed to the bizarre practice of producing colour-variant animals. This is the original Africa, one of the few areas I have hunted where the indelible marks of civilization are absent. Too often in South Africa, I have been painfully aware of noise from a not-so-distant highway, of power lines straddling the veld or the distant glow of city lights. The only lights to be seen at
Glen Rock are the myriad bright stars above. At night, the bush and mountains are cloaked in black, as in the distant past. The land was originally developed as a sheep farm in the 1920s, its success attested to by the large rambling homestead with a veranda running most of the way around the house. The effort required to cart building materials into the valley by ox wagon, down a track created by pick, shovel and crowbar, taxes the imagination. Such then, is the setting for this narrative.
During one of our visits, Jacques, knowing my interest in firearms, brought out his father’s Musgrave to show me. To say it was impressive and intriguing is an understatement. It is chambered for the 9.3x62 cartridge developed in 1905 by the German gunmaker Otto Bock, and intended to serve hunters and farmers in the German colonies of Africa. A hugely successful calibre, it remains relevant and popular to this day.
The rifle has tasteful and beautifully executed engraving – ornate without being flamboyant – on the receiver and bolt, bolt-shroud, front sight band, rear sight, trigger guard, magazine floorplate butt-plate. The magazine floorplate has an outline map of Africa. Each of the express sight’s flip-up leaves has a gold-filled vertical line beneath the ‘v’ for rapid alignment. The stock is of very
It is chambered for the 9.3x62 cartridge developed in 1905 by the German gun-maker Otto Bock, and intended to serve hunters and farmers in the German colonies of Africa
high grade Turkish walnut, finely chequered on the pistol grip and fore-end. The superb wood-to-metal fit is on a par with that of the finest English bolt-action rifles.
And now, the intriguing part: the rifle’s serial number is USA 0001.
Jacques said various firearms experts and collectors had speculated as to its origin, the consensus being that the rifle was probably made on special order, as a gift intended for a United States president. President Carter’s name was suggested, and the presentation thought to have been planned for the late 1970s, but never carried out due to SA’S relations with the United States souring over the Angolan affair. Sound plausible? It did for me – why else the serial number and the unsurpassed craftsmanship? Admittedly, the choice of calibre would be somewhat odd for an American, and since Carter evidently shot from his left shoulder, this rifle would not have fitted him well, but then, ceremonial gifts of this nature are seldom put to practical use. Carter was President from January 1977 to January 1981, so the time period fitted. He would have appreciated such a rifle as he was reportedly a hunter who owned two handguns, four shotguns, and three rifles.
THIS RIFLE WAS evidently among the last produced by the former Bloemfontein firm of Musgrave. The company’s records might have solved the mystery, but a diligent search failed to locate these, if indeed they still existed. The mystery deepened as inquiries directed at former Musgrave employees, gun dealers and collectors produced no answers. It may have been my imagination, but my impression was that people seemed reluctant to speak of it.
Finally, I got lucky. Someone mentioned that Johan Morkel of Morkel & Crouse Riflemakers, Stellenbosch, had worked for Musgrave around that time. I lived in Stellenbosch, so I visited him. He received me very kindly and gave me much more of his time than I’d expected. It turned out that Johan himself had made the rifle and the renowned Armin Winkler did the engraving.
The rifle was not customer-ordered; the idea was conceived within Musgrave as a result of circumstances. When official support for the company fell away in the mid-1990s a strategy had to be formulated to earn additional revenue. The custom rifle section of the company, headed by Daan Els, assisted by Johan Morkel, decided to produce ‘limited edition’ top grade rifles. The impetus evidently came from Safari Club International’s annual conventions, where exceptional firearms were auctioned for fund-raising purposes. Musgrave’s intention was to produce a thematic series in different calibres, for example a ‘Lion Rifle’, etc.
Johan was given a free reign to build a custom rifle during what he called his halcyon days at Musgrave. He chose the very finest stock blank from the company stores, with correspondingly top-grade steel components, including a Model 98 Mauser action. Interestingly, he replaced the Mauser magazine box with a Musgrave box to give the rifle slimmer proportions, hence more ‘classic’ lines, by reducing the magazine capacity by one round. Thus was created an object of great beauty. Many would describe it as a work of art wrought by a sculptor whose media are wood and steel. When I asked about the serial number, Johan laughed, saying it was a more-or-less random choice, selected for marketing purposes, without the vaguest thought of an
This rifle was evidently among the last produced by the former Bloemfontein firm of Musgrave
American President. I imagine many a myth or legend has originated this way.
I felt very privileged to handle and examine such a rifle, but more was in store for me. Jacques asked me if I would like to hunt with it. Initially I hesitated; what if I scratched it on one of the many rocks or bushes on the property? But I could not resist his kind offer. Jacques said a lechwe ram, past its prime, was disrupting the social order on the reserve; would I remove him to restore the natural balance? It was a rather unnecessary question.
THE MUSGRAVE WAS equipped with a superb Zeiss scope featuring a very fine (probably one MOA) illuminated red dot at the junction of the crosshairs. This switches itself off when the rifle is carried vertically, as on a sling, to conserve the battery. When I was checking the zero, the steel butt-plate made me painfully aware that the 9.3x62 is not a wimpish calibre!
Early next morning, the guide, Johannes, and I set out in search of the lechwe. Experienced guides know the territories of particular rams so it was not long before we spotted this one, alone. The wind and terrain were in our favour, and I soon had the rifle on the shooting sticks with the red dot just behind the lechwe’s shoulder. At the shot, the ram dropped in its tracks.
I performed the ritual expected of me by my German forebears: I plucked a green twig and placed it in the fallen animal’s mouth. The ram was in poor physical condition, and its worn teeth would have brought a slow and painful end to its natural life. I was pleased it had been spared this, but also felt a measure of regret and sadness.
Seeing Johannes’s puzzled look, I explained the tradition of the twig ritual symbolising food for the afterlife and a mark of respect for the quarry. He nodded in understanding and we each chose a shady bush under which to wait in silent thought for the arrival of the recovery vehicle. The only sound was the sighing of the breeze through the grass.