”MAMELODI” KRUGER’S FOUR-BORE
Double fit for a courageous hunter
IN 2019, on a visit to the former presidential home of Paul Kruger in Pretoria, I noticed an item in one of the exhibits that caught my attention. Unknown to me until then, the collection hosts a magnificent double-barrelled four-bore rifle which, according to the curator, Oom (Uncle) Paul received as a gift and used between 1842 and 1872.
The Kruger House or Krugerhuis as it is known in Afrikaans, is currently a periodic museum and hosts most of Kruger’s original household goods as well as other items of note, including the presidential train carriage which he used during his official visits to other parts of the country. It is a wonderful glimpse into the life and times of Oom Paul.
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger was born in 1825 as the fourth son of one of the Voortrekkers (Voortrekkers literally
means ‘those who trek ahead or in front’) in the district of Colesberg. As a youngster, he took part in the Great Trek (1833-1838) when these Boer pioneers crossed the Orange River and moved northwards into the former Orange Free State and Transvaal in search of self-governance, and to be free from British rule. Paul Kruger served as the President of the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek (ZAR) from 1883 up to the end of the Boer War in 1902. His hunting exploits and his conservation efforts towards establishing the Kruger National Park – the reserve that to this day carries his name – are often overlooked because of his well-known role as a statesman.
The origin of the term four-bore is best described by the term ‘vier-op-die-pond’ or ‘four-to-the -pound’ meaning that when the bullets were cast, the owner could reckon to get four spherical pure lead bullets of the diameter of the barrel from one pound of lead. The diameter of a four-bore rifle is approximately one inch. The reason for the approximation is that, at the time, every rifle was uniquely made and the barrels were not that accurately hammered. Therefore, every individual gun of that time had its own bore size when measuring in thousandths of an inch.
Frederick Courtney Selous often used a four-bore rifle, as did several other well-known adventurers, and they were widely used by the Boers in southern Africa although more often in single-shot rifles.
This particular rifle is a smoothbore cap-and-ball type with a barrel length of 630mm (24.8"). It carries the engraving ‘W.G. Rawbone, Cape Town’ with serial number No.15936. Like other Cape gunsmiths, Rawbone did not actually make guns, but ordered them from British makers with the local dealer’s name engraved on the metal. The barrel and action are made of fine twisted ‘Damascus’ steel, though the years have given it a somewhat mottled look. The approximately 1 700 grain bullet had a velocity of about 1 300fps, depending on the load of powder used. This is incredibly slow when compared to modern big-bore magnums using a 500gr bullet at 2 100fps.
Penetration was, and still is, of great consideration when choosing a dangerous game cartridge. Ganyana covered the issue of penetration extremely well in his article ‘Penetration on Pachyderms’ in the Magnum, December 2011 issue. The fourbore was good for body shots on elephant but did not always penetrate to the brain on a frontal head-shot. For this reason, elephant were often hunted on horseback with the hunters riding in close, firing a shot and then galloping away. This process
was repeated until the pachyderm expired. Oom Paul hunted about 78 elephant and numerous rhino, some undoubtedly with this rifle.
Side-by-side guns really interest me and the one question that has always lingered in the back of my mind is: how can a rifle of such size be well balanced? I have handled a few .577NE doubles and they were all heavy in the barrel, which, although good for muzzle rise and follow-up shots, does make them cumbersome and slow to swing and point. So I was surprised by the excellent balance of this old four-bore. Despite the obvious weight, it was immediately on target when pointed and it was easy to manoeuvre. In addition, the combination of heavy weight and balance resulted in it being able to lie wonderfully still when pointed.
Some other interesting aspects about the four-bore were evident. Nowadays, firearms that are used for quick-firing often carry a white beaded, or fluorescent, front sight. This allows you to easily see the front sight in low light conditions. Oom Paul’s rifle used a piece of hand-carved ivory for the front sight. I wonder if it was carved by President Kruger himself?
The grip is enveloped with a piece of stitched leather which seems to cover up a metal reinforcement to the grip. One of my favourite stories about Oom Paul is about a white rhino hunt. The shot from his first barrel failed to penetrate and put down the animal. He was subsequently charged but, due to some misfortune, he ended up almost underneath the charging rhino and had only a split second to fire his second barrel. The second bullet must have hit some vitals as the rhino ran off a short distance and perished. However, during this interaction, the stock of his rifle cracked. I cannot help but speculate whether it might have been this rifle that was used even though the story has it as a six-bore. Possibly the leather was simply used to improve the grip.
The rear sight on this rifle is interesting because it is fixed. It consists of only one leaf which has been set into the central ridge of the barrels. The ivory front sight seems to have been filed at some stage and it is possible that the point of impact was determined through this. The short-range use of this mega-calibre meant that it did not need any more accuracy than that provided by this somewhat crude setup on this otherwise fine gun.
‘Mamelodi’ Kruger, as Oom Paul was affectionately known among the African tribesmen because of his unusual ability to imitate bird song, joined his first lion hunt at the age of 13. During this hunt, his job was to look after the horses when the hunters dismounted to confront the lion. The normal procedure for the horse-watcher was to turn the horses so they faced away from the lion. In the event of a lion charge, it would be to the horses’ blind side and they would not get spooked and run off, thereby leaving the hunting group stranded in the bush.
When the lion was eventually flushed and it charged, Paul immediately saw to the horses but also took his youth rifle and moved to protect them. Somehow the lion avoided the other hunters and charged directly at Paul. On the lion’s final lunge, the young Paul got off a shot and it crumpled at his feet. Afterwards, one of the older members of the party was inspecting the lion’s teeth when, at the same time, young Paul stepped on the lion’s stomach. Due to some air still left in the lion’s lungs, it emitted a muffled roar which gave the older gent such a fright that he toppled over. Everyone laughed and the man wanted to give the youngster a hiding. Fortunately, Kruger’s father intervened and the punishment was averted.
During his lifetime, Kruger hunted numerous lions with other hunting parties. He also hunted five lions while completely on his own. To this day, lion hunting is rarely done alone due to the obvious risks. Considering that single-shot black powder rifles were mostly used at that time, these hunts on his own are evidence of his great courage. To illustrate the value that was given to being courageous, Kruger once submitted himself to a sjambok lashing by one of his fellow hunters when he showed what was considered cowardice in the face of a charging rhino.
As a young military commander and field cornet, Kruger always led from the front. During the siege of Makapaansgat, he infiltrated the cave in which the enemy was hiding and sat among them to gain intelligence from their conversations that he later reported to his superiors.
Among the other items in the exhibition at the Kruger House is his saddle and pocket knife. This is the same knife that he used to trim off what was left of his thumb after the rifle he was using while on another rhino hunt, exploded in his hands. When infection started to show a few days later, he used a very old remedy and put his hand into the stomach contents of a freshly-slaughtered goat.
If only we could hear some of the stories this rifle could tell. Both friend and foe admitted that Oom Paul was extraordinary.
This rifle is the epitome of Paul Kruger: larger than life, with only three fine gold inserts, some fine engraving, not too extravagant, experienced and battle proven.
I would like to extend my gratitude to Julia Roelofse and Jan van der Bos as well as the rest of the staff at Kruger House for their kind assistance.