In addition to hunting, when TTAG writer Jon Wayne Taylor is in Africa, he trains the people who protect some of continent’s most endangered wildlife from poachers. This week he’s in South Africa working with men who protect black and white rhinos from two-legged predators. And as JWT texted, they’re seriously under-gunned.
They carry Maverick 88 Security models in various lengths. Some have been shortened significantly, some remain at 18.5. They were all originally green at some point, but the paint has long since worn off.
As he said, that’s quite a commercial for a dirt-cheap shotgun that, like the Energizer Bunny, keeps going and going.
He wasn’t sure how long these smoothbores have been in service, but the men pictured above have been on he job for 10 years and have been using the same shotguns for all of that time.
A Maverick 88 Security model can be had for well under $250. As a home defense shogun, it has a lot going for it.
But as a weapon to go up against poachers who are frequently well-armed, JWT says “These guys are grossly outgunned, outnumbered, and undermanned.”
Local people use it to animal hunting.
If they don’t have the means to stop poachers they surely don’t have the means to stop a charging Rino. Makes one wonder where all those TV Wildlife Funds are going.
Those funds as well as anything else that gets sent, as aid, to that continent probably got stolen as soon as it arrived.
Administrative overheads would be my guess.
The “Big Guy” always gets his 10%.
Rhinos need to get much, much closer to inflict harm than does a poacher with an AK-47.
I have a friend that just got from Nambia a few days ago. He said that, other than his PH carrying a CZ in .45 ACP, they didn’t prep for poachers or encounter any. Mark also said that kind of thing is often regional. Still, like I told JWT when he mentioned hunting poachers. I’ll take an R-4, please.
At close range with the right shells a 12 gauge pump shotgun is a devastatingly effective weapon. At the ranges these guys might have to fight and potentially having to defend against rhinos they really should have something in 7.62 NATO.
Charlemagne, I’ve said it before. When the question is a gunfight, a rifle is the best answer. It works equally well at 3 feet, or 300 yards. People always site a shotgun as a close range fight stopper. It is. I’ve attended autopsies where both were involved. As long as the rifle is loaded with softpoint ammo the results are about the same. I’ve seen men decapitated with a centerfire rifle and a shotgun. A corpse without a head pretty much looks like a corpse without a head. Doesn’t matter much what got it that way. Rifles have range. I’ll take that everyday.
BTW. I like that screen name.
I saw game wardens with FALs in South Africa but they were on a private reserve. Probably better funded.
FDW, that’s interesting. I’m trying to plan a trip. Watching the elections. I want my private property to be here when I return. However, in addition to my hunting rifles; I want my own R-1. With four spare mags and support gear. Just me.
Yeah sure.
Black and white rhinos
Zebras or Holsteins
Fake
Maverick 88 is a great house gun. In the bush I’d like an FAL.
As to stopping a charging rhino? These guys are paid to protect the rhinos, not kill them. If they’re having to shoot rhinos they’re doing it wrong.
Jwm
I had the choice of FAL or M16 in genuine tiger country years back. I took the FAL (Australian made so semi auto only)
Friends were in Zimbabwe hunting 2 years back and the corruption is worse than ever. Unbelievable how bad it is to most westerners unless you have seen it.
My daughter lived in Argentina for her work for two years. The bribe was SOP. Customs, mail, any civil services. Utilities.
The only permit I needed to carry a gun was money.
Permit signed by who, U.S. Grant, Ben Franklin, and some clones of either?
I have a Maverick 88, and like it, but these guys need rifles of some sort. An FAL or G3 would be best, but an AR15, AK, or SKS would also work. Even an Enfield, Mauser, or Mosin would be preferable to a shotgun.
All the small arms that our government sends all over the world – many at pretty much no-cost to the recipients – and we can’t get some decent rifles to these guys!? It would probably break multiple sport laws and treaties but there has to be some way for private citizens to get these rangers something better than lowest common denominator shotguns if the feds won’t or can’t.
It’s Africa. There must be some cheap AK’s laying around.
EXPORT – not “sport”…that’s what I get typing and watching college football at the same time..
Maybe Miami PD can do a gun buyback and send it to them 😉
A South African R4 would be a much better weapon system, if I knew that they would actually get purchased and given to these folks I would donate money but “TIA” is the problem.
Zastava M77 in 7.62/.308
Rhino horn is good for the juju and the reason is that anybody riding that sumbitch to chew on its horn has to have some big balls to start with.
The Least Expensive Weapon would be a freshly hurled rock. A hastily lashed flint spearhead on a stick would be right behind. Just sayin’.
The Taliban has some modern weapons for sale they’ll make them a deal on. All courtesy of Joseph R. Biden Jr.
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