shakari

Ah. Cancel my criticism of the heaters........ I've just realised the air con is set up to come on automatically when the ignition is switched on! LOL!

I'd agree that the vast majority of conspiracy theories are complete and utter BS but my point is some may have at least a grain of truth in them and some possibly more (esp the David Kelly ones IMO) and that in some cases, we'll never know what is and isn't completely true. All we can do as individuals is to decide what we believe to be the most likely. Sorry for getting a bit off topic there.

FWIW, There are several conspiracy theories about the shooting including reports of other shooters & the same can be said of the Dunblane one that resulted in the UK handgun ban but the same can be said of many other notable events in history such as David Kelly, Diana & Kennedy. I guess we'll never know what is & isn't true about some things in life.

I'll be very interested in seeing full details & inclusions/exclusions etc. You gotta be VERY careful about RSA leopard permits because the system is such a super mega bugly stuff up and you also need to bear in mind that RSA leopards are notoriously canny because the farmers have been killing them by any and all means possible for donkey's years. - My advice would be that if you can only afford one leopard hunt in your life, you don't go to RSA but rather go where the cats are easier and with a PH who has a lot of cat hunting experience. This might be of interest to you though. . http://www.shakariconnection.com/hunting-mr-spots.html

I'm not saying he's not good or even not legitimate just that you need to be 110% sure that everything you do is absolutely kosher because if it's not, then you can end up getting your **** punched in some prison cell.......... Sometimes (actually quite often) things in Africa aren't always quite what they seem and you're always well advised to watch your own back. I'd like to know more about the area you mention and how it compares to the GKNP?....... the reason for that, is you suggest the hunt I mentioned is expensive and believe me, it's not. The prices you mention are quite simply unheard of and have been for decades rather than years and I have to wonder why someone would sell a hunt at this price in this day and age when they could sell them for considerably more. As I said though, if you can buy buff hunts at that price, you need to be selling them on because you'll make some decent money. That hunt, assuming it is kosher, is an unbelievably good deal and less expensive than any buff hunt I've known of for many years........ If nothing else, you need ot book it for yourself and get over there asap before the prices go up. LOL!

OK. The only Letsatsi Safaris I could quickly find is based in Botswana & not RSA & IF (note the big IF) no licenced outfitter and/or properly licenced (for that area) PH is involved in the deal, you're breaking the law big time & could very easily end up doing serious time in a South African jail plus lose all equipment used for the hunt & to access the hunt. It could be that the guy is correctly licenced & goes through a correctly licenced outfitter that you just don't know about but you need to check that VERY carefully indeed for you own good. Make a point of getting both the PHs & Outfitter's registration number & check those with PHASA. If you can buy a good quality cape buffalo bull hunt for UKP4K or US$6K plus anything like a half decent trophy fee, you need to add on 20% then go onto AR & offer the hunt there.......... because you'll make easy money. I've been in the African hunting industry for 33 years & guided safaris in 7 African countries over that time & don't think I can ever remember prices that low in all that time. It's always worth remembering that if something looks too good to be true then it probably is. Area & populations are also vitally important & you may well be comparing apples to oranges.

And the trophy fee for the buffalo bull is & who is the PH? Perhaps also a website & full name of the outfit & outfitter?

Tell me where you can get a similar product that's legal for anything like US$4K? RSA buff hunts are usually running at something in the region of US$15K A reasonably good Tanzanian buff hunt at over US$25K A Uganda Buff hunt was selling for around US$20K 2 years ago The trophy fee alone in Zambia is currently about US$3K In Zim, the trophy fee alone is about US$3500

I can't remember if I mentioned it or not but you might like to take a look at www.allmakes4x4.com/

So far it drives like a dream but I have to say the heaters aren't quite as good as I'd have expected...... does that suggest the heater flaps need attention?

The whole point of the 2nd amendment is that the populace has the RIGHT to bear arms....... ANY arms they wish & without control. The point of that is for them to be able to protect themselves from not only criminals but also their own Government. That's why it's so vital for them to preserve the 2nd exactly as it is. As for the crime/school attacks issue, as I see it, the answer is to protect the precious & vulnerable against the bad guys.

The American's were quite justified in establishing the 2nd amendment and anyone who thinks they no longer need it are mistaken. They fought hard for their freedoms and I personally believe they should have onto all of them as hard as they can. Here's proof:

Just to whet your appetite!

I'm a great fan of the BF Goodrich range but they ain't cheap!

The problem with buff hunting is that it's so addictive. I hunted my first one something like 30 odd years ago and have hunted a fair number since then but if I had my choice of what to do if I had one day of healthy life left........... I'd go buffalo hunting!

UKP7074 or E8383 at today's rate

Guys, A friend of mine has got 2 buffalo bull hunts in South Africa on offer for US$10750 per hunt including a very comfortable camp & the trophy fee on the buffalo bull if anyone is looking for a good hunt at a more than fair price. The hunts are 7 days (hunting) duration and plus travelling time & takes place in the Greater Kruger Park area which is the area adjoining the Kruger Park and no fences between the two areas. You could expect trophy quality to be in the region of 36-39 inches although bigger is always a possibility. Plains game is also available in the same area or if you prefer to move to another area for the plains game after you've got your buff then that's possible at no extra charge. I've gotta say, I was selling buff hunts at this price 15 years ago so it's a very good price. I've known the PH/Outfitter for many years and he comes with my highest possible recommendation. Please email me at numzaan@zoho.com if you need further details.

It's the 3.1 TD. I drove the car yesterday and was very impressed so have made them an offer ans we'll see what happens. All cars here come with a 12 month guarantee so I'll have a fair bit of protection if there are any problems anyway.

I think the problem is the world is so PC now & a straight answer is as rare as rocking horse doo doos.............. Oh for the days when a spade was a spade rather than an earth inverting horticultural implement!

Cockercas, What sort of speed is it comfortable to cruise at?

Sorry mate, I got tird up with business and then forgot all about about this. It took me 3 emails before I found out Eley & Eley Hawk were two separate companies and when I got through to Eley Hawk they were very PC in their replies.......... From what I could gather they no longer have a proper technical dept and the closest I could get to one was a production manager who said one should stick to the chamber size but wouldn't tell me if he was just in charge of the machines or was actually a development engineer etc. Then I tried the Birmingham proof house who said: "n regards to your recent enquiry, as a Proof House we would never recommend the use of 2 ¾” cartridges in a 2 ½” gun regardless of the overall length/style of crimping. I would add that we receive many shotguns every year for Re-proof, that have had their chambers lengthened from 2 ½” to 2 ¾”". So quite honestly, I don't know what to think. I've always followed the advice I was given by the director and tech dept of Eley all those years ago and have never had a problem and have never had any feathering of a rolled case but that said, maybe I shouldn't. There's also the issue that I was given that advice something like 15 or 20 years ago and that powders have changed since then and I'd probably get the same performance from a 2 1/2 shell now as I used to get from a 2 3/4 inch shell then and that of course raises the question of has this increased chamber pressures? One thing I know I won't be doing is having the chambers of my John Dickson & Son lengthened because I've just had a quote for something like UKP800 to do the job! - Stuff that for a lark..... I only paid USD600 for the gun! FWIW, Just before I left RSA I had the gun worked on, checked over and serviced by a guy who is probably one of the best, if not the very best shotgun smith in the country and he didn't comment about any problems at all so I guess the gun hasn't been damaged at all by the loads I'd been using.

How is it on the highway? I really like the Suzuki jeeps but have to do a fair bit of highway work and am concerned they'd be a bit noisy etc?

I'm in the throes of changing our car & have been offered a nice looking diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Edition with 90K kms on the clock that has the (Italian made?) VM engine. Internet research shows me very mixed reviews of these engines. some people hate 'em and say they're not very good whilst others say they're a good engine but need to have their fluids & filters changed on time. Does any of our members have any personal experience of these engines please?

I've just looked at a SWB shogun diesel and was very impressed but have to say I reckon it was a bit of a harsh drive on the motorway so might not be the best choice for a car that'll be used for just 10% offroading. The various Suzuki 4x4s all seem to be good, reliable vehicles with good fuel consumption (and surprisingly good off road) but again, will probably be a bit of a PITA on the highway.

Here's my 1980 or 82 CB900F that I sold about 3 years ago.