Heidi McGuigan

2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:46:24 -0500

2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:55 -0500

Arno Bernard at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Arno Bernard
The Republic of South Africa has a large number of very talented knifemakers, and young Mr. Bernard must be among the best. His designs are practical, he has a fine eye for line, and his work is flawless. Better yet, he charges about half of what he would if he worked in the U.S. Honest to god, people were buying two or three of his knives at a time when they realized how little they cost, which was $200-$400, depending on size and handle materials. He uses Sandvik stainless steel, and favors stag, ironwood, mammoth ivory, and various dead African-animal parts for his handles. Gorgeous knives, either as users or to drool over. His email address is arnobernard@telkomsa.net, his address is Private Bag X62, Suite #84, Bethlehem, 9700, South Africa (2758) 303 0860.

Blue Loon Fine Arts at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Blue Loon Fine Arts
Wayne "Hardbark" McLoughlin is a gifted illustrator and artist with a subversive sense of humor. When not doing "serious" painting, he gets his ya-yas out by satirizing old sporting-goods ads, movie posters, and everything else that decent people hold sacred. And to make it worse, people buy this stuff. Lots of them. Much as I hate to encourage him, you can get the whole dismal story - and prices - at blueloonfinearts.com.

Bill Murray at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Bill Murray
Everything he makes smells like the inside of a new Roll's-Royce, which by itself is reason enough to buy all by its lonesome. This is the Murray Carry-All, which Bill's dad first made in the 1940s and has been in continuous production every since. You can put damn near anything in it, and it's so strong, says Bill, that you could fill it with coins and walk away, assuming you could lift it. The dimensions are 12 inches long, 15 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. The price is $550. murraycustomleather.com.

Rodger And Gloria Henn at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Rodger And Gloria Henn
As the world thaws, we are uncovering more and more frozen stuff, which includes mammoths that perished as much as 100,000 years ago. Many of these ancient pachyderms are being unearthed in Siberia, the Rodger and Gloria Henn are importing figurines and jewelry that's carved from mammoth ivory. Beautiful stuff, and not all that expensive. You can also get actual mammoth tusks, or carved tusks, or mammoth hair. I wonder what the poor grass-chomping bastards would think if they could see what happened to their teeth? ImportSpecialist.com.

Butch Searcy at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Butch Searcy
This actually happened: I was sitting in Kenny Jarrett's booth, discussing how a lack of fried food could lead to premature death, when a man came by and asked:
"Where can I get a good double rifle for $10,000?"
As one, Kenny and I said: "Butch Searcy, in the 200 aisle."
And here is that rifle. It's called the PH, and is just the kind of no-frills-knock'-em-on-their-ass gun that an African professional hunter would covet. Butch makes the whole thing. It has 24-inch barrels, comes in .375 H&H, .470, and .500 Nitro Express, and costs $10,500. This one is a .500 Nitro, and is stocked for a left-hander, only the second southpaw double rifle IÂ¿Â¿Â¿Â¿Â¿Â¿ve seen in my lifetime. I would have bought it in a heartbeat. Searcyent.com.

Lewis Drake at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Lewis Drake
Lewis Drake is a retired doctor who can pull an 85-pound stickbow and hold it. His business now is dealing in all sorts of wonderful sporting-related stuff, such as this .22 Long Rifle Gatling Gun. A perfect replica of the gun that Custer refused to take to the Little Big Horn, this little marvel holds 100 rounds in each of its four magazines, and fires 4 shots with each turn of the crank. Only 50 of these guns were made, and because they are operated by hand they are not classified as automatic weapons. The price is a piddling $17,000. drake.net.

Mark Bansner Rifles at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

Mark Bansner Rifles
Although he works with other actions, Mr. Bansner has begun making his own. It's very slick, very small (there is not a faction of an ounce of unneeded steel anywhere) and very strong. It forms the heart of his Ultimate Rifle, which comes with a Jewell trigger and a fiberglass stock of Bansner's design and making. These are as fine as any working rifles you can get, and the price is just under $5,000. bansnerrifles.com.

A. Freeman Studio at the 2007 Safari Club International Convention

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:50 -0500

A. Freeman Studio
The art at the convention - and there was a lot of it - ranged from wonderful to execrable, and most of it was like everything else. This painting was not. It's called "No Pride, No Quarter." Lions hate hyenas, and kill them for sport, but when an old lion is driven out of his pride by the young studs, the hyenas get their payback, which is what is about to happen here. This painting is sad, spooky, menacing, and original. I understand that prints are available and cost $650 to $1,500, depending on size. Adamfreeman.com.