Dig -
beautiful gun.
I have an Evans .470 dating from 1919 that was originally shipped to Mombasa in 1928 for the father of CJP Ionides, one of Africa's great early hunters, game warden, conservationist, and herpetologist. "Iodine" founded Selous Game Reserve, where he lived into the 1960's fighting poachers and collecting venomous snakes. He spent his holidays hunting obscure species all over Africa , most of it with a .470.
Ionides was a splendidly eccentric man who was one of my childhood heroes due to his love of snakes. Along with Ramar of the Jungle (early 50's TV show), he inspired me to a wildlife biology career in East Africa, and when I found this rifle for sale I just could not resist.
The rib is pitted, apparently due to flooding of the Arusha gun room, but was refinished by JJ Perodeau. I think about having the rib fully repaired, but a flooded gun room is so quintessentially African that it almost adds to the appeal.
