Mjines post on over thinking our firearms for hunting dangerous game in Africa got me thinking! SO, I thought it would be interesting to see how most people change over time as far as the firearm type and caliber changes over several African safaris.

For those who have done a lot of African dangerous game hunting, I would like to run a sequence time-line on caliber and type of firearm used on your first dangerous game safari, and the changes for subsequent hunts as time went forward.

First DGR safari: Cal, and type


Second DGR safari: Cal and type


Third DGR safari: Cal and type


…………….and so on.

First hunt: .470 NE double and .375 H&H bolt

Second hunt: .470 NE double and .416 Rem Mag bolt

Third hunt (next year): will be .450 No. 2 NE double and .416 Rigby bolt

So really although the rifles/optics have changed the cartridges haven't changed too much. Then again, I haven't been to Africa very much.

Mac, interesting idea. My first safari was done with a .375 H&H, my second was done with .416 Rigby, my third as done with a .458 Win Mag, my fourth was done with a .500 NE. Is there a trend? Although I have stopped at the .500 NE and have not starting using an RPG.

1st was a second hand Remington 700 in 375H&H.
Worked perfectly fine.

Several with various 416 - Rigby and Weatherby.

Worked perfectly well.

Ever since, 375/404.

Works perfectly well, and I have no plans of changing.

1st 375H&H

2nd 375H&H and Ruger 458Lott

3rd 375H&H Caprivi and 450#2 Famars

4th 375H&H Caprivi and 450#2 Famars

Accurate shooting is more important.

Mike

375 h&h and only been that one

But then i have not hunted 1/100 th as much as some guys on this forum.

I have bought a double, 458 lott, 9.3x62 but doubt i will hunt with them.

For me the big change was upgrading to a swarovski scope.

What i need is another 375 as a spare gun.

Mike

Last 8 safaris have always used my remington 700 bolt gun in 416 rem. Next year in Burkina I am going to bring a 470NE Sabatti double.

1st. DG hunt was cape buffalo with my 375 H&H

2nd. Cape Buffalo and PAC Bull Elephant combo. 375 H&H for the Buff and borrowed the PH's 458 Win. for the Elephant.

3rd. PAC Elephant - Bought my own 416 Rigby Ruger RSM and used it to stop a charging bull.

4th. Non Export Bull Elephant - Used the Rigby again.

1st was a Winchester in .416 Rem
2nd was with a Blaser S2 in .470
3rd was with a Ruger in .458 Lott
and the 4th was with a Blaser R8 in .416

#1 Bull Ele with .375H&H - This was an unexpected PAC hunt and I learned quickly that I wanted more gun
#2 Buff with .416Rem - and many more since
#3 Lion with .458Lott - more than enough gun
#4 Ele with .458Lott
#5 Ele with .458B&M - sold both my Lott rifles
#6 Ele with 500NE DR

Leopard & Croc with .300wm and 2 Hippo with .375 & .416. Darted my Rhino.

I am debating over this years Ele - either the .458B&M or 500NE. I am considering selling the 500NE as the 458B&M is capable as a 1 gun safari rifle.

1st -

Cheetah - .375 H&H

2nd -

Croc - .375 H&H
Bushbuck - 375 H&H (nobody explained to him he wasn't dangerous game)
Buffalo - 375 H&H

3rd -

Buffalo .375 H&H
Lion .375 H&H

Next Planned

Elephant - 450 3 1/4
Leopard - .375 H&H

#1 RSA - Cape buffalo + plains game - 375 H&H Ackley Improved.
#2 Mozambique - Elepant and Cape buffalo + plains game - 375 H&H Ackley Improved.
#3 Tanzania - two Cape buffalo + plains game - 416 RUM.
#4 RSA - Cape buffalo + plains game - 375 H&H Ackley Improved.
#5 Zambia - plains game + Cape buffalo - 375 H&H Ackley Improved.
#6 Mozambique - two Cape buffalo + Sable antelope - 416 RUM.

Guns performed flawlessly - just wish the hunter was flawless! - but I do my best to hit'm in the boiler room.

AIU

I loves these discussions

1st and only so far a .416 rem mag one shot kill on buff and warthog and final ender on wife's Buff

.300 WM one shot kill one Nyala, bushbuck, waterbuck

I borrowed a 223 for the Suni

In spite of that I made a custom .458 Lott and got a steal on a .505 Gibbs. Have a few .375's and a .416.

That said I want to try them all out! I like big guns. Like they say no one is impressed with a small one. Practice is the key. Elephant and Buff again next on menu, God willing

has my choice changed? no. it is whatever rifle that is in camp, adequate and legal. seems it's always a .375 or .416

1st Sako 375 H&H and Ruger 416 Rigby
2nd Sako 375 H&H and CZ 505 Gibbs
3rd Sako 375 H7H and CZ 470 Mbogo
4th Camp guns 300 Win Mag and 416 Rigby
Upcoming 5th Sako 375 H&H and VC 500 NE

Mac,

1st 470NE Merkel Double 375 Sako Bolt

2nd 470NE Merkel Double 375 Sako Bolt

3rd 416 Rem mag Model 70 375 Sako bolt

BigB

FIRST: (elephant bull, lioness, buffx2)
450/400 NE Double
416 Rigby Bolt

SECOND: (Buffalo)
450/400 NE Double
375 H&H Bolt

THIRD,FOURTH,FIFTH: (elephant bulls, buffs, leopard)
500/465 NE Double
375 H&H Bolt

-really like the 375 H&H for all around practicability & as a back-up
if needed. (Dakota Traveler - Takedown)

-also recently sold the 500/465 NE, so it looks like I will be back to using the
450/400 NE as my primary double.

1. Sako 375 HH
2. Sako 375 HH
3. Sako 375 HH
4. Sauer TD 416 RM
5. Sauer TD 416 RM
6. Sauer TD 416 RM
7. Sauer TD 416 RM + VC DR 500 NE

Good hunting
CF

First eight buffalo and eight elephant .375 H&H

Last elephant .416 remington.
Don't see any reason to upgrade saving the money for the next hunt.

I think it prudent to alter "change over time' to "experimenting over time" As I read most of the posts everyone keeps getting larger calibers, probably because they are making up for something else getting smaller (I am a perfect example of that)
I am sure the guys that went on their first DG Safari and used a 375 did not have any issues that they would not have had using a larger caliber. If you hit it where you are supposed to everything's good. If you don't, well a 50 BMG probably would not have helped much
The 375's, being the lower most acceptable limit defined by most countries hunting regulations is perfectly acceptable and adequate for Safari Hunters for everything, everywhere, plains game and big hairy and scary. Really no reason to have anything else
The 416 in its various elements is probably the best all around choice when walking around country where something tangible enough to eat you or stomp you to death may be lurking a few feet away. The 416's have the best weight, velocity and penetration combination of all of them at less than 200 yards, and then only giving way to the 375. Anything larger than a 416 is simply not required.
However, I have fallen into the same "experimenting" just cause I can, er.....did anyway. Hey, what she does not know wont hurt me, right?
so....
1st - 300 WSM and Three Seven Five H&H-shot one animal with the 375
2nd - Three Seven Five H&H and 416 Rigby-used the 375 on everything except one buff
3rd - copy 2nd -shot the 375 twice, leopard and Impala, everything else was bludgeoned to death by the 416 including the little bush buck
4th - I am taking a 450 3 1/4" double and the old three seven five. Hoping to bludgeon to death a couple ele's with the double. Probably wont even drag out the 375. Feel sorry for the 416 Rigby having to stay at home and miss all the fun when its perfectly capable and probably more so than the 450. But hey, life is not always fair and when there is a new flavor at the ice cream shop...............

Hi Full Roar,
The BBQ at Pappas in Dallas was good, and so was the beer, eh?

#1, 2001, Botswana: .416 Rigby Ruger RSM and .375 H&H Pre-64 M70 Winchester "Featherweight."

#2, 2010, Tanzania: 500 Mbogo CZ 550 Magnum and .395 Tatanka Dakota M76 African, two of my my own wildcats that all came together with custom brass arriving 2 weeks before departure.

#3, Back to the Future: 470 NE Merkel just for the double-heck of it, and a .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012 CZ 550 Magnum.
The latter was flawlessly reverse-engineered from someone else's wildcat cartridge case,
a single specimen hand-carried back from Tanzania, plus internet espionage.

However, if the .408 Chey-Tac MRC PH Sporter is shootable and (im/ex)portable by then ...

375 ... With 450 back up
This year 375 and 404

1st - 375 Model 70

2nd - 470 Evans and 416 Hoffman

3rd - 470 Evans and 375 Model 70

4th - ( this July) 470 Evans

My ideas about DG rifles haven't changed at all. As a 20-year-old, I spent all my time hunting deer, moose, bear and groundhogs with a .375H&H, but dreamt of hunting Africa with a .470 or .500 NE...but I never really expected to own one.

Now in my fifties, I've hunted Africa once...with a .375H&H...and still dream of doing it with a Nitro Express...and still never expect to own one!

At least I'm consistent!

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Hi Full Roar,
The BBQ at Pappas in Dallas was good, and so was the beer, eh?

#1, 2001, Botswana: .416 Rigby Ruger RSM and .375 H&H Pre-64 M70 Winchester "Featherweight."

#2, 2010, Tanzania: 500 Mbogo CZ 550 Magnum and .395 Tatanka Dakota M76 African, two of my my own wildcats that all came together with custom brass arriving 2 weeks before departure.

#3, Back to the Future: 470 NE Merkel just for the double-heck of it, and a .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012 CZ 550 Magnum.
The latter was flawlessly reverse-engineered from someone else's wildcat cartridge case,
a single specimen hand-carried back from Tanzania, plus internet espionage.

However, if the .408 Chey-Tac MRC PH Sporter is shootable and (im/ex)portable by then ...

Hi RIP, Pappa's was excellent-I am pretty sure I ate to much, and probably drank to much.
I see you made it home safe
Seeing the Namibian Tasmanian Devil Karl S. stomp down the aisle to collect his raffle prize was good fun as well as meeting other AR folk

quote:

Originally posted by Full Roar:
Seeing the Namibian Tasmanian Devil Karl S. stomp down the aisle to collect his raffle prize was good fun as well as meeting other AR folk

Wow! That was THE Karl S. of Namibia? I must have had too much beer too.

1. .458 Lott and .375 H&H Mag.
2. .338 Win. Mag.
3. .500 A-Square and .416 Rigby
4. .500 A-Square, .458 Lott and 375H&H Mag.
5. .500 A-Square then and forever after. (.375s and .416s are great PG rifles.)

All of my DG rifles are bolt action magazine rifles, of course!

Bigger, with three to five down in the magazine, truly are better.

I haven't changed much, except when elephant came on the list, I wanted something with a bit more "oomph" than the .375 H&H- and have a back up rifle available (that and all the DRSS guys got to me); and to be honest, all of my DG hunting could have been accomplished with any of the 3 in my battery, which is why it is set up that way.


1st hunt (Buffalo, Leopard, PG) .375 H&H for one buff, otherwise mostly PG 2 buff and PG with .416 Rigby.

2nd Hunt (Buffalo/Lion) .375 H&H for PG, .416 Rigby for buff and some PG and a charging guinea fowl...

3rd Hunt (Buffalo/Leopard) .375 H&H for PG, .416 Rigby for buff.

4th Hunt (Buff/Lion/Leopard) .375 H&H for PG, Lion and Leopard. .416 Rigby for 3 buffalo and PG.

5th Hunt (Buff/Lion/Leopard/Elephant) .375 H&H for PG, 2 Buff .416 Rigby for 1 buff (the rigby was not hitting right, and didn't have enough ammo to resight it in.) and .470 NE for elephant, although I did put an insurance shot in with the double on one buff. The elephant I shot on this was a wounded cow.

6th hunt (Elephant) .416 Rigby PG, .470 elephant.

1st hunt 470NE,buff hunt.

2nd hunt 500/416,buff hunt.

3rd hunt 458 Lott,tuskless hunt.

All DR's,& they are all here to stay

1st DG Safari 470NE Merkel Double

2nd DG Safari 416 Rigby Dakota Bolt

3rd DG Safari 450NE Heym Double & 375 Dakota Bolt

4th DG Safari 450/400NE Heym Double & 375 Dakota Bolt

5th DG Safari (2015) 577NE Heym Double and 375 Flanged Heym Double

As I get older and slower my guns become bigger and heavier.

My .416 Rem. Mag. by Bill Wiseman will always make the trip as long as I do.

A double, maybe in the future. My Lott, maybe, but the .416 will likely be in my hand and likely get most of the shots on anything from elephant to the real small stuff. It just works.

1; 9.3x62
2; 9.3x62
3; 9.3x62
4; 470NE
5; 9.3x62 & 470NE
6; 470NE
7; 9.3x62
8; 9.3x62 & 425WR
9; 470NE
10; 9.3x62
11; 425WR
12; 9.3x62 & 425WR
13; 9.3x62 & 458
14; 9.3x62 & 458
15; 470NE.

1st DG: 404 Jeffery
2nd DG: 404 Jeffery

First three Africa safaris were plains game with .375 H&H and DG wasn't on the menu.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
1; 9.3x62
2; 9.3x62
3; 9.3x62
4; 470NE
5; 9.3x62 & 470NE
6; 470NE
7; 9.3x62
8; 9.3x62 & 425WR
9; 470NE
10; 9.3x62
11; 425WR
12; 9.3x62 & 425WR
13; 9.3x62 & 458
14; 9.3x62 & 458
15; 470NE.

Terribly inconsistant.

And another thing mate I went to Aus and could not find a hat like your? Most were wide and floppy?

1) Lion, Buffalo, Hippo, Rhino (Green Hunt), PG - 416 Rigby and 340WBY ... Had the trigger disconnect on the 416 while attempting to shoot the buffalo at 30 yards. This after shooting the Lion and Hippo. Decided right there a double was the way to go on DG when hunting up close in thick cover.

2) Buffalo and PG - 500NE & 340WBY

3) Ele Bull, Leopard, PG - 500NE, 375H&H

4) Buffalo, PG - 500NE, 375 H&H

5) Buffalo, PG - 500NE, 340WBY

6) Tuskless, Buffalo, PG - 500NE, 375H&H

7) Tuskless, Buffalo, Leopard, PG - 500NE, 375H&H, 300H&H

8) Lion, Buffalo, Tuskless, PG - 577NE, 9.3X74R ... both doubles

9) Ele Bull, Leopard, PG - 500NE, 9.3x74R ... both doubles

Experimenting is a good way to put it for me as well. The incident with the trigger cemented my belief in the double rifle but I settled on the 500NE as the best of the lot for a heavy in terms of animal reaction to the bullet, weight of the gun and ammo, recoil, and sheer size of the weapon as the 577NE has to be "man handled" a bit as compared to the next frame size down. For the second rifle, which is really the 1st as it's in the hand vastly more often than the heavy, I've also gone to a double, but more so just because I enjoy shooting the two pipes. However, after using the 340WBY on several occasions, I did move into a caliber capable of taking over whatever "heavy" duties may be necessary in the case of the big bore having an issue. My next two trips are booked as follows and I'll be taking the following rifles.

2014 - Moz Buffalo and PG ... 500NE and 416 Rigby
2015 - Zim Ele bull and PG ... 500NE and 9.3x74R

First Rem. 375 h and h bolt
Second 458 wm bolt
Third Jeff 450 400 double
Fourth through sixth 470 double
Seventh through eighth 404 bolt
Eighth and ninth 450 400 double
10th onward 375 h and h bolt

1st - double buff - .416 Rigby
2nd - double buff - .416 Rigby
3rd (2015) - double buff - .416 Rigby

There is a trend here...

Mine has not changed.
1-458 Ruger Lott
2-458 Ruger lott
3-458 Lott
4-next hunt will most likely be for ele with a 500NE double

I love the anticipation of a hunt, almost as much as the experience. Part of that is getting a rifle "ready". I do love well-made things that go "boom" and I guess that's why I'm such a rifle philanderer.

1. .404 Jeffery in a custom '98 Mauser for my first safari
2. .375 H&H in a custom CZ 550 Action by Roger Ferrell
The next 23 or so???.... kind of a jumble to my old mind.. Alas!

Anway, I've forgotten the order, but a .470 Searcy for a couple of safaris, a .450/400 Westley Richards and one in Searcy, too... about safaris 5&6... a .475 3 1/4" N.E. in a Cogswell and Harrison and a matching double in .375 2.5" in 2003 (I think), a couple of other .404 Jefferies by Roger Ferrell (2006?) and Mike Cuypers (2011?), a .416 Ruger Alaskan (whenever I went with Biebs?), a .450 N.E. by Searcy, a .458 Win. Mag. by Jack Hamrick on another '98 Mauser (I was at Deka, whatever that year was).... all this on 25 or so safaris and I claim being old for my feeble mind.

My next hunt will be with a Searcy long-bar round action in .450 N.E. 3 1/4".

I forgot a couple, I'm sure, maybe more, but I do remember really enjoying two safaris with a Merkel 141(e) in 9.3x74, come to think about it.

Here's a picture of my first D.G. rifle, a pretty thing, indeed! :