Headed back to Masailand this year. Planned on a 7mm Weatherby for a light rifle, but my now ex-gunsmith returned the rifle without securing the front scope mount and it wrecked a Swaro Z-5 during initial sight in. Given the timing, there was no choice but to go back to my old, familiar battery: the ubiquitous .416 and the tried and true .30-06. Not the light rifle I'd choose for the plains. The .30-06 is a light-weight, short-barreled rifle and is great in short range situations necessitating quick handling. But I was concerned about long distance shots. But look at how it turned out.

Both rifles wear Z-6 1x6's, the .416, illuminated. Same sight picture. Shoot 400 grain Swift A-Frames with the .416 and 180 grain Barnes tipped with the .30-06. After some range work, the .416 is dead on at 100, 8.5" low at 200 and 23" low at 300. The .30-06 is 2" high at 100, dead on at 200, 9" low at 300 and 24" low at 400. Nice.

I'll call it 9" low 100 yards beyond dead on and 24" low 200 beyond dead on for both rifles. Easy to remember and with identical scopes, this is perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, but simple.

I'm very sorry to hear about the Weatherby. I recall you putting a lot of time and thought into choosing it for this specific hunt.

What's on your A-list for game for this trip?

As Eisenhower said, "Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable".

Seems like a nice setup. Like the idea of having the same scope on different rifles. I`m looking for a 1-6 for my Heym 375 HH. Maybe I have to take a closer look at the Z6 1x6.

Brandon,

I did put a lot of effort into the 7mm. It's a McWhorter built on a M70 action. It needed some trigger work, which my gunsmith did properly, he just didn't mount the scope properly. I usually do that myself, but just didn't have the time. Live and learn. It will make a good rifle I have no doubt after Swaro fixes the Z-5, but my next trip won't be to Masailand, so it won't be going on the next safari.

This is my wife's first trip, so it's pretty tame. No cats, only one buffalo. Focus is the Masailand plainsgame species. Splitting between Lake Natron and Longido, so real targets are lesser kudu, gerenuk, Robert's, Grant's and Thompson's gazelle (the area is well-known for very good specimens of these species), Fringe-eared, etc. A better Coke's than I have would be nice. I really want a good bushbuck; a Patterson's eland would be nice; I don't have that sub-species and an eland is always great for the table. But I'm starting to get more interested in the little guys, so dik dik, suni, Klippie, and Chandler's reedbuck are also high on the list.

And, of course, my one buffalo -- always a favorite.

Svinejakt:

I would definitely look at the Z-6. I bought a non-illuminated intending to put it on my .416, but ended up needing it for the .30-06. I loved it -- really good glass -- so I bought another for the .416, but this time bought the illuminated. It's a bit more expensive, but especially on a DG rifle, well worth the price. I have detachable mounts on both rifles, but with the illuminated Z-6 especially, if you crank it down to 1X and turn on the lights, you essentially have a red-dot that's quicker than iron sights for my old eyes. That has been a great comfort tracking lion in thick stuff (only one occasion)and buffalo under low light situations. And I do like having the same scope on both rifles. Not only that everything is the same, but with one small tool-kit, I can swap scopes if necessary.

I've never had a problem with any off my Swaros, but I'm pretty sure they will make it right.

Good winds and hunting.

I'm curious, unless I'm misunderstanding why not just take a scope off a rifle you're not taking and put it on the 7mm Wby? Was the rifle damaged due to the lose mount? Unless of course you don't have time to sight it in before leaving.

I have a Z6i 1X6 on my .375 and love it. I also mount all my guns on Talley bases with detachable ring and take an extra scope in my carry on pack in case one gets ruined. I have several Swaro PH series 2.5X10 X42 with 30mm tubes. I sight the back up scope in with the same ammo and zero so if something goes wrong I simply can put the back up scope on and go.

Once I know I have a trip and the ammo I want to take I practice with both scopes to make sure they are both returning to zero at changing. I did have a main scope lose zero badly on a trip to Namibia so I took it off and hunted with my back up until I had time to get to the range and sight the original scope back in.

BTW, this is advice I got from Kenny Jarret when I ordered a custom rifle from him many years ago and that is th only way I travel now even in the U.S. Bing's and backup scope sighted in and carried in pack.

All my rifles, including air and rimfire, run Swaro 1-6x24 EE scopes, on swing-off/Blaser mounts.
And I have an identical zeroed-for-calibre back-up scope in my back-pack.
Makes life so much simpler.

Cougar,

Sorry for the delay in responding, I'm marooned in Minneapolis. The reason I didn't just switch scopes is the nature of the scopes as compared to the rifles. The Z-6 1-6 is perfect for my .416, no question. Some might actually question whether it is the right scope for my .30-06, but I think it is for a light weight rifle and it matches the .416.

The 7mm is a totally different animal. It has a much longer barrel, it's heavy and has a brake (first rifle I've ever owned with a brake). The scope for the 7MM was a 3.5 to 18. Putting a 1x6 on it made no sense to me.

But what you say might have worked. It would have looked totally ridiculous, but it might actually have worked. At this point, firearms permits have been acquired.

quote:

The 7mm is a totally different animal. It has a much longer barrel, it's heavy and has a brake (first rifle I've ever owned with a brake). The scope for the 7MM was a 3.5 to 18. Putting a 1x6 on it made no sense to me.

It can get blistering hot and windy in that area especially around midday.

Heatwave and crosswinds tend to play havoc with the lighter calibers when your Tommy or Oryx are 300/400 yds out - at that distance I would be very wary at slugging an Oryx with a 7mm

The 7 Rem Mag was my favorite for many years but eventually flogged it and invested in a 300 Win Mag without any regrets.

I see no problem with the 30-06, its always served me well..try the 200 gr. Noslers, its an amazing bullet and always surprises me how flat it shoots..I sight in 3 inches high at 100 with all my rifles, worked for me for 60 or more years. can just about hold on hair up to 500 yards. Sorry about your 7, but the difference in trajectory isn't as much as some seem to think.