JudgeG, if I recall correctly, you were planning on taking a .405 to Tanzania. Can you tell us what game you shot with it, what bullets were used, velocity, and how it performed? Thanks!

btt

I'd be quite curious also since I've kind of been fondling one at the local shop with a case hardened receiver.

Mark

When Mike went the extra mile and made me 100 .413 diameter bullets, the gun began to shoot better than I could hold it. Everything was ready. I used a load that Mike developed and got 2200 fps with the 330 grain FPS and CUPS.

But....

After taking a kongoni at 130 yards (he ran upon the shot and I continued to shoot at him until he fell, hitting him five times in just a few seconds)... I was impressed with my shooting, btw... The Lyman 21 sight gave up the ghost. Just broke and wouldn't stay in adjustment, even with half a roll of Duc Tape.

All that work and the sight failed. I wanted to cry.

The shots into the kongoni were as follows:
1. a little back, getting liver and one lung, animal sprinted 90% to me
2. broke right front leg, animal continues but turned away
3. 2" left of pooper, knocked animal down
4. nicked neck while it was getting up
5. 2" right of pooper as it ran directly away

Only the first shot was a cup. It would have killed the animal, I'm sure after a short sprint, but with the quick reloads of the lever, I continued to shoot FPS. The CUP did a lot of internal damage and all the FPS exited

I just wish I had a real chance on a buffalo.

Next time I'll have a simple Williams receiver sight on the thing.

Well, at least you had the rounds in the magazine!

Judge,

Did you recover any bullets, and did you get a chance to measure depth of bullet penetration? Recovered bullet pics would be great if you have time.

Thanks for the report!

I used my 1895 in .405 in South Africa this past May.

I took Gemsbok, Zebra, and Warthog with it. My PH also used it on a mountain reedbuck and I made a finishing shot on my mountain reedbuck. (I hit him low in the chest with my .375 and he ran right at me and stopped...PH said "Finish him with this!" My PH really liked that rifle!)


Bullets were the 300 Hornady FP at 2250 fps and none were recovered.

Do you want any more info?

Trapdoor,

I recall your hunt report. Do you have a feel for how deep the penetration was with those bullets? If the Judge has an idea of how deep his penetration was then the data might give us a comparison of 300 to 400 grain bullets in that caliber.

500,

Man, I wish I had a solid feel for the "penetration", but nothing was recovered or even investigated.

A +/- 225 yard broadside shot on the gemsbok was a pass-thru. A finisher from next to the animal into the shoulder did not exit.

A +/- 75 yard shot from above and behind on the zebra did not exit and on the off side, the whole side of the body from front shoulder to back end of paunch was very gelatinous feeling as if there was a lot of mush just under the skin.

A +/- 50 yard heavy quartering to shot on the warthog, just in front of the near shoulder did not exit.

My theory, which may be incorrect, is that the closer shots just had too much velocity for the Hornady bullet to allow for pass thru penetration.

Obviously on the smaller mtn. reedbuck, pass thru was the name of the game.

All animals went down very quickly so bullet "failure" is not something I entertain. Perhapse expansion was too much to allow for complete pass thrus on the close shots. I would be intrested to see if longer ranges allowed for consistant pass thrus and also would be intrested to see if closer shots maintained the lack of pass thru.

I am sure if I had asked for the bullets out of the carcasses, the skinners could have produced them. But I didn't ask...

I may use the rifle on antelope in a few weeks and if I get a chance at an elk, I have promised my father that I would use it.

Judge,

That is some shooting and worthy of the great Teddy Roosevelt himself.

But why not use more CP's?

Were you expecting to hunt buffalo when you shot the Kongoni?

What part of the sight broke?

Andy