A lot has been said about rifles of PH's and also (especially) about loaner firearms. This promted me to put a little more perspective on it, as I am a true gun nut, and have excellent rifles as loaners. (Contrary to the believe of most clients that all camp/ loaner rifles are junk.)
Here is a picture of my rifles that sees the most use:
.450 Rigby (my personal backup rifle)
9.3x64 (2nd backup, loaner for DG)
8x68 S (PG and loaner)
7x64 (PG and loaner)
.243 Win (culling rifle)


Please feel free to comment on the caliber choice,etc. or if you are a PH post your choices. Other members are of course also welcome to post their dream battery.
(The one gap I see is about to be filled- a .404 jeffery as a client rifle, it kicks about as much as a .375, but because of the bigger bullet, clients feel more comfortable with it facing DG than with the 9.3x64. (Or a .375 for that matter). It is unbelievable how many clients asks me if I am sure the 9.3 is up for the task, especially on elephant, then they kill it with one single shot to the brain.)

Sorry about the "duintrappers" (dune steppers?) sticking into the photo's bottom!

cool ya'll post some more stuff like knife and rifle. regards,ben

Nice looking guns Karl

what load do you use for your 243?

...........Karl ,, Very nice ,,,,,The banded foresight on the 450 and 9.3x64 ....could you post a closer pic of them ............That is a very nice battery of rifles ,,,, ? what do you cull with the small bore ...???

At least I can say I had two shots with Karl's 450 damn fine looking rifle/s

For sure Karl has very nice rifles and I could think me into having all of them.

But his offer with loaners are not as great as he wants to let you think!

I suggested that i loaned his 450 for the next 5 years but after that he was looking quite angry for the next hour or two

On the more serious side that rifle was a dream to hold and to shoot. And about the others there are some nice pieces to.

----------------------

But it's no wonder why people are afraid of loaning rifles, I have seen real crappy rifles being offered to clients that did not bring their own.

More details on the specifics of the big bores

please. Who built them, action sources, etc.

Ja CC, I know you wnat to "loan" the rifles!

The load in the .243 is a 105Hornady A-Max propelled by 40gr S365 and a CCI200 primer and Lapua case. I have culled numerous springbok and gemsbok with it last year, some eland and kudu and a few zebra as well.

I will try and take a pic of the front sights soon, charging batteries for my camera.

The 2 big bores where both build by Gerrie Coetzee in Bleomfontein South Africa. (As were all the rest of the pictured rifles).
On the .450 (origibnally build by someone else, he just redid it as teh first 'smith's job was horrible in retrospect), a Vektor copy of the Mauser double square bridge Magnum size action was used, with a Vektor barrel and Turkish walnut for the stock. The pad is from David Little of Kynoch (I think thats his name?)
The 9.3 is built on a old military M98 action marked DWM Oberndorf, also with Vektor barrel and Turkish walnut stock. It is incedently one of the most accurate rifles I own.

Now, THAT was a great setup for handling most of the situations during hunting in Africa!!

I like repeter rifles and are fond of the m-98 action (or the clones) for any type of big-game hunting. The rifles in the pic. above looks really good to me with exactly the style and look I like in a big-game rifle. The bottom .243 mabye breaks the line of beutifull walnut and CRF but the rifle appeal to me as well! I´m a keen benchrester and don´t mind a precision rifle with a fat barrel and a good carbon/glassfibre stock

Again, a great lineup of beautifull rifles!!

gumboot, here's your close up. hope its what you wanted!

quote:

Originally posted by Karl S:

The load in the .243 is a 105Hornady A-Max propelled by 40gr S365 and a CCI200 primer and Lapua case. I have culled numerous springbok and gemsbok with it last year, some eland and kudu and a few zebra as well.

i use 87gr hornady hpbt or sierra gameking 85gr 39.5gr 365 and cci200 primer

Darn Karl, that is a nice line-up!! Those are lovely rifles in general, and great stocks in particular. What is more, you seem to hunt with all these gems, they are not just safe-queens!

Sadly, now I can't come hunting with you... I'd feel somewhat out of place with the rifles I shoot, they are, umh how shall I put it, somewhat more "mundane" - plastic stocks and all....

Tell us about the 8x68S and the 7x64 as well, please. 8x68 on a commercial Mauser, or what?? Is that your long range Gemsbok gun??

- mike

What a beautiful collection Thanks for sharing!
Shotgun

Karl.
If those are loaners I would like to see your safe queens.

Nice stuff

Fred

Karl, your guns are beautiful.

Karl, those are great looking rifles (except that plastic stocked Remmy, of course ).

No gaps in the power range, especially with the addition of a .404 to the mix.

Excellent optics, too.

As cchunter has said, I'd take a five year loan of any of them!

Great looking rifles. I dig that you use the 9.3 Brenneke... good to hear, as it's one of my favorites. All the rifles are very aesthetically attractive as well.

What..... no DR's?

Still very nice functional rifles.

Well done!

...........Yes , thanks Karl ....The base looks like it would protect the bead very well ......Very attractive also ....Thank you .....

Karl: Your rifles are living proof that use makes beauty, thanks for posting them.

My question is what stock dimensions did you use for your "loaners?" Were they built for you or did you have them made "generic" so as to fit the variety of clients?

Nice riflles Karl but all the bolts are on the wrong side.

Has anyone who used one of your rifles (especially the 9.3x64) complained that the scope's eyepiece was mounted too far back for them?

It may be because I'm a large man with long arms, but I mount my scopes as far forward in the rings as possible to avoid a Weatherby medal. It's easier for me to move my head forward to get a full image in the scope than to pull it back.

Beautiful wood on the 7x64. What is it?

Bill Quimby

Nice rifles Karl.

I enjoyed using Karl's Mauser 98 in 8x68S in Namibia in 2006 for a variety of warthog, springbok, gemsbok and hartebeest.

Has always wanted one in that calibre myself so it was a good chance to try it out.

Nice rifles and scopes, Karl
Would be happy to use the 9.3 for any game if my rifles couldn't be used.

Very Nice Rifles. Looks like your ready for about anything.

The 9.3 and 8x68 are especially good looking. But I see you use a cheater on that 450 trigger guard!

Will, I am not sure what you mean by a "cheater"? Please enlighten me?

The 8x68 S is my long range gemsbok, mtn zebra, kudu (in Khomas Hochland and Karas Mtns) backup, as well as PG only hunts backup, or sometimes a client use it. The 7x64 I had build out of sentimental reasons, as it was the first caliber I personally owned, having grown up with my grandfather's and later my father's 8x57. After I wore out the barrel on the factory Musgrave 7x64, I sold it, and about 3 years ago, I decided to build one as well. I have'nt used this one much, have borrowed it to 3 clients so far, but it sure is a shooter. Both the 8x68 and the 7mm has Oberndorf Mauser actions (ex military and commercial respectively). Both have Turksh walnut stocks and the 8mm has a McGowenn barrel and the 7 a Vektor.
I do not believe in safe queens, I like working rifles, even the old 8x57 (that I have inherited in the mean time) still see some action once in a while.

As to double rifles, I love the nostalgia and look of them, but at the moment I beleive I shoot my .450 better than most people shoot a double. Whould love to own a .500NE one day though...

A nice battery of rifles that will look even better with the addition of a 404 Jeffery.

At least your toe nail look better than mine!

Karl,

It is more just a sniping comment about guys that claim one will not get there middle finger chewed up by the rear of the trigger guard if only the LOP is correct, one grips the rifle correctly, blah, blah.

The plastic(?) transition piece on the back of the 450 triggerguard appears to there to keep your middle finger from getting bruised. At least that what it looks like. At least the trigger on your 450 is rearmost in the bow so that helps anyway.

In my experience, the big boomers chew up my finger. Ouch!

Will, there is no plastic insert. It must be an optical illution with the gemsbok skin. The trigger is bent backwards, thats all.

All the rifles were build on "my" dimentions. I am average height, 6 ft. and so far the rifles worked well for most clients. I had a Spansh guy struggling with the 9.3 on an elephant last year, but because he was very short. So far, no one has had "weatehrby eye", I think the swarovski's movable eyepiece also helps with that. If a client wnated to move the scope forward, that would be very easy to do, as it has to be resighted for him/ her anyway.

I stand corrected. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Karl S:

....As to double rifles, I love the nostalgia and look of them, but at the moment I beleive I shoot my .450 better than most people shoot a double. Whould love to own a .500NE one day though...

I'd be willing to bet that you can (and hopefully you get the chance) to shoot your own DR better than most people

Karl,

What bullets and velocity do you use with each rifle?

Andy

Beautiful rifles Karl. Kudos to you for setting up everything moshi. I hope to join you someday and see them in person.

what - no H&H royals??

Whew! I sure do lust for that top rifle, looks like it should be mine..

As they say in afrikaans "Haal uit en wys"
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj314/johnh227/AR%20...=DSC00335_resize.jpg

starting from the top, 500NE, Jefferies 4004, Win pre'64 mod 70 375 H&H, Win pre'64 with Shilen stainless match bbl in 30-06, Zastava actioned 308 with Madco stainless match bbl and lastly Zastava actioned 223 with musgrave bbl.
I used to use the 375 as a back-up rifle, and still use the 500 as my personal DG rifle.
But these are all available for use by clients.
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj314/johnh227/AR%20...=DSC00343_resize.jpg
This is the varmint special which is used for jackal, baboon and other such like critters, she groups comfortably under an inch at 300m.

And finally, for those lads who are on the north side of 45, these mauser cocking piece peep sights are made here by a buddy in durban, and will be adorning the 404, which had a peep sight at some stage of its life judging by the bolt.
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj314/johnh227/AR%20...=DSC00341_resize.jpg

It is shown next to a 45acp cartridge for scale.

Karl, what a nice collection