I just wathced the Under Wild Skys program this morning and Tony Makris was hunting with Johan Calitz in the Okavango. Johan had a very large bolt rifle, (maybe a 505)? I was wondering what have been some of the nicer or more exotic back up rifles your PH has used? I realize most PHs just use CZ 550s in 375 or 458. A few can afford double 470s. What are some of the more interesting?

Hugh, I think you are on the right track! Most PHs I've hunted with have had rifles that are old, or at least well used, and look old! Most are bolt actions, and most of those are one of three brands! The most often seen in the last twenty years will besomething built on a mod98 Mauser, or a Mod 70, both per64 crf, and post 64 PF ,and the BRNO 602. The chamberings will most likely be a 375H&H in the greatest number, and some with a 458 win mag. I would say a full 98% of the PHs in Africa who even occasionally hunt Buffalo, and Elephant, will say they would love to have a double rifle, in a chambering from 450NE up to a 577NE, if they could only afford one, and afford to feed it!

The bolt rifle you saw Johan useing is very unusual for him, as he ownes several double rifles, and isn't often seen very far away from one of them. Several PHs who specialize in Elephant hunting use large Mauser, or BRNO actioned 505s, but most in that group will be seen with doubles in hand, and most of theose will be chambered for 470NE.

Crieg Boddington did a survey of PHs a few years ago, for the rifles /calibers used by them. Believe it or not the 375 H&H was almost 2 to 1 over any other chambering, most were useing bolt rifles, even those who specialize in large dangerous game, and few were useing double rifles. However that was many years ago when the ammo for double rifles was hard to come by, even though there were lots of doubles in Africa, they simply were not used because no ammo was available, in any kind of reliability.

I would say that today there are many more doubles in the hands of PHs, and the old push feed post 64 mod 70s are disapereing, or are being rebarreled to things like 300win mag, or 338 win mag for plains game use, and the DGRs with CRF configuration, that are chambered for 458 Win Mag, are are being converted to 458 LOTT.

I think you will find that in any of the hunting fields of RSA, you will see mostly 375H&H bolt rifles, if they are carrying any thing at all. In the countries where most are hunting dangerous game, the bolts will be CRF, and either one of the 416s, or a 458LOTT, and the doubles will inveribly be a 470NE!

The survey done by Boddington is in the back of his book, "SAFARI RIFLES"

Saw a video of Johann Calitz from a few years ago, he carried a 500 double I thought it was a Searcy...It save his butt when he walked up to a "dead buf???" came from behind and walked up to it.. As he got to the right hip, it got up and spun 90 degrees and came for Johann...He jumped backwards and fired his 500 and the buf took it at maybe 18 inches away and died between Johann's feet and on top of Johann's hat...

Mike

Johan is a Searcy man he has several Searcy's in .470 and .500.

I know Steve(Shikari)Robinson carries a left hand custom in 500 Jeffery on a Weatherby Mark V action.

quote:

Originally posted by lee440:
I know Steve(Shikari)Robinson carries a left hand custom in 500 Jeffery on a Weatherby Mark V action.

I'm gonna hunt with SHIKARI one of these days, regardless of his carrying of a crap Push feed rifle! I can always back him up with one of my doubles, if he has a problem with that old PF thing!

Steve, is handicaped by being left handed, so he is forgiven his use of that Mark V! Not many makers make a proper CRF left hand Magnum action, so he has little choice!

Johan may generally hunt with a Searcy, but on this episode he had a "howitzer" of a bolt action. I know a fair number of PHs now use Searcys Johan and Adam Clements for starts. I believe Harpreet Brar uses a Ritterbusch .500.

MacD37, the Boddington book Safari Rifles is outstanding.

quote:

Originally posted by Hugh W:

MacD37, the Boddington book Safari Rifles is outstanding.

Yes it is a good book, a little dated now but generally very good take on safari rifles! Many changes have taken place in the last twenty years since he wrote that book, with the firearms industry, mainly with most bolt rifle companies going back to CRF actions, and ammo for double rifle becoming more available, as well as affordable double rifles, so all hunters can obtain one if they want. I wish Bodd would come out with a sequil showing the "TODAY" differences!

The PH that we regularly hunt with uses a 500 nitro express krieghoff. The others i have seen have been 404 jeff, 458wm,375 H&H and a solitary 450 watts.

Peter Johnstone of Rosslyn Safaris uses a pre 64 375. Martinus Naude uses a pre 64 458. Derek Adams uses a Westley 450/400 double. Gary Mc Kenzie uses a Rem 700 416 Rem. Peter Waddelow a BRNO 375. Mark Elemant (SP) uses a 458 Lott. Coonraad Vermaak carries a 9.3x62.
This has been an observation over 10 years. There have probably been some more recent changes by these men.

I just got back from Zim and the PH carried a BRNO .458 Ackley with the barrel cut to 20 inches and the action slicked up so that it would feed like a dream.(I used my .470 Chapuis double) He said he would like to some day have a double. But after thinking about it I have begun to feel that a heavy caliber bolt with a short barrel might be better for a PH that a double. In the interest of safety you usually carry a gun unloaded until game is spotted. A bolt rifle can be carried safely with the chamber empty but with rounds in the magazine to be quickly loaded in that rare instance you stumble across a dangerous animal at close range. A PH who is in the brush 1,000 times more often than the average hunter is much more likely to be confronted with this problem. He either has to carry a loaded double constantly (up/down/over rocks, hills, and trees) or carry an empty rifle. A bolt can be cycled in flash making a safe gun ready for action. Also that double of mine is heavier than his short barreled bolt action. For me this was a two week labor of love. For a PH extra weight is a day after day grind.

I think the choice of rifles by PH's are more pragmatic than ours. Most are less concerned with theoretical ballistics than they are with practical matters. One issue is ammunition availability-something we take for granted, but they can't. Another issue is that it function 100% reliably. One thing that seldom makes print is barrel length. Any PH who hunts DG finds a long barrel far more a problem than the weight of the rifle. One PH I hunted with had a 20" barrel and said he would shorten it if it were possible. Simply stated, carrying a long pole through the bush is a huge nuisance. Likewise, a short barreled weapon doesn't point nearly so quickly.

It is funny that the standard barrel length for DGR's from the factory is 24". This is much too long. A few years back, I had Dakota make a 450 for me and I requested a 22" barrel. I was told that they wouldn't do this--their standard was 24". A few weeks later I received a call saying that someone had made an error and cut my barrel down to 22". They apologized and said they'd be glad to put another barrel on it. Of course, I said not to bother! If I were to make one change to this rifle it would be to lop 2" off this barrel.

John DL,
I like 26" barrels, mostly because they hang well for offhand shooting and that extra length isn't any bigger than my pocket knife..The old time American and African hunters liked the long barrels because they shot offhand. As for handy in the brush, I can see absolutly no difference, and one never knows where that imagined brush is that interferes with a long tube, it may be at the 18 inch mark, so there you go!

But I must confess, I have a real nice 20" 416 Rem on a pre 64 action that I really like, the barrel is heavy enough to make offhand shooting work very well indeed..I love this gun so perhaps I am making the change a bit at a time or maybe I'm just bored with long barrels and being a cronic gun nut and experimenter need some releif from the norm! but I will always cherish my old English Mauser .375 H&H with its long tube...

Bottom line is that's what makes a horse race, different strokes for different folks. In the long run or from a practical point of view, it just doesn't make a bit of difference how long a barrel is, if you can shoot, thats all that counts.

Ray. You have obviously been blessed with hunting with many more PH's than I. Also being a gun nut, I always take an interest in the PH's rifle. Most of them protested that the barrels were too long. I suspect it might relate to the thickness of the area where they personally hunt. One exception to this was in Botswana, where the country was fairly open.

I too, prefer a decent length barrel in a light rifle. In a DGR, I prefer a short but heavy barrel. Vive le diference!

When I had a 500Jeffery built for a PH friend of mine in Zim he specified a 20" barrel. My Brno 602ZKK in 375 is cut to 21" as is my CZ550 416Rigby. I prefer short barreled guns and find them to just plain handle better , and since there is no real compelling good reason to make them any longer I don't. There was a British Doublegun maker back in the 30's I believe who was famous for their short barreled shotguns. Just really boils down to personal opinion and likes.