So my once-in-a-lifetime African hunt continues to approach on winged feet, and all preparations seem to be going smoothly. I have the pleasant problem of deciding which .375 to bring, a nice old Sako that shoots sub-MOA with almost anything, or my sentimental favourite Ruger No.1, not as accurate and harder-kicking but still an old friend. After reading numerous posts from experienced hands on this site, I decide to go with the No.1. The Sako, sweet-shooting though she may be, goes on the block and is sold to help rationalize this insane notion of a working man taking a trip like this. She is the 34th rifle thus sacrificed on the altar of my dream hunt, and I must admit that the last few such sales have been guns that I will definitely miss.

A couple of days ago I arrive home from work, and step behind the barn with the No.1 for six quick shots, two fast-as-possible three-shot groups off of my home-made sticks. Beautiful. Nice and tight. But what's this? Where is the rest of my extractor? Why is my extractor now a knife-thin hook? WTF??????? After 15 years why has this gun chosen now, today, to malfunction? My gunsmith, who takes over a year to do anything, tells me he will hurry, but must order a part. Hmmmm.....my confidence is shot.

Today, I step behind the barn with my second rifle for the trip, a Ruger 77MkII in .416 Rigby. My buffalo rifle, bought years ago for this specific purpose (you know, the buffalo hunt that I've been talking about for 43 years), used so far for crows, coyotes and cantaloupes. Three quick shots. Hmmm, not bad, but not as good as usual. Still, more than adequate for....but what's this? WHAT'S THIS??? When did this CRACK BEHIND THE TANG happen???? Admittedly, this gun has seen more rounds through it in the last six months than the previous six years, but still....AAARRGGHHHH!!!!!

Yes, yes, I know, I should be thankful that these gremlins showed up now rather than in the bush. Somehow, I'm not feeling thankful. I'm feeling like a cranky S.O.B. with the worst-timed run of bad luck possible.

So now my buddy is letting me use his Blaser .375H&H barrel on my R93 for the trip. It shoots great. The gun feels and handles wonderful. I might bring along my own .300WinMag barrel as well, but I suspect that I will use the H&H for everything. I need to start thinking about a 300gr load for buff. All is apparently well...for now. This has to be it, right? What more could happen?

Sorry for the babbling rant. Try to explain this kind of stuff to a non-hunter, or even some hunters. They look at you as if you have a spare head growing out of your neck.

John

jwm

Sorry for your gun woes.

However as I am always an optomist, the Blaser R 93 will get the job done.

If I was going to use a bolt rifle in Africa it would be my choice.

JWM - Once you get there, all this will be forgotten and most certainly worth all the trouble! Good luck, and have fun!

I can empathize. Went to the range yesterday to put some rounds through my cz 416 for my buff hunt in June. Did a three shot burst with some solids and then noticed a hairline crack in the stock behind the receiver. Not what I had planned.

John,
I have been through what you are experiencing. I found the following "truths" -

1. Take one gun that you have confidence in.

2. Try out several guns in order to get to No. 1 above. Sell or give away the "dogs". Never take a gun you do not like or have great confidence in.

3. It is not about the gun, it is about the trip.

4. In my two trips, the longest shot was 200 yards. Anything that shoots 1 to 2" groups is perfect.

5. Spend all of your prep time shooting "one" gun to get very familiar with it.

Overall, I went through 8 guns in selecting the one I have. It is a newer Model 70 in .375 H&H. I tried the following and came up with nothing but a sore shoulder -
Model 70's in .416 Rem, .458 WM and .458 Lott
Ruger 77 in .416 Rigby and .458 Lott
Dakota in .375 H&H

These were all shot and tested and I found the original .375 H&H worked best for me.

Good luck.

There are two places guns can break. Here or there! Be glad they broke here.

In 05, I was headed to Tanz to collect some of the 21-day license species and I was sitting at my dest playing with my gun.

What is this crack running through the pistol grip?

I grab the stock and flex it to see the crack get wider and thjen it broke it in 2 pieces!

H&S precision makes a very nice stock BTW.

I can feel the pain. Fifty-two days for me and still second-third gussing rifle selections.

Odyssey begain with twins - pre 64's in 375 and 300 H&H each with 1.75X6 Leo./talleys. First the 300 began to drift a few 200 gr TSXFB's and I decided to try the pre 64 338-06 as a second. Shoots clover leafs at 100 yds with 210 TTSX - Problem resolved - NOT. Made mistake of taking the 300 back out and it has gone back to shooting little groups as well. Still sticking with the 338-06 but wavering a little.

Nest the 375 began to throw a few 300 gr WL's at 100. Checked action screws and be damned if the nut screw had begun to back out on me. Tightened all three and it is now back in the stable for the hunt.

Seems best to now quit worrying about it and just wait for May 28th - NOT, I know I will be back at the range again this weekend.

Just way too much fun PREPARING.

Your problems sound alot like my hunting partner has it seems like every trip we take.

Sticking with the Africa theme, while preparing for our first hunt to Zimbabwe on our last trip to the range together and less than 10 days to go, the reticle on the scope on his .30-06 started turning whenever he changed the power. Literally the day before we left he was working up a new scope on the rifle.

For another Africa trip, my friend bought a .375 H&H used from the local big bwana. When we arrived at camp and checked the rifles, the scope on the rifle was stuck on 9 power. Normally this may not have been an insurmountable problem but with the amount of green still in the bush it effectively rendered the rifle useless.

As to a crack behind a tang safety. My father bought a new model 99 Savage in .308 about 40 years ago. Not too many years after he bought the rifle cracks appeard behind the tang safety. Super glue I believe had just recently came on the market when this happened. He bought a tube and emptied it into the crack and then put the stock into a vise and left it there for a damn long time. My nephew is still using that rifle with no further problems. BTW I wouldn't recommend this especially in a DGR.

All I can say is the Blaser R-93 will not fail you!

Now that all the bad luck is out of the way you can have the good luck on your trip!

jwn,

I can identify with your dilemma. Several years back I had a McMillan stock on my 458 crack right through the recoil lug rendering the rifle useless. At the time I had only one other buffalo adequate rifle and that was a 416 wit ha feeding problem. I had two friends lend me 375 rifles that both failed upon range tests. One only cocked on 19 out of 20 tries and the other had a broken scope mount. This was about 30 days out from the beginning of the safari and I'm surprised I did not have a rectal bleed. I eventually took the 416 and effectively shot it as a two shooter which was not ideal but it worked.

I feel your pain!!!!!

Can you get the Sako back? As it seems the ol' faithful would be the best choice.

Mark

What kind of "loaner" rifles does your PH have on hand? Practice with whatever you have that is close, just in case.

Two days before my successful kudu hunt trip my .300 H&H Rem. Mod. 721 bolt fell out on the concrete at the range!!! Since I'd been inside before to see why it wouldn't go on 'safe' (keeper pin for trigger assembly went too far to one side) I had time to go back in and fix it -- same pin, out of place, had to do with the bolt stop as well.

Of course, my second rifle was my .416 Rigby, brought along just because. Missed a second kudu with it at 50 yards -- taught me how to shoot between that safari and the next where I pegged #2 from 281 yards.

Barry Two Kudus

JWN,

I feel your pain.


This saturday gone my Sauer 202 fell from the high stand I was sat in, (out the side of the seat) and I managed to crack the stock in 4 places. I'm leaving for RSA in three and a half weeks and UK law precludes me from borrowing a rifle....

I have managed to borrow a stock and I'm hoping that the action and scope are still functioning OK, but I won't know that until I get it on the range later this week.

Fingers crossed, and good luck with your solution
FB

Sorry to hear of the gremlins.

quote:

What more could happen?

Sure hope for your sake it does not happen, but you may meet a man!

Out of the blue a well-dressed middle-aged and cleancut man with a wide grin and an open honest-looking face will walk up to you. He'll give a big smile, put out a hand to be shaken and say: "Hi, I'm Murphy. They call me Mr. Murphy........"

Best of luck for the trip!

Andrew McLaren

Thanks for the encouragement, gents. My original post was done immediately after I discovered the glitch with the second gun. I think that if I had slept on it I wouldn't have posted at all, once I had a better perspective on it. After all, I had the contingency of the Blaser (which I will be taking as my only rifle) in place for months now, I just didn't think that I'd have to resort to it. Some of you guys have had, or are still having, worse gun-related issues that this one. I hope that they work out as well.

And now the bright side: I finally have the ultimate perfect answer for that stupid question that we hear so often..."But why do you need so many guns?"

Hopefully my next appearance here will be with one of those great hunt reports I'm always seeing.

John

quote:

Originally posted by jwm:


So now my buddy is letting me use his Blaser .375H&H barrel on my R93 for the trip.

Darn good friend , as hard as you are on your own guns.

Seriously, a great friend.
The Blaser should do well. (though my two have yet to make the trip and being .308 and .338 tacticals , doubt they will.)

One of my trips the rifles never showed ( they did finally return home to Texas about 40 days later )

The PH had great guns to provde for such a mishap. (a big lesson for me about not sweating the small stuff.)

So go and have a ball

One more thing to think about! Do not forget to take practice shots from "shooting sticks".

Yes, I'm shooting a lot off the sticks. They do take some getting-used-to, don't they?

And yes, it is a generous gesture on my buddy's part about the .375 barrel. He has four barrels for his Blaser as opposed to the one I have for mine. All four shoot noticeably tighter groups mounted on my receiver than they do on his.

This is a source of considerable amusement to one of us...

John

quote:

Originally posted by jwm:
Darn good friend , as hard as you are on your own guns.

LOL! too funny!

BTW, you have good friends. I'd much rather loan one of my rifles to a perfect stranger than loan one to my Father! (Who, I might add, is simply the most destructive and abusive person I know on gear.)

Whatever you do, don't let gun woes get you down. These are all part of the adventure. When I look back on my life (yeah, all 39 years of it...don't go there!) I realize that it's the trips that didn't go quite "right" that I have the fondest memories of.

Peace!

quote:

Originally posted by jwm:
Yes, I'm shooting a lot off the sticks. They do take some getting-used-to, don't they?

And yes, it is a generous gesture on my buddy's part about the .375 barrel. He has four barrels for his Blaser as opposed to the one I have for mine. All four shoot noticeably tighter groups mounted on my receiver than they do on his.

This is a source of considerable amusement to one of us...

John

That IS the ultimate irony!!!!

Have a good trip............

I feel your pain. 2 weeks before my 2008 ele hunt, the bolt handle on my CZ 550 458 Lott came off in my hand. It was a M70 bolt handle I had replaced the factory bolt handle with. Yikes! Good to have friends who can weld and fix things like this on short notice.

When something goes wrong in Africa my wife and I look at one another and say its Africa... We make a plan and it will work out...
That old reliable 375 will not let you down... Sounds like a proven warrior...

The best,

Mike & Cherie

jwm - Maybe it's the "shooter"?? I am sure you have thought of this and constantly remind your friend of the fact? Good luck on your hunt.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by jwm:
Yes, I'm shooting a lot off the sticks. They do take some getting-used-to, don't they?

And yes, it is a generous gesture on my buddy's part about the .375 barrel. He has four barrels for his Blaser as opposed to the one I have for mine. All four shoot noticeably tighter groups mounted on my receiver than they do on his.

This is a source of considerable amusement to one of us...

John

JWM:
P.M. sent about back-up rifle.