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Does this guy not know what is the Big5?  No, not animals! Rifles used to hunt the animal Big5?  Leaving out the .700 NE as a far to recent development, my first attempt at listing the Big5-Killers would be: .600 NE .577 NE .500 NE What next? Thinking now, actually the .600 NE was really so seldom used that it 'should' be removed and replaced with a more often used cartridge? Lets hear about your views on which 5 classic cartridges really describe safari and Big5 hunting in Africa? Let's not all be tempted to just list the 'biggest hole-makers', but also consider how many were actually built and used, and for how long these have been in use. Give a list and motivate if you wish. It is after all holiday time and most of us have some time to kill.  What better way than thinking about such a list?  In good hunting. Andrew McLaren | ||
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I'd say up to about the turn of the 20th century, the small bore were the 500s and lower, and the top choices were the: BORE guns 12, 10, 8, 4, and 2 bore, and an occasional 577NE, and the very limited 600NE Shortly there after the most common of the rifles for the big five were 577NE,500NE, the verious 475s, and 450s, mostly in double rifles, and single shots. Today Most common in double rifles are the .450s, and the .475s with a sprinkeling of 577NE, and 500NE. The bolt rifles now run mostly in the .458 class. and the all arounds are still the .375s, and the 9.3s,that are used all over the world, for just about everything, and serve well as back up for a larger speciality DG rifle! ....Mac >>>===(x)===> MacD37, ...and DUGABOY1 DRSS Charter member "If I die today, I've had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"~ME 1982 Hands of Old Elmer Keith  | |||
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George  | |||
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I think of the classic cartridges these were some of the most popular. 500 NE 470 NE 450/400 NE 404 Jeffery 375 H&H DRSS Member | |||
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470 NE 458wm 416 rigby 404 jeffery 375 H + H | |||
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375 H&H Bruno 375 H&H Musgrave 375 H&H Sako 375 H&H Steir Eish this dop was nice   "Buy land they have stopped making it"- Mark Twain | |||
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this might help... http://www.kynochammunition.co.uk/ a better question is "on a safari between these years what battery rifles were used most for a big 5 safari?" technology, availability ect had a big say. there is a huge difference in rifles used between 1880 to 1900 to 1920. The 577 was king for jumbo then the 500 ect. but if i could have my "classic" line up... 500 Nitro 505 Gibbs or 500 Jeffery 450/400 404 Jeffery 375 H&H 375 flanged have a like bolt paired with every double...sorry it was 6 577 BME 3"500 KILL ALL 358 GREMLIN 404-375 *we band of 45-70ers* (Founder) Single Shot Shooters Society S.S.S.S. (Founder) | |||
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Just to add some historical perspective. According to S.R. Truesdell's classic The Rifle: Its Development for Big Game Hunting, a great book and handy compendium of the literature, these calibers were the most frequently mentioned in print as favorites for African DG hunting during the periods indicated: 1834-1874: 8 Bore and 10 Bore Double Barrel Muzzle Loading; and 12 Bore Double Barrel Breech Loading. All Black Powder, of course. 1875-1892: 12 Bore Double Barrel; .500 Double Barrel and Single Shot; and .450 Double Barrel and Single Shot. All Black Powder and all Breech Loading (doubles more prevalent than single shots). 1893-1905: .500 Nitro Express Double Barrel and Single Shot; .450 Nitro Express Double Barrel and Single Shot; .303 British and .256 Mannlicher Magazine (magazines even more popular than doubles). 1906-1946: .470 Nitro Express Double Barrel; .450 Nitro Express Double Barrel; .400 Nitro Express Double Barrel; .405 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .256 Mannlicher, .318 Westley Richards Accelerated Express, 9mm Mannlicher and .375 Holland & Holland Mag. Magazine (magazines far more widely used than doubles). More recently, ca. 1990, using Boddington's Safari Rifles as a source: PHs: .458 Win. Mag., .375 Holland & Holland Mag. Magazine (overwhelming majority use these); next comes the .416 Rigby Magazine; and next the .470 Nitro Express Double Barrel. Tourist Hunters: PHs overwhelmingly recommend use of the .375 Holland & Holland Mag. Magazine and it would seem as though it is, in fact, the most used. So, the historically most used (in no particular order, with the emphasis in more recent times on the larger bore sizes): .458 Winchester Magnum Magazine .375 Holland & Holland Magnum Magazine .256 Mannlicher Magazine .30-06 Springfield Magazine .450 Nitro Express and Black Powder Double Barrels .500 Nitro Express and Black Powder Double Barrels .470 Nitro Express Double Barrels Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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theres nothing big about the 375 or 450/400. my list would be 505 gibbs 500 nitro 470 450 rigby 450 nitro the 600 nitro is a stunt cartridge, and should be excluded | |||
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The .458 Lott will eventually become the king of this list in time. IMHO Jeff | |||
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I think it already has in the bolt action rifles!  ....Mac >>>===(x)===> MacD37, ...and DUGABOY1 DRSS Charter member "If I die today, I've had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"~ME 1982 Hands of Old Elmer Keith | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Which ones really desreve inclusion in the "Big 5"
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