For the past few months I have been looking into getting a Safari rifle to finish up my gun collection and this is difficult for me because I #1- Am trying to spend less then $1100 for the rifle and #2 trying to find one in LH.
There is a local gun store where the owner has been to africa and talks a big story about guns and etc and he says that the Ruger #1 is a rifle that he doesn't recommend people to purchase for a dangerous safari hunt. He says people need to look into bolt actions with crf before they decide on a single shot.

What are ya'lls thoughts? Model 70's are going for a lot these days and I am looking for something larger then the .375 (i.e.-.458dia or .416cal). Do you think the Ruger #1 is inadequate?

I am a #1 owner and fan. I am also a CZ owner and fan. I think a #1 is fine as a DG rifle if you practice and develop a high level of skill shooting and reloading. I can shoot my #1's very close to the speed at which I can shoot a bolt gun with similar heavy recoil. If you can't practice very much before you go, I question whether you should go at all. I realize you will be backed up by a PH but you are still potentially going into a seariously dangerous situation. How much money and time is your life worth?

Check out this one listed on the big bore thread and see if it meets your needs.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4711043/m/400107296

Using an MRC 1999 action, you should be able to build a very dependable left-handed bolt action in 416 Rem or 458 Win for that price.

Or, you could get a right handed CZ and get used to cycling the bolt on your off-side.

If you want just a single shot go up to the 458 or 458 Lott... Both will have alot of wallop and if you do your part the Ph will not have to shoot unless there is a charge...Then wait till 10 to 15 feet and give um a snot full of muzzle blast and a 500 grainer.

Mike

I would be fine with a single shot in Africa even on dangerous game. You are supposed to act as if you only have 1 shot anyway. You will be backed up so it's no big deal if you do your part. Also, as mentioned, single shots load pretty fast if you know what you are doing.

An animal doesn't know if you have a CRF, pushfeed, leveraction, single shot, etc. and they can't read Capstick or watch Sullivan videos. Go with the best gun you can afford and make sure you practice and you will be fine.

You can get a new CZ in Lott for about $850.00.......

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
You can get a new CZ in Lott for about $850.00.......

He's a lefty.

I just realized that......sorry Justin -- didn't mean to mislead you!

You could knock the cheekpiece off this .470 NE and have a good gun for a lefty:



www.hallowellco.com

I have a friend who is left-handed. He has a cheap Savage action that used to be 7mm Rem Mag. He re-barreled it to .458 Win Mag, put on NECG sights, put some weight in the plastic stock to balance the heavy barrel and replaced the magazine with a .458 magazine he got from Savage... They used to make a "safari" model with a built-in muzzle brake and I guess they had it still hanging around in spare parts or something.....

The gun and "plastic" stock cost $200 used, the barrel and sights, including bluing and putting on the sights, $478 and the magazine about $25.

It surely isn't controlled feed, and the rifle is a pain to rapidly load as you have to slide the belted rounds underneath the pinched portion of the magazine in the rear, but I've never seen it fail to function. He's killed two buffalo with it.

Gee, that Hagn is only 15 times above the budget...and it only needs 1k in labor to make it right.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
I have a friend who is left-handed. He has a cheap Savage action that used to be 7mm Rem Mag. He re-barreled it to .458 Win Mag, put on NECG sights, put some weight in the plastic stock to balance the heavy barrel and replaced the magazine with a .458 magazine he got from Savage........

Buglemintoday,
That sounds like a decent idea and if you want to go that route gunbroker.com has a whole slew of the Savages for under $500. They have the Ruger LH's for around $550.

I used a Webley 1904 and a Farqueson very happily as back up rifles. For most charges you only get one shot off anyway - unless you own a double. A practiced man with a ruger no 1 is usually much faster than someone who has done little practice with a bolt action.

Have guided several clients armed with single shots on lion, buff and ele hunts- it isn't an issue. If you find one you like- buy it and use it!

The advantage of going to .458 lott (or .450 NE)is that you can assemble really cheep reloads using cast bullets or .45-70 bullets for low recoil practice!And then have full power rounds for actual hunting- and in the .450 NE you can really load them up since they don't need to regulate. I used a 500grn bullet at 2400fps from the Webley

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
I used a Webley 1904 and a Farqueson very happily as back up rifles. For most charges you only get one shot off anyway - unless you own a double. A practiced man with a ruger no 1 is usually much faster than someone who has done little practice with a bolt action.

Yikes! I can't believe you have said this.

I agree on the one-shot event even with a double rifle, but I ain't buying that a SS is good enough, for the client or the PH.

Depending upon the PH, that is the essence of hunting dangerous game!

In my opinion, you should hunt dangerous game with a bow, a single shot rifle or handgun, a spear or a sling shot provided that if you wound the animal you're also willing to follow it up with your chosen weapon. If your weapon isn't good enough to follow up the wounded beast, then it's being used in a stunt.

I see no reason at all why you should not use a single shot on your African hunt.

The likelyhood of a charge is very remote.
Even then, you will really have time for one shot, so make it count.

One man's stunt is another man's sport which is another man's standard. Use whatever you enjoy shooting...because you will practice more.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
In my opinion, you should hunt dangerous game with a bow, a single shot rifle or handgun, a spear or a sling shot provided that if you wound the animal you're also willing to follow it up with your chosen weapon. If your weapon isn't good enough to follow up the wounded beast, then it's being used in a stunt.

Good clear headed thinking.

The chance of a charge is not so remote if you are hunting elephants, especially tuskless elephants. There are at least five frequent posters here that have faced charges resulting in the shooting of an elephant. At least two of the elephants killed weren't target elephants that needed to be stopped.

I would prefer the double to the bolt and the bolt to the single shot. But I would hunt with any of them - if I trusted the PH.

JPK

Hi Will

Only ever used a single shot to back up a client on one hunt- my 9,3 was away getting a new barrel. Rather that webley came out when some snot gobbling jnior officer who had been sent to shoot a buff for rations or deal with a problem lion slunk back to the station to say that it was wounded and lying up in thick jesse or a reed bed or something similar and he was too chicken to follow it up. A double would have been the right rifle for such work but not having one... the falling block had to do. I have bullet wounds but no scratches

Simple solution. Buy a good quality left handed bolt rifle and sell it when you get back from Africa if money is truly the only real issue.

Personally I don't see much reason to "go cheap" on a DG rifle. You only "NEED" one in your lifetime. Reach into that safe and grab a safe queen and sell it for the extra cash and get a decent rifle.

You'll never regret it.

The flavor of quality lingers LOOOOOOONG after the pain of paying more than one can afford at the moment is gone!!!

One of the greatest pleasures in life is a fine rifle and a safe full of them is even better... <grin>

$bob$

Thanks for the quick responses!

Now I just have to decide between a Lott or a Rigby

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
Gee, that Hagn is only 15 times above the budget...and it only needs 1k in labor to make it right.

Yeah, but it's real nice!

No doubt but it would end up in your house before mine. I would eventually hock it to go back to Africa anyway. I'm making a list already of what can be sold to pay for the next trip.