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2 Rifles for Africa
2 Rifles for Africa
What are your 2 favorite caliber rifles to take to Africa?
18 March 2010, 13:47
mbuyu.300 Win Mag
.375 H&H
18 March 2010, 14:28
Don EdwardsIf I'm limited to 2....( I've always taken 4 in the past..)
They would be .375 H&H, and .458 Win Mag.
IF I could regain the handgun skill I had "back-in-the-day...I'd drop the .375 H&H for my old .375 JDJ in a14" bbl. Contender.
18 March 2010, 14:31
JudgeGA double in a .45 caliber or larger is my first choice for elephants.
I also like to take a gun that can serve as a DG rifle if needed, but is scoped and flat shooting enough for plains game, i.e., this year I took a cheap Ruger .416 Alaskan with a 1.5-5x scope with QD mounts. It was during the rainy season and I'm not big on having an expensive double getting wet for severals hours of chasing elephants in a thunderstorm. The little Ruger with handloads and 350 grain bullets shoots flat enough for 200 yard shots on stuff to eat, btw... not to mention that a Hornady 400 grain DGS will shoot an elephant dramatically dead, particularly on a side brain shot.
Yes... I'm writing a hunt report and will post it soon.....
A stainless .375 H&H Winchester would have been a good alternative, too, as the PG/back up DG rifle IMHO.
Whatever the second rifle is, I suggest you get good express sights on it and QD mounts, so if, push comes to shove, and you find yourself in the dinge jess after something and you don't have your "big gun", the secondary one will be ready to go.
JudgeG ... just counting time 'til I am again finding balm in Gilead chilled out somewhere in the Selous.
A double in 45 cal (up) plus a 375H&H.
My double is in 458wm and has served well for elephant and buff.
A 375 is a great all 'rounder, DG capable and plenty flat shooting for PG.
JPK
Free 500grains
18 March 2010, 18:00
Jason JohnsonThe two calibers I would choose would be entirely dependant upon what I was hunting. In September I will be taking a 375 H&H and a 300RUM to Namibia but that is because I will be chasing PG.
Jason
18 March 2010, 18:04
BiebsJudgeG, Can't wait for the hunt report. The way you write, it will be like I was right there with you! Oh, never mind, I was :-)
18 March 2010, 18:46
MARK H. YOUNGMy favorite rifle for Afica and most anywhere else is a 375 of some type. If I knew I'd have some long shots I'd probably take a 300 mag. and if elephant were on the menu a 458.
Mark
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https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 18 March 2010, 21:45
Use Enough GunOverall, my two most effective and favorite ones so far have been the .300 WSM and the .375 H&H.
18 March 2010, 22:40
MacD37In most cases, over the years, my pick was a big bore double rifle, and a Mauser actioned 375H&H. with irons sights and scope in QD bases. The 375 H&H is flat shooting to handle all plains game if you know your rifle, and is legal to finish the safari if your big bore is lost or broken.
I normally don’t care for plains game hunting at all. I usually will take two or three head of PG, but my main thing is Cape Buffalo. My pick today is a pair of Merkel double rifles! One is a 470NE Safari 140-2, and the other a 140E-1 9.3X74R. The little rifle is fine for the limited amount of PG hunting I do, and will take the place of the 470NE if the need arises.
....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
18 March 2010, 22:47
Larry SellersWith no ele on the menu, it would be 300 H & H and a 375 H & H. Both Trijicon scoped in QD mounts, softs and solids for the 75 and good quality softs for the 30. Nothing says Africa like Holland and Holland!! If only one gun allowed most likely a 9.3 X 62 equipped as above.
Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member
19 March 2010, 00:10
dogcatquote:
Originally posted by mbuyu:
.300 Win Mag
.375 H&H
Yep, that is all you need.
19 March 2010, 00:35
bwanamrmTwo.... seriously! Just two rifles!
.375 H&H and my sentimental favorite, my .416 Rigby.
Redundant, yes. Adequate for almost everything, hell yes.
Then again, there is my HCR in .404 Jeff that handled the Omay North like it was meant to... and my Weaver-built .375 Ruger that is just itching to shoot something nasty... seriously, two?
On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died.
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch...
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
- Rudyard Kipling
Life grows grim without senseless indulgence.
19 March 2010, 01:02
TerryRBefore my last hunt I would have said two pre 64 mod 70's 3006 and 375 H&H. However now I have to include the 404j. so now I say:
DG hunt: 404j plus 375 H&h
PG hunt: 376 H&H plus 3006
19 March 2010, 01:39
L. David KeithFor plains game, Leopard/Crocodile only: .280 & the .223
For Buffalo, Lion, Elephant, Hippo and large PG, .375 & .416 Rigby.
Big guns won't make up for bad shooting~
LDK
Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris
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Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#926103994110 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson
Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......
"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."
19 March 2010, 01:46
Idaho SharpshooterUmmmmmmmmmmmm, Johnsons Paste Wax seals them pretty well, clean the rifles and apply every evening.
I leave in 21 days, and I am taking my Searcy .470 NE and the new Chapuis 9,3x74R. A bit overkill, perhaps, but I'm insecure.
Rich
19 March 2010, 01:52
namibiahunter.375 H&H and .338 WinMag
.
19 March 2010, 02:25
ledvmquote:
Originally posted by dogcat:
quote:
Originally posted by mbuyu:
.300 Win Mag
.375 H&H
Yep, that is all you need.
That is exactly what I used to take...after experience...moved up a little. Now the .375 H&H and a .458 WM.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. Lane Easter, DVM
A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House
No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991.
19 March 2010, 02:39
pleandroIMHO, a .270 and a .416 Rigby.
That's all folks!
Regards,
.
In the past I have always taken a 375H&H and a 458 Lott or a Double Rifle. I have a passion for Buffalo hunting and plains game is secondary. As such, always want two rifles capable of handling the biggest item on the menu.
In December 2010, I will be taking my 404 Jeffery (currently being built) and either a 375H&H or a 458 win. mag. both Browning Safari Rifles built in 1965. I really like the FN Browning Safaris, nice stuff.
19 March 2010, 02:51
MacD37quote:
Originally posted by L. David Keith:
Big guns won't make up for bad shooting~
LDK
Absolutely true! However a big gun WILL make up for what the little gun lacks in effectiveness, with the same placement!
....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
375 H&H with a lighted reticle scope and a 416 or 404 or 458.
BigB
My option:
Remington 700 BDL-338 Win Mag
Ceska 550 Safari Magnum-458 Lott
Bye
Oscar.
I am Spanish
My forum:www.armaslargasdecaza.com
19 March 2010, 03:32
Pegleg375 H&H and a 458 Lott
The only easy day is yesterday!
19 March 2010, 04:11
Elton Rambin416 Rigby
.375 Heym SxS
Elton Rambin
Mail/Ship: 1802 Horse Hollow Rd.
Barksdale, Texas 78828
Phone: 479 461 3656
Ranch: 830-234-4366
Check our Hunt & Class Schedule
at
www.ftwoutfitters.com4 Rules of Gun Safety
1/ Treat all guns as though they are loaded.
2/ Never point the muzzle at anything you do not want to shoot.
3/ Do not put your finger on trigger until your sights are on target and you are ready to shoot.
4/ Be sure of your target and safe background.
19 March 2010, 04:17
470EvansI leave for elephant, buff and hippo in 40 days. I'm taking my 470 and a 375 H&H. I may take my Paradox if JJ finishes the stock in time.
19 March 2010, 12:11
wombatSearcy 500 double and custom 9.3x66 Mauser-worked a treat last trip to Zim.
Australia
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
19 March 2010, 12:40
ozhunterNo;1, Always have a 9.3x62 with me.
No 2; Big Rifle like 470, 450NE, 404 or similar.
19 March 2010, 14:06
Milo Shanghai.375 H&H scoped bolt gun and a .470NE double.
19 March 2010, 15:12
zhabaMy .500 jeffery and the 9.3x62
or My 404 jeffery and the 300 Holland & Holland
19 March 2010, 16:35
Palmer404J and 450/400 3"
ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS
Into my heart on air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.
A. E. Housman
19 March 2010, 17:32
dirklawyerDouble rifle (Heym) in 500N.E. and a scoped bolt rifle (M70) in 375 H&H.
"An individual with experience is never at the mercies of an individual with an argument"
19 March 2010, 17:52
JBoutfishn416 Rem Mag and 470 NE.
Jim "Bwana Umfundi"
NRA
19 March 2010, 17:58
MikelravyMy last two trips the two of us had a 338 and a 458 between us. Seems about perfect. About a hundred other combos would be just as good though.
19 March 2010, 18:32
BarendMy choice: 375 H&H Sako (light rifle - this term is only used because of the rifle's actual weight) - 265 GS Custom HV (2650) & 270 GS FN (2600)
416 Rigby (custom- CZ 602) - 400 gr Swift A Frame (2350) & 380 GS FN (2400)
I used this combination on quite a few safaris, but in most cases ended up using the 416 for almost everything (maybe because I am a serious 416 fan)
Personally, I think the most important think is practice (actual hunting positions and not just shooting groups from the bench). A 375 can any day compete with a 300 for long range shooting, provided the shooter/hunter (you can decide which one you are) knows the bullet's trajectory.
Enjoy the weekend, I am going hunting and the above is my choice for this trip.
19 March 2010, 22:56
BOWHUNRThe two going with me for Leopard and Sable next month.
M70 7x57
M70 .375 H&H
Mike
NEVER BOOK A HUNT WITH JEFF BLAIR AT BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING!
19 March 2010, 23:10
citori.375 H&H and .30-06. They've worked for 100 years and are better than ever with modern bullets.
I will admit that I would consider a .458 Lott if elephant was involved.
Tanzania in 2006! Had 141 posts on prior forum as citori3.
20 March 2010, 19:13
safari-lawyerI've always thought the perfect two rifle combo was a 375HH and a 458WM or LOTT. I even carried this combo last June.
Now I am thinking a better two gun battery might be a 416 Rem/Rigby and a 338WM? The benefit being that a good shooting 416 is a good option for a single rifle safari.
The only 338 negative is that it is illegal for DG in most places. Before that was the case, my grandfather shot 5 buffalo with a 338 as well as two lions, a leopard, LD and EA eland, hippo, and every PG animal from the cape to Cameroon with the old 338. I've seen buff shot with the 338 and they didn't know it wasn't a 375, 416, or a 458.
Will J. Parks, III
20 March 2010, 22:09
longfeather1Depending on what's on the license:
If I'm going low brow bolt trash a 300 win mag & 375 or 375 / 458 Lott
If I'm going high brow double a 9.3x74 & a 450/400. The 9.3 also has a set of 30.06 barrels to add to the fun.
;^)