rifles chambered for wildcats or proprietary rounds to Africa?

What did you take, what did you hunt, what if anything did your PH say?

Just curious,

Landrum

I took two guns......a .300 H&H and a very unusual gun......a M-92 Winchester in .25-20

Maybe this qualifies as finding ammo or anything remotely resembling it is not an option there.

I used it to take Duiker and Springbok.....smaller animals and it could have been used for many more animals as well.

My PH loved the gun.....it was the very first "cowboy" gun he had ever seen.....as a matter of fact it was the most unusual and actually adored gun in the camp at the time.

Three safaris

1st 308 Sako and a 375 H&H
2nd 375 H&H & Ruger 458 Lott
3rd 375 H&H & 450#2
Fourth safari in Aug 09
375 Kimber and my 450#2 double
Wouldn't go to Africa without a 375 H&H

Mike

been hunting 6 times and sell hunts so no wildcats for us. on the ground we use 308,30-06 and 375 H&H for clients. personally i use 30-06 and 416 rigby. Best friends i hunt with love 300 win mags, 375 H&H, 500 nitro and 22-250.

if anything the 22-250 is everyone's favourite baby gun. all the ladies love to plink with and it gets alot of use.Its a great excuse to get the ladies hunting and its gets good meat animals for barbies

oops the phs i agent for generally prefer that you don't turn up with a 318 bee or something they can't get ammo for if things go awry. another one of my phs says that the guys that turn up with one or two well used and practiced on guns are what he likes best.

i pretty much garuntee that if you turn up withot ammo in africa, you can get 308,30-06 and 375 h&h in most stores. you can add 300 win mag, 223rem, 243 to that as well as 9x62 and possibly 8mm/7.92/303 brit. working from experience.in various stores in RSA as an example. PH/outfitter will have to have the right permit to buy,but they may even have a box or two spare.

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
Wouldn't go to Africa without a 375 H&H

Good call!

quote:

Originally posted by trapmonkey:
i pretty much garuntee that if you turn up withot ammo in africa, you can get 308,30-06 and 375 h&h in most stores. ... PH/outfitter will have to have the right permit to buy,but they may even have a box or two spare.

trapmonkey

You are correct, especially with these calibers. You are allowed to buy ammo from any ammou dealer with yout rifle import permit as legal document i.e. the equivalent of a local gun license. Have your passport handy also.

quote:

i pretty much garuntee that if you turn up withot ammo in africa, you can get 308,30-06 and 375 h&h in most stores. you can add 300 win mag, 223rem, 243 to that as well as 9x62 and possibly 8mm/7.92/303 brit.

In Namibia you could add the 270 Win to that list.

I remember one very experienced poster here on AR once stated, "over there everything's a wildcat." Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of our most popular cartridges are easy to buy over there, excluding all the redundant cartridges that have come along in the past half century.

The only two popular cartridges that I believe would be hard to find in the better gun shops in Africa are the 338WM(the 375h&h makes it pointless) and the 7mm Remmington Magnum(don't know why it is not popular over there).

But I could be wrong.

Jason

Will have too disagree a bit, 7 MM Rem is very populat in SA, so is the 338 Win, and ammo is available in good gunshops

Thanks for the correction. I was thinking more about Namibia and Zambia. I should have remembered that Magnum had a big cover story on the 338 a few years back.

Jason

First trip (SA), .338 Mag + 12 ga, had to borrow my partner's .300 Wby part of the time due to scope issues

Second trip (Zim), .375 H&H

Third trip (Zim), .375 H&H + 20 ga

Next year (Zim), .470 NE + 9,3x74R, maybe a 20 ga too.

It's hard to beat a .375 plus a scattergun

i have taken my 375 and 416 dakotas a couple times, however on 1 occasion my bag with the 375 ammo was lost and you just aren't going to find 375 dakota ammo

Calibers that I have taken to Africa.

25-06 Remington
270 Ackley
270/404 Short
270/404
7.21 lazzeroni Firebird
30/404
338 Lazzeroni
375 H&H
375/404
416 Weatherby
416 Rigby Improved

For the past 13 years, we have taken only two rifles. Both chambered for our 375/404.

Have shot everything from duikers to elephants with them.

From a few yards to over 500 yards.

Lost my bag with ammo in it. last year between Johannesburg and Harare. Didn't matter since Mokore Safari had .375 H&H ammo in camp.

quote:

rifles chambered for wildcats or proprietary rounds to Africa?

What did you take, what did you hunt, what if anything did your PH say?

I have taken a .30-.338 wildcat over twice and never had an issue with it or with my ammo...

I took my .338-'06 Ackley Improved Remington 700 to Namibia for use on the larger plains game; zebra, kudu, gemsbok and warthog. I don't know which impressed my PH more, the cartridge, the Barnes bullets, or my shooting skills.

He too handloaded ammo, having a 338 Lapua and a 1000 yard range, so we got along fabulously.

Also, no problems going through customs with my ammo having .30-'06 headstamp.

I don't take anything unusual to Africa. Only problem I've ever had personally is a mounting screw that worked loose on my .375 while flying down.

However, I've been with hunters who:
1. Couldn't get their firearms on their flight out of the U.S. and had to leave them behind. (Tanzania)

2. Had aluminum scope rings fail on a .416 half-way through the safari. He was shooting a Hyena and the scope ended up in his hand. This was a used purchase rifle/scope. Gave him my .375. (Zambia)

3. Had luggage with ammo go south for more than half the safari. Gave him my back-up rifle. (Namibia)

4. Had new custom rifle floorplate latch fail while confirming zero at camp. Handed him the duct tape and pushed on. Seems he only loaded the rifle one round at a time when shooting before arriving, so didn't know the floorplate would not hold when the magazine was loaded. (Tanzania)

5. Had a guy shooting .375 through a .416 (this one in Canada) He took at least two shots at game before he realized something was wrong.

6. Had a guy whose rifle was partially rusted shut when we got to camp. It took me an hour to get it clean and operational. He had no cleaning gear, of course. (Zambia)

None of these were my clients but it always amazes me how little some hunters know about firearms and ammunition.

As for me, always a .300wm and either a .375H&H, .416rem, or .458Lott and sometimes a 12 gauge pump gun. Have also gone with .480ruger or 500S&W handguns. Can almost always be assured of the availability of ammo for any of these rifles. Would have had a hell of a time finding the handgun ammo. I encourage clients to bring common caliber rifles.

I took a .358 STA Model 70 Winchester to the Selous of Tanzania to shoot plains game. I used a 270 grain North Fork and used it on Kongonia, Impala and Zebra. I didn't have any problems with anything and would do it next time. My big rifle was a .416 Remington also in Model 70 Winchester, that I could have used on plains game as well as the Buffalo it was used for. I knew I could not replace missplaced ammo for the STA, but my backup plan was the .416 Rem that I figured the PH could supply ammo for in a pinch. Good shooting.

1st trip - 375 H&H + 30-06
2nd trip - 375 H&H
3rd trip - 375 H&H + 30-06
4th trip - 404 Jeffery + 300 WM + 375 H&H

I have been to Africa twice, and used the same gun both times. A Pre'64 Model 70 .375 H&H Magnum. The first trip was for Lion the second Buffalo. The PH's liked the gun, and caliber alot!

I have many trips in to Africa, various countries, and my wife is South African. I am a shooter/handloader, and wildcatter and have on many occasions taken rifles and ammo that seem to scare some of you. As of yet I have never had an issue, not even one, and sometimes not even having proper headstamped brass! Oh Yes, I know, it is a chance we take sometimes, and it only takes one hardhead that don't have a clue, (most of them) to spoil your day, or your trip.

When taking a wildcat I (all of the time these days) I try and think ahead of some of the problems you might run into if you do not intend to have headstamped brass. For instance some of my 50 B&M rifles are marked on the barrel 50/300 Remington Ultra--or 9.3X338 Winchester. I know the brass is marked and most of the time I think maybe you can bluff your way thru--"Hey, this is marked 338 Winchester, so is the gun!" That sort of thing. I do try however to have proper brass if at all possible, at least 1/2 the ammo, with headstamps turned up--the other down! In the last few years every where I have been they have been far more concerned about the number matching what is on the permit, so actually counting the rounds--but not even looking at headstamps or rifle markings. You should have seen one of them trying to count rounds coming in to Bulawayo last year, what a hoot--She must have counted them, or attempted to count them 6-8 times and still did not get it right! HEH! Of course I was not much help either, I kept talking to her!

One of the other big concerns is arriving without your guns, gear, ammo or what have you. Truth is this can sure happen! On one trip in 2000 to Zimbabwe it was a straight thru flights from Atlanta to Vic Falls via J'Burg of course. My rifles ended up in J'burg for half my trip. From that trip on I always--Always-Always spend a few days in South Africa--picking up my rifles from Atlanta or Washington to J'Burg--spend a few days--then on to the other destination. This way you are far more likely to get your gear. Another concern is late flights. Most of them are late these days. This year going to SA with my boys, our local flight was late getting to Washington, we just barely made the flight to J'burg, and of course nothing we checked made it until the same flight the next day. At any rate since I always at least spend the night in J'burg before going to the next destination I have not lost or had anything not arrive. Yes, you will have to get a SA permit and it is a pain in the rear, but better that than to not arrive with your gear. For me I am only interested in hunting with MY Rifles and Ammo--not someone else rifle or ammo-in fact I would refuse to hunt. So for me it is extremely important to arrive with rifles and gear.

I am trying to remember some of the cartridges I have hunted with in the past.

338 Winchester, 35 Whelen, 45/70, 458 Winchester, 458 Lott (long before Hornady Brass), 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 358 STA(using 375 H&H brass and 8mmRem Brass), 416 Remington, 6.5X300WSM, 416 B&M, 458 B&M, 50 B&M. These are the ones I can remember.

Although never once in all these years and all the different countries has my brass been checked, it is always a good idea to have proper brass if at all possible--if not have your barrel marked so that you might get by with it if ever checked.

Michael

Mostly take my 338, but have taken 375 H & H, 20ga. and this fall 416 Taylor and my 9.3X72R-16Ga drilling. I believve this was my 4th trip with the drilling. Planning on taking 450/400 Ruger #1 and maybe 45-70 double ....

35 Whelen with 250 grain NorthForks and a 300 WSM with 180 gr. X bullets.

PH loved the Whelen after it poleaxed a big wildebeest and zebra with 1 shot drops on the second day.

On my first trip in 95 I took a 358STA and a 7mmSTW......

The 7mmSTW made it again another two times. I have also taken; 257Wby, 25-06, 300Wby, 264 Win Mag, 300RUM and 338RUM.

One trip to the Eastern Cape and the Waterberg Mountains I only used my 257Wby with 115 XBT's, taking 3 Cape Kudu and two Zebra amongst other game.........

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:
On my first trip in 95 I took a 358STA and a 7mmSTW......

The 7mmSTW made it again another two times. I have also taken; 257Wby, 25-06, 300Wby, 264 Win Mag, 300RUM and 338RUM.

One trip to the Eastern Cape and the Waterberg Mountains I only used my 257Wby with 115 XBT's, taking 3 Cape Kudu and two Zebra amongst other game.........

Plinking them to death...

Funnily enough the 257 was very efficient and the PH's loved the thing.

You should take up a similar challenge Mac

That towed artillery of yours must be tiring...

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:


Funnily enough the 257 was very efficient and the PH's loved the thing.

You should take up a similar challenge Mac

That towed artillery of yours must be tiring...

I'm working on a middle-bore for de-gamification activities but doubt I'll make it to the Motherland anytime soon...

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:


Funnily enough the 257 was very efficient...

Funnily - what a great word! I will definitely adopt that one. Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:


Funnily enough the 257 was very efficient and the PH's loved the thing.

You should take up a similar challenge Mac

That towed artillery of yours must be tiring...

I'm working on a middle-bore for de-gamification activities but doubt I'll make it to the Motherland anytime soon...

To the combined despair and amusement of my PH and game farm owner in Namibia, have arrived at one time or another with:
.300 H&H flanged
.350 Rigby No. 2
.375 H&H flanged
.500/.450 Nitro
12 ga. Paradox
10 gauge DARNE with 2-7/8" chambers

This coming year I'll be there with a .303 Brit using the 215 gr. bullet and the Darne 10 gauge.

Ammo has so far always arrived although last year the suitcase took some extra time to appear at JHB airport.

Regards

My last trip to Zim I took my 470 Evans for elephant and my 416 Hoffman on a Dakota action. I used the 416 for buffalo, bushbuck, impala and baboon.

I have a trip scheduled for this May and I plan on bringing a 500/450 for elephant and a 375 H&H for everything else.