I've an elephant hunt booked for 2006 and am starting to practice with my WR 470.

What is the longest shot you have had to make?

How did you practice, especially to get used to shooting up rather than horizontally?

thanks in advance.

mike

I shot one some where between 55-60 yards it was a side brain shot and was perfect. I wouldnt go over 75 yards unless it was an extrordinary circumstance, like a 100lb or the last day etc and 100 would be the max no amtter what.

I shot another one at 40-45 yards that was slightly uphill, we didnt notice at the time and was hard to tell from where we fired the gun at, but could easily tell from where the elephant was at. I just missed the brain, again it was a side shot. It was out cold so we ran up and put a finisher in it, but a I like perfection so I wasnt to happy about that one.

AussieMike
Good luck on your elephant hunt.
I shot 3 elephants last June in Zimbabwe with my 450 No2 double rifle with 480 Woodleigh Solids.
I frontal brained one cow at 6 yards, then put in 2 insurance shots to the body, and side brained another cow at 12 yards. On the second cow no insurance shots were fired because the rest of the herd immediately came our way, so we quickly backed out.
On my bull I encountered him in thick jess 3 times but did not have a good shot.
As we entered a more open area we saw him walking almost broadside at 120 yards. I quickly went to a kneeling position and just before he stepped out of site fired my right bbl into his shoulder, which stopped him for an instant. I immediately fired my left bbl [the time between the 2 shots was less than a second and a half, timed on the video], the elephant had lifted his left front leg and was turning to his right. The second bullet struck high on the leg bone, breaking it, exiting the leg, and then passing through the trunk. The bull spun around and started toward us. As I was reloading the PH says,"He's comming... He comes". The bull made about 3 or 4 of his body lengths and fell to his knees, his tusks leaving gouges in the ground. I began running toward him, and as he got back up the PH says "Brain Him". So I stop and standing offhand from about 60 to 70 yards fire a frontal brain shot that knocks him down on his right side. The PH and I then run up to the bull
and I kneel and fire a right into the top of his head, with out much reaction, reload and fire the left into the top of his head about 3 inches higher and get the typical brain shot reaction, [the flexing of his back legs].
I recovered the 2 bullets from the brain shots on the cows and the frontal brain shot on the bull.
Be sure and have the skinners look for your bullets.
I would practice shooting offhand to 50 yards, kneeling to 100 yards. I would take a few shots at 150 and 200 kneeling, just to see if my rifle is capable of hitting anything that far away. I would also practice shooting fast and accurate at 25 yards and closer on a 3" target.
Also practice reloading your double. With a double rifle you have several options:
Shoot one, reload one.
Shoot two, reload two.
Shoot two, reload one. This last one becomes important if an animal is running toward you OR away from you and is about to run out of site and you have only enough time to load one/shoot one.
I recommend you carry extra ammo on your rifle buttstock and on your belt. Loading from the buttstock carrier is much faster. You can be along way from the truck at times [several hours walk]
and you do not want to run short of ammo. I carried a 15 round belt and 6 rounds on the rifle stock. I used the www.murraycustomleather.com C-3C Butt Stock Shell Holder, and the C-8 Rifle Cartridge Belt.
I had the same buttstock shell carrier and belt for my 9,3x74R double rifle too which made it easy when switching rifles, as I could quickly switch belts.
Shoot your double as much as you can before you go.
Who and where are you hunting with? Are you taking another rifle too?

I'm going with Buzz Charlton and tossing up between a 9.3x64 bolt, a 9.3x74 drilling and a 375 H&H Flanged as a second firearm, all scoped.

mike

AussieMike,

the adventure and excitement of an ele hunt is below 30 yards. I shot most of my eles around 20 yards.

I am sure, that Buzz Charlton will go with you for this distance. No need for training longer distance shots, but try to get familiar with shot placement at different angles of the head.

Part of the challenge of an elephant hunt is to get as close as possible. I would suggest being prepared for shots up to 50/75 yards, but expect to shoot in the 10-20 yard range.

I agree with the above posters, getting close and making brain shots is what elephant hunting is all about. However... when it is late in the day, late in your 21 day hunt, and you are after an elephant that the PH says is the biggest he has ever seen in that area. you have been close in the thick jess 3 different times and could not get a shot, the elephant knows you are there and is heading out, it is comforting to have the skill with your rifle [from lots of practice] to make a fairly long shot with a big bore double.
The result was a 55 pounder.
And I still got to brain him as he came for us.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I agree with the above posters, getting close and making brain shots is what elephant hunting is all about. However... when it is late in the day, late in your 21 day hunt, and you are after an elephant that the PH says is the biggest he has ever seen in that area. you have been close in the thick jess 3 different times and could not get a shot, the elephant knows you are there and is heading out, it is comforting to have the skill with your rifle [from lots of practice] to make a fairly long shot with a big bore double.
The result was a 55 pounder.
And I still got to brain him as he came for us.

I agree, when you are going after the ivory and the bad boy is getting ready to leave the concession, take the shot that is presented.

20 yards or less...I wouldn't shoot passed 25 or 30 yards unless he was a really big elephant and then I might take whatever and shoot him in the heart with a .470 or something big...

I am also going for Elephant this year in Rhodesia or Mosambique. My friend and PH David Brooke told me that I should expect a 20 paces shoot as a long shot and 10 paces as a normal distance..

The future will tell...

I will use my Brno ZG 47 in .404 Rimless Nitro Express.

Husky

quote:

Originally posted by husky:

My friend and PH David Brooke told me that I should expect a 20 paces shoot as a long shot and 10 paces as a normal distance..

That is my kind of PH!

I hunted with Buzz last year in the Dande. I shot my first elephant, a cow, coming at us at 16 yards. Frontal brain shot with a .416 Rigby with a 410 grain Woodleigh solid. My bull was shot at 13 yards in the shoulder in thick, thick jess with the same rifle and bullet. Buzz likes to hunt eles right and will get you in close. Makes for great excitement. You can see my elephant on Buzz's website www.cmsafaris.com on the top of page 2. You are going to enjoy the hunt of a lifetime! Good luck and let us know how you do.
Russell