I have been busy with college, fraternity life, studying, and practicing shooting lately. One of the principles instilled in me from a veteran safari hunter, is "one shot one kill." This principle comes directly from hunting dangerous game in Africa.

Another thing he has taught me is rifle lessons from Africa.
Don't select anything but a bolt action
Don't select a rifle with a floor drop
Select a proven caliber and cartridge
ONLY USE A PROVEN SCOPE- LEUPOLD, ETC.
The rifle should be an extension of your arm



Are there any lessons Africa has taught you?

rhromm - One thing I have learned in hunting Africa is not to get uptight over things you have no control of. Africa operates on it's own time, so relax, go with the flow and enjoy to the max.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Lessons I learned:

Shoot until it quits moving or I am out of ammo. Bullets are cheap.

I love hunting with a double and have hunted DG with a single shot and would do so again.

My bolt guns have a floor drop. (hinged floorplate)

I like iron sites as well as scopes.

The moral is use good equipment, practice, and most important, enjoy every moment, as there is no better place to be than on safari.

"Don't select a rifle with a floor drop"

What does this mean?

A. Do not select a rifle by dropping it on the floor to see how it responds?

B. Do not use a rifle with a detachable magazine?

C. Do not use a rifle with a hinged floor plate?

D. Use only single shot bolt action rifles or blind magazine bolt action rifles?

quote:

Originally posted by rhromm:
I have been busy with college, fraternity life, studying, and practicing shooting lately. One of the principles instilled in me from a veteran safari hunter, is "one shot one kill." This principle comes directly from hunting dangerous game in Africa.

Another thing he has taught me is rifle lessons from Africa.
Don't select anything but a bolt action
Don't select a rifle with a floor drop
Select a proven caliber and cartridge
ONLY USE A PROVEN SCOPE- LEUPOLD, ETC.
The rifle should be an extension of your arm

Are there any lessons Africa has taught you?

Yes, don't allow any one 'veteran safari hunter' to instill in you his principles.

Africa in general, and dangerous game hunting in particular, is far too complex for easy lessons. "One shot, one kill"? Looks good on a tee-shirt, but it doesn't jibe with reality. With a little experience of your own, I suspect that your other lessons-learned will also eventually change. And with that, like the rest of us, you too will be able to instill your own principles into some future wide-eyed tyro.

RE what you have posted; my Grandfather taught me many valuable lessons about life.

1. trust everybody, but ALWAYS cut the cards.
2. listen politely, but learn to think for yourself.
3. you get out of life about what you put in to it.

That covers African hunting as well.
About the bolt rifle thing: double rifles go Boom-Boom! Bolt rifles go Boom-clacka-ching-clacka-Boom!

Rich
DRSS

A floor drop is another thing to go wrong on a rifle. Its the hinged floor plate common on ADL rifles. The reason for a bolt action rifle comes back to durability, accuracy, and such. His lecture on scopes was to open my eyes to cheap scopes, not iron sites. He often stated that a scope can and will cost more than most of my rifles.

It was just general tid-bits of information bestowed upon me from African experiences.

One shot, one kill is not bestowed upon most Americans. Its the lack of danger, and relative ease of over gunning a species. I would have never valued shot placement, bullet selection, or rifle choices if it weren't for him.

Rich,

You are correct, I phrased myself incorrect. His voice pointed more away from the fancy TC rifles seen on TV and towards multiple round guns. However, double barrel rifles in calibers that are adequate for plans game/deer/bear, are rare around here. So his advice was more to hamper me from the TV hype many others in the area trended towards.

My first gun was a double barrel fox 20 gauge at the rightful age of seven. It was given to me the Christmas before my father passed (mere days later). I had to shoot this gun until I turned fourteen and received my first rifle. This double barrel kicked on both ends. My second deer I harvested was between 80 and 90 paces, with buckshot. Everything I shot fell, practically in its tracks. Even to this day I do not own a gun that has harvested more game. I guess I shot around 20 deer, countless ducks, dove, squirrels, and other critters for Momma to cook.

That gun brings back fond memories, its cut down to youth size, has a short barrel and is near worn out. I should be ashamed of the shape an antique gun such as it is current exists. However, I am relatively proud of its condition, for it severed me on many adventures.

If this gun was calibered in a sufficient rifle caliber, I would feel comfortable shooting from the hip shots at surprising yardages. This is the one gun I can say honestly is an extension of my arm, simply because I fired thousands of shells through it. I have developed an innate feel for several other guns, but none quite like that little fox.

I understand your love of that 20 Gauge Fox SXS.
Nice.
Gifted from your Pop, a priceless heirloom.

My Pop got me started shooting shotgun at 8 y.o.
And I still have his "Ted Williams" from Sears and Roebuck.

quote:

Originally posted by rhromm:
A floor drop is another thing to go wrong on a rifle. Its the hinged floor plate common on ADL rifles ...

No man, you got that wrong.
The ADL M700 Remington has a blind magazine with no floor plate.
The M700 BDL is the one with the hinged floorplate, and it is much more reliable and durable than the ADL.

More reliable because the hinged floor plate makes it easier to clear a jamb and to clean out any dirt or debris that gets in the magazine.

The hinged floor plate model is thus more durable because you are less likely to get stuck with a jamb and thus the rifle is less likely to be trod upon by the big critter that looks at you like you owe it money.

RIP,

The point about the "floor drop" is that a number of hinged floorplates have a poor catch. Some rifles can dump a load of rounds on your feet without warning, and in this the point of advice is correct.

If you have a hinged floorplate (very useful thing), make darn sure that the catch CAN'T open by itself.

All the points of advice given to rhomm are based on a simple principle: Get the most reliable tool you can find.

Then handle it and shoot it until you can do it without having to think about it.

Great piece of advice, and the last one is probably the most overlooked when it comes to "safari rifles".

Phillip A.,
If all else fails on securing your hinged floor plate, then drill and tap some threads to accept a machine screw/bolt to hold it shut, but still accessable by unscrewing the tiny bolt, slotted head, hex head, etc.

It is baloney to say that a hinged floor plate is undesirable.
It is undesirable to not have a hinged floor plate.
And that ain't no "floor drop."

Check out the bolt actions of the bespoke: Usually Mauser actions with several reliable methods of securing the floor plate,
the most humble and reliable of which is the standard military Mauser type.
Battle proven reliable.
Hey! Thats a drop-dead-reliable floor drop!

Detachable magazines are a necessary evil for full auto and selective fire combat weapons.
Adds unreliability to a DGR.
Now that is a bad floor drop.

quote:

Originally posted by rhromm:
I have been busy with college, fraternity life, studying, and practicing shooting lately. One of the principles instilled in me from a veteran safari hunter, is "one shot one kill." This principle comes directly from hunting dangerous game in Africa.

Another thing he has taught me is rifle lessons from Africa.
Don't select anything but a bolt action
Don't select a rifle with a floor drop
Select a proven caliber and cartridge
ONLY USE A PROVEN SCOPE- LEUPOLD, ETC.
The rifle should be an extension of your arm



Are there any lessons Africa has taught you?

A veteran? Really?

The Model 70, 98, and 77 all come with hinged floor plates.

The principle of bolt rifles or double rifles or really any rifle other than a single shot is the follow up shot followed by the follow up followed by,...

I am under the impression much game world wide has been taken without the use of Leopold. Or other name brand optics.

Yes the rifle should be an extension and Frat Life in most cases does not generally facilitate,.....

Jesus I hope your frat brothers take you more seriously than the adults do.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
RE what you have posted; my Grandfather taught me many valuable lessons about life.

1. trust everybody, but ALWAYS cut the cards.
2. listen politely, but learn to think for yourself.
3. you get out of life about what you put in to it.

That covers African hunting as well.
About the bolt rifle thing: double rifles go Boom-Boom! Bolt rifles go Boom-clacka-ching-clacka-Boom!

Rich
DRSS

Now now Rich, while the bolt can keep going "clacka-ching-clacka-Boom" for 4 or 5 times, after the double has gone Boom-Boom and the charging buff has gone boom-boom to you, then the double man must go click-ching-ching-chug-chug-click then maybe Boom-Boom again if you can get up from under the buff's feet.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
rhromm - One thing I have learned in hunting Africa is not to get uptight over things you have no control of. Africa operates on it's own time, so relax, go with the flow and enjoy to the max.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

+1

I'm sure most of the bitching on here is from people who have failed to understand this essential element of being in Africa.

Scott King,

He is still young and one day will join us band of African hunters. His research and queries are part of his learning process. Some lessons will be learned here.

rhromm,

My .404J is built on the original mauser obendorf action and the floor plate is infallible. On the other hand I have a .458WM Whitworth which apparently is prone to dumping cartridges, however mine does not.

From my understanding floor plate problems stemmed from those who were culling and who were putting many hundreds of if not thousands of heavy caliber rounds through their well used bolt actions. The floor plates were then prone to wear and tear especially on the hinge.

If you want to know about recommended African rifles and cartridges then do some reading. Boddington produced quite a concise book on the subject. Pondoro Taylor's writings are timeless and there are many here who are qualified to advise you.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Scott King,

He is still young and one day will join us band of African hunters. His research and queries are part of his learning process. Some lessons will be learned here.

rhromm,

My .404J is built on the original mauser obendorf action and the floor plate is infallible. On the other hand I have a .458WM Whitworth which apparently is prone to dumping cartridges, however mine does not.

From my understanding floor plate problems stemmed from those who were culling and who were putting many hundreds of if not thousands of heavy caliber rounds through their well used bolt actions. The floor plates were then prone to wear and tear especially on the hinge.

If you want to know about recommended African rifles and cartridges then do some reading. Boddington produced quite a concise book on the subject. Pondoro Taylor's writings are timeless and there are many here who are qualified to advise you.

Andrew, take no notice of Scott "Coretta" King, he is basically just a turd.

Don't waste any band width with him, he is a sorry case.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike70560:
Lessons I learned:

Shoot until it quits moving or I am out of ammo. Bullets are cheap.

I love hunting with a double and have hunted DG with a single shot and would do so again.

My bolt guns have a floor drop. (hinged floorplate)

I like iron sites as well as scopes.

The moral is use good equipment, practice, and most important, enjoy every moment, as there is no better place to be than on safari.

Sounds fare enough to me.

fairgame,
How many rounds does your Whitworth hold?

Things I have learned from Africa...(not African hunting)..

Some of the world's most beautiful territory contains some of the world's most cruel and murderous people.

Disease is more likely to kill or disable you than a mamba or a puff adder.

Poverty is the norm, rather than the exception.

A fifty year-old AK 47 or SKS will still efficiently kill people without ever have been cleaned.

The triumph of the human spirit over the most difficult and horrible adversity is truly inspirational.

quote:

Originally posted by rhromm:

Are there any lessons Africa has taught you?

Go now. Figure out shooting sticks right away.
Take a proof target along for the scope checks. Don't move the crosshairs unless the holes are different. PH's can be wrong.
Know where your rounds hit / where to aim at 10 to 25 yards as well as at distance. (Aim higher for up close.)
Take what the bush provides. (You aren't shopping from a list.)
You can't read or watch videos to predict what it will be like. Enjoy them for the aura.
Forget about politics while you are there. Act like a guest instead of an online know-it-all.
Be nice and take M&M's -- Halloween sizes are GREAT! Tips are money, not knives, clothes, etc.
Be polite and smile lots. Learn how to say a few things in the local language(s) like "Good morning", "Thank you", etc.
Drink your water, drink your water, drink your water.
Forget about "once in a lifetime". You'll go back again (unless you hate the first time.)

. . . start hunting Africa as young as you can so you can do it for as long as you want. Don't let your conscience convince you to "wait until I retire", "wait until the kids are out of school", "wait until the house is paid off", "wait until . . ." As Nike would say, Just Do It.

Often times hunters would let their trackers carry their rifles. A tracker would press every button, gadget, and lever on the gun. The floor plate would be depressed and the cartridges would fall out. The tracker would be too scared to speak up, so they would ignore the problem. Up the road a ways a buffalo herd may be spotted. The gun owner retrieves his gun from the tracker, and goes to load a round from the magazine. BLOODY HELL!!!!

I am sure someone will jump on me for that story.... A local had a 30-06 for deer hunting. He consistently unloaded the rifle from the floor drop. One day when trying to reload a second cartridge for a follow up shot on a buck, he realized his spring was too weak to load another round.He always told me he felt like it stemmed from the floor drop. This was a mistake he well payed for by missing the buck. His next rifle was a custom shop Remington model 700 300 win mag, without a floor drop.

I am sure many game animals have fallen to tasco, redfield, busnell and others. Its just when your shot of a lifetime counts on it, why skimp on scope quality. Often those scopes wont hold properly. Most locals swear to leupold for mid-grade scopes, and swaroski or such for upper-grade scopes.


I am surprised I haven't seen anything leading towards appreciation of America. I don't fully appreciate America to its fullest, nor do I think I am truly grateful.

I was impressed with the fixes a PH can surmise posting and that was why I was curious as to what Africa has taught you. It seems like a much greater understanding of life can be brought home.

Also, have y'all been in any situations where you just stop and thank God?

I am sure most wont admit to it, but does pure fear ever run through your eyes?

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike70560:
Lessons I learned:

Shoot until it quits moving or I am out of ammo. Bullets are cheap.

I love hunting with a double and have hunted DG with a single shot and would do so again.

My bolt guns have a floor drop. (hinged floorplate)

I like iron sites as well as scopes.

The moral is use good equipment, practice, and most important, enjoy every moment, as there is no better place to be than on safari.

Sounds fare enough to me.

fairgame,
How many rounds does your Whitworth hold?

One up and three down if need be.

Go as soon as you can. My first African trip waited until I was 48, now at 56 I realize I don't have as many trips left in me as I would like. Not that I'm all done, but I wish I had another 20 years worth of safari under my belt.
Pick a rifle and cartridge you like, within certain parameters. You have a lot of latitude, here. Keep in mind that a dangerous game rifle has a whole 'nother set of requirements.
Read as much as you can. I think good starting points are John Taylor's "African Rifles and Cartridges." Get a copy of Bartle Bull's "Safari, A chronicle of Adventure." This is available used from Amazon or ABE.com.
Shooting practice and fitness are pretty obvious, but a little studying will greatly enrich your hunting experience.
What have I learned from Africa? I don't know where to start.

As others have said, just go and don't have too many preconceived notions. Go with an open mind, listen to those who have been there and done that and especially learn to separate the good advice from the BS

quote:

One thing I have learned in hunting Africa is not to get uptight over things you have no control of. Africa operates on it's own time, so relax, go with the flow and enjoy to the max.

ABSOLUTELY! The whole continent is like this. Push Africa too hard or start making demands on her rather than calmly taking what she gives you and you will find yourself with nothing and quite possibly also in a world of shit. My #1 lesson from Africa was and remains "CALM THE FUCK DOWN!"

Yes - don't take obvious bait on an internet forum.

Poli Poli no hurry in Africa. was true when I first heard it yrs. ago and it's still true now

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
Poli Poli no hurry in Africa. was true when I first heard it yrs. ago and it's still true now

Truer even when you climb Kilimanjaro...

The only word I got more tired of was "Jambo!"

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
rhromm - One thing I have learned in hunting Africa is not to get uptight over things you have no control of. Africa operates on it's own time, so relax, go with the flow and enjoy to the max.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

+1

I'm sure most of the bitching on here is from people who have failed to understand this essential element of being in Africa.

+1

Also, I might add, I think Boddington said, Every time I go to Africa I realize how little I know.

Or something like that. I am sure I butchered it, but you get the point. Once you think you know what this safari business is all about, you realize you are wrong.

Keep an open mind.

All this other gun advice? Just take a reliable gun that you know. PF CRF, floorplates ... blah blah blah. Make sure it works, and you know how to use it.

I do agree that Africa is no place to try out an off-brand, or not top brand scope.

Get a good scope. You spend a minimum of $10k for this hunt, buy a good damn scope!

...and when things go south just remember, AWA...AFRICA WINS AGAIN. Patience is rewarded!

quote:

My .404J is built on the original mauser obendorf action and the floor plate is infallible. On the other hand I have a .458WM Whitworth which apparently is prone to dumping cartridges, however mine does not.

As is my own Oberndorf 404J although on arrival into New Zealand from Rhodesia as it was known then, the floor plate had been glued shut as seems to have been the "tradition".
I of course soon got rid of the glue and restored it to a drop floor. The catch is in perfect condition with a good strong spring and has never opened under recoil, or accidentally by me for that matter.

I have read once that a famous American actor, may have been Spencer Tracey, when on safari in Africa ended up dumping his mag full of cartridges on the deck when facing a charge. The actor or the story might be wrong but maybe the unreliability of some drop floors or hunters using, them gave rise to the practice of taping or gluing the floor plate shut?

I personally like the drop floor, easy to safely unload a bolt action and to keep the mag spring and box clean and oiled.

To ride, shoot straight and speak the truth; these are the ancient laws of youth.

Oh yes, and all of my bolt action hunting rifles have hinged floor plates.

quote:

Originally posted by rhromm:
Also, have y'all been in any situations where you just stop and thank God?

I am sure most wont admit to it, but does pure fear ever run through your eyes?

JudgeG
one of us
Posted 10 August 2005 19:30
Pierr'e slowly signaled for me to come abreast of him and when I arrived he cupped his hand to his ear and begin to listen intently. A four letter word then hissed from his lips and I turned my head towards him askance only to see him staring intently into the thick bush just ahead. Following his lead, I then studied tightly woven grass right before us and saw his cause for concern. The two tawny rear legs and the round belly of a lioness were barely visible about 15 feet away. Both of us slowly raised our rifles.

I was on the third day of a ten day hunt in the Selous, enjoying a few days of 1x1 hunting for buffalo with my old friend and P.H., Pierr'e van Tonder. I'd gotten into some really exciting and close up encounters with buffalo the first two days, but had no success putting everything together. After spending most of the early morning driving around in the Land Cruiser without results, upon the trackers recommendation, we drove to a dry river bed to check the sandy soil for tracks, hoping that a buffalo or three might have decided to wait out the midday heat in the shadows of the thick vegetation on both banks.

We arrived at our destination about 11:00 a.m. and parked the safari car in the shade and walked down a steep hippo trail to the white sand. After only a few hundred yards of travel down the winding koronga and fighting the powdery footing below, I was drenched in sweat and suffering in the 90 degree heat. Buffalo hunting isn't always fun. I was already breathing hard.

Twiga, the Masai tracker, suddenly froze. I then heard branches snap and the unmistakable bovine bellow of a buffalo up on the bank. It didn't sound very far away at all. We scrambled up a hippo rut as quietly as possible and listened some more. Again and again, we all heard the characteristic grunts and groans of a herd slowly feeding along in front of us. Soon, we began to find dung, still green and wet. My pulse quickened and my focus became more intent. Pierr'e turned and made sure I was carrying my rifle, a vintage Westley Richards .450/.400 double. "Keep up," he whispered and,. "We're really close" were the only and unnecessary words that he'd say for about 20 minutes as we slipped along, both following the willowy Masai. We often stopped and scanned the shadows for the black shapes of buffalo, and occasionally saw movement but couldn't determine gender, much less the quality of a possible trophy.

Then it happened. As described in the first paragraph, we were only a few feet from a lion whose intent was the same as ours and that was killing buffalo.

I gave an involuntary shiver when, although unseen, but closer than the length of an F250, a buffalo bellowed. The lion before us sprang and there was a tremendous whack of flesh on flesh just to the right of me. I couldn't tell if the lion had hit the buffalo, or the other way around, but within a second or two, the harpies of hell broke loose.

The tremendous thunder of hundreds of buffalo hooves was all around us. Lions growled and roared. The thud of hundreds... no... thousands of pounds of bodies colliding was seemingly continuous. Twiga had moved just to our rear and Pierr'e and I were back to back... and I silently thanked God that he shot left-handed. His .500 Jeffery was at his shoulder and my double at mine..

The thunder got infinitely louder and a cow and a full-grown calf came around a large clump of brush and headed directly for us with a lioness only inches behind them, swinging deliberately with her left front paw at the left flank of the mama buffalo. I could easily see terror in the eyes of the cow and cold deliberation in the coal-black pupils of the pursuer. The cow had a huge part of her ham ripped from it and its nose was spraying blood like a garden hose.

Before either Pierr'e or I could even react, all three animals saw us and skidded to a stop, a distance we later stepped off at seven paces. Pierr'e whispered to take a buffalo if they come an inch closer and I told him that I'd take the buff on the right... I guess we just prayed that the lion would flee at the shot. I don't remember why the buffalo seemed the greatest threat, but I clearly remember that it was.

And then I could feel Pierr'e become steel. "On the left..", and somehow, still keeping my attention on the two buffalo and the lioness in my sights, I saw a full-grown killing machine's head and shoulders appear only a couple of feet below the up raised rifle barrel of the Professional Hunter against whom my spine pressed. From a slither like a snake, she never gave us a glance and sprung for the calf. I'll never forget that leap. From almost under our feet she had no trajectory in her flight, but just powered straight at the animal, hitting it full on, spinning upon contact and attempting catch the nose within her powerful jaws. She succeeded and wrenched the calf's neck almost off its body as she dug her claws into the horribly moaning buffalo.

When the lioness under Pierr'e feet had jumped at the calf, its mother had valiantly lunged at the oncoming blur but missed. As a byproduct of her attempt to save her calf, she caused the lioness behind her to miss in its simultaneous attack from the rear, all this resulting in a roiling and bloody tangle of two lioness and two desperate buffalo in a tornado of death immediately before us.

As if a time out whistle had blown, the lions just let go of the prey and the temporarily reprieved buffalo stood only inches away from their attackers (and only feet from us). I could see the gore-covered heaving chests of the lions. Their teeth were bared. They purred a terrifyingly gentle r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r. Both cats just sat on their haunches for ten or so seconds and gathered strength, it seemed. And then with a look that said, "I know you're there", they turned their stares to us and squared their shoulders in our direction. I was so damn close to the "right" lioness that the round bead on the front sight didn't even cover the entire bloody nose of the animal I had targeted. I began to very deliberately pull the trigger. I had had enough.

A millisecond before the sear broke, the buffalo took the opportunity to spin away and the chase was on again. "My" lion was after the calf this time and she whipped her paws at the retreating legs of the animal and ripped at its hams with teeth that seemed as long a those of a saber-toothed tiger.

What the hell! Three additional lions that we'd never seen flew past us just missing Twiga who was at our rear. Later he told us he'd seen them within yards, crouched in the shadows, but figured there wasn't a damned thing we could do about them with all the carnage going on in front of us.

Both wounded buffalo tried to get up a steep hill, but with the damage already done and the harrying of the lions, couldn't make it up and over. They turned and came charging back directly at us, only to be turned to my right by another lioness, to then unseen, that is, until she professionally performed her blocking tactic. I'd never seen her even though she first appeared only the length of a good trout rod from me. I aimed at the hole in her ear until she completed her task when the buffalo turned back and bayed against a tree trunk. By this time, in full view, we could count six lions. One or two were juvenile males... but big as hell... and they all fanned before us and made a semi-circle around the screaming buffalo.

The lions had it figured out. The two in the center just awaited the inevitable while the other four began to slide to the sides and rear of the buffalo.... again, all this no further away than the length of a fairly "makeable" birdie putt. Twiga tapped me and pointed to our right side. A fully adult male, albeit with only a thin mane and a still yellow nose was slipping through the brush with a path that would go over my shaking feet. I signaled to Pierr'e that I wanted to give way.

Pierr'e grabbed me by the shirt and pulled. Still back to back, we moved away from the oncoming lion who alternately glanced at our retreating figures and back at his prospective dinner. He was pretty well stove up, and we latter figured that the initial contact had been a successful, if temporary bashing of this big guy by one of the buffalo in the herd.... but who knows? Thankfully, he made his way into the circle of lions and let us retire to where we now had twenty yards of comfort. Whoopee.. Twenty yards. Think about it.

For the first time, I took my eyes off of the lions and buffalo to assess a path up the hill and to relative safety. Pierr'e, angry as hell, said, "Don't you dare take your eyes off of them". I complied.

As if on a signal, the lions again attacked and all the animals, the killers and the prey, thundered in a cloud of dust and flying blood down toward the dry river bed. Ripping, tearing... all the lions taking their turns in perfect time. I was in awe.

Pierr'e, Twiga and I didn't speak or move for maybe a full minute, still expecting another lion or tiger or dragon or Viet Cong or T-Rex to come out of the bushes at us. Then we heard the plantive death moan of a buffalo... a short pause and the sound of a single buff galloping madly away from us through the brush and the whisper-whip of the grass as the lions followed..

We looked where we had stood during the majority of the incident. Blood was all around where our feet had been. We looked at our britches... we were peppered with tiny specks of red. Our legs wobbled. We wanted to sit down, but were afraid to do so because we didn't know if we'd be able to get up. We began a stupid giggle and the game scout and assistant tracker who had witnessed the whole thing from the immediate hillside, joined us... We all jabbered, no one paying one bit of attention to the other...

Finally, we began to all tell our stories to each other..... stories bound to be embellished some as time passed, but right then.. It was real and we couldn't lie to each other. Pierr'e, Twiga and I had bonded as brothers... it was the most exciting time I had ever spent in my life...

I didn't just witness the Cadillacs of Killers in action.. I had been a part of it. I didn't see it on television or even sit in a safari car and watch it from a distance. I had blood on me. It was primal, basic, perfect, raw and the most scarlet and scariest damn thing that man may be able to walk away from.

And unlike Francis Macomber, I, in Pierre's eyes, had passed the test....

And I felt pretty darn good about that.

We carefully backtracked to the vehicle and I tried to eat lunch. I threw up my guts when I took the first bite.... And then thought a little more kindly about the dear deceased Mr. Macumber. My reaction just took 15 minutes longer than his, I guess.

I've been to the mountaintop, it seems. I loved every frantic second and I wanted it to last forever. I wanted the Westley Richards to thump against my shoulder when the lion took one more step or the buff lowered her head to charge. I felt strength in my brothers' back and pure joy in their laughter afterwards. And the memories are mine until I die... burned into my brain as sure as a brand.

And I guess that's why I go to Africa..


JudgeG ... just counting time 'til I am again finding balm in Gilead chilled out somewhere in the Selous.

The lesson I remember most from my first safari is exactly what "just now" means...

quote:

Originally posted by rhromm:
A floor drop is another thing to go wrong on a rifle. Its the hinged floor plate common on ADL rifles.

Re ADL rifles. I would add another lesson: don't use a Remington.

Rip

He mesns hinged floor plate = and any experienced bolt action man knows what he means -so stop picking on a young man who is asking questions. (Want to piuck a fight with me about hinged floor plates? It happens -believe me -and it's very unsettling when it does -even in your house.

Rip:

I should add (in your defense since I took aim at you) that I never had a hinge plate fall out except after I had done a detail stripping of the rifle -and was careless in doing some rescrewing.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom In Tennessee:
The lesson I remember most from my first safari is exactly what "just now" means...

I have always wondered why people from elsewhere find 'just now' so confusing....I mean, 'just now' is 'just now', very straightforward.

1. Go now, don't wait until later
2. Take extra cash for those animals you see but hadn't originally planned on taking.
3. Plan a longer stay.
4. Don't think you can only go once.
5. Take more pictures and video than you think you would.
6. See number 4 above.