quote:

You have totally wiped out any respect that I might have or would ever have for you

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Originally posted by rcamuglia:
So RW,

Since it "works" on moose, I'm guessing it's your choice for everything on down from there.

Why did you choose it?

What is your choice for African plains game, DG, and elephant and why please?

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Originally posted by Robert Wilde:
Here's the ultimate weapon Don't leave home without it!

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Originally posted by rcamuglia:
I'm trying to be stoic and opinionless

It's tough

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Originally posted by vapodog:

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Originally posted by rcamuglia:
I'm trying to be stoic and opinionless

It's tough

LOL.....and Miles is still looking for a 400 pound deer!

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No, he isn't I found you one 300 from this last season. If you are too stupid or lazy to go look for yourself it might make a lot of sense why you never found one when you lived here.

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Originally posted by miles58:
I have killed white tails over 300 pounds . In Minnesota where I live, they can be over 400.

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1. Prarie Dog

2. Coyote

3. Piggy

4. Whitetail, Antelope (150 lbs.)

5. Mule Deer (200-300 lbs)

6. Elk, Oryx, Large African Plains game (500-1000 lbs)

7. African Dangerous Game, (Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, "ele", etc..)

quote:

Originally posted by Mike70560:

quote:

1. Prarie Dog

2. Coyote

3. Piggy

4. Whitetail, Antelope (150 lbs.)

5. Mule Deer (200-300 lbs)

6. Elk, Oryx, Large African Plains game (500-1000 lbs)

7. African Dangerous Game, (Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, "ele", etc..)

In an effort to get this thread back on track I will post my choices.

1) 22 Long rifle. Very difficult and tricky but would be plenty of fun. Shooting dogs at 200 yards with my .223 would be too easy.

2) 223 Remington. Plenty enough power and the 223 rifles I own are plenty accurate enough for far in excess of 200 yards for coyotes.

3 to 5) 7 by 57 Mauser. Other than my 223s it is the smallest cenerfire rifle I currently own. IMO a 223 is not enough rifle for these animals. A 25-06 would also be another good choice on the low end and the 243 has worked for years. The vast majority of deer I have killed have been with a 7MM Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag. They are the rifles I enjoy shooting.

6) Elk would be 300 Win Mag, although I have never hunted one. African plains game becomes a little more difficult. 338 Win mag is my lower limit. A large eland can weigh 2000 lbs (I know the scenario is up to 1000lbs) and the amount of muscle on the chest and shoulder is impressive to say the least. All three of my African hunts have been in DG areas and in those places I prefer to have a 375 H&H. It is a fine PG rifle and is also good for dangerous game.

7) Leopard would be a 7 by 57, maybe. I am planning on hunting Mr. Spots in May and may bring a 300 Win as it is what the PH recommends.

Lion would be no smaller than a 338 Win. They are not that big nor thick skinned but there is nothing that can be on top of you quicker or cause more damage in less time than a big male lion. They still scare the crap out of me in the wild.

Buffalo is a 375. First of all it is legal minimum. Second recoil is so mild just about anybody can shoot it. With good softs/solids it will easily get the job done. My sample size of six buffalo is small but the 416 Rem definitely hits harder and puts them down faster than the 375 did. Shot placement was good with the 375 but those buff are plain tough. I put 10 rounds from my 470 in one this year before it finally succombed. The first and third shots were pretty damn good, the buffalo just did not read those energy figures.

Hippo and rhino would be pretty much the same as buffalo.

This leaves my favorite animal, elephants.

416 Rem/Rigby/Ruger would be my minimum. They can be killed with smaller, I will not dispute that. Here are my reasons for the 416. First, recoil is very manageable. Second it is a good step up in power from a 375. Third elephant hunting is expensive, I cannot afford any stunts when I go. In three trips my PH has not fired a single shot backing me up. I always had enough rifle and continued shooting as needed. His main concern is the safety of the client, his trackers, and himself, not to stroke the ego of somebody with an undersized rifle or someone who makes a poor shot with even a 577 Nitro. They will shoot if needed and I do not fly 8000 miles to have somebody shoot my game. Bell is referenced multiple times in this thread. I am not Bell (nor anybody else on this forum) and this is not 1930. It is my preference to read Taylor. I believe in his Taylor Knockout Value. It was designed to give a scale of how long an elephant would be knocked out on a near miss to the brain. The larger calibers definitely have an advantage. In "African Rifles and Cartridges" Taylor references a quote from Elmer Keith that discusses the use of small calibers for large game. It ends with "Such men need their head examined. Certainly it is not sportsmanship they display" (Page 184) Another very good book about hunting elephants is "Months of the Sun" by Ian Nyschens. (pronounced Nations) He hunted elephants in the Zambezi Valley in the most difficult circumstances and terrain. His opinion was a 404 Jefferies was too small and prefered a 450 NE if I remember correctly. I only reference this because for every Bell or Stigand (who used a 450NE for backup) the were many many more hunters like Taylor, Sutherland, Nyschens, or even Elmer Keith.

Anyway those are my choices and reasons why. I will not try to change anybody's mind as to what they would use. It is the individual hunter who must live with his decisions.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win
There is a book that came out a couple years ago titled The Last Frontiersman and is about a friend of our named Heimo Korth. Heimo lives very remote just south of the Brooks Range in ANWAR and the rifle he uses on everything from caribou and moose to grizzlies is a 22-250. He says he has killed half a dozen grizzlies with it. His secret ? Simply to put the little bullet in the correct place.