You are leaving early tomorrow morning for a plainsgame hunt in Southern Africa (Kudu, Impala, the usual stuff). You will hunt in the Kalahri and in the Northern Province. What rifle would you take?

The Rules: Read before posting;

Only one rifle allowed.
It must work for all animals from Duiker to Eland, and maybe a Buffalo.

You must actually own the rifle now.
Not what you would like to have or what you intend to get someday but what do you have and can take now!

You won't find out about the buffalo until you get there and now it is 25% for 75% against getting it.

You cannot borrow a gun from anybody. Not your neighbor, not the PH and not from Axel.

What scope would you take? (you must have this also)

No fudging, the truth police will check on random posters.

I would take my Holland and Holland Royal in .375 Flanged and made for King George...No wait, I was Lion.

My .340 Weatherby, flat shooting, plenty of oomph, good bullet selection and shoots straighter than I do. 3 x 9 Ziess Diavari.

I would take the rifle that I shot best, under any circumstances.

Following your rules, it would be My 338 Winnie topped with Nikon 3-9 glass spitting out 250 grain Nosler partitions. I might be a little under-gunned for the buff but ifn I do my part it'll drop (hey at least it ain't no levergun ) breaking your rules I would have as a tag-a-long rifle my 458 winnie gabe

My choice would be my Onieda Eagle bow!
My only rifle that I own that qualifies is a .303 British. Not legal for Buff but then again, I won't hunt them with the bow either

[ 10-17-2002, 16:41: Message edited by: amosgreg ]

My 300 wby scoped with Zeiss 1.5-6X42, hands down! My ph this year told me he would take me buff hunting with that rifle... hell I'd like something bigger for that purpose but if I have no choice...

Question why is a scope required?.
Jim

I would have to say my CZ .416 Rigby, loaded with the 410 gr Woodleigh SN's and a couple of 410 Woodleigh FMJ's in-case buff is on the menu. It will shoot flat enough for plains game and have the wallop for buff as well.

Part of me would really love to take the .585 Nyati just in the hope I would get to shoot a buff with it, but hey I have to be practical and realistic here.

I'm draged between my 338 RUM, and my 416 Taylor. But I belive I'd go for the first one. Using two different loads. One with heavy bullets (250grs.), and one with light bullets (200grs.).
Scoped with 3,5-10 x 50 Leupold.
But I belive I'd miss my Taylor, when the buffalo news comes up.

torn between my
416 rem customized m70 with a leupold 1x4
376 steyr (IF finished for sights) with leupold 1.5x5

either would do the trick, and I think, today, that if I could take only one, it would be the 376, as the 235's would give me the distance edge, and the 300s, well, that would do just fine.

Hey, is hippo, ahla sullivan on the menu? then it's my 416, for hippos on the ground.

jeffe

I would take my 460 WBY with 1x5 Leupold.

Easy,

When did you say I could pick up the ticket??

Charlie.

416 Rem Mag, 350 gr. Swift A Frame, with Leupold Vari-X III 1.75-6x32MM.

Jim

I've agonized over this question all summer as I decided what rifle to buy. I hope the combined advice I received from everyone on this forum still holds because I'm now the proud owner of a cz550 in .375 H&H. My plan is to mount a 1.5-5X Leupold in QD rings. Based on what I've heard, (no personal experience) this is a great "all around" set-up.

Mickey

I would take the rifle I just did take. My Whitworth Mauser 98 in 375 H&H Magnum. With a Leupold 1 1/2 to 6 x scope. I would consider taking a second scope in a second set of rings for longer ranged shooting in the Kalahari (is a nice gemsbok on the menu?). Maybe a 8x40mm. QD mounts but this wouldn't be ready by tommorrow so the kit would stay simple, just the one scope.

I would use my existing loads of 300 gr Woodleigh FMJs and RNSPs (I still have 60 of them) for the buff and bushveld shooting (hey - this feels like deja vu).

Plus try to build up a longer range load probably starting with a 250 gr Barnes XLC, or 270 gr Barnes or a 235 gr (but that one is probably too light). Given your set of rules unless I built up the loads in the dark (again) I would just buy some Winchester Fail Safes in 270 gr (Barnes XLCs) which shoot at 2750 fps in my rifle accurately to a similar point of aim anyway.

[ 10-17-2002, 18:27: Message edited by: NitroX ]

No problems- I'd take my M700 switch barrel in 338 RUM and 450 Ackley mag. Two scopes, a Leupold 4.5-14X-50 MM with illuminated reticle and a Swarovski 1.5-6X illuminated reticle both in Talley mounts. It's a push feed, but It has a sako extractor and feeds and ejects smoothly.
With this rig I'm ready for anything!-Rob

I'd take my trusty Pre-64 M70 .375 H&H and have the time of my life .

Take Care,

-Steve

My Winchester M-70 .375H&H with its Leupold 2.5x-8x.

George

CZ550 416 Rigby with Kahles 1.5-6x42 in EAW QD mounts.

Shooting Norma 400gr TXP (SWIFT A-Frame) and Norma 400gr Barnes Solids.

(Spare gun would be my Tikka O/U 9.3x74R with Kahles 1,5-6x42 in EAW QD mounts, shooting GS Customs HVs 230gr and FNs 270gr.)

Will you tell my wife that I'll be away for 2 weeks from tomorrow - then I'll happy to jump in?

I guess I'd have to take my Sako 75 .300 Win Mag with a Burris Fullfield II 3-9X40. With Nosler Partitions, it should kill just about any plains game. It might be light on Buff, but it's the biggest gun I have.....

Ditto GeorgeS but mine's a Browning SS with a 26" barrel and the 270 "X".

My first instinct is to grab my Win M70 in 375 H&H. It wears a Leupold M8 3X scope on it, and I'd be slinging 300gr Swift A-frames. I feel very confident in that choice as the rifle shoots very well and I used a very similar 375 for my first and only trip to RSA last spring (which included Steenbok and Eland and a few others in between ).

I would be very tempted to take my 416 Taylor, however. It was very lonely while I was gone to RSA and has been quite upset with me since my trophies arrived (I have them stored near the gun case). It wears a Leupold Vari-X II 1-4x scope and shoots very well with 400gr Swift A-frames.

Both are sighted in and ready to go. A quick flip of a coin to pick which one, and I'd be on the next plane out.

Canuck

9.3X64, 3-9 Leupold, 286gr Nosler's. Cobalt

I'd take my Ruger M77 Magnum in .375 H&H Mag with a Leupold 1.5-5x Vari-X III scope. It's been to Africa once, so it can go again. Loads are worked up with 300 gr Woodleigh bullets and it's sighted in. It's ready to put in a gun case and get on the plane right now.

-Bob F.

My Winchester M-70 .375H&H with its Leupold 2.5x-8x, in Leupold QD mounts. That's why I bought a .375 H&H in the first place, and have had one for 17 years. In fact that's what the .375 H&H was made for originally 90 years ago.

[ 10-17-2002, 22:55: Message edited by: loud-n-boomer ]

Oh boy, Oh boy! I get to post something on the Big Bores forum (as I don't have one). Since others have mentioned medium bores, I guess I will have to take my MK V 340 Weatherby custom with its' Leupold 2.5 x 8 Vari X III. Probably will have to do some load testing with 300 grainers for Buff, I guess.

Easy, my CZ 550 safari mag in 375 H&H topped with a Nikon Monarch 1.5-4.5.

I'd take my Interarms Mark X 375/338 Win Mag. with a Leupold 1.5-5 scope on it.

I would take my Dakota 76 in 330 Dakota. It wears a Leupold 4.5-14. Or maybe my Sako 338 Lapua, but the scope in it's too large (6-18), or my 338 Win Mag (customized by Krieger) with its Burris Black Diamond 3-12, or .....

Decisions, decisions, I gues I would have to take the Dakota.

Jim

My Marlin Lever action 45-70?...

Oops, I don't have one of those (haven't won the raffle) yet.

Though the Ruger M77 338WM would be pissed for leaving it in the safe, I would have to take the M70 Classic Stainless, chambered for the ever adequate 375H&H Magnum cartridge, topped with a Leupold Vari-XIII 1.5-5X20 Heavy Duplex scope (along with the Vari-XII 2-7X33 just in case), spitting out 270 grain GS Flat point Solids at 2500 feet per second muzzle velocity.

Do I win, and when do we leave?

Bill

I would take my Schultz & Larsen cal. 358 Norma Magnum, Swarovski 1,5 - 6 X 42.

Mauser 30-06 with a Leupold M-8 4x and handloaded 220 grain Partitions, unless I could get my 9.3 from the gunsmith and get it zeroed before takeoff. I'd have to buy 9.3 ammo once I got there, but that should be no problem.

And I'd be praying AGAINST getting a shot at a buffalo. Okie John.

CZ 550 9.3x62 no 3-9 Leupold.

A 30-06 caliber Browning A-Bolt II with Leupold fixed 4X scope. If they've given me 25% odds I can pursue a buffalo, I'd save that for another trip and leave the 375 at home.

H. C.

[ 10-18-2002, 01:23: Message edited by: HenryC470 ]

I take my Remington 700LSS in 300 WM with bullet Norma Oryx 200 grains. Scope will be a Zeiss 2,5-10x50 and for shorter distance my Aimpoint (I have Leupold detachable mounts). Since my 300 may be a little weak for the buff i maybe could use a spear for him!

Gentlemen
300 wby mag
3-12X50 svarowski, reticle 4
180-200 grain bullets.
Talley mounts

King Baboon, I'm flatterd that you have the same excellent taste as me :


/ JOHAN

[ 10-18-2002, 02:24: Message edited by: JOHAN ]

My choice would be the .375 Hurts & Hurts that is sitting in my gun cabinet right now. It is what I took my deer with last monday. I would only load the Barnes X bullet. I would have to break the rules a bit and put a new scope on it. I knocked it over a couple of days ago and it landed on the scope (BSA 3X10) and crunched it. I like the new Leupold VX-I. I can get one in about 20 minutes for about $200.00. Seeing how the BSA is history it would have to be done anyway.

i would take my 4 bore jager custom gun and use the scope to ram the ball down the barrel

or i would would give it to the ph as a tip.

My 9.3x62 on a Mark X action with 23" Montana Rifle barrel with plenty of 250BT and 286 Noslers Partitions. Ku-dude

PS: If it was certain buffalo would be in the mix, I'd take my pre-64, M70 in 375HH. K-D

Mannlicher-Schoenauer 1950 in 9.3x62, Leupold 1-4x Post/Crosshair in claw mounts.

A rifle I own?

ZKK-602, .375 Weatherby shooting 270 grain Barnes XLC's.

I'd have to take my Dakota 375H&H with the Leica 1.75X6. 300gr. Swift load plus solids.

Actually I like Roger's choice best. What scope Roger?