Someone asked about whether people own big bore rifles primarily to hunt DG.

Let's see what you think.

George

Question:
Did the idea of hunting dangerous game in Africa and/or Alaska drive your decision to own a big bore (.375" & up) rifle?

Note: For the purposes of this poll, rifles chambered in .375 Winchester, pistol cartridges, or obsolete cartridges (e.g., .43 Egyptian, .577-450, et al.) are not considered 'big bores'.

Choices:
Yes, it was THE primary factor
Yes, it was a contributing factor
Not at the time
No, I'll probably never hunt DG in those places
Where's Africa?

 

My first real big bore was a Marlin 45-70 for whitetails. (Note to moderator: Please delete this part of my post if the 45-70 fits into the category of 'obsolete cartridges'. )

My first .375 H&H was for hunting elk.

Well since I can't vote on the poll I'll just post it here. I bought my M70 375 H&H to hunt brown bear here in Alaska but never gave any thought about Africa. I might go one day if I can swing the expense.

Growing up in the wilds of NYC, the thought of hunting DG in Africa or Alaska didn't really seem likely until I joined SCI.

My first big bore was a LH Sako .375H&H purchased for my first safari (three plains game safaris back-to-back in South Africa). With kudu, gemsbok, eland, zebra, and blue wildebeest on the list, I figured a .375 would come in handy. The fact that it would do for DG was a pleasant bonus, but not the primary factor in obtaining it.

That Sako is gone, but my LH M-70 .375H&H and .470 Capstick have picked up where it left off.

George

quote:

Originally posted by M70Nut:
Well since I can't vote on the poll I'll just post it here. I bought my M70 375 H&H to hunt brown bear here in Alaska but never gave any thought about Africa. I might go one day if I can swing the expense.

M70Nut,
What happens when you try to vote on the poll?

George

the 45-70 is like marijuana...it is the "starter" big bore drug

I have never hunted and own a .460. I am thinking about some sort of hunting after graduation though, and we'll see if that eventually takes me to DG.

I didn't vote because your post says 375 Winchester doesn't qualify as a big bore. Hmmmm, is there a difference between that and the H&H? I've never heard of a 375 Winchester before.

quote:

Originally posted by M70Nut:
I didn't vote because your post says 375 Winchester doesn't qualify as a big bore. Hmmmm, is there a difference between that and the H&H? I've never heard of a 375 Winchester before.

.375 H&H qualifies for a big bore in this poll.

quote:

Originally posted by KennethI:
I have never hunted and own a .460. I am thinking about some sort of hunting after graduation though, and we'll see if that eventually takes me to DG.

The .375 Winchester is a rimmed round, originally chambered in lever-action repeating rifles. It's nowhere near the size or power of the .375H&H.

George

Right on, thanks for the info and I did cast my vote.

i got the big-bore-itis watching a guy try to shoot his 458 win mag m70.... he was scared of the recoil, and offered to let me shoot it... i did, liked it and was hooked... not for the punishment, but to belong to a a group that could shoot big-bores.... now i have my own 458, a ruger #1h... a 375h&h m70, and a 416 rem mag on a m70....africa??? probabaly not... australia???.. maybe....hogs in south texas????... that's where i'm headed tomorrow....

I always dreamed of hunting africa!! But, after a friend turned me on to Capstick's books, that really lit the fire and I just had to have a 375 H&H and got to africa.jj

John Taylor got me interested in big bores. Cooper, got me focused on what I wanted. Then came my Remmy 30S, 458Lott. Next will be the "Little Bubba" a Remmy 30S, 375H&H.

Hog Killer

I may go to Africa in the future. but I've still been infected by Bigbore-itus. An extremely contagious disease, of which there is no hope or desire of a cure!

I built my 416 for the day I go to AK. and shoot a brown bear.

So far just a blk bear and a couple of deer with it.

My introduction to owning big bore rifles was brought about by my fasination with double rifles. The first one I held in my hands, was the first one I had ever seen, at the age of 7 yrs old, a cased H&H royal chambered for 500/465 NE, that belonged to a friend of my grandfather. The first big bore I owned was a A&N 450NE 3 1/4" boxlock double. The largest rifle I'd even shot,at the age of 12 years, was a 348 Win lever action belonging to my grand father. AFRICA is a good excuse, I might add, but not necessary!

You can blame the fine folks at AR and Peter Capstick for my .375 H&H and my soon to be .416 Taylor. While the reality of hunting African DG is still a ways off for me it is the only reason I own something bigger than a 300 WM.

quote:

the 45-70 is like marijuana...it is the "starter" big bore drug

In a Marlin 95 or a Ruger #1 possibly. I would say the 375 H&H is a better gateway to the big bores....at least it was for me. Readily chambered and the minimum for most DG.

I plan to one day get to Africa, but my friends and I love shooting the big bores..................no different to hotting up cars or computers etc.

My first big bore was also a 45/70 Marlin, I also beleive the biggger calibers are also much more humane than the smaller ones and I reckon there is to much bull shit surrounding there use, what wrong with using one as your pig or dear rifle ?? nothing, if anything I reckon they do a better job.

The other day in a local gun shop here my friend over heard the sales person telling am in-experienced shooter (whom was looking to purcase a .22lr and also enquiring about other guns on the shelf) that a .308 was an extremely powerful rifle and really only suited to the biggest of game..................what an idiot !! makes my friggin eye twitch !!

My First Big Bore was a 577 by Rigby, it weighed in at 14lbs.
Then I married a Biger Bore, I've divorced both of them. The first to pay for the second.
My biggest bore now is a 375 Happy&Happy

I shot a .450 Ackley at 16. Damn fine gun and got me hooked. Then I just had to own one myself and go see what it could do in Africa. No point shooting just deer with a weopon like that.-Rob

I bought all my big bore rifles (excluding my Marlin 1895 in .45-70 Gov't) for African hunting.

What can I say? I grew up reading Elmer Keith.

I used to own a 427 Cobra...what else can I say?
The feeling of controling a thumper is reason enough...but Africa was the rationale I used.

Rich

Most of my shooting is at targets. Just decided to make bigger holes with the big bores. I practice as much as my health allows. On Good days mostly. Today was one. I do love the smell of gun powder most anytime. My wife told me once, the one odor that would cause her to remember me when I am gone is gun oil. What can I say.... and no I do not put it under my arm pitts......

quote:

I used to own a 427 Cobra...

(jealous!)

I voted for "contributing factor", but I am not really sure.

I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Africa (like since I was about 5 and started reading my Dad's hunting mags and watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom). BUT, my first big bore was a M1895 45/70 for summer backpacking in bear country. My second big bore was a 375 H&H that I used on a bison hunt, and thought might come in handy if I could go to Africa someday. Soon after I had a 416 Taylor built for the purpose of hunting cape buffalo at some undetermined point in the future. Then it didn't quite satisfy my personal needs (more power!! ) and so I moved up to the 470 Mbogo. I have been satisfied since.

I think I just wanted a big bore, the 45/70 was like throwing gas on the fire and Africa was just a convenient scapegoat for justification of the "need" to own more of them.

Cheers,
Canuck

My fist bigbore was a Brno ZKK 602 375H&H. My first glimpse of something bigger than a 7mm Rem Mag, was a CRF 375H&H. We were visiting a good friend of my dad and his uncle had hunted Rhino with the H&H. He brought out the rifle & cart, first look I was hooked! I must have looked it over for at least an hour. (Nobody was sure of the make at the time, but memory serves it bared striking resemblance to my P-14 & P-17.)

canuck said it for me, it's just hard to explain to those that don't understand. My first was a marlin 1895G in 45-70 [just not enough power] now I have five DGR's not counting lever guns,and three more in various stages of completion---Guess I'm hooked!

366,
There is a cure for big boreitus. It can be cured by any of the following medicines. 4-bore, 700 nitro, 600 nitro,600 overkill,577 nitro,550 ahr,585 nyati, 500 nitro,460 weatherby,450 dakota, 458 lott........get the idea. I may have mispoken. I have alot of the above and sometime I think big boreitus just gets WORSE over time!!! The scary thing is it NEVER seems to go away.

My collection, for whatever reason(s), started with a .458 WinMag Ruger No.1, that got traded in on a .460 Wby Mk V Deluxe, that got traded in on a .375 H&H BRNO ZKK 602, that got rechambered to a .378 Weatherby, that got rebarreled to a .510/.460 Wby JAB, that got rebarreled to a .500 Mbogo, and the .510 JAB barrel got screwed onto a CZ action, and ... and so on. Here is all that remains:

.375/.338 WinMag
.375 H&H
.375 Weatherby
.375 Weatherby
.375 Weatherby
.375 RUM
.375 RUM
.375 Lapua
.378 Wby
.416 Taylor
.416 Barnes Supreme
.416 RemMag
.416 RemMag
.416 Dakota
.416 Rigby
.416 Rigby
.416 Rigby
.404 Jeffery
.404 Jeffery
.423 Lapua
.45-70 (great toilet paper holder for latrine duty, slip roll over muzzle, sling rifle while squatting)
.458 WinMag
.458 WinMag
.458 Lott
.458 Lott
.450 NE 3-1/4"
.450 Barnes Supreme
.458 lapua
.450 Dakota
.470 NE
.470 Capstick
.470 Mbogo
.505 Gibbs
.500 A-Square
.510 JAB
.500 Mbogo (in the final throes of birth)
.50 BMG

The Final Four considered additions (incubating):
.375 Ruger
.404 Dakota
45/.404 Dakota
.500 Jeffery

I like a rifle that is accurate and flawless in function. With this many to choose from, I will always be able to find at least one that meets these criteria, ready for short notice DG hunting anywhere in the world.

RIP,
I am confused, do you actually own each of these rifles, or are they choices for the making? Either way a great list. The way you began, sound like me . When I first got into guns and was dumb stupid and broke, I trade alot. After 2 years, I had 2 or 3,000 tied up in a 800 dollar gun. I don't trade much any more....... except for that 700 nitro last year.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:

.375/.338 WinMag
.375 H&H
.375 Weatherby
.375 Weatherby
.375 Weatherby
.375 RUM
.375 RUM
.375 Lapua
.378 Wby
.416 Taylor
.416 Barnes Supreme
.416 RemMag
.416 RemMag
.416 Dakota
.416 Rigby
.416 Rigby
.416 Rigby
.404 Jeffery
.404 Jeffery
.423 Lapua
.45-70 (great toilet paper holder for latrine duty, slip roll over muzzle, sling rifle while squatting)
.458 WinMag
.458 WinMag
.458 Lott
.458 Lott
.450 NE 3-1/4"
.450 Barnes Supreme
.458 lapua
.450 Dakota
.470 NE
.470 Capstick
.470 Mbogo
.505 Gibbs
.500 A-Square
.510 JAB
.500 Mbogo (in the final throes of birth)
.50 BMG

The Final Four considered additions (incubating):
.375 Ruger
.404 Dakota
45/.404 Dakota
.500 Jeffery

You could sell all of those except one and use the money to fund some excellent hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

You could sell all of those except one and use the money to fund some excellent hunting.

What, and risk disproving his theory on 1-10" twist and bullet performance on game?

George

I use big bores cause the work better at killing things than the "BB" guns that everyone thinks are so awesome. Been using them thar big bore rifles for 25 years, and will continue doing so.

let me sneak one in...my first big bore was a Krag rebarrelled to 25 Krag FL. OK! to a twelve year old it was a major jump up fron 22's. I rode a tractor from "can't see" in the morning to "can't see" at night, making the princely sum of ninety-cents an hour...about a weeks worth of paycheck with the Lyman tong tool, mould,lead pot and some goo that passed for bullet lube. Two years later I made the big jump to a 45-70 Trapdoor Springfield.
In today's economy I think I am still making the equivalent of that ninety-cents per hour...before taxes!

Rich

bigdoggy700,
They exist except for the Final Four incubating ideas.

10" twist superior performance in big bores is no theory. It has been proven on game by me and many more than me with much more game shooting experience.

It is just not a question to be entertained at all anymore.

10" (or 12" at slowest) should be the choice for anyone building a hunting big bore, of .375 to .510 caliber. Anything bigger is just for laughs so go as slow as you like there.

Take your chances with slower twists. You will find fewer bullets that work optimally, the slower the twist you choose.

This is due to real world variations in bullet-and-barrel bearing surface areas and diameters. A little extra twist may help the "grab." This is aside from the fact that extra twist is not detrimental with shorter,lighter and faster hunting bullets of tough construction, and is a definite bonus with longer, heavier, and slower bullets. YOU GET BETTER SPIN AND THE PRESSURE AND VELOCITY DIFFERENCES ARE LESS THAN 1% AND ACCURACY DIFFERENCES ARE LESS THAN 0.1 MOA AT DG HUNTING RANGES.

BTW,
GeorgeS shoots a Winchester Custom shop .470 Capstick that has a 10" twist barrel, I will wager.

I think he has proven that his works well on buffalo.

Luckily Winchester had a good day when they made his barrel. No boogers in it.

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

You could sell all of those except one and use the money to fund some excellent hunting.

What, and risk disproving his theory on 1-10" twist and bullet performance on game?

George

Well, GeorgeS, what is the twist rate on the 470 Capstick pictured below with your buffalo?



It worked well and it is a 1:10" twist, right?

RIGHT!


What will happen if the bubbas find out about your 10" twist 470 Capstick?

Are you brave enough to admit to it?