Mid-1920s thru 1930s:

.300 H&H on a commercial Mauser action by Holland & Holland

.375 H&H on a commercial Mauser action by Holland & Holland

.577 NE double with detachable sidelocks by Westley Richards

.275 Rigby on a commercial Mauser action by John Rigby

.416 Rigby on a commercial Mauser action by John Rigby

.44-40 Model 1892 Winchester - rifle version w/24" bbl.

That battery would have covered it very well for me back then............

AD

In $'s or �'s what would an H&H double or magazine rifle or a Rigby have cost back in 1920 or so ?

Or an all out safari in British East Africa for that matter.

I already have the ones I need



A 500/465 H&H, a .369 Purdey and a .303 Watson Bros. Since I am strong of limb and clear of eye I think that I will want this:



A .275 HV Rigby.

As I am also strong I want a .577 Westley Richards Droplock. Just because.

Now all I need is a time machine.

Karl,

I wish I were born in my grandfather's day... but anyway. Here goes...

1. A 303 Holland and Holland Double regulated for 215 grain round nose bullets
2. A 450-400 Greener Facile Princeps Double Rifle for all the medium and bigger game (I am talking India and not the African monsters here)
3. Something that was never made but we are fantasizing here a Woodward double rifle in 600-577 Rewa, a "wildcat" designed by the Maharaja of Rewa and probably the only catridge designed by an Indian

Good hunting!

Make it interresting: What would you guys take if you had to walk from Cape Town to the base of Mt. Kenya and carry "everything" on your person, with one tracker and two indigenous helpers?

I think I would go for:

.404 Mauser rifle by Vickers, Jeffrey, Cogswell & Harrison - no big 'names'.

& a 9.3x62 Mauser with a low magnification scope, a Lyman, Noske.

I might be inclined to substitute a .375H&H Mag for the .9.3. If the .404 developed a problem, the .375 would be more capable of substituting for it in most circumstances.

But I do not want to go back to a time without painless dentistry, where rampant predjudice damned you at birth.

"Make it interresting: What would you guys take if you had to walk from Cape Town to the base of Mt. Kenya and carry "everything" on your person, with one tracker and two indigenous helpers?"

30-06, Griffin & Howe Mauser or Springfield

mbogo375,

I got one of your pics posted. You need to click on "image" and paste the URL there.

[image][/image]

C'mon GeorgeS, your cheating, you couldn't bring yourself to pick one gun! but your not by yourself a couple of others had to add another one

I'd take my 375 OR 9.3x62 and all Flat nose solids or cup points.

Savage99,

Thanks. That is exactly what I did, but the web site seems to not accept this many photos in one post any more for some reason (at least not in this one ). I have changed to links instead.

Jim

Folks:



On Thursday I put the ultimate in my hands... a boxed, unfired, Westley Richards 500 N.E. with two extra sets of barrels.. one in 300 H&H (scoped with a Khales 1x4?) and a 12 gauge mod/full set. I was amazed to put the gun to my shoulder with all three sets of barrels and find that each one felt that it was the primary fit... somehow there was no compromise that usually comes with something that is "all purpose".. but what do you expect for the price of a nice house?



The rifle had wonderful engraving on each set of barrels (and the action... a drop-lock, of course) and even the scope rings had game scenes thereupon.



I went to the guys house to buy a rifle... alas, I only got the exact twin of Mbogo's .450/400, albeit in 3 1/4" instead of 3" like his. Can't wait for the delivery!.. and for my Searcy, too. To make room for these two (and to afford them, I'm going to sell my truck, my motorcycle, my wife (no warranty) and two non-English-speaking illegitimate children... Any takers? The .475 and my .375 Express double are for sale, btw.



So... what is my perfect (pre-1935) battery, first, what I own... then what I'd like..



1. .475 N.E. 3 1/4" Cogswell & Harrison double



2. 9.5x56 (.375 1 1/2" Express) 1910 Mannlicher





or maybe a Ernst Kerner 9.3x62 Mauser with claw mounts. I actually took my .375 Express 2 1/2" double to Africa this year in battery with the .475.



The .375 Express is on the bottom, .475 on the top... Not a bad battery, either, come to think of it!



I didn't feel hindered one bit that I didn't have a scope with the two doubles, missing only a Nyala that I probably couldn't have hit with a 106 Recoiless rifle, while taking warthog, zebra, black and blue wildebeest, kongoni and impala.



3. For birds, a Francotte sidelock 12 gauge doulbe 2.5" (opened to 2.75"), imp/mod & mod/full



What I'd like if I could afford it:



A H&H Royal grade .375 Flanged Magnum (with claw mounts, just in case) weighing about 8#'s and a set of 20 gauge barrels (mod & full). I priced the same once and I can afford it if I win three different state lotteries on the same week.



Nice pictures Jim!



I can't wait to have the Westley Richards .450/400 shoot off.

JudgeG,
PM sent.


cordell

to Karl:

I am not assuming I would have had all the "means to indulge ...".
Don't have them now, so why back then? So I would go "cheap" and use what I already would have:
a 7x64 Brenneke, with 4x scope (but a 7x57 would do as well)
a 9.3x62, with 2.5x scope
Scopes from Hensoldt, maybe Zeiss, on Suhl claw mounts
a Drilling 16/65 and 8x60R
And bought new for the trip: a 10.75x73 (.404), iron sights (or a .470 NE double, if I had some more cash)
Bolt action rifles will all be with Mauser action, of course.

to Ray:

tough choice between 9.3x62 and .375 H&H.
Probably a 9.3


And I would take quite the same rifles today.

Fuhrmann

this are not real oldtimers, here are my ones: for planinsgame the brand new mauser 71 carbine in 11,15x60R, if you have birds, a tropendrilling 16/65( rigth barrel paradox) and 500 blackpowder express( only coiled cases). for real big game a 8 bore pinfire double rifle. when I will have a real crazy day will try this new Schultze powder in the 16 bore shotgun but I think that this new powders dont have any future.