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| I regretted using a scope for cape buffalo, but most people prefer one. |
| | | Posts: 18352 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah USA | Registered: 20 April 2002 | 
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| First trip? Follow the recommendations of your outfitter/PH.
I used scopes when killing both my buffaloes.
George |
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| AKA,
Welcome to the forum.
Depending where you hunt, you might be handicapping yourself without a scope.
In open areas, you will be able to take a shot with an open sight. If you find a buffalo in the bush, I think you might have to pass a shot which you might have been able to take with a scope.
My eye sight is not what it used to be, so I won't even dream of hunting without a scope. In fact, I don't even have open sights on my rifles. |
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| AKA,
Oldsarge has a point. Choose your bullets VERY carefully. Most .375 bullets are not designed to work reliably at .378Wby. velocities.
Are you going to use monometals?
George |
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one of us
| Northfork and Groove have bullets that are made to withstand the 378's impact velocity. A-Square would be another good source of bullets as they make a solid that will withstand anything. I will not comment on the sights or scope question because I have never been to Africa, but on this continent, there is nothing faster that a 2.5x Leupold and great deal of practice.
Joe |
| | | Posts: 263 | Location: Where ever Bush sends me | Registered: 13 July 2003 |
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| If you are used to a scope, it is best to stick with
them,Ed. |
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| I want to thank you all for the warm welcome. This is my first
trip to Africa. I'll be using factory loads of 270 BARNES-X for the buffalo and for leopard.. 300 weatherby 180 BARNES-X
Any thoughts would be welcome.... thanks again |
| | | Posts: 297 | Location: california | Registered: 20 January 2004 |
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| AKA, I suggest that you purchase and read the book entitled "NYATI" from African Hunter ASAP. http://www.african-hunter.com/It would also be a good idea to purchase and read Kevin Robertson's book "The Perfect Shot", available from Safari Press. Both warn against excessive velocities such as the Weatherby calibers produce. NYATI suggest pulling the bullets on Weaterby factory rounds, reducing the powder charge by a few grains (by 10 grains in the 460 weatherby), and re-seating the bullets. It seems that the excessive factory loads cause two problems. First is bullet failure on game. Second is excessive pressure and stuck bolts. No offense to your cartridges or ammo choice, but others have gone there before and regretted it, so I thought I should mention something. Quote:
Excerpt from African Hunter Magazine:
I'll start with my least favourite rifle: the Weatherby. We don't often see them out here, thank goodness. The one we had this year exhibited the usual Weatherby failing of going off when the safety catch was disengaged. Like all I've seen with this problem, they work fine on the range. It is only after they have been bounced, bumped or jolted whilst loaded and on safe that they do this. I'm sure the problem is correctable and not all do it.
However, this one would also not extract at all after the eighth round. It showed decidedly sticky extraction after the first three shots and finally died on number eight. It gives me great pleasure than to dig out my 2lb hammer and beat the bolt of a new rifle open whilst giving the owner a lecture on the benefits of reloading.
Weatherby factory ammo always gives extraction problems and needs to be down loaded for use in hot conditions. The .460 is notorious and this .416 proved no different.
http://www.african-hunter.com/lessons_learned.htm
Again, no offense intended, but better to learn this information from a book than to learn it first hand on an expensive safari. |
| | | Posts: 18352 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah USA | Registered: 20 April 2002 |
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| 500grains..thanks for your feedback. I would imagine any company that produces faulty equipment would be out of business pretty quickly. I'll do some research into that article. I'll being going in July which should lower the temps. |
| | | Posts: 297 | Location: california | Registered: 20 January 2004 |
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| Weatherby factory ammo always gives extraction problems and needs to be down loaded for use in hot conditions. The .460 is notorious and this .416 proved no different.
500 grains,
I hope the rest of that magazine does not contain such pure bullshit as the above.
Mike |
| | | Posts: 7206 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 22 May 2002 |
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| AKA,
I hardly fired my 460 before I sold it(since I was only 19 and not ready for such a gun) but when I took it bush in the tropics of my state with temps over 100 degrees Farenheit, it did not have any problem with factory ammo.
Neither has one my cousin owned in that area.
Karl. |
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| Karl..I know..I have heated up my weatherby with outside temps in the upper 90's and mutiple shots without cooling down and never had an extraction problem. |
| | | Posts: 297 | Location: california | Registered: 20 January 2004 |
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| Quote:
Weatherby factory ammo always gives extraction problems and needs to be down loaded for use in hot conditions. The .460 is notorious and this .416 proved no different.
Mike
I don't know about always and I do not know about the African heat. That said I must admit that I have fired 378 WBY Factory loads (270 gr Pt Exp) and they clocked 3250 fps with HUGE ejector marks at the headstamp! This is from a Factory WBY gun.
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| | | Posts: 3865 | Location: Cheyenne, WYOMING, USA | Registered: 13 June 2000 |
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| POP, Are you trying to say something? Spit it out, man!  George |
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| Jorge..thanks so much for your help. I can hardly wait to go! |
| | | Posts: 297 | Location: california | Registered: 20 January 2004 |
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