And you had to hunt Africa in style but with a rifle you did not mind scratching up, what would you do? Would you buy a mass-produced rifle and accurize it or would you have a custom rifle made? What caliber? Wood or glass? Let's hear the old wisdom...RJ

When I started hunting I couldn't afford to buy a Custom rifle, so I got around that by making them....I suppose I'd do it again but I figured out young it's' better to make a few rifles and book a lot of hunts....

I got around $5000 for a custom rifle, and that figured out to something like $10. per hour I think, it wasn't much....and I recall a $12.00 repair taking 3 days to fix..and restoration jobs, now there is something that will make you rich, put a new head and handle on grandads axe....then its restored??

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I think I would have a pair of custom rifles built to suit me and then forget the gun portion and just go hunting!
Calibers would be just what I have now, 300Wby for the light gun and either 416 Rigby or 450 Dakota for nasty things like buffalo or lion. I'd use a well structured piece of walnut that a few nicks wouldn't ruin, good rust blue and QR mounts on the big gun.

I think I would obtain a fine 500/450 , or 500 NE double rifle, and an FN Mauser rifle chambered for 375 H&H with a QD low powered scope, good iron sights and go hunting instead of messing with two or three hundred rifles over the years. The choice in the double rifle is because you said "IF I HAD IT TO DO OVER" and when I started there were plenty of Elephant, and black Rhino to be had at reasonable prices. Today however, I would choose the 450/400 3" NE in the double, because for the most part the Buffalo, and Lion can be taken care of quite nicely with this chambering. So today it would be the 450/400 3" NE double, and the FN Mauser 375 H&H, HUMMMMMMMm come to think about it, that's exactly what I do use!

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, would you limit your hunting battery to 2 fine rifles and a fine shotgun or would you go for more mid-priced firearms and enjoy the "play" factor of tinkering with new pieces?

I believe I would still prefer to own 2 fine rifles and one fine shotgun rather than a closet full of mediocre arms. All of the money spent on them could have bought a lot of hunting!

John S,

I am slowly coming to the same conclusion. What would you consider to be the best candidates for this 3 gun do-it-all set?

Myself I'm thinking the 375H&H in an accurized Win M70 stainless/synthetic, a Benelli Black Super Eagle in teflon/synthetic and a 300Win Mag Rem 700 ss/syn -- the rifle topped with Leupold Vari X III's in Talley QD rings with a spare scope and rings in the travel case. The Benelli already has ghost rigle sights and an extension tube. The idea is reliability and field repairs with minimum chance of a breakdown at a critical moment. RJ

The Benelli Black Eagle is no "Fine" shotgun by any standard except reliability, then it would rate a "Best" quality! I have one and love it and can think of no other that is as reliable and versatile while being so ugly!
A one shotgun for everything concept demands it or something similar, maybe the Browning Gold semi-auto?
For rifles, I would pick a M70 action and have it made into a 300Wby by a top drawer gunsmith, someone like D'Arcy Echols or Roger Biesen. Probably the "Legend" rifle that Echols builds in 'glass would be about as good as it gets.
The big rifle would/could be another M70, this one in 416 Remington or Rigby. If the latter were chosen I would use a Dakota action and would have one of the guys named above do up a rifle with goon iron sights, QD mounts and a drop magazine.
My choice of calibers is based upon my own experience with them in hunting Africa and North America. I've tried several other calibers that just didn't make the grade when looking at world wide, any condition, any animal hunting.