- Joined
- Jan 28, 2003
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- 13,341
The "perfect" rifle for any given application doesn't exist.....
However there are a couple that come real close for the stated application which is general purpose rifle for hunting Africa when thick skinned DG is on the menu.
Lets start off with some disclaimers. First of all there is no magic wand that will enable you to put game on the ground without some effort on your part. None of them will work well for you unless you put some time and effort into them. You need to practice and I don't mean going out to the range and sighting in off the bench. I mean getting out and using your rifle in field conditions and shooting a lot. You need to know all of the weird little quirks your rifle may have and how to either deal with them or get them fixed. If you spend enough time with any rifle you'll find that they all have little bit of a personality. Maybe it's a tendency to misfeed on the first round off the stack, maybe they shoot a bit high out of a cold barrel, maybe they are a perfect gentlemen until 150 rounds later when they develop a hiccup. Maybe they will perform perfectly you need to know that before you get to the field on your hunt.
That is why you see pictures of me with dead feral hogs and heavy caliber double rifles and bolt guns a day in the field actually hunting critters is worth a month of shooting at the range. There is no better way to get to know your rifle and to use it the way it's going to be used on your DG hunt and hogs provide a very good simulation IF you get out and hunt them on foot. Heck so do jack rabbits if you can't find any hogs. If you can't do either get out and shoot rocks at vary ranges from varying field positions. It's all better than punching paper.
I am going to say this right off. Double rifles are a very romantic weapon and conjure up fantasies of old Africa and days past. While they are still extremely useful and have a very definite purpose unless you are willing to put the time and money into buying one and then getting proficient with one, which is a HUGE expense in time and money. Forget about doubles they take some serious learning under field conditions before you should consider yourself proficient with one. There is nothing more worrisome to a PH than a client showing up with a shiny new heavy caliber double and load of excuses as to why he can't the paper at 50 yards at the sight in range at camp. don't let this be you.
Next in line is that heavy caliber iron sighted bolt gun in some kind of intoxicating sounding caliber like .458 Lott or .450 Rigby perhaps a .505 Gibbs. Once again I'm not saying it can't be done I'm not even saying it shouldn't be done what I am saying is that if you are going to do it make sure and understand the time and effort it takes to get proficient enough to hunt animals with one of these type rifles. If you haven't fired a heavy recoiling beast before the first time you take big Bertha to the range will be a wake up call. You know your ready when you can shoot one of these rifle without thinking to yourself as you are squeezing the trigger "oh this is going to hurt!" when you can shoot one with no more worry or contemplation than you would a .22 LR you're ready. Believe me friends if you are honest with yourself that takes more time than most are willing to put thumpers. Adding a scope helps some only because most guys are not proficient with iron sights so it's one less thing to learn.
What does this leave the average hunter who just wants to hunt and not necessarily learn a whole new style of shooting. You can't go wrong with a .375H&H or if you are able and you should be because the recoil isn't that much more than the an H&H one of the various .416's or a possibly as .404 with a low power variable or fixed scope. I like quick release mounts and decent back up sights but even that is very optional.
A new .416 Remington in a M-70 would be my choice if I were buying a general hunting rifle for Africa today. They are one heck of a lot of rifle for the money. The .416 gives a flat enough trajectory that you have no issues using it for plains game out to three hundred + yards and the 400 Gr bullet in a modern offering like a Barnes TSX makes a very safe and reliable DG round on anything up to cape buffalo. Stuff some solids into it and you've got yourself a rock solid very capable elephant rig.
Opinions vary but it's hard to argue that this one of the finest client hunting rigs in all of Africa where DG is in your plans.
However there are a couple that come real close for the stated application which is general purpose rifle for hunting Africa when thick skinned DG is on the menu.
Lets start off with some disclaimers. First of all there is no magic wand that will enable you to put game on the ground without some effort on your part. None of them will work well for you unless you put some time and effort into them. You need to practice and I don't mean going out to the range and sighting in off the bench. I mean getting out and using your rifle in field conditions and shooting a lot. You need to know all of the weird little quirks your rifle may have and how to either deal with them or get them fixed. If you spend enough time with any rifle you'll find that they all have little bit of a personality. Maybe it's a tendency to misfeed on the first round off the stack, maybe they shoot a bit high out of a cold barrel, maybe they are a perfect gentlemen until 150 rounds later when they develop a hiccup. Maybe they will perform perfectly you need to know that before you get to the field on your hunt.
That is why you see pictures of me with dead feral hogs and heavy caliber double rifles and bolt guns a day in the field actually hunting critters is worth a month of shooting at the range. There is no better way to get to know your rifle and to use it the way it's going to be used on your DG hunt and hogs provide a very good simulation IF you get out and hunt them on foot. Heck so do jack rabbits if you can't find any hogs. If you can't do either get out and shoot rocks at vary ranges from varying field positions. It's all better than punching paper.
I am going to say this right off. Double rifles are a very romantic weapon and conjure up fantasies of old Africa and days past. While they are still extremely useful and have a very definite purpose unless you are willing to put the time and money into buying one and then getting proficient with one, which is a HUGE expense in time and money. Forget about doubles they take some serious learning under field conditions before you should consider yourself proficient with one. There is nothing more worrisome to a PH than a client showing up with a shiny new heavy caliber double and load of excuses as to why he can't the paper at 50 yards at the sight in range at camp. don't let this be you.
Next in line is that heavy caliber iron sighted bolt gun in some kind of intoxicating sounding caliber like .458 Lott or .450 Rigby perhaps a .505 Gibbs. Once again I'm not saying it can't be done I'm not even saying it shouldn't be done what I am saying is that if you are going to do it make sure and understand the time and effort it takes to get proficient enough to hunt animals with one of these type rifles. If you haven't fired a heavy recoiling beast before the first time you take big Bertha to the range will be a wake up call. You know your ready when you can shoot one of these rifle without thinking to yourself as you are squeezing the trigger "oh this is going to hurt!" when you can shoot one with no more worry or contemplation than you would a .22 LR you're ready. Believe me friends if you are honest with yourself that takes more time than most are willing to put thumpers. Adding a scope helps some only because most guys are not proficient with iron sights so it's one less thing to learn.
What does this leave the average hunter who just wants to hunt and not necessarily learn a whole new style of shooting. You can't go wrong with a .375H&H or if you are able and you should be because the recoil isn't that much more than the an H&H one of the various .416's or a possibly as .404 with a low power variable or fixed scope. I like quick release mounts and decent back up sights but even that is very optional.
A new .416 Remington in a M-70 would be my choice if I were buying a general hunting rifle for Africa today. They are one heck of a lot of rifle for the money. The .416 gives a flat enough trajectory that you have no issues using it for plains game out to three hundred + yards and the 400 Gr bullet in a modern offering like a Barnes TSX makes a very safe and reliable DG round on anything up to cape buffalo. Stuff some solids into it and you've got yourself a rock solid very capable elephant rig.
Opinions vary but it's hard to argue that this one of the finest client hunting rigs in all of Africa where DG is in your plans.
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