What Constitutes an Elephant Gun?

[H&Hhunter]

Discussions of "elephant guns" usually bring to mind heavy caliber British doubles like this Westly Richards drop lock rifle. I've never shot an elephant with it or any other dangerous game, but the battered condition of its case indicates that in it's former life it traveled to dangerous places and probably shot elephants and many other species.View attachment 1041844 View attachment 1041845 View attachment 1041846 View attachment 1041847

Of all the British double guns, the Westley Richards drop locks are by far and away the coolest IMHO. What is your chambered in?

 

[Catpop]

Question: If a 30-06 has 18 pounds of kick. And a 458 win mag has 60 pounds of kick. What does the .577 T Rex produce?

 

[Swampman]

Question: If a 30-06 has 18 pounds of kick. And a 458 win mag has 60 pounds of kick. What does the .577 T Rex produce?

Too much for me!

According to Field and Stream:
"The T-Rex shoots 750-grain bullets at 2,400 fps and churns up over 10,000 foot-pounds of energy. Recoil is 172 foot-pounds"

I imagine recoil would vary depending on rifle weight and specific load, but I stand by my opening statement.

 

[Jim Watson]

Discussions of "elephant guns" usually bring to mind heavy caliber British doubles like this Westly Richards drop lock rifle.

What calibre is your WR?
It looks very nice... for a Birmingham rifle.
I once greatly admired a WR Faunetta - 20 gauge Paradox design - but could not think what I might do with it.

 

[someguy2800]

I've always been curious if the PH's that commissioned the 577 T-Rex actually liked and used what they got, or if they got a little more than they bargained for. Seams like something that would be fun to shoot at like 1800 FPS rather than 2400.

 

[Lnf Crzr]

When I went to Africa I had a custom rifle built.

My 375 A.I is a Elephant gun….. Tho I very much would choose another if hunting Specifically Elephants. That cartridge-would work and has.

SSK owner Jd Jones has used a Encore 375JdJ at approximately 2100 Fps to kill elephant. That’s a .375 caliber bullet at approximately 260grains.

So if that is sufficient and ethical- Which I believe most would say it is……………

Then my Savage 99 in 375 win with a 255 gr hard cast pushed by 1680 powder out of the 22” barrel at 2150 is…. A Elephant gun.


Tho it’s splitting hairs, It’s the same Power and Similar BC. I’m not saying a 375win cartridge is a Elephant gun…….

Yet keep in mind a 44 magnum has Ethically Taken Elephant also

Bell did Use the 7x57 and dropped Many! more than others ….successfully.

Two sides to every Coin.

 

[czhen]

Why not the Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Win just to follow Roosvelt recipe.
Sadly, is a tad expensive to collect dust around and ammo has no other use, otherwise is beautiful piece.

 

[Swampman]

This weapon appears to fit the definition of "Elephant Gun".


The guy allegedly firing it appears to fit the definition of "Eunuch"...

 

[Hesa Hard1]

Why not the Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Win just to follow Roosvelt recipe.
Sadly, is a tad expensive to collect dust around and ammo has no other use, otherwise is beautiful piece.

The .405 Winchester was always a marginal cartridge for the big African animals. Nowhere near the killing power of Jeffrey's.404.

And the velocity of the original .404 Jeff load with a 400grn bullet imparted the mildest felt-recoil of the .400-class of African cartridges.

 

[Jim Watson]

I thought TR called the .405 his lion gun. He had a double express for the really big game.

 

[someguy2800]

I'm too poor for the Merkel 470 NE double rifle that I really want, but I would also really like a 505 Gibbs bolt gun. You need the comically massive case to impress onlookers.

 

[Catpop]

Recoil 172 foot pounds! No wonder those 150 lb fellows in video were slammed backwards so violently!

 

[Goosey]

I've always been curious if the PH's that commissioned the 577 T-Rex actually liked and used what they got, or if they got a little more than they bargained for. Seams like something that would be fun to shoot at like 1800 FPS rather than 2400.

Seems like a fun project but I don't believe it's a serious tool.

 

[WisBorn]

Too much for me!

According to Field and Stream:
"The T-Rex shoots 750-grain bullets at 2,400 fps and churns up over 10,000 foot-pounds of energy. Recoil is 172 foot-pounds"

I imagine recoil would vary depending on rifle weight and specific load, but I stand by my opening statement.

OUCH

 

[Bill Raby]

Question: If a 30-06 has 18 pounds of kick. And a 458 win mag has 60 pounds of kick. What does the .577 T Rex produce?

Only about half of what a 4 bore will.

 

[Shortgrub]

I recently completed my childhood fantasy of owning an "Elephant gun". My vision was always a hammered double rifle. Though mine is not considered a true elephant gun. It was considered suitable for the larger plains game. Made in 1875. It's a .500/577 No.2 BPE. 340-380 grain bullet with 145-155 grains of 2F black powder. I'm done with hunting and this is not that bad in recoil. I love the sound of it being loaded! Thunk,Thunk! Makes me smile behind that cloud of smoke. It sure makes steel twist and cry.

 

[Gun4Fun90]

Too much for me!

According to Field and Stream:
"The T-Rex shoots 750-grain bullets at 2,400 fps and churns up over 10,000 foot-pounds of energy. Recoil is 172 foot-pounds"

I imagine recoil would vary depending on rifle weight and specific load, but I stand by my opening statement.

ouch! I never want to try it. but I kind of secretly want to try it...

 

[9x56MS]

That guy will be incorrect, and foolish.

Or not as good a shot as WDM Bell.

 

[JShirley]

Even Bell finally went to a .318 Westley Richards. 250 gr bullet at 2400 fps ain't nothing.

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

The Kentucky Ballistics ytube channel has done videos on several elephant gun calibers. From 375 to 700 Nitro Express

 

[H&Hhunter]

I'd have sworn that there was a sticky in the Hunting forum that listed the minimum rifle requirements for hunting the Big Five in each African country. I just checked and it's not there. Am I misremembering or was it deleted/moved?

There was and I unstuck it as I can no longer verify that it’s correct.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...lations-for-hunting-african-countries.604175/

 

[TheClasonater]

I was introduced to the term "elephant gun" by Burt Gummer in this scene of the movie "Tremors". Burt's elephant gun was an 8 bore double rifle, but I guess I have always considered an elephant gun to be a big bore magnum double rifle or controlled round feed bolt action. I think .400"+ bore and 4500+ ft lbs loaded with solids is a decent qualifier.

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^ I read through this thread just with the hopes of a Burt Gummer sighting. When he slaps the box of cartridges down and they come rolling out.... . And then, later, Reba hands over a 375 H&H model 70. What an absolute classic movie.

 

[Offfhand]

This .458 Win mag is latest and probably my last Elephant Gun, as I already have two other .458's, one of which I've taken a few elephant. But this one is somewhat different as it is built on a Pre-64 M-70 action with drop box magazine, (Adds an extra cartridge.) octangular barrel with integral quarter rib. The bolt handle is reshaped because I wanted the rifle styled somewhat like the great Pre-War British big game rifles built on the Mauser magnum actions of those days. The stock and metal details were captured to perfection by the late Pete Grisel, which I think may have been his last project.

 

[Catpop]

Offfhand, that is one fine rifle!!!!

 

[5118ar]

An “elephant gun” is a rifle chambered in a caliber with adequate terminal ballistics performance to humanely kill an elephant with a single shot. The minimum caliber permitted for hunting the most dangerous game in Africa is . 375. These are the Big Five - elephant, rhinoceros, lion, Cape buffalo, and leopard. from Google