All of you bad influences have made me decide to get a handy little 375 AI at some stage when I can find a cheap rifle to rebarrel and when life stops getting in the way so much...
Rifles for Cape Buffalo
- Thread starter Selous
- Start date
Or get a rifle you can swap the barrels on and use the same trigger for all.
Odders
Well-Known Member
That's my idea with the Schultz & Larsen, though I now have three of them to choose from...
And .243 is the maximum anyone will get as a first deer rifle right?
deerstalker.308
Well-Known Member
Not sure I follow Jim? As I understood it anything above .375 in the HO guidelines was not deemed suitable for U.K. species, whereas .375 was once good reason to possess had been provided?
As always HO Guidelines gets interpreted differently by every force, very few absolutes.
deerstalker.308
Well-Known Member
Indeed but I doubt there are many people with anything much larger than .375 on open tickets for U.K. use? I’d love to be proved wrong though!
Definitely not many, but there is more than a few.
Orion
Well-Known Member
If they read and apply HOG there’s nothing to prohibit any DG calibre/cartridge from U.K. AOLQ use:
13.17 The table at the end of this chapter provides guidance on whether, for the purposes of establishing “good reason”, a particular calibre is suitable for shooting certain quarry. It should be noted that the list of calibres is not exhaustive but will serve as a useful guide.
13.18 ‘Yes’ indicates that the calibre is suitable for the purpose, and pursuit of such quarry would normally be a “good reason” to possess such a rifle. ‘No’ indicates that the calibre and muzzle energy is unsuitable, unlawful or inhumane, and pursuit of such a quarry would not therefore be a “good reason” to possess such a rifle. This, however, should not exclude the use of a larger or more powerful firearm, for which “good reason” has been established, to shoot smaller quarry (see 13.9).
Odders
Well-Known Member
.270 granted with no issues here in Cumbria.
welshwarrior
Well-Known Member
Had 404J with AOLQ on it.
Which was very much my point.
Everyone's different when it comes to recoil. I had a Brno 602 .375H&H not long after I got my FAC - hunted Canada with it and shot it a fair bit at the range and to be honest it didn't even register that it was a dangerous game calibre. I could shoot it all day. Back then the police weren't happy with my experience and stalking availability to allow it for use here when I got back, so I sold it. I still regret that decision, it was lovely.
Ten years down the line I got the itch again, so about a year ago I got myself a CZ550 in .416 Rigby. Billy big balls here thought that if I could shoot a .375H&H with no bother, the .416 would be equally easy. WRONG! At first it knocked me senseless and after ten rounds on my first range visit I staggered home feeling like I'd done ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer. I was quite worried that I'd never shoot a decent group with it! A .416 isn't like a .375, not even slightly. Anyone who says it is is either numb from what theirs has done to them, or they're hard as nails! I've had several of my best shooting friends fire it and none of them have walked away suggesting it's anything other than a monster...
I guess what I'm saying is shoot both if you can. If you ever find yourself as far south as Gloucester you're welcome to shoot mine. It's the 550 Aramid, so the synthetic American style stock rather than the hog back. I also have a couple of mates with .375's - One has a .375 Ruger and the other a Blaser in .375H&H. I'm sure they'd be equally happy to let you have a play. Whatever you go for you need to be able to shoot it well. It's been said here before but I'll repeat it - better to hit a buff spot on with a .375 than hit it in the arse with a .416 or bigger. I can handle my .416 just fine now but it's taken dedication and a lot of batterings to get there.
Finally as a side note, I have deer and AOLQ on my .416 Rigby for UK use. It took a lot of work on my part to get that but I got there. I originally asked for a .458 Lott and they were having none of it, but my FEO was very helpful and went and looked up what other people in the area are using. There were other .416 users in Gloucestershire which meant that I had more chance of getting it, and I did. I really can't fault my force for the way they handled it and in hindsight the Rigby was a better choice anyway. The Lott is a stopper for closer range, the .416 can actually be made into a fairly decent plains game round with something like a 300gr Barnes TSX. My friend in the midlands has his H&H for deer, but my other mate who's a bit further north is stuck with range only on his Ruger. Irritating as he used to have it for deer before he moved to a new force area! All I can say on that note is don't back down. You want your gun to be as natural to you as possible and the only way to get that is to use it!
Edit - I forgot to mention scopes. I have a Delta Titanium 1.7-10x on mine at the moment. I also have a Leupold VX-3 1.5-5x illuminated dot which I would probably put on if I was DG hunting. I've got quick release mounts so can swap between the two and maintain zero. I could even zero the Delta with light bullet plains game ammo and the Leupold with heavy bullet DG ammo if needed. The only down side to the heavy stuff is it's not Scotland legal, it's too slow! A .375H&H would be much better for that than a .416.
Ten years down the line I got the itch again, so about a year ago I got myself a CZ550 in .416 Rigby. Billy big balls here thought that if I could shoot a .375H&H with no bother, the .416 would be equally easy. WRONG! At first it knocked me senseless and after ten rounds on my first range visit I staggered home feeling like I'd done ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer. I was quite worried that I'd never shoot a decent group with it! A .416 isn't like a .375, not even slightly. Anyone who says it is is either numb from what theirs has done to them, or they're hard as nails! I've had several of my best shooting friends fire it and none of them have walked away suggesting it's anything other than a monster...
I guess what I'm saying is shoot both if you can. If you ever find yourself as far south as Gloucester you're welcome to shoot mine. It's the 550 Aramid, so the synthetic American style stock rather than the hog back. I also have a couple of mates with .375's - One has a .375 Ruger and the other a Blaser in .375H&H. I'm sure they'd be equally happy to let you have a play. Whatever you go for you need to be able to shoot it well. It's been said here before but I'll repeat it - better to hit a buff spot on with a .375 than hit it in the arse with a .416 or bigger. I can handle my .416 just fine now but it's taken dedication and a lot of batterings to get there.
Finally as a side note, I have deer and AOLQ on my .416 Rigby for UK use. It took a lot of work on my part to get that but I got there. I originally asked for a .458 Lott and they were having none of it, but my FEO was very helpful and went and looked up what other people in the area are using. There were other .416 users in Gloucestershire which meant that I had more chance of getting it, and I did. I really can't fault my force for the way they handled it and in hindsight the Rigby was a better choice anyway. The Lott is a stopper for closer range, the .416 can actually be made into a fairly decent plains game round with something like a 300gr Barnes TSX. My friend in the midlands has his H&H for deer, but my other mate who's a bit further north is stuck with range only on his Ruger. Irritating as he used to have it for deer before he moved to a new force area! All I can say on that note is don't back down. You want your gun to be as natural to you as possible and the only way to get that is to use it!
Edit - I forgot to mention scopes. I have a Delta Titanium 1.7-10x on mine at the moment. I also have a Leupold VX-3 1.5-5x illuminated dot which I would probably put on if I was DG hunting. I've got quick release mounts so can swap between the two and maintain zero. I could even zero the Delta with light bullet plains game ammo and the Leupold with heavy bullet DG ammo if needed. The only down side to the heavy stuff is it's not Scotland legal, it's too slow! A .375H&H would be much better for that than a .416.
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I fired a few rounds out of an acquaintances .416 a few year back and the thing was the rifle felt nice before I pulled the trigger so I felt comfortable and at ease ok it did give a big shove but nothing horrendous, similarly with a friends 458 Wm, I would say gun fit is a big thing and confidence I’ve watched some clips on internet of people firing and about to shoot big rifles and they are crapping themselves and in their mind saying this is going to hunt and guess what it then does hurt them.
Thanks for the insight and the really kind offer. I don’t often get to Gloucester but if I do I will give you a shout. What you have said has emphasised the difference between the 375 and 416. I have sent a variation in for both for target use only initially so hopefully they will both be granted. I think the .375 will probably be the best place to start but it would be good to try a 416 as well before setting sail!
After ruminating over the contents of this and other threadsI found a rifle I liked and have bought it. It balances between the hands, comes up to the shoulder like a shotgun, both with and without scope fitted, feeds perfectly from the magazine and has an action as smooth as glass. The stock design reduces the recoil to a decent shove that is definitely manageable with very little flip. It has a few minor knocks here and there from it’s previous travels but seems to be a genuinely lovely thing. I believe it’s maker (TT Proctor) knew a thing or two about what works on a big game rifle. Now all I need is some range time to get used to the big girl 
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Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Both really good rifles - although zeroing can be a trial.
When deployed "in the field" I never feel any recoil.
Amazing what a cocktail of
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Brave Echo Niner
Well-Known Member
I was granted a .308 Win for deer at 14, then granted a 300 win mag at 16 along with other assorted calibres.
If you can provide good reason for possessing the calibre and you have suitable land over which to shoot it then they will generally grant it, all be it with a bit of grumbling and groaning!
Ben
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