This may get a few members hackles up, its about their loved rifles.

[bowji john]

If this is the expected range at which a PH might need to intervene, would a 12 bore with slugs not do the trick?

Who knows? - Probably

We did also have to qualify on a pump action shotgun and a 9mm browning - no it wasn't it was 357 revolver of some sort

I did not have sufficient experience to question the instructors

This was in year 2000 - might have changed now

 

[ejg]

Is that the rifle you posted pics of a few years back ? If it is , I like that rifle . It's about as close to an all round rifle as you can get . It wouldn't be my first choice in a knife fight with a large bear , but I wouldn't feel defenseless . I've converted a few 98's to 308/7.62 , a magazine block really makes them feed a lot better . I basically copied the Isreali 7.62 98 conversion mag , it works perfectly .

AB

Yes had pictures of that rifle up before. Thankfully we don't have bear and the 308 is all you would need, recoil is so well managed/mannered in that stock that a 9.3x62 would not be out the way with a different mag. With a simple barrel change one could go 338fed. Could have sold my Mauser several times, every one who shot it loved the ease of feeding, the recoil behaviour even though she is a tad under 3kg bare.
Only gripe I have is that I am so used to side safety that the 45 deg flag safety does not suit me, however I don't want to give up the fantastic original two stage trigger that is in her.
edi

 

[CarlW]

If this is the expected range at which a PH might need to intervene, would a 12 bore with slugs not do the trick?

A 12 bore with buckshot is good for very close range leopard. Not sure I would trust a lead slug to penetrate an elephant's skull.

Kind regards,

Carl

 

[Roro]

What amazes me is people buy rifles expecting to do work on them, triggers/extractors/ejectors/polishing/sorting feeding issues/ fitting after market stokes and other bits and pieces, the list goes on, perhaps I`ve been fortunate and never had any of these things to do.
All my rifles I`ve bought them, fitted scopes , zeroed them and away I went. And yep, if I fortunate to get to Africa again, I`d just check zeroes and away I`d go.

People feel they have to fiddle around with things. Its a bit like kids heading into halfords to buy bits for their jallopy, its still a heap, but it is their heap.

 

[artschool]

People feel they have to fiddle around with things. Its a bit like kids heading into halfords to buy bits for their jallopy, its still a heap, but it is their heap.

just look at the ruger 10/22 and all the modifications people carry out to brand new rifles.

 

[EdgarF]

If cz's/brno's were made anywhere else, they would be a lot more expensive than they are. Lets face it, its not the function of a firearm that its judged by, but the price on the tag.

CZs/BRNOs - the Skodas of the shooting world then!

 

[alberta boy]

Yes had pictures of that rifle up before. Thankfully we don't have bear and the 308 is all you would need, recoil is so well managed/mannered in that stock that a 9.3x62 would not be out the way with a different mag. With a simple barrel change one could go 338fed. Could have sold my Mauser several times, every one who shot it loved the ease of feeding, the recoil behaviour even though she is a tad under 3kg bare.
Only gripe I have is that I am so used to side safety that the 45 deg flag safety does not suit me, however I don't want to give up the fantastic original two stage trigger that is in her.
edi

I would use that for most things here as it is , I've seen a lot of Moose and Elk taken with a 308 . One of the largest Grizzlies in Alberta was killed with a 22lr , not my first choice , but it was what the woman had in her hands at the time , but that's another story haha .
It's funny you mention the 338 Fed , a very useful cartridge . I built a 358 winchester along the same lines as your 308 . I left it with one of my best friends when I left the country last summer . He used it this fall to take a few animals . Long story short , I'm not getting my 358 back . Since I need another rifle , I always do , I will be putting a 338 together on an old pre-war Brno 98 action I have . The 358 is a great round , but there is a far better selection of 338 bullets versus 358 ........ I just have to finish my 35 Whelen before I start . I may have a rifle building problem lol .

AB

 

[alberta boy]

A 12 bore with buckshot is good for very close range leopard. Not sure I would trust a lead slug to penetrate an elephant's skull.

Kind regards,

Carl

Buckshot works on bears too . I have a Rem 870 with an 18 1/2 inch barrel that goes with me most places where there are toothy things .

AB

 

[LeftHandGuy]

If you can't resolve a problem with four rounds of 375 H&H , it's probably not of this world and you shouldn't have picked a fight with it in the first place lol . Just kidding , I know what you mean .

AB

Fair comment! That said, it isn't only a useful feature during SHTF moments.

 

[Dickie]

There are a few DG rifle or suitable calibre on the Holts website for the next auction.

 

[Greener Jim]

There are a few DG rifle or suitable calibre on the Holts website for the next auction.

There often is, apart from the big names for collectors they tend to go at decent prices too especially if it's a more unusual chambering.

 

[Lever357]

Interesting article, thank you for posting.

 

[Jubbles]

interesting read

 

[Pedro]

It strikes me that some manufacturer should see an opening for making a super reliable dangerous game rifle. But perhaps it’s easier said than done. Let’s face it, what sort of manufactured product, be it a car or washing machine is without an inherent fault? And I expect such a thing would be overly expensive anyway.

 

[viking90]

I feel like this chart should have on it everything Africa offers in terms of hunting

 

[Ratwhiskers]

I have always respected Don Heath's advice, and he's sadly missed as a voice of reason and experience.
If you look at what goes through the auctions here, you would think that for our UK market there are sufficient large calibre rifles to go around, but having been through Jo'burg a couple of times (with lesser calibres) there are a couple of problems I''ve noticed.
One being the saps520 form, as it's a bit of a minefield for some, and that it's an Import and Export licence, and leaving a rifle as a gift for a PH comes with certain difficulties should the paperwork get fudged.
The other being, having spoken to a PH friend in Eastern Cape, that there's a decided lack of useful/capable gunsmiths in Southern Africa right now, so their home market for repairs is a bit limited.
Should a supply of CZ or some such actions be available, then l see no reason why it's not completely impossible, allowing for the baggage baboons at Jo'burg that is.

 

[Selous]

Whilst I appreciate the humour I’m not sure toting a Barrett 50 for countless miles through the Jesse bush would be much fun and certainly a quick shot on an inbound buff would be much more challenging than it needed to be !!

 

[6pt-sika]

The only heavy hitter 375’s , 416’s and 458’s I’ve owned have been a couple Interarms Mark X Whitworth’s and several Ruger #1H singles . I have fooled with and loaded for CZ550 Safari’s in 375 , 416 and 505 but I found them a bit ungainly to handle .

 

[6pt-sika]

Funny I was at a Dallas Safari Club “big bore shoot” this past weekend . Maybe a dozen folks there one guy had two Blasers with him , the other folks were all REM 700 , WIN 70 and Ruger 77 tang safety . Well that’s not true my gunsmith buddy brought two CZ550’s in 416 and 505 . I brought my Parker DH 8 and shot slugs and roundballs at 25 yards for demonstration . Anyway all the bolt guns had feeding issues except the two CZ’s and I think that was recoil motivated more than anything . And of this group that were having issues all had been to Africa more than once .

 

[Mr. Gain]

Interesting. Even when this thread was started back in 2018, the article cited was 8 years old. Yet 14 years on, the same issues are present.