Bolt gun for dangerous game

Win/64

Win/64

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Forget about cal. here (try and assume it's a large bore). This is about bolt actions. What would be the best (most reliable, fastest lock time.) commercial or military action that could be used against big angry critters?
 
Common wisdom suggests a CRF action.

Common sense suggests that any rifle that is going to be used on dangerous game be very proven to be very reliable. Just because it's a CRF doesn't necessarily mean it's proven reliable yet.
 
Gatehouse said:
Common wisdom suggests a CRF action.

Common sense suggests that any rifle that is going to be used on dangerous game be very proven to be very reliable. Just because it's a CRF doesn't necessarily mean it's proven reliable yet.
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Well let's hope it's very proven to be very reliable.
 
Win/64 said:
Forget about cal. here (try and assume it's a large bore). This is about bolt actions. What would be the best (most reliable, fastest lock time.) commercial or military action that could be used against big angry critters?
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A suggestion, fast lock times are not something that is looked for when reliability is of prime importance. The heavy firing pin fall of a slower lock time is preffered for outmost reliability. Fast lock times are important when accuracy is of prime importance, but somewhere down the line a compromise will have to be made since the way to achieve fast lock times is to shorten the firing pin travel which can be detremental to reliability.
bigbull
 
bigbull said:
A suggestion, fast lock times are not something that is looked for when reliability is of prime importance. The heavy firing pin fall of a slower lock time is preffered for outmost reliability. Fast lock times are important when accuracy is of prime importance, but somewhere down the line a compromise will have to be made since the way to achieve fast lock times is to shorten the firing pin travel which can be detremental to reliability.
bigbull
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I guess I was looking for the best of both worlds. So if we split it 50/50 which one would pick?
 
I could be wrong but many, if not most, professional hunters and guides in Africa still trust their lives to the SxS rifles. A charging lion, buffalo or other upset critter can cover a lot of ground quickly when charging. With your heart racing, adrenaline pumping, tunnel vision and loss of motor skills in a panick situation all hitting you at once then cycling a bolt may be difficult. Much easier to point and pull a couple of triggers. If you get a chance to hunt Africa then look into SxS rifles. If you just can't get your hands on one then a CRF rifle would be the next best thing. Just don't put a scope on it!
 
Lots of rifles may do, but my choice would be ---- "The Rifleman's Rifle" ---- pre-64 Model 70 ---- the rifle by which all others are judged. And since the caliber was not asked for I won't mention anything about the 338 WM or the 375 H&H or the 300 H&H or --- :)

Regards:
Rod
 
Snow Dog said:
I could be wrong but many, if not most, professional hunters and guides in Africa still trust their lives to the SxS rifles. A charging lion, buffalo or other upset critter can cover a lot of ground quickly when charging. With your heart racing, adrenaline pumping, tunnel vision and loss of motor skills in a panick situation all hitting you at once then cycling a bolt may be difficult. Much easier to point and pull a couple of triggers. If you get a chance to hunt Africa then look into SxS rifles. If you just can't get your hands on one then a CRF rifle would be the next best thing. Just don't put a scope on it!
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Well the question was specifically about bolt guns, not doubles.

Also not all professionals agree on the double. Richard Harland, who was a professional elephant cropper preferred a bolt action to a double, when shooting herds of ele's.
Watch the excellent movie Hunting the African Elephant, by Buzz Charlton. There's several interviews in there, one of them features Richard Harland.
 
Any of the abovementioned but especially the Mauser 98.

Whichever one is chosen, it must be 100% reliable in function(feeding, extraction, ejection) 100 % of the time with any bullet style(round-nose, spitzer, flatnose).
 
I like the Ruger 77 myself. Although none of mine are "dangerous game" calibers, they are the most reliable guns i have. Another plus is that it is fairly domestically available in dangerous game calibers (375 H&H, 375 ruger, 416 Rigby, 458 Win, 458 Lott )
 
220Swifty said:
I like the Ruger 77 myself. Although none of mine are "dangerous game" calibers, they are the most reliable guns i have. Another plus is that it is fairly domestically available in dangerous game calibers (375 H&H, 375 ruger, 416 Rigby, 458 Win, 458 Lott )
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x2 for the Ruger M77. Plus its base on the mauser action.
 
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