Let's see your Dangerous Game Rifles.
- Thread starter Northern Shooter
- Start date
thewoodsrunner
Member
That looks like one of the new Mauser 98's, no? Perfection. Aside from the obvious superiority of the hardware, the lines of the stock - perfect. I'd love the .375 H&H version. They seem very scarce on the market in Canada.
- Location
- Northern BC
Between one of those and an actual rigby, I think that’s about as the ideal safari setup in terms of a bolt action. I do feel it’s out of my reach though in terms of practicality from a financial standpoint.
thewoodsrunner
Member
ForealBoreal, my thoughts exactly. Were I able to justify dropping 20 or 25 grand on a rifle (which is really a pretty good deal for one of these), it would be a tossup between these two. Flawless guns on the best action ever made with exquisite classic lines. You'll note the only younger guy you see hunting with rifles like this is Don Trump Jr.
Other than that, it's all old boomers (like me, marginally.) On the other hand, look at all the guys - young and old - who buy Harley-Davidsons or say now the new pimped out Indian Chief. I myself bought a few of them as a young guy. If you can do that, you can certainly buy - and justify - a new Rigby or Mauser. I should have done that, the Harley's are all gone with zero regrets, but i'd not have let go of one of those rifles. Heck, for the outrageous cost of new pickup today, you could fill your safe with Mausers and Rigby's. And I see 20 year olds driving those. Drive an old pickup and carry a new Mauser I says.
I drive an old pickup… i could not afford a $25k rifle or justify it, my problem is I wouldn’t be satisfied after a few years or maybe even months there would be something else to had hahaha. Good for you though, if you can afford them and you can justify them!ForealBoreal, my thoughts exactly. Were I able to justify dropping 20 or 25 grand on a rifle (which is really a pretty good deal for one of these), it would be a tossup between these two. Flawless guns on the best action ever made with exquisite classic lines. You'll note the only younger guy you see hunting with rifles like this is Don Trump Jr.
When I started to buy rifles, I knew nothing I was 16, I wish I knew what I know now my collection would be different, maybe there would be a Rigby or two.
CSC has the Mauser and Rigby rifles you gents are refering to for $17-19K tax in. I've seen them in the low 10s used. The bespoke versions are pricier. They start at 70K.ForealBoreal, my thoughts exactly. Were I able to justify dropping 20 or 25 grand on a rifle (which is really a pretty good deal for one of these), it would be a tossup between these two. Flawless guns on the best action ever made with exquisite classic lines. You'll note the only younger guy you see hunting with rifles like this is Don Trump Jr.
- Location
- Northern BC
ForealBoreal, my thoughts exactly. Were I able to justify dropping 20 or 25 grand on a rifle (which is really a pretty good deal for one of these), it would be a tossup between these two. Flawless guns on the best action ever made with exquisite classic lines. You'll note the only younger guy you see hunting with rifles like this is Don Trump Jr.
Way higher stuff on the priority of life on the 10 year plan than acquiring one of those specific rifles. I’d be more inclined to splurge money like that for a trip to hunt NZ and Africa. Maybe I’d be lucky enough to own one someday, in the meantime I’d be really happy with something at a lesser price point. Not in a rush, if one comes up I shall see.
thewoodsrunner
Member
Now you've done it. 16K for a new Rigby Big Game. That's actually a smoking good deal.
I've never had one of those high-zoot Rigby or H&H DGR's, but I did have an assortment of .40+ cal rifles over the years and loved 'em. I won't be going on any more dangerous game hunts, and have pared my collection way down; I only recently realized that I really don't own a proper DGR anymore. I don't have anything that could properly be called a "stopping" rifle; I have, at best, a selection of "strongly discouraging" rifles. I have kept only a single .375H&H but that barely qualifies.
Reading this thread has made me sad.
Reading this thread has made me sad.
Just find one you like, buy it, play with it it will make you happyI've never had one of those high-zoot Rigby or H&H DGR's, but I did have an assortment of .40+ cal rifles over the years and loved 'em. I won't be going on any more dangerous game hunts, and have pared my collection way down; I only recently realized that I really don't own a proper DGR anymore. I don't have anything that could properly be called a "stopping" rifle; I have, at best, a selection of "strongly discouraging" rifles. I have kept only a single .375H&H but that barely qualifies.
Reading this thread has made me sad.
thewoodsrunner
Member
In Canada a .375 H&H is absolutely a stopping rifle. I'd say the .375 H&H is to North America what the .416 Rigby and up are to Africa. I read in a recent issue of Sports Afield of one African PH who carries a .375 H&H as his stopping rifle for buffalo etc with no complaints. (So far!) The needle has shifted with modern bullet choices. Modified some of the ol' adages I reckon. And of course placement is so much. The annals abound as we all know with tales of bona-fide stopping rifles pouring in the lead and failing to stop. I've shot my share of big, tough bovines and other huge ungulates with my .375 H&H and find it very hard to believe that if you hit an incoming Cape buffalo with a 300 grain North Fork cup nose solid (for instance) below the boss it wouldn't drop in its tracks with the bullet lodged in its neck somewhere if not further back.
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Guave Johnson is a well recognized PH that uses a 375.
Hey, guys, I am not disparaging the .375H&H in any way, shape or form; I have always been and continue to be a fan. I've used the .375 on African game but also on a crapload of woodchucks and coyotes, as well as deer and moose, and I still keep one for nostalgia and for the sentimental connection to that individual rifle. Hell, I even grudgingly admit that the 270gr load today, with monos, is at least the equal of most of yesteryear's 300gr loads.
But after decades of reading the scribblings of the old-timers, I still think of a "stopping" rifle as something in the .400 - .425 range and up. That's why I used the term "proper". The .375 always was, and in my mind continues to be, a mid-bore. It's the same weird-ass emotional "logic" that wouldn't let me even consider a .375Ruger rather than an H&H. It's why my wife and I argue when she buys Miracle Whip instead of real mayonnaise. It's why I won't drink beer out of a can, gotta be poured into a glass.
It's a state of mind.
But after decades of reading the scribblings of the old-timers, I still think of a "stopping" rifle as something in the .400 - .425 range and up. That's why I used the term "proper". The .375 always was, and in my mind continues to be, a mid-bore. It's the same weird-ass emotional "logic" that wouldn't let me even consider a .375Ruger rather than an H&H. It's why my wife and I argue when she buys Miracle Whip instead of real mayonnaise. It's why I won't drink beer out of a can, gotta be poured into a glass.
It's a state of mind.
thewoodsrunner
Member
State of mind is important to the individual, no argument there. The science is what's important to the fraternity as a whole. I'd strongly suspect you are right, the right 270 grain .375 is equivalent to yesterday's 300's, which logically means the 300's in the right bullet are probably delivering performance similar to yesterday's .404 Jeffery's, .416's & etc., i've seen experts suggest this in fact. As for the .375 Ruger, the only improvement there is the shorter throw in the rifles i suspect. Velocity beyond what the .375 H&H offers takes you out of a number of sweet spots related to bullet performance and recoil, which more than cancels out the standard length throw they allow for. The only reason more .375 Ruger fans don't get this is because we live in an age where velocity has become a fetish, with few adherents understanding the full range of implications under the full range of conditions and applications. Anyways, no reason to stand up for the .375 H&H, it's more than stood up for itself for longer than any of us here will live.Hey, guys, I am not disparaging the .375H&H in any way, shape or form; I have always been and continue to be a fan. I've used the .375 on African game but also on a crapload of woodchucks and coyotes, as well as deer and moose, and I still keep one for nostalgia and for the sentimental connection to that individual rifle. Hell, I even grudgingly admit that the 270gr load today, with monos, is at least the equal of most of yesteryear's 300gr loads.
But after decades of reading the scribblings of the old-timers, I still think of a "stopping" rifle as something in the .400 - .425 range and up. That's why I used the term "proper". The .375 always was, and in my mind continues to be, a mid-bore. It's the same weird-ass emotional "logic" that wouldn't let me even consider a .375Ruger rather than an H&H. It's why my wife and I argue when she buys Miracle Whip instead of real mayonnaise. It's why I won't drink beer out of a can, gotta be poured into a glass.
It's a state of mind.
By the way, another problem with the .375 Ruger is that it is chambered mostly in today's Ruger rifles. If you're in the mood for some instructive entertainment, go to 23:39 here and listen to what Kevin Robertson has to say about that:
W
Wouldn't the more tapered .375 H&H case be easier to extract than the more sharp shouldered .375 Ruger? Especially in very hot climates?
Loved that video! Had to use captions to make sense out of much of what Robertson said
but it was indeed both entertaining and informative. "Rough as a badger's backside..." made me guffaw, even though he was referring to CZ rather than Ruger at that point.I read and absorbed his "The Perfect Shot" as though I were studying for an important exam...which in my mind I was...before going to Africa. On my first animal (Gemsbok) I completely went on autopilot, ignored everything I'd read and just shot it like a deer. The critter died but did require tracking for a couple hundred yards. I was mortified!
I hope that Gatehouse finds his way into this thread and watches that section on the .375Ruger in the Ruger rifles. That would be...interesting...
The comment by geologist regarding extaction of the long, sleek H&H case is interesting. It was always mentioned how slick and smooth those cases fed into the chamber; I don't recall ever reading about them having any advantages when coming back out of the chamber but the idea seems valid?
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That’s the main reason for the case design. Extraction in the heat using the very temperature sensitive cordite.Loved that video! Had to use captions to make sense out of much of what Robertson said
I read and absorbed his "The Perfect Shot" as though I were studying for an important exam...which in my mind I was...before going to Africa. On my first animal (Gemsbok) I completely went on autopilot, ignored everything I'd read and just shot it like a deer. The critter died but did require tracking for a couple hundred yards. I was mortified!
I hope that Gatehouse finds his way into this thread and watches that section on the .375Ruger in the Ruger rifles. That would be...interesting...
The comment by geologist regarding extaction of the long, sleek H&H case is interesting. It was always mentioned how slick and smooth those cases fed into the chamber; I don't recall ever reading about them having any advantages when coming back out of the chamber but the idea seems valid?
thewoodsrunner
Member
Info from guys like Robertson, it's gold, eh? Fascinating and better yet really useful stuff. Yes, as Pathfinder76 asserted, Holland & Holland designed the taper into the .375 cos when you envision it, even if the cartridge jams under heat and/or too much pressure, it only needs that initial stiff pull in a controlled round feed rifle and the case is no longer tight to the walls of the chamber. With a fatter, straight walled case, the cartridge is tight to walls of the chamber for the entire extraction. This is why they put a belt on it, cos the vestigial shoulder was not trusted to be enough to maintain headspace. Ease of feeding was a benefit of this shape, as was a magnum length cartridge, which meant less danger/need for compacted powder to seat the bullet properly and/or get the desired velocity, with tight powder being a culprit in raising pressure. (Which is for instance similarly an advantage the .458 Lott has over the parent .458 Winchester case. You can charge the bullets hotter, sure, but perhaps more importantly, you can leave the powder looser in there, aiding to keep pressure/risk of jamming down.)Loved that video! Had to use captions to make sense out of much of what Robertson said
I read and absorbed his "The Perfect Shot" as though I were studying for an important exam...which in my mind I was...before going to Africa. On my first animal (Gemsbok) I completely went on autopilot, ignored everything I'd read and just shot it like a deer. The critter died but did require tracking for a couple hundred yards. I was mortified!
I hope that Gatehouse finds his way into this thread and watches that section on the .375Ruger in the Ruger rifles. That would be...interesting...
The comment by geologist regarding extaction of the long, sleek H&H case is interesting. It was always mentioned how slick and smooth those cases fed into the chamber; I don't recall ever reading about them having any advantages when coming back out of the chamber but the idea seems valid?
