Best Dangerous Game Rifle?

I was never that impressed with the feeding or the magazine/mag box of the 602 I owned.

Seemed I could only get 4 rounds in it, or the magazine spring wouldn't function very well... and even then it functioned better when it only had 3 rounds in it.

I tend to agree that it's a great platform to start building on, but I'm much more pleased with the function of the 375 Ruger. :)
 
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Dangerous game rifle

I have a Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger with a Leopold 4.5 X 14x VX L scope...the scope is a bit of overkill.....for close encounters of the grizzly kind a low magnification scope with a good sized objective lens would be a better choice...but the rifle is well designed, handy, and priced right...got mine at Italian Sporting Goods in Vancouver...
 
I have a BRNO 600 as well as the 602. Both feed and extract flawlessly, even when I cycle the bolt as fast and as hard as I can.

My 602 holds 6 .375 H&H's in the magazine. Hopefully I'll never need all 6.
 
I'm not really a Ruger guy, but I do like their magnum action! The rifle is 2 pounds over weight, but hey! You can't have everything!

Better yet is a Montana action and a wallet full of money to pay the gunsmith to get it right. They can be very nice when completed.

I have come to realize that there is no such thing as an inexpensive and perfectly functioning (out of the box) DGR.
 
In response to the 602 question
I own them in 375HH, 30-378 Weatherby, 416 Rigby
I own a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby
I have had many in the 600 line as well as ZG47 line

I have used many that were loaned to me or that I was forced to use because of airline's issues with luggage

I can flatly say that I have never ever had a failure to feed, eject or "jam-a-matic" issue.

They work - always - for me at least. I do recognize that there may be issues with certain types of ammo - or over all cartrdige length - type of bullet etc - but when I use loads built to spec, be it solids or barnes TSX or whatever, they just keep on shooting....
With my BRNO / CZ I have never worried about light primer strikes, stuck safeties or whatever.
Be it -40 or +40 --- you pull the trigger and they go bang and the animal goes down.

In contrast - I have used worked over Model 70's in 458 Win that factory ammo would not feed properly, same with certain Mauser reworks for the larger calibers. That does not mean they are POS - far from it - it means they are not my first choice for a DGR bolt gun.

My conclusion is that I demand that oversized action known as the 602 or even the 550 (affordable) rather then the tradition of wedging a long round into a marginal length action.

There are very few true full length magnum actions --- the true Magnum Mauser (big $$$), BRNO 602, 550, Ruger Magnum and the semi-customs such as Montana etc. They each have their place in the market place. In my view, for a working gun, the BRNO / CZ is generally hard to beat.

The Ruger is getting close - if only they put a cheap stock on .... but their new 458 Lott is downright appealing for the money ....

Me, I would rather take my chances with the roomy action of an inexpensive 602 or 550 or Ruger for the $$$$ then trying to make a short action do the job it was never intended for.

The new Rugers, old Durhams, Taylors, etc were all designed to fit these shorter actions and they do the job well. But if your question is about the true full length action -- your choices are very limited.
 
as someone else metnioned i would get somehting i can buy ammo for over there as well i would suggest .375 H&H mag;)....
 
My first choice would be a Levergun in one of the .45 or .50 cal. wildcats, such as the .450 or .500 Alaskan, although a 45/70 would suffice. If one preferred a boltgun, I'd go with the .458 Win. or Lott.
 
Mr Wolverine said:
I would highly recommend that you study Kevin Robertson’s excellent book “The Perfect Shot” this relates to shot placement for African Big Game but the basic principals apply to all game. Kevin is a veterinary surgeon as well as an African PH and rifle enthusiasts, the opening chapters on calibers, bullets and practical ballistics make this book worth it’s weight in gold. We have few left in stock at $66 plus postage and tax.

My personal thoughts in answer to your questions: Use the largest caliber that you are comfortable with and can shoot accurately. Minimum .400 caliber, bigger rather than smaller, heavier rather than lighter and slower rather than faster and stick to premium bullets. Purchase a double rifle if you can afford it but most importantly keep the rifle well balanced and fast handling. Then practice practice and practice, good hunting. My personal choice, a DR in .470 NE fitted with iron sights, get in close and make the first shot count.
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X 2

And if needed, you can squeeze off a second shot faster with a Double Rifle in 470 Nitro Express then ANY bolt action rifle.
 
Hello bigbore14,

With the amount of hunting you intend to do several different calibers will be required. Among Africa's Big 5. The leopard rates a 30:06, the lion a .375, the Cape buffalo a .375 or larger, rhino and elephant a .416 or better still, a .458. A kodiak can be taken with any good medium bore. Do not over scope yourself.

As far as resale goes, after that much hunting there will be more than a few battlescars on it to reduce the price of any rifle. Don't sweat it. Hopefully you won't have any battlescars.
 
What about the .375 Remington Ultra Mag? Is it obsolete now? I remember the ballistics on it were quite something...definately some knockdown power
 
mackillan said:
How do the ballistics compare between a 375 Ruger and 375 H & H?
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Try this ..........

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.
 
mooseisloose said:
What about the .375 Remington Ultra Mag? Is it obsolete now? I remember the ballistics on it were quite something...definately some knockdown power
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I'm using a .375 Ultra with a 20" barrel. The idea was that I could achieve the ballistics of a long barreled .375 H&H in a short compact rifle. I've managed this with a little to spare. My 380 gr Rhino bullet breaks 2300 fps with 4350 and 2350 with Hybrid 100V. The 260 gr Nosler, the lightest bullet I load, makes 2850, the 270 gr Hornady makes 2800, the 285 gr Speer and the PMP solids are making 2700+ and the 300 gr TSX makes 2650. I load a 300 gr cast bullet for small game to 1200 fps.

The 380 gr Rhino when used on a big dense animal will expand to nearly an inch, just like the 570 gr X bullet from the .500 Nitro that killed my buffalo, and the additional velocity would even out the penetration. Solids in a .375 don't have the knockdown of solids in the big bores, but choose a bullet with parallel sides and flat or hemispherical nose impacting at high velocity, it will penetrate the full length of most game animals.

This is particularly useful when buffalo hunting as the tendency is for the buff to run directly away at the first shot, so the magazine should be filled with solids in case a follow up shot is required. While the use of solids for follow up shots used to be the normal procedure, the advent of premium expanding bullets, many hunters now use a soft point regardless of the shot. Kevin Robertson suggests slowing down the solids to prevent the bullet from killing more than one animal though excessive penetration. While it would seem unwise to argue with someone of Robertson's experience, if the solid was to be used on a buffalo running directly away, I say the faster the better, as the animals will not be bunched closely by this time.
 
mackillan said:
Do you feel better about yourself now?
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Just remember Google is your friend:p.

P.S. Just curious, is this you as well?

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=323180&highlight=nightforce

Package Deal
Remington Sendero SFII 7mm Rem Mag New Condition - $1395
Nightforce NXS 3.5-15x56 New with Box Retail $1799
Nightforce Picatinny Rail and Nightforce Tactical Rings Retail $255
Total bought separately $3404
Package price as above, all professionally mounted and ready to go long range shooting SPF shipped and insured. May take Zeiss Z800 on trade.
Thanks!

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Last edited by tbg@sasktel.net; 03-05-2009 at 09:58 AM. Reason: SPF
 
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mooseisloose said:
What about the .375 Remington Ultra Mag? Is it obsolete now? I remember the ballistics on it were quite something...definately some knockdown power
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I think Remington only makes 1 or 2 versions of it. I doubt any other manufacturer will be chambering them any time soon, either.
 
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Gatehouse said:
I think Remington only makes 1 or 2 versions of it. I doubt any other manufacturer will be chambering them any time soon, either.
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In the right hands I think the 375 Ultra is as good as it gets. As an all around cartridge that could see some dangerous game it offers incredible versatility and great power.

As much as I like my Remingtons I have to admit that the standard 375 Ultras (as Remington delivers them) are crap.
The barrels are too light and wippy and the factory stocks do a good job of hurting the shooter and poor job of controlling recoil.


At the very least they need a McMillan or other quality stock.
Mince got a McMillan, a heavier barrel, and an action blueprint. It shoots better than most small bores (thanks Guntech!).
 
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