The nearly perfect safari rifle
- Thread starter zebra26
- Start date
And what would that be, exactly ?
I have killed elephant, cape buffalo, 2 hippos, lion, leopard and a crock just for good measure, not to mention several grizzlies and a couple bison............all with push feed and mostly with 700 Remingtons. Add to that Marco Polo sheep, Altai Argali, bongo and some other highly desirable, pricey and exotic critters and again all with my 700 Remingtons. What exactly is the advantage of a CRF supposed to be again...........I never did figure it out. My push feeds have NEVER let me down, not once, not ever, so what is the advantage of a CRF again...............particularly on SAFARI, I really need to know why I have been wrong for SEVEN separate Safaris. How could I have survived hunting all those dangerous animals with pushfeed rifles.......THANK GOD..........ignorance is bliss, as they say.....
Oh ya, by the way I can afford to hunt with any rifle I choose, even a David Miller if that's what I wanted, and I still will take my tried and true, never let me down 700 Remingtons. The other big plus is that if it gets broken, stolen or lost, I'm out a $1000 easily replaceable rifle not a 12,000-20,000 dollar double or a 30,000 dollar David Miller. The other reason is that the CRF model 70s, which I also like, have never been as accurate as my 700s.
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Why is it that when hunting in Africa guys always carry their rifles on their shoulders holding it by the barrel? I notice on several videos and this one that he is pointing the rifle at people in front of him which is most unsafe. I never carry my rifle that way and always use a sling where it is pointed in a safe direction and easier on the body to carry. I've guided professionally for 8 years and never had a client carry a rifle in this fashion.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I don't care for African carry myself, especially by the guy behind me. When I was there I was never tempted even though the rifle I dragged around wore no sling; another silly notion pertinent to African hunting. I suppose the African carry is to reduce the fatigue experienced by the hunter, over a long day on the trail, although I suspect it has more to do with looking the part.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Why is it that when hunting in Africa guys always carry their rifles on their shoulders holding it by the barrel? I notice on several videos and this one that he is pointing the rifle at people in front of him which is most unsafe. I never carry my rifle that way and always use a sling where it is pointed in a safe direction and easier on the body to carry. I've guided professionally for 8 years and never had a client carry a rifle in this fashion.
Traditionally, hunters didn't use slings as they get tangled in shrubs, etc. Carrying a large caliber rifle in your right hand down low all day gets old pretty quick I imagine.
Those who have a sling and carry it on their shoulder are posers. Basically, the same reason everyone drinks tomato juice as soon as they're on an airplane.
I use the "African carry" here in BC all the time- with slinged and unslinged rifles. Sometimes it comes in handy, sometimes it's just nice to shift the weight of the rifle around while on a hike. It's just another way of carrying a rifle, and as long as you do it safely, it's really up to personal preference.
Why is it that when hunting in Africa guys always carry their rifles on their shoulders holding it by the barrel? I notice on several videos and this one that he is pointing the rifle at people in front of him which is most unsafe. I never carry my rifle that way and always use a sling where it is pointed in a safe direction and easier on the body to carry. I've guided professionally for 8 years and never had a client carry a rifle in this fashion.
I'm not sure you can compare the needs of a guide on the prairies of Alberta to those of a PH in an area where you are surrounded by things that are quite happy to maim and kill you. Rare to see a PH with a sling. Too much danger of it becoming tangled in something when you really need it. As most safari rifles are quite heavy, the over the shoulder carry is just a convenient way to reduce fatigue, especially on the long walks that are common when tracking game.
I guided and hunted on the prairies, mountains, foothills and deep thick northern boreal forest and never carried my rifle in this fashion nor had my sling ever hung-up on brush or branches. If there is too much danger in Africa I definitely would not carry my rifle over my shoulder. It would be cradled in my arms at the ready or grasped from my left or right hand and not on my shoulder where it will take more time to mount, moreover; less danger to kill a person walking in the front.
I'd tend to trust the guys that do it for a living there. Carrying a 10 pound+ rifle in the cradle or one side carry position for 10 hours can get pretty tiring. I've never needed to do it guiding in North America either but I understand the rationale in Africa. Anyhow, you asked and it was answered...I appreciate you may disagree with the method. Every PH I've hunted with has done it that way.
Well if I decide to go to Africa, I will carry my rifle the way I usually do (avec la sling) and not the silly "playing the part" which makes absolutely no sense, especially for the person walking in front....... most dangerous. The guy in the black cap in your photo would receive one very fair warning from me and if he refused to comply, a right cross on the point of his chin would be next procedure.I don't care for African carry myself, especially by the guy behind me. When I was there I was never tempted even though the rifle I dragged around wore no sling; another silly notion pertinent to African hunting. I suppose the African carry is to reduce the fatigue experienced by the hunter, over a long day on the trail, although I suspect it has more to do with looking the part.
I'm really not talking about the PH, it's more North Americans, in particular Americans who have hunted all their life with a sling, however when in Africa they mimic the locals. I would be myself in stead of playing "the big white hunter".
I used my sling in Africa because it's what I was comfortable with but I get why the PHs do it. I suspect on a DG hunt I'd pull it off though. In some cases I suspect mimicking the locals rather than doing the way we do it back home might be prudent. I know as a guide that's one of the most irritating things a hunter can say. This isn't back home!
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Then you've never tracked wounded bear through thick hazelnut and other undergrowth. Everything gets tangled, a sling is a big pain to have on a rifle. It's hard enough getting your own ass through the brush, and to top it off, in Africa, everything has thorns.
I've hunted many times through dense brush after whitetails with sling and bipod attached, and by the looks of Africa on television it doesn't look as dense as our boreal forests. As one person posted, they are only "playing the part", that's why no sling.
Add thorns to every tree of the thickest cover you've ever walked through...thorns that grab skin, clothing and rifle slings and don't let go and you get a slight idea of what you are facing. It's definitely not like back home. There is one thorn tree called a cat's claw that has curved thorns just like a cat's claw. If they stick into you, you literally have to back out of then. I thought I'd seen nasty stuff in Texas but it didn't come close.
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My reaction precisely
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
LOL. Remington as a safari rifle....
I wouldn't trust rem mod 700 rifle on black bear hunt never mind on lion or elephant.
One experience of de-brazed bolt handle off bolt body is enough for lifetime of mine.
I wouldn't trust rem mod 700 rifle on black bear hunt never mind on lion or elephant.
One experience of de-brazed bolt handle off bolt body is enough for lifetime of mine.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Falling off bolt handles was the argument I received as a youngster as reason to stay clear of the Winchester M-70. I've owned a number of 700 Remingtons, and have yet to have a bolt handle fall off . . . so far so good. Ditto for my M-70. I've seen a bolt handle break off Remington 600, so in theory the 700 could break off as well I suppose, but one example is hardly credible evidence of a problem.
BeaverMeat
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nanaimo, B.C.
I never said I was experienced. My bias toward CRF is based upon my experience with the Mauser action. My first rifle was a K98 that I inherited, so I am comfortable with the Mauser action. Just as Mr. Potterfield; or yourself, is comfortable with the 700 action. Never said it was crap. If I were on safari, I would have a CRF action. Just my opinion. But I don't see myself going on safari any time soon. Not that I do not have the resources, of which you found nessisary to point out. I do not see where money or cost was mentioned. Mainly because if it's not threatening me, or I can't eat it, and if it's not a rodent. I'm not killing it.
No need to get defensive. Your manliness or wealth has not come into question.
Perhaps... instead of buying yourself a $10,000 rifle and bragging about it over the Internet of how you can afford it. Why don't you put it toward something meaningful like the CSSA or NFA?
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