The nearly perfect safari rifle

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 were 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 do you put it toward something meaningful like the CSSA or NFA?

Good points. They'll never see my little white ass in Africa, even if I won the Lotto!
However, I'd sure go Moosin' in NL or bison bopping in the Yukon.:)
 
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.

I repaired one mod 700 and at least four mod 788, they do fail but like you said very, very rarely.
If I was forced to use mod 700 on safari then my bolt handle would be tig welded otherwise I wouldn't go.
Personally I trust my Rugers.
 
I am thinking just use the gun allready there less to drag there and back and buy a hat when i am there aswell make it easy easy is good
 
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?

BM............I don't see anywhere in my post (or any other post ever) that I bragged about buying a $10,000 rifle, nor did I say, that you said Remingtons were crap, nor did I say or imply that you hadn't the resources to hunt Africa. What I did, was to ask 3 times what is so great about CRF actions that makes them superior to Rems, and specifically on Safari, as you stated. To which I never received an answer other than you were comfortable with them. It was you who said there was a good reason to use a CRF particularly on Safari, implying all who hunt Africa should use a CRF rifle...........I asked exactly what that good reason might be.........you never answered my question.
No where in my post do I see myself belittling or berating you, nor fearing for my manhood, I simply stated some of what I have done with PF rifles, and queried what a CRF action would do better. (and I did throw in a little sarcasm, not aimed specifically at you but at all those who are aghast that I survived 7 trips and hunted dangerous game in Africa with 700 Remington rifles)
I have both PF and CRF rifles and I use all of them, I rate each rifle on it's own merits and use it accordingly. Hell I like all rifles I don't care what type of action it is (except Savage bolt guns), besides if my Rem let's me down in Africa, that is what I'm paying big bucks everyday to PHs for, to save my ass !!!!!!!!! I have let my rifles down 20 times more than they've ever let me down...........

I just get tired of the Remington bashing that goes on here on CGN, and it's usually by gentlemen who haven't the experience to even have an opinion on the subject.

There is one other point I'd like to make here in general......it's not the rifle or caliber that makes the hunt, it's Africa herself.........the game one sees in a day, the landscapes, the morning mists in the Congo, the people one meets, the different cultures one gets immersed in, the quarry itself.......the rifle and cartridge are so far down the list for me that I can be just as happy hunting Africa with a camp loaner rifle, for all I care.......just so long as I'm there again hunting SOMETHING.

BM if I offended you in any way no offence was intended.
 
To go through life and never be challenged by an elephant, to never hear the thunder of the buffalo or hear their grunts from the long grass, to never be observed by a lion from his kopji, to never hear the hippo at night, just yards from your tent beside the river, to never feel the impossible coolness of a korongo on a hot day, to never smell the grass (no it doesn't smell like your lawn), to never see the black clouds of huge marabou storks and vultures as they descend on a carcass, to never see the leopard in his tree, to never witness the vast herds of antelope of a bygone age, to never live only by what you can shoot that day, that is not a life I would wish to live. And I only had a taste.

































 
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Boomer, I have that in my own country and then some. Alberta and BC have a diversity of animals and landscape like no other in the world. This past weekend I attended a big game trophy day where there was a young girl speaking at the podium who studies in Austria. After talking with many hunting groups in that community where she studies the unanimous decision where to hunt from these groups was Canada.........I would choose the same. Personally I prefer antlered animals over horns and not be shooting fish in a barrel.
 
Boomer, I have that in my own country and then some. Alberta and BC have a diversity of animals and landscape like no other in the world. This past weekend I attended a big game trophy day where there was a young girl speaking at the podium who studies in Austria. After talking with many hunting groups in that community where she studies the unanimous decision where to hunt from these groups was Canada.........I would choose the same. Personally I prefer antlered animals over horns and not be shooting fish in a barrel.

With respect, if you think wilderness hunting in Africa is shooting fish in a barrel, you have no clue. By the way, you don't have to sell me on Canada, but Africa is something special, which is unlikely to be appreciated unless you've been.
 
With respect, if you think wilderness hunting in Africa is shooting fish in a barrel, you have no clue. By the way, you don't have to sell me on Canada, but Africa is something special, which is unlikely to be appreciated unless you've been.
If Africa is not shooting fish in a barrel then why are bow hunters returning home with a multitude of animals on a 6 day hunt?................let alone utilizing a rifle. I don't think the same can be accomplished in Canada with bow hunters. Personally I'm not a killer where I need or want to harvest many animals, I'm humbled and content to what my own province has to offer. I guess that people as yourself need to go abroad to fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled.
 
If Africa is not shooting fish in a barrel then why are bow hunters returning home with a multitude of animals on a 6 day hunt?................let alone utilizing a rifle. I don't think the same can be accomplished in Canada with bow hunters. Personally I'm not a killer where I need or want to harvest many animals, I'm humbled and content to what my own province has to offer. I guess that people as yourself need to go abroad to fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled.

Firstly, Africa is a continent, not a country, and a very large one at that. Often people forget that.
There are still some countries where you can get a true African adventure, though they're getting few and far between. What you're thinking of are the high fenced hunts popular in South Africa, which is a country. Not all African hunts are like that.
 
Didn't Thomas Pigeon's Dakota rifle break while airing and episode of Canada In the Rough while in Africa a few years ago? And I have to ask, what ever happened to Dakota? Never hear of them here. Also, surely Holland and Holland makes the best rifle suited for Africa, only due to their history, etc.

And another thing,
Seems to be a bit of cabin fever going on on this site right now...........
Have a nice day everybody.
 
If Africa is not shooting fish in a barrel then why are bow hunters returning home with a multitude of animals on a 6 day hunt?................let alone utilizing a rifle. I don't think the same can be accomplished in Canada with bow hunters. Personally I'm not a killer where I need or want to harvest many animals, I'm humbled and content to what my own province has to offer. I guess that people as yourself need to go abroad to fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled.

The ignorant on the subject would see how you and your son shoot a giant deer every year and say "clearly if they do it every year it must be easy." Since they are ignorant on the subject they don't know the amount of work the goes into consistantly shooting large deer. Their ignorance on the subject makes them horribly unqualified to pass judgement.

Perhaps your admitted ignorance on Africa makes you unqualified to judge it.

I was born and raised in the Calgary area and have spent much of my time in the mountains and prairies doing various activities. It never ceases to amaze me when I'm out there and I could truly go a lifetime without being bored just in this area. However, Africa and other exotic locations hold their own magic and they are all truly something unique. Do not be so arrogant as to dismiss hunting in Africa as easy or somehow less an experience as chasing WT on the prairies.
 
If Africa is not shooting fish in a barrel then why are bow hunters returning home with a multitude of animals on a 6 day hunt?................let alone utilizing a rifle. I don't think the same can be accomplished in Canada with bow hunters. Personally I'm not a killer where I need or want to harvest many animals, I'm humbled and content to what my own province has to offer. I guess that people as yourself need to go abroad to fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled.

Indeed, and for me Africa was an itch that needed to be scratched. Another itch I have is sheep, but the cost for a non-resident Canadian to hunt Dalls makes Africa by comparison seem affordable. As for the multitude of animals that are collected on some safaris, I came home with a grad total of 4, (wildebeest, impala, warthog, and buffalo) although I might well have doubled or even tripled that over 10 days of hunting. But I passed on zebra (2 were allowed) and baboons (despite being pressured to have my very own see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil mount) because they weren't trophies I sought. I passed on a hartebeest, because it was the first day of the hunt and I didn't want to miss an opportunity on a buffalo so that I could shoot him, and I passed on my first buffalo, which I think was much better than the one I got, because it would have meant shooting over our tracker, when it wasn't necessary to save him. The amount of game brought home from Africa is not a reflection of easy hunting, rather it is a reflection of the variety and amount of game that can be seen in a very short period of time without needing to travel vast distances. In Alberta it would be a tough to hunt both antelope and bison on the same day. But to suggest safari hunting is shooting fish in a barrel would be akin to saying that an elk at 200 yards is likewise, the problem of course isn't the shooting so much as it is the finding. You pass up much before you see the one you want and our typical day was to drive from our camp to the hunting area where we'd pick up a trail and follow it for 6-10 hours. On our first day, the heat while following a track on a sand river put me down; 36 hours earlier we had been jumping on ice flows on Hudson Bay, so the warm temperatures took some getting used to. I recall stories from hunters in western Canada who got grizzlies, moose, caribou, wolves, and sheep all in a single adventure. Were they too shooting fish in a barrel?
 
Firstly, Africa is a continent, not a country, and a very large one at that. Often people forget that.
There are still some countries where you can get a true African adventure, though they're getting few and far between. What you're thinking of are the high fenced hunts popular in South Africa, which is a country. Not all African hunts are like that.
No I'm not thinking of high fence hunt what so ever, there are many countries in Africa that people bow hunt in where harvest rate is 100%, which personally for me is shooting fish in a barrel............and yes most hunts are like that. Moreover, I really don't need to kill a multitude of animals to be content, I'm humbled for what my own province has.
 
Indeed, and for me Africa was an itch that needed to be scratched. Another itch I have is sheep, but the cost for a non-resident Canadian to hunt Dalls makes Africa by comparison seem affordable. As for the multitude of animals that are collected on some safaris, I came home with a grad total of 4, (wildebeest, impala, warthog, and buffalo) although I might well have doubled or even tripled that over 10 days of hunting. But I passed on zebra (2 were allowed) and baboons (despite being pressured to have my very own see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil mount) because they weren't trophies I sought. I passed on a hartebeest, because it was the first day of the hunt and I didn't want to miss an opportunity on a buffalo so that I could shoot him, and I passed on my first buffalo, which I think was much better than the one I got, because it would have meant shooting over our tracker, when it wasn't necessary to save him. The amount of game brought home from Africa is not a reflection of easy hunting, rather it is a reflection of the variety and amount of game that can be seen in a very short period of time without needing to travel vast distances. In Alberta it would be a tough to hunt both antelope and bison on the same day. But to suggest safari hunting is shooting fish in a barrel would be akin to saying that an elk at 200 yards is likewise, the problem of course isn't the shooting so much as it is the finding. You pass up much before you see the one you want and our typical day was to drive from our camp to the hunting area where we'd pick up a trail and follow it for 6-10 hours. On our first day, the heat while following a track on a sand river put me down; 36 hours earlier we had been jumping on ice flows on Hudson Bay, so the warm temperatures took some getting used to. I recall stories from hunters in western Canada who got grizzlies, moose, caribou, wolves, and sheep all in a single adventure. Were they too shooting fish in a barrel?
Shooting a variety of species in one trip in Canada is the exception and not the norm, and when it does occur then how much actual hunting is involved over shooting and killing. I'd be content with just one animal, however I guess there are some people who need more. I can purchase many tags here in Alberta to hunt various species but I just choose a couple and many years don't shoot anything............that's just me.
 
The ignorant on the subject would see how you and your son shoot a giant deer every year and say "clearly if they do it every year it must be easy." Since they are ignorant on the subject they don't know the amount of work the goes into consistantly shooting large deer. Their ignorance on the subject makes them horribly unqualified to pass judgement.

Perhaps your admitted ignorance on Africa makes you unqualified to judge it.

I was born and raised in the Calgary area and have spent much of my time in the mountains and prairies doing various activities. It never ceases to amaze me when I'm out there and I could truly go a lifetime without being bored just in this area. However, Africa and other exotic locations hold their own magic and they are all truly something unique. Do not be so arrogant as to dismiss hunting in Africa as easy or somehow less an experience as chasing WT on the prairies.
Well every person who I personally spoken with who has hunted in Africa stated the contrary to what you and el al have mentioned and what I have viewed on Outfitters web sites. No I don't hunt the prairies for whitetails but the northern boreal forest and did not fill my whitetail tags in Alberta or Saskatchewan this year. Personally I prefer to hunt and not fill my tags then to go abroad and start banging at various species of antelope or other animals within 7 to 10 days.........that's not me. I'm a selective hunter and not a killer, moreover a conservationist.
 
No I'm not thinking of high fence hunt what so ever, there are many countries in Africa that people bow hunt in where harvest rate is 100%, which personally for me is shooting fish in a barrel............and yes most hunts are like that. Moreover, I really don't need to kill a multitude of animals to be content, I'm humbled for what my own province has.

When you say "100% harvest rate" what does that figure actually represent? Every hunter who makes a successful kill has made that score, on that game animal, but the 100% figure doesn't make sense if you are referring to the the game allotment in any given hunting concession. The concessions are awarded in one of two ways, either the safari companies which come closest to filling their quota the previous season have the first choice of concessions, as this reflects in income for the government, or its a lottery, amongst those who apply for a concession. As I understand it, no concession makes a 100% harvest. If one shoots over bait from a blind, his chances are much better than the hunter who tracks his game. I wonder how the success rate of pointy stick hunters compare to rifle hunters in a country like Botswana where hunting over bait is verboten. Why I bet its similar to the success ratio between archers and rifle hunters in Alberta.
 
Well every person who I personally spoken with who has hunted in Africa stated the contrary to what you and el al have mentioned and what I have viewed on Outfitters web sites. No I don't hunt the prairies for whitetails but the northern boreal forest and did not fill my whitetail tags in Alberta or Saskatchewan this year. Personally I prefer to hunt and not fill my tags then to go abroad and start banging at various species of antelope or other animals within 7 to 10 days.........that's not me. I'm a selective hunter and not a killer, moreover a conservationist.

I don't know how to break this to you, but the moment you break the shot on a live target, you've become a killer. When the time to shoot comes, its not time to dwell on anything but that killing shot. When that rifle booms, you've just killed, or you've at least intended to, so yup, you're a killer, killer. So you don't mind going out of province to diminish Saskatchewan's deer population, which I assume takes place over some fixed period of time, but some how I'm immoral for going to Tanzania. That is an antelope you're posing with in you avatar is it not?
 
No I'm not thinking of high fence hunt what so ever, there are many countries in Africa that people bow hunt in where harvest rate is 100%, which personally for me is shooting fish in a barrel............and yes most hunts are like that. Moreover, I really don't need to kill a multitude of animals to be content, I'm humbled for what my own province has.

It would seem you're a touch ignorant on African species, particularly their population,distribution and the ways in which they're hunted. Would you say caribou hunting in the NWT is like shooting fish in a barrel? Antelope in Wyoming? Maybe if you read up on the subject and stop comparing it to your methods of hunting completely different species on a completely different continent, you'd realize how foolish your posts sound.
 
When you say "100% harvest rate" what does that figure actually represent? Every hunter who makes a successful kill has made that score, on that game animal, but the 100% figure doesn't make sense if you are referring to the the game allotment in any given hunting concession. The concessions are awarded in one of two ways, either the safari companies which come closest to filling their quota the previous season have the first choice of concessions, as this reflects in income for the government, or its a lottery, amongst those who apply for a concession. As I understand it, no concession makes a 100% harvest. If one shoots over bait from a blind, his chances are much better than the hunter who tracks his game. I wonder how the success rate of pointy stick hunters compare to rifle hunters in a country like Botswana where hunting over bait is verboten. Why I bet its similar to the success ratio between archers and rifle hunters in Alberta.
Well, like I mentioned in a previous post to another member on this forum, I have spoken to many people who hunted Africa, plains game in particular, who returned home with their quota, that's within a 7 to 10 day hunt. This is not the normal situation in Canada, therefore red flags come up, for me that is, it's to easy of a hunt...........fish in a barrel. I don't want an easy hunt, it shouldn't be easy and don't want to gorge myself with a multitude of kills. I'm most humble in my own province which in itself is my Africa and don't need to go abroad to fulfill something that I don't need fulfilling, especially on the scale of .............to easy.
 
It would seem you're a touch ignorant on African species, particularly their population,distribution and the ways in which they're hunted. Would you say caribou hunting in the NWT is like shooting fish in a barrel? Antelope in Wyoming? Maybe if you read up on the subject and stop comparing it to your methods of hunting completely different species on a completely different continent, you'd realize how foolish your posts sound.
I don't hunt caribou, nor Wyoming antelope..........it would be to easy.
 
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