Dangerous Game Rifle
- Thread starter AR15meister
- Start date
I hear ya Dogleg, I was just jerking your chain.........................
The other thing is; what would I do with all the hoarded components?
Why you'd sell them at a huge loss to all those guys who don't prepare for shortages and are now out of components and crying the blues and bad mouthing us because we're not.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
This. M70 in 375 H&H topped with a 2.5-8x Leupold (or a 1.5-5x - my preference but less versatile in open country) and away you go.
Actually you might be pleasantly surprised at how well they do work in open country, they currently sit on my 458, 404, 375, 358 Win., 8X57, and have spent time on a 270 and Heaven forbid a 25-06 all with great results. They are tough as heck and dead reliable......
x2 in .375 H&H
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
They're my favourite scope by a wide margin. And I currently have one on my 257 Weatherby. But if a person wants to hunt springbok in the Karoo I think you might want more power. Of course, a 375 isn't necessarily the best Karoo springbok rifle either.
OP asked about a dangerous game rifle and cartridge............the 375 is a medium bore and doesn't really qualify as a dangerous game cartridge for buffalo. It has been used many times, I know but so has the 223 on deer, doesn't make it the best suited for the job. I wouldn't intentionally go hunting Cape buffalo with any cartridge less than the 416 Rigby or equivalent, and would prefer 45 cal and up with at least 450 gns of bullet and energies exceeding 5000 ft lbs.
What country you going to? .375 is the minimum you can use, by law, in most of Africa. You will not get a new one for your budget. You can rent rifles in Africa though. Talk to your outfitter.
Guy came in the shop who was heading to Africa and just had to have his own .458. Sold him an M70 African(Weighs 9 lbs 8 oz)current MSRP is just under 5 grand US.) and 20 rounds of ammo(about $50 Cdn for 20 pieces of empty brass, 30 some years ago. $50 was a lot of money then). Picks it up on a Friday evening. Next afternoon he's back with the rifle and 18 loaded round with 2 empties looking for us to sell it for him. Moral of the story is don't buy something in a big cartridge if you haven't shot one. The felt recoil is astounding.
Guy came in the shop who was heading to Africa and just had to have his own .458. Sold him an M70 African(Weighs 9 lbs 8 oz)current MSRP is just under 5 grand US.) and 20 rounds of ammo(about $50 Cdn for 20 pieces of empty brass, 30 some years ago. $50 was a lot of money then). Picks it up on a Friday evening. Next afternoon he's back with the rifle and 18 loaded round with 2 empties looking for us to sell it for him. Moral of the story is don't buy something in a big cartridge if you haven't shot one. The felt recoil is astounding.
Given airline weight restrictions, and the habit that some African countries have of charging a couple of hundred dollars for each gun brought into the country, it makes more sense these days to go with just one rifle. A .375 just about has the general purpose rifle category sewed up, although some seem to prefer the idea of a .416. A .458 would benefit from some high velocity 300-350 gr loads for plains game, keeping the 450-500 gr bullets in reserve for buff and such. The danger here though is shooting the impala bullet at a buffalo and the buffalo bullet at a dik-dik, whereas the .375 or .416 can take on all comers with a single bullet weight/style. I'd be leaning towards a TSX, but Dogleg makes a compelling argument for Swift A-Frames, and his experience trumps mine by a factor of 10.
Getting the rifle early so that you have time to develop a comfort level with it is a good plan. When you start your marksmanship training for the trip, the most demanding shot you'll encounter might be a 200+ yard shot at a baboon, with just enough ground cover to make shooting prone impossible; although a shot at a crocodile wouldn't be easy either. I think you'll like the M-70. The action is slick, and its accurate enough to give you the confidence you'll need to make the more demanding shots. Don't overlook close range snap shooting though, and make note of how low the bullet strikes below your point of aim, should you have to break a charge.
M-70 Express in .458, barrel shortened to 21" LOP 13.5", front swivel moved to the radius of the forend tip.
was wondering where the ideas were coming for my own 458 ....
CEB bullets seems a really intersting project tell me how you can get them coming here ....
Sunray,
maybe your ethics will stop you to use any caliber you want but i never heard and never seen myself any problems with people using smaller caliber that the .375 ... most of the time except PHs nobody has a clue about any calibers ...
the 458 win mag is not the worth on the recoil standard ... stock design maybe a reason to not like it. a bavarian stock on a cz or brno can make you in love with the 243 win ....
Reloading International (dot) com. 100% legal and above board. Cutting Edge Bullets referred me to him.
