Dearth of big bore rifles on the market - did you hunt with yours this year?

I hunt with various big bores every year, they come and go. I enjoy using big chunks of lead on game, it is very effective but does not cause the devastation that many expect. I was in Africa this year with a .375 WSM, and used a .458 WM Carbine on bears in the spring.
Kool ! Hey can you Share a storey of your African Safari adventure Please 👍😊
 
I agree, I really like the 350gn bullets, the recoil is mild ish and it is plenty for up here! I also have a wack load of 480gn cast bullets that I get going about 1900fps and they are also easy to shoot!
I find the recoil on the 350’s easier on the shoulder than a 12ga factory slug. I got mine moving about 2250fps if the data is correct should be a 0-150 yard load and still be in the boiler room on most things. I haven’t got a mold yet but would like something in the 480gr range.
 
Kool ! Hey can you Share a storey of your African Safari adventure Please 👍😊
Africa is a great experience, and not as expensive as most assume. In March, I spent two weeks in Namibia, on a free range operation, with over a million acres to explore. I hunted in three distinctly different biomes, took ten animals and did some shark fishing on the coast. Heading back again next April for plains game and Tiny Ten, then buffalo in 2027.

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Hunted earlier in the year alot with my 500s&w lever action.
I got a bison with my 375 weatherby last year.
I have not shot anything in the last 10 years with anything smaller than a 338RUM except the borrowed 308 I shot plains game with in Africa
My Giraffe was with a nice custom 375h&h winchester classic stainless, that had been shortened and iron sights installed.
I have found that the big guns damage alot less meat than the mid or small bores.
More blood shot meat on deer with my old 25-06 than ever with my 375.
 
I killed two Cape Buffalo (one at 40yds, one at 60yds) and a Hippo (30 yards) on dry land this summer with a 416 Rigby. 400gr TBBC softs for the initial shots on the buff followed by solids and just solids for the Hippo. Both buff were broadside more or less and the Hippo as a frontal brain shot. Also an Impala and Warthog with a 375H&H shooting 300gr solids. All hunted in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania.Mutambo x Gregg 197.jpegIMG_3112.jpegMutambo x Gregg 170.jpegIMG_2941.jpegMutambo x Gregg 264.jpeg
 
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Terrific thread! Nice to see some smiling faces in trophy pics as well; folks who show how happy they are in the moment. I'm still hoping for a pic like that this year, especially with the Winchester 1886 that I have carried a lot this season. Nothin' like a .45-70-inspired ####-eating grin...:)

I just received a text from an acquaintance who shot his deer this morning; he looks the same way he does in all his pics, i.e. as though he has finally found the man who shot his dog when he was a kid and he is now about to exact his revenge... :rolleyes:
 
Love those photos slick shooter! Congratulations on some fine animals and a grand family adventure. A hippo on land is something I'll try to pursue next year, and of course Cape buffalo. Can't get enough of them!
 
Love those photos slick shooter! Congratulations on some fine animals and a grand family adventure. A hippo on land is something I'll try to pursue next year, and of course Cape buffalo. Can't get enough of them!
I’m thinking of going in 2027 but you guys who have been there are making me reconsider. You sound like addicts! 😂
 
1000003438.jpg1000003946.jpgSpring bear taken by my 500 nitro,570 gns dgx at 2200 fps ( reloads ). Shot at 30 m. Suprisingly the dgx blow open and made a significant hole in the bear. Good for black bear but I would'nt trust them for dangerous stuff. Double rifle are the ultimate thrill for spring bear In my opinion. Way more fun than arrow. And man, they kill fast.
The gun is a merkel db 141 with aimpoint h2 sigth.
 
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