Rifles & Guns for African Game

Use Enough Gun?

2011-11-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

I grew up in an African country where rifles and guns were not easy to come by, in fact unless they were handed down from father to son it was quite impossible to obtain a new rifle, let alone a caliber of your choice. You simply hunted with what you had in your family and had to make do with that rifle or caliber no matter what game you were after. Of course your grandfathers would vehemently defend their old well worked guns, the mauser calibers and the ever popular .303’s for which there seemed to be an endless supply of ammunition. New found rifles, the so called magnums were frowned upon for their fierce recoil and long distance shooting yet I believed it was more the cost of the ammunition that saw my grandfather and dad at loggerheads over what was suitable for buffalo.

I remember the 10x75 Mauser being THE big gun in our family, a remarkably light and beautiful rifle which was only very sparingly used and saw open country only once or twice a year. The worn beaten up gun that lay at my grandfather’s side at night was the 7.9 or what is more commonly known as the 8x57mm. This rifle took down more game than any other in the family and stood the test of time until my father decided to trade it for a shiny new .375 made by Carl Walther. The old timers spoke of the 7 nine as if it was a .22 so common was the rifle amongst the early boer farmers in Zambia. The other favourite was the Nine 3 or 9.3x62mm yet this was also considered overkill and ammunition too expensive.

You see, under the British rule in Northern Rhodesia you were allotted a certain amount of ammunition per year and that was it, although the amount was reasonable enough to see the like of my grandfathers and uncles shoot herd upon herd of Eland, Roan, Sable and Hartebeest, all in the quest for meat. When independence came to Zambia the newly formed government brought in stricter gun control, being fearful of a revolt by the white residents. The old British 303 enfields were confiscated or steel rods welded down into their barrels as these were considered military calibres. Ammunition was restricted and dealers selling rifles and ammunitions severely curbed, almost down to the point of one single armoury for the whole country.

However by the time I was old enough to hold a rifle, laws had relaxed slightly, pellet or airguns were allowed without permits while it was possible to buy existing rifles from their owners and there were a few gunshops around without much stock however. With a band-aid strapped over my left eye to keep it shut, I ventured into the orange orchard after birds with my No 1 BSA pellet gun.

Thus my induction into the shooting art, from the time I could balance a rifle in front of me and hit the target, came at a time when there was a severe shortage of guns and decent ammunition in the country although no shortage of guns in the family, spread between grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and the usual extended family that is characteristic of the boers. We therefore made do with what we had - we hunted the game before us with what was available to us and looked upon each situation with caution and determination.

Today I read the experts and their opinions on the right guns for Africa, that continent of great big beasts with ferocious temperament and big horns, tusks and teeth. Yes we do have massive dinosaur like creatures and bovines that can run you through but for the most part, these are mammals intent of living – they have a drive for life and if we try and take it from them they persist to live even if it does mean crushing us paltry humans into a pulp.

Listening to the experts, the men that know Africa, that have shot so many of these toothy tusked critters I hear one thing common to all – use enough gun! If only I had a penny.......! And yes they are right to an extent because I have learnt, from my mistakes and experience that it is sometimes better to have a nice heavy gun in your hand to make you feel better rather than carrying a peashooter.

When I was 12 I shot my first Buffalo, a bad shot behind the shoulder but the bull was quartered away so I succeeded in breaking the front leg with my uncle’s .375, a beautiful Winchester which didn’t kick at all. Until then my cousin and I had grown up on the .22 Hornet and the old family 30-06 Bruno, the .375 was reserved for the bigger men and then the bigger stuff. The follow up ended well, one shot to the head by my uncle and the bulls was down, my cousin’s hunt the next day went better, he had one up on me by dropping the beast in its tracks.

Thus began our buffalo hunting career and over the course of the next 7 years I shot about 40 buffalo on our annual hunting trips into the Laungwa Valley, narrowly beating my cousin who ended up with a few less. Naturally I am no expert compared to those most famous of writers who have surely shot at least 5000 buffalo through their careers and hence their immediate qualification to the ultimate authority on rifles for the African beasts.

In addition, my experience with dangerous game is restricted to buffalo and Lion, elephant hunting closed the year I turned 14 although I had been on every one of the 23 elephant hunts my stepdad had shot and was witness to the rifles used and how they performed, including a double hit with a solid from an unexpected caliber.

Thus I must confess not to be in the league of the extraordinary gents who know the African rifles and guns you should use. My writings and meanderings on this blog are based upon my experience in the field from holding my first rifle in 1973 through to today, as an African professional hunter and African safari operator. I have owned a few good rifles in my years and then I have owned one or two that were the very best for me and still prove their worth and protect my skin today. I have also seen the performance of a great number of calibres from leading clients out into the African bush after these dangerous 'monsters'.

Again, these views are all based upon what I have personally seen and experienced in Africa, I don’t know too much about ballistic coefficients or sectional density, nor do I care much for supersonic feet per second or wildcat variations of perfectly good calibres. What I do know is how a buffalo or elephant or Lion reacts when hit by a bullet from a certain calibre and more importantly what the outcome will be, based upon the point of impact – this is what makes my job easy or long and tedious.

Use enough gun! Yes surely you have to, yet I believe more in using enough sense and judgement for shot placement – that is what makes the difference – time and again without fail.

2007-04-11T16:31:00.000-06:00

So you know the skinny from every other person who has been to Africa about your choice of Rifle. Everyone has advice on this matter, even if they haven't been there.

To travel with a gun is becoming more complicated each day and I foresee a day when all hunters would rather use the rifles provided by their PH or outfitter.

BUT there is nothing like hunting with your own rifle and an essential to any trip is hunting with a rifle that you are used to rather than going out and getting a bazooka just because its Africa!

If you're hunting the big boys then the classic double is the dream. Whether you can afford this is another story but seeing a buffalo bull take 500 grains twice in a matter of seconds is a memory not ever forgotten.
Unless you're a plinker there is no need to go out and buy a new rifle specifically for African game, a heavier caliber deer rifle works well on most plains game and some even do for the cats.

It is when you start messing with elephant, rhino and buffalo that you need a true weapon, a big stick so to speak.

Here's what I think on the subject of rifles for Africa:

Heavy thick skinned game - Elephant, Rhino & Buffalo
You probably wish you had a dollar for every time you heard this, the .375 Magnum is the caliber for the big boys. Well...... that is partly true, in most countries it is the minimum you need to be able to book a dangerous game hunt, but nowadays there are such mouth watering guns for the big boys that a .375 magnum is a bit of a let down.

Don't mistake my banter, the .375 Mag will do the job each an every day for 100 years. 20 years ago in Africa, this was one of the biggest calibers you could get. So don't discard the faithfull old workhorse, it is capable of handling everything Africa has to throw at it and is on the very reasonable end of your budget.

BUT somehow the bigger calibers feel better, their barrels are thicker and you know immediately, when you lift the rifle to your shoulder that this is a tool for a serious job. I'm not talking about the expensive doubles, I'm talking about rifles that will cost you a little more than usual but they are built for the purpose of close range heavy work and will throw out 500 grains of hot lead with enough knock down power to make you safe.

I GOTTA LOTT
In my opinion, the .458 LOTT is the perfect rifle for the big game of Africa because of its size, the knock down power it delivers and because of its availability. Winchester did make it in factory version yet your best bet is to buy a regular .458 Mag, used is cheaper, and get it reamed out by a competent gunsmith into the LOTT version (believe me, you don't want an original .458 Mag, it does not work well). Without a doubt, the LOTT carries serious hitting power and is the choice of many PH's across Africa. If you cannot afford a double, then this is the best choice.
Of course, here I am touting a rifle that I don't even use, because of one primary reason: the rifle I have fits me, it knows me, I know how it behaves and it works for me. Believe me, I own a .458 LOTT and have used it and know its capabilities, that is why I endorse it.

THE OLD NITRO
The .416 Rigby was one of the first large game nitro calibers and to this day it is a very good all rounder. This is what I use and personally I would prefer a 500 grain bullet because the Rigby to me is akin to the .300 Win or Weatherby Mag., it is fast, it penetrates and it kicks the shit out of you. 500 grains might slow it a little and make it more manageable, but it is another top choice for your big game hunt and you can use it on lesser game at a greater distance. It is well suited for Moose, Elk and of course the American bigwigs, those magnificent brown bears of Kodiak.
You have the Americanized version of this, the .416 Remington. For what it is worth, when you look at the cartridges side by side there is little difference but in the field they are 2 different calibers, something I have yet to fathom. Seriously, as a PH who hunts mostly buffalo each year and sees many calibers, I notice a difference, there seems to be a lack of power or perhaps it is just that people are afraid of it! This caliber evokes caution in me whenever I have a client shooting it. Most of the time it works out perfect though!

DOUBLE DREAMS
They're too heavy for me but for the purpose of hunting the dangerous game of Africa, they are second to none. Old gnarly PH's pull them out at every opportunity and ask if you want to buy the stick that killed 500 elephant! Today they are cheaper and they work well yet most still throw a 500 grain piece of lead so your only advantage is a second shot, which probably turns out to be too close or even worse, you pull both barrels at once. The .470 Nitro is the most common, the cheapest and still only gives you 500 grains? BUT you get the image and they make some immaculate guns. Ammunition is also factory produced so, like the .458 LOTT you can make it more economical on your whole pocketbook. If you do buy a double PLEASE make sure it is from a reputable manufacturer and dealer - double nightmares do happen, even with the top brands and manufacturers.