What gun to buy?

Hello everyone i want to buy a rifle
i don't want 1 which is to strong or to week i am looking around the .3??'s
and would like to know if there are good and reasonable carbon fiber guns out there
its a gun to shoot anything around the size of an eland or smaller!

so please post your opinion it will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
Ibie

Hi Ibie,
To answer your question, any of the .30's will do just fine on plains game in South Africa. A 30-06 or 308 will be sufficient for our game, providing shot placement is good. I use a .308 , which my clients also hunt with should they not bring their own rifles over. The most important factor is probably some good quality ammunition, that will not break up. Our animals here are considered some of the toughest in the world , so you want to put the bullet in the right place and still should not still wonder if the ammunition will do its job. Secondly, be comfortable with your rifle. Put some time in on the rifle range, until you are confident with your ability at least out to 200 yards.
Hope that answered your question.

Kind Regards
Marius Goosen

Ibie,

Go in for the .375 H&H Magnum "The Emperor" , you would never be undergunned or unhappy ..... Read more about this caliber on .375 H&H Magnum site.

Monish

Hi Ibie. Your going to get a lot of different opinions on what to buy. A good premium bullet is going to be important. The next consideration is how much recoil you can handle. Practice is important, but is counterproductive if recoil causes you to develop a flinch. The .375 that Monish loves will get the job done on any animal in the world. Some would consider it overkill on all but the largest of plains game. If only for plains game then I would start at the .338 and go down to where you are comfortable shooting it so you get the practice needed. A great choice may be .300WSM. It has become a popular caliber and will take any of the plains game without a problem with good bullets. The .308 that Marius spoke of has the mildest recoil and is a good choice also. Still .30 caliber with the huge range of bullets.
Then you had the question about carbon fiber. I assume that you are asking about a synthetic stock. Christensen Arms does a carbon fiber wrapped barrel, but your likely asking about the stock. Many rifle companies make synthetic stocks. Lightweight, waterproof and nearly indestructable. I have them on most of my rifles. If I was suggesting a particular company the I'd look at the Tika T-3 and at the line from Savage. Many claim that Savage has the best out of the box accuracy in the industry right now. Many of the Savages have the accu-trigger which helps promote good shooting. The Tika's have wonderful triggers and are very light weight. Nice when your walking all day! Hope this helps with your questions. I'm sure that others will chime in. Good luck. Bruce

Bruce,

You summarised it all immaculately ...... Ibie did get the answers & can sure be decisive on for a caliber choice..

Monish

thanks alot guys
i am very happy that i am getting advice from the experts
All the best!!
Ibie!
and 1 last thing about the skopes and things like that i will also need help with ths.

Anytime , we all would be glad to impart & share what ever little know how that we have knowlege of...

Happy Hunting ..

Monish

mm ya guys i will please need info on scopes and hunting gear to buy !!

All the best
Ibie

Ibie,
I saw in another post that you are looking to buy a game ranch in S.A. , for that means you can buy any make model gun you want, you should look in to sauer take downs with interchanchable barrels, and you can have the barrels made from chritensen arms cobered with carbon fiber, you will have a super combination of reliability, accuracy and function, especially if you only want one gun, 2 or 3 calibers? you can have a lazzeroni warbird, a 375 and a 416 in the same action.

Hi Ibie. Scopes are another thing that are a relatively personal choice. Bright, clear optics that don't change the point of impact are very important. Leupold is one that you should consider. Another is the Zeiss. I bought 2 of the Zeiss Conquest series when they came out. They are comparable to the Leupolds in price. I've compared them to several other scopes and have always felt that they did very well in low light. I use a variable because when a animal is far away I want to be able to turn up the magnification and make an accurate shot. In the brush when a quick shot may be called for I turn down the magnification. A 3X9 variable is useful in most areas. You will need to decide what magnification works best for you. Depends a lot on how open the country is where you are hunting. If your in lots of cover a 2X7 might be better. Lots of other good scopes out there. depends on what you want to spend. Right now I covet the Swarovski's Z6 series, but the $2000 price tag makes me hesitate... Lots of good choices out there, but start with these. You won't be sorry. Bruce

thanks guys i think this will solve my problem!
and i would really like your help on gear i hunt mostly hunt plains game on savannah and have only used a sniper set is there any gear i should get?

All the best!
Ibie!

My go to hunting rifles in my arsenal are my Kimber Montana in .300WSM with a NFX Nightforce 3.5X15 power scope, it has a 1/8 min dot reticle. My other go to rifle is my Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger. It has a Nightforce 2.5X10 scope with a medium velocity compensated reticle that calibrates perfectly for 100 yards out to 600 yards with my .260 grain Nossler Accubond hand loads. I also stocked this rifle with an H-S Precision stock.

You really need to spend some time in a gun shop shouldering and handling any gun that is in your price range and that catches you fancy. Then talk to people who shoot a lot and have some different calibers, then see if you can arrange a shooting session with them. IF you were in the Phoenix, AZ area I would say come out with me and my son. But the 26 hour plane ride might be a little long.

Let us know what you find and like once you find it.
Cheers
Will

An Award Winning Scope for .375. I was looking for a scope to put on my Brown Precision .375 H&H Mag. when 2 friends who knew this sent me the below info.
While I have never been ot Africa, it is on my list of places to go if I ever shake the Argentina Dove shooting bug.
Anyway, I am getting the Nikon Monarch African 1.1-4x24 with Illuminated reticle.
I found it on-line for $870.
Nikon’s African Series of riflescopes was awarded the Golden Bullseye for Optic of the Year by NRA’s American Hunter magazine during the 2010 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, held May 13th to 18th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Nikon Monarch African Series is purpose-built for African hunting and excels on dangerous or plains game. Available in 1-4x24mm with a 1-inch tube and German #4 reticle or a 30mm tube with the option of a regular German #4 or an Illuminated version. Both feature an ultra wide field of view, 4-time magnification range and generous eye relief.

“The Golden Bullseye Award is seen as such a huge accomplishment throughout the hunting and shooting industry, and something we all hope to win,” said Jon LaCorte, Senior Product Marketing Manager. “We are thrilled our Monarch African Series was selected as American Hunter’s 2010’s Optic of the Year.”

I have the Nikon African illuminated 1-4x24 on my Ruger 77RSM in 416 Rigby. I've only used on the range so far, but am very happy with clarity and brightness. After about 120 rounds of 400gn, 2400 fps ammo, it has shown no issues with loss of zero.

- browningbbr

That is awesome. These days I am all about recommendations and referrals.
I will never go with a guide/outfitter again that someone I know has not hunted with or a good friend of theirs. I feel the same way about guns/optics/UTV's. We all have our preferences and there can always be the rare lemon but for the most part I will go with a sure thing and that is what I feel about the Nikon African Series. While I haven't received mine yet I will defintely give everyone a review of how it functions for me.
I am impressed by your range dilligence, 120 rounds of .416 Ammo, impressive.
What distance did you sight you scope in at ? One of my friends who is one of the worst range shooter and best game shooters I know sighted his in at 100 yards and has taken plains game out to almost 300 with it. I guess knowing the ballistics of your round is huge!

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shooting/products/scopes/vx-3-riflescopes/vx-3-1-5-5x20mm-illum-reticle/

Since we are on the subject of great scopes, I have a Leupold 30mm tube 1.5 X5 power with a German #4 illuminated dot, mounted on my Ruger RSM in .458 Lott. The dot is perfect sized for fast acquisition. I have put well over 600 rounds thru this rifle with no problems what so ever. The only game I have killed with it is a few coyotes to date. It is the best scope I have tried on this set up to date and I have tried a number of scopes.

My 416 is sighted at 100 yards. I've shot a couple of rounds at 150 from the bench to determine the "drop". It's less than I thought it would be. I'll test out to 250 yards when I get the opportunity.

I had been practicing at 50 and 100 yards (off hand and with sticks). On the advice of a PH who contributes to this forum, I am adding 20 yard practice as well.

This is one of "those" calibers that requires a lot of practice to become comfortable with the rifle weight, recoil and low-power optics.

Knowing the ballistics of a given rifle is huge. Handloading keeps the costs reasonable.

- browningbbr

I would not buy a Carbon fiber gun.. as carbon fiber is an insulator, it has its uses as light weight and it might be a tad stiffer.

Buy a Mauser M03 if you like a classic turnbolt

Buy a Blaser R8 if you can take a "spacey" straight pull gun

Buy a Sauer 202 if you want a bolt that is as smooth as butter

All of these guns you are not married to the caliber, as you can change with a bolt head and barrel change. You are buying a system that can be anything.

All of the Sauer/Blaser/Mauser takedown into discrete luggage and all are damn accurate. Shot a Mauser M03 against a Jarrett windwalker. It shot just as good--and did it with Federal factory ammo. I then took the scope off with its quick detach mounts, took the barrel off and put it in its case...try that with a Kenny Jarrett!

Ed

Also an excellent scope choice. I have chatted with 3 folks recently who are looking at purchasing a scope to hunt in Africa and they all want an Illuminated reticle. All will go on .375's as well.
Since I have never hunted Africa are there a lot of low light shots or is it more a just in case and you don't want to be without should you need it?
Thanks,

some animals like leopard or lion are hunted primarily in low light but with others its just to take advantage of all the shooting hours available.