Two Rifle Battery in Classic Calibers?

My two gun battery for Southern Africa for NDG is as follows.

7x64 with 3-12 power scope, launching 160 grain projectiles at about 2700 fps. This is for plains game in big open spaces like the Eastern Cape Karoo areas as well as Namibia and Natal.

9.3 x 62 with a 1-6 power scope, launching 286 grain projectiles at about 2500 fps. This for the rest of the area that's covered in Bushveldt.

I grew up in the Limpopo province, went to school (uni) in Natal and lived in the Eastern cape for 10 years before immigrating to BC - these tow calibre's served me well for anything from duiker to Cape buffalo.
 
Now I like your choice Kudu 1. I'm originally from the Alaska Peninsula, but have been drifting all over the world since getting hooked up with the military. I've done a lot of good work with the 7x64 and rate it as my top small bore. Seems like that one is the one I always grab for out of the safe for most of my hunting. I think it should be much more popular than it is.

For taking one gun, as I've now been convinced. If the hunting is generally open, I'll probably go with the 9.3x62mm and a quick stepping premium bullet like the TSX.

If the hunting is generally close, easy choice, the Beretta 9.3x74R.
 
check your weight allowances and ammo limits.... might be easier to take one rifle combination. You could always change a scope to a lower power 1-6 to give you a little more versatility.
Cheers
TW
 
I just hunted RSA July 2015. I took two pre 64 Win 70's, a 30-06 FWT and a 375 H&H. If I was going again I would take the 375 H&H. I had a 2-7 on the 06 and a 1.75-6 on the 375. I used 260 grain Nosler Partitions @ 2710 FPS. I would take solids for the smaller stuff and pack a soft case in the gun case instead of taking two guns.

You can only bring guns of different calibers to RSA, i.e. a 30-06 and a 375 is OK; a 30-06 and 300 H&H would not be legal as both are 30 caliber.

Take your Mauser. Get a good shooting load of 250-270 grains and zero @ 250 yards if you are going to the Eastern Cape. Long shots are the norm there.
 
................
You can only bring guns of different calibers to RSA, i.e. a 30-06 and a 375 is OK; a 30-06 and 300 H&H would not be legal as both are 30 caliber. ....

I think your thoughts have gone a little beyond what SAPS will process.
Most certainly beyond anyone at the Tambo Firearms Permit office.
If one rifle caliber is marked 300H&H and the other is 30-06, you are not going to encounter an issue.

A temporary import permit will only be issued at the port of entry to the following persons
For only one(1) firearm per caliber
.

If if you just have to have the exact same caliber in two rifles:

An application for more than one firearm of the same calibre
The Registrar may in good cause shown, issue a permit in respect of more than one firearm per calibre to a person who will be using the firearms for the under mentioned purpose:

to a foreign visitor for the purpose of hunting

http://www.saps.gov.za/services/flash/firearms/importation.php
 
Thanks for that bit of info. How would they deal with bring in a double rifle with an extra set of shotgun barrels? Is it considered one or two firearms?
 
Thanks for that bit of info. How would they deal with bring in a double rifle with an extra set of shotgun barrels? Is it considered one or two firearms?

As long as they are O/U there should not be an issue.
They will head to the barrels and check the "caliber" gauge.
If you can demonstrate why you need them ......

The more odd the request the more likely that I would lean to getting pre-approved permit service working for me.
Just to save the potential hassle.
 
Yes, it is a Beretta O/U 9.3x74R with an extra set of 20 ga barrels.

I think the pre approval service is the way to go. This might be a pre condition for my temp export/import permit here in Australia anyway. Plus I noticed that many airlines require copies of import/export permits from both countries prior to allowing you to travel with your firearms.
 
Now that you said you have and like the 7x64 I would recommend you take it and the 9.3x62. Both are well respected in Africa, ammo is available for both and both are capable of taking any PG you may encounter.
 
Here's another twist to the story. Right before Christmas I came across a very nice condition Steyr M1903 Mannlicher-Schonauer 6.5x54mm English pattern sporting rifle. It's already equipped with proper claw mounts and a Swarovski 6 power scope.

Anyway, I now have her as my Christmas present. I think my wife wants me to have something that she would like using. Bless her heart. :)

This just might be the classic two rifle battery that I was looking for. A 6.5 as my light and a 9.3 as my medium.
 
I think you have your answer. Happy hunting!
 
9,3 x 62... will handle ALL PG that you come across. The others that you listed don't really fit as second rifles.
My advice would be either a 30-06 or 300WM as a second rifle.
 
N
Here's another twist to the story. Right before Christmas I came across a very nice condition Steyr M1903 Mannlicher-Schonauer 6.5x54mm English pattern sporting rifle. It's already equipped with proper claw mounts and a Swarovski 6 power scope.

Anyway, I now have her as my Christmas present. I think my wife wants me to have something that she would like using. Bless her heart. :)

This just might be the classic two rifle battery that I was looking for. A 6.5 as my light and a 9.3 as my medium.
NOW you are talking!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck..
 
I'd take the Mauser in 9.3x62 and find a place where I could use it for buffalo.
I'd also take the Beretta with the 20 gauge barrels - but I like upland birds
 
I want to expand my answer. I would recommend only taking the mauser in 9.3 x 62. Laws, regs, luggage etc are major factors in this decision. The weight shotgun ammo is the killer. You are allowed 11 pounds of ammunition and many times they weigh the case, locks and all. This limits you to 50 rounds of 9.3 x 62 or thereabout. The ammunition you bring in must be for the gun you bring in.

Most likely the outfitter/PH will have loaner/rental guns available and matching ammunition available for purchase. You most likely would rather have your rifle as you can brag later that I killed this animal there with this rifle right here. You can use a loaner shotgun to do all the wingshooting your heart desires.

Another big reason I would only take one is luggage. If I were to go again I would take one rifle, my 375 H&H and have it in a soft case inside the hard case. My rifle banged me, the roof, the windows etc getting from point A to point B. I held it as tight as I could, but couldn't control it and this was not from a crazy driver driving wild; this was from the ruts, holes, hairpin turns etc. It would have been a breeze if it was in a soft case.

The weight projectile is your choice but I would pick the flattest shooting heavier round, not the heaviest available round. I would use Nosler Partitions for Impala and up; Solids for Springbok and smaller, or Partitions for it all.

I would use a pre approved rifle permit. I used rifle permits.com. I would not do anything special. I did not make up those caliber regulations. I was told those very specific examples across the board by everyone, i.e the outfitter, in person, face to face in Harrisburg at the Great Outdoor Show, the packet from the outfitter, Henry from riflepermits via email. What may slip by one day may not slip by the next. Don't rely on incompetence and bribes.

I will relate that my son and I did this trip by ourselves. We could have used a night in Jo-berg. It was tight making the connection to Port Elizabeth. I was lucky that I went with the pre-approved rifle permit. The schedule was so tight due to a huge plane from Australia landing ahead of us. The line at Customs was 3 hours!! The guy at the ticket counter just grabbed the bags from my son and in the flurry my son didn't have time to tell the guy that he needed to pull the ammunition case out of my bag. When we claimed baggage in Port Elizabeth there was big strips of yellow tape in X's all over my bag and words that I didn't understand. The PH said that it was my ammunition in there being detacted and that they probably took it. They didn't for whatever reason; it was packed/locked properly and they either let me slide or got side tracked and let it proceed that way, but I wouldn't count on the same result next time.

Now not confuse this with the whole Temporary Import Permit regs etc, but when talking with my PH one evening, he was telling me about the gun laws in RSA pertaining to their citizens. He told me the citizens were allowed 2 rifles, a shotgun, and a handgun. I don't recall if they had to be different calibers like the Temp Import Permit or not, but another interesting point he made was that the citizens could only have one rifle with a 2 as the first digit in the caliber, i.e. either a 270 or a 22 Hornet, not both. The second rifle had to be larger than a 2. The PH also informed me that PH's were authorized to own quite a few firearms as it was for their job.

One other consideration is the whole bribes and payoffs. A $10.00 bill will work wonders to correct an oversight/error. There are also the ever present shakedowns and scammers in uniform and out. You have to pay attention. The pre approved process negates much of this.
 

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