I used my Model 70 Winchester in 416 Rem Mag with Federal Premium ammunition loaded with 400 grain Woodleigh hydro solids, with a Trijicon 1-4x24 30mm tube with the illuminated green triangle on post reticle. I took my M70 in 375 H&H along as a backup and used it on an impala. Also shot a buffalo with the 416. My experience was that it is much easier to drop an elephant than a buffalo! I think that Buffalo ended up with 6 bullets in him, some A Frames and some solids. The first shot was while he was walking and it was behind the shoulder but double lunged him,,,,, he did not seem to care!
My PH had his Merkel 500 NE double but was concentrating on the other elephant bull that was just to the left of us on the other side of a large bush... He had simply instructed me to shoot my bull in the ear hole when he cleared the brush he was feeding through. So I waited for him to clear some tall brush and then had to shoot offhand but it was only 19 steps (as measured later). The bull dropped and I wanted to run up and put in an insurance shot but the PH was worried about the other bull and we had to give him a minute to move off. So I shot into the grass where I thought I should hit vitals and that raked down through the top of the neck and went through the chest at an angle. We then were able to halve the distance so I could see the head (laying in tall grass and short bushes) and put one more in the top on the head. The first shot dropped the bull and he was out like a light but it was a bit back and had hit the vertebrae where it attached to the brain cavity. It blew straight through and the exit hole was about 2" behind the ear hole. The third went through the brain and lodged in the lower jaw. I have that bullet, it does have a very slight dent on one corner.
I should mention that elephant was shot on day 9, the buffalo day 11 of a 12 day hunt. We went to hell and back several times pursuing these critters... And I would not have it any other way! He had rain storms and trudged through the thorns getting soaked, in fact it soaked through my soft rain jacket. Ann insisted on a cheap light weight vinyl rain jacked which came out of the bushes in shreds! And we had tremendous heat and humidity. I remember freezing cold where I thought the shivers would never stop, and sweltering heat that sucked the breath out of me. I think on day 6 we had comfortable weather
The gun caught hell! I did not have any cleaning supplies with and even if I had, not sure how much attention it would have received as I was so exhausted by the end of each day all I wanted to do was have a cold beer and hot supper and go to sleep. When I got home I took the gun apart to clean it and there were leaves and thorns in the stock under the barrel and in the magazine, etc. It has a few rust spots that had started. At one point I dropped it on a big rock while climbing a steep cliff. So a nasty dent in the wood and scratch on the scope. It did retain zero! The gun performed flawlessly but it is worse for the wear. Badges of honor though!
That was the greatest adventure I have ever been on and I cannot wait to go another as epic!
