Ammo Supply For Obscure Dangerous Game Calibers

It would depend on how hard the cartridge was on brass. If I can reload a single brass 10 times, that is different than if it's one and done. I try to buy enough components for a new rifle, so I'll never need to search for more before I need to re-barrel. I'd say a minimum of 100brass (200 is better) if the cartridge is easy on brass (5-6 loadings). If it's really obscure, then I'd probably buy whatever I could find.

AJ

I am with Hunter-Habib, I like to use virgin brass on a hunt. So a minimum of 100 rounds of virgin brass PER SAFARI I might reasonably take in the future. You probably won't shoot all 100, so they can be saved for next safari. But I would probably not use anything on safari older than 5 years old, especially for dangerous game. I heard a PH say once that they have identical guns in 375H&H and 458 Lott. Before each season, they spend 2-4 range sessions shooting 100 or so 375's, and 10 458's. The only other time they shoot the 458 is in the field. The logic is once you know how to shoot, 100 rounds is enough to hone your skills again, and the 10 Lott rounds spread out over 2-3 sessions is enough to keep proficiency with the big banger without developing any bad habits. All that adds up to about 1000 rounds as a lifetime supply for me for any given cartridge. Maybe less on a big boomer.

Beck said:

You only have 500 pieces of brass for your .577, Jesus. How often are you shooting that thing, and do you have any brain cells remaining?

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Just how uncomfortable do you think shooting a 577 is?

A modern gun might be rough to shoot (too light), but vintage British 577 NE doubles arent that hard to shoot. If its a 577 BPE gun then it would be easy to sling 40+ rounds in a sitting.

mgstucson said:

I am with Hunter-Habib, I like to use virgin brass on a hunt. So a minimum of 100 rounds of virgin brass PER SAFARI I might reasonably take in the future. You probably won't shoot all 100, so they can be saved for next safari. But I would probably not use anything on safari older than 5 years old, especially for dangerous game. I heard a PH say once that they have identical guns in 375H&H and 458 Lott. Before each season, they spend 2-4 range sessions shooting 100 or so 375's, and 10 458's. The only other time they shoot the 458 is in the field. The logic is once you know how to shoot, 100 rounds is enough to hone your skills again, and the 10 Lott rounds spread out over 2-3 sessions is enough to keep proficiency with the big banger without developing any bad habits. All that adds up to about 1000 rounds as a lifetime supply for me for any given cartridge. Maybe less on a big boomer.

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I always use once fired or twice for traveling to Africa. I’ve had goofy stuff happen with brand new brass.

Not sure about a lifetime.

A 458 Lott or Winchester should do 4000-6000 rounds before accuracy heavily falls off.

A normal 375 or normal 416; 376 H&H, 375 Ruger, 416 Remington, Ruger, Rigby will be 3200-5000.

A fast Weatherby will be under 3000. Maybe even 2000 for the 378 or 416. 460 ought to do what a normal 375 H&H does.

So how much brass do you need?

How old are you and how much are you going to hunt?

200 pieces of brass would do a Weatherby magnum.

400-800 pieces would do a standard big bore.

Rimmed cartridges and things like the 505 Gibbs are going to be similar based on chamber pressure, and bullets speed to what I already wrote.

We say in the long distance shooting world that we need 400 rounds of brass to burn out a barrel. I have worn out many barrels. I typically have at least 400 rounds of brass per barrel I am working on.
This is with the assumption that you are going to reload that 3-6 times. Attribute some to physically lost cases, or damaged cases.

I have two barrels for the 10,3x68 RWS. A Swiss .413 (same as the 10,3x60R bullet diameter). I have 300 rounds of marked RWS brass and I am working on resizing 338 Winchester, so I will have about 500 of those. For non-international hunts. I consider this be a lifetime supply. I also have 800 projectiles for it. I need to double that number.

I'm certain there is a formula which will lead to an answer for everyone- though the variables will differ. the elements would be: hunt worthy cases, practice worthy cases, hunt & practice worthy bullets, sufficient primers and powder to load the cases, the amount of days per year spent shooting in hunting and non-hunting events. Number of bullets fired per day during the hunting and non-hunting events. Expected number of active years remaining. Add or multiply those variables and you'll get an answer fit to you.

BeeMaa said:

Are you being serious or sarcastic? Because I can't tell with a number like that.

What cartridge are you looking to stock up on? How often do you shoot? What's your idea of gearing up for a safari involve with live fire round count? How many safaris do you plan on using this cartridge for in your lifetime? What's your budget?

All of these play a factor in consideration of a "lifetime supply".

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Not being sarcastic, just saying the depends on how much you practice and caliber.

matt85 said:

Just how uncomfortable do you think shooting a 577 is?

A modern gun might be rough to shoot (too light), but vintage British 577 NE doubles arent that hard to shoot. If its a 577 BPE gun then it would be easy to sling 40+ rounds in a sitting.

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I was thinking a 750 grain bullet traveling at 2050 fps - seems pretty gamey to me

I have about 200 factory rounds in 8X57JR, plus reloading components when those are used up. Given that it supplies single shots, I think I already have enough.

Beck said:

I was thinking a 750 grain bullet traveling at 2050 fps - seems pretty gamey to me

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Modern 577 NE rifles tend to only weight around 13 pounds and are pretty unpleasant. Original Britsh guns from early 20th century tend to weigh around 15 pounds, making them much more managable.

If you think 750gr at 2000fps sounds spicey, you ought to try some of the really big boys. The 577 NE was considered to be a "reduced recoil" option when it came out. The guns it replaced were black powder 8-bore and 4-bore behemoths throwing around 1100-1500gr projectiles.

Here is an 8-bore 3.25" cartridge loaded with a 1200gr projectile next to a 45-70 and a 7.62x39.

When you think you have enough ammo and reloading components to last "a lifetime"; buy more. Especially when you come across good deals. FYI don't expect ammo and reloading components to come down to pre covid prices.

I generally have on hand 1000 rounds of loaded ammo and enough components to reload 3000 more rounds per rifle firearm caliber. For handguns double the amount.

For the obscure calibers, ie: 32-20, 22 Hornet, 38-55, 44-40, and 7.7 JAP, I have 500 rounds of loaded and factory ammo. Constantly looking for and buying reloading components for these calibers.

22 short +/- 2500 rounds
22 long rifle ~6000+ rounds on hand.

FYI shooting 22 S and LR with 2 kids, 1000 rounds goes pretty quick. Those spinning steel targets require touch up paint after a couple hundred rounds.

What you think you have on hand as a life time supply of ammunition and reloading components is actually "logical reasoning".
All that ammunition is just sitting there; I'm here, the firearms really need range time, it's a nice day; Why not?

Several range sessions later:
And just like that....
Your lifetime supply of ammunition and reloading components are down to 25% or less.

318 Wr 300 factory
470 505 404j 200 each
333 jeffery 80 brass no rifle
303 Brit 2000 PPU
7x57 2000 ppu
The last two are not rare but hard to find in Iceland

Odinsraven said:

318 Wr 300 factory
470 505 404j 200 each
333 jeffery 80 brass no rifle
303 Brit 2000 PPU
7x57 2000 ppu
The last two are not rare but hard to find in Iceland

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Yes, there are such things as true "rare", "obsolete", "unusual / uncommon", calibers.

A rare caliber is in the eyes of the beholder.

To some it may be a common caliber that have access to plenty of ammunition. To others who have a difficult time acquiring that common ammunition caliber makes that caliber "a rare caliber".

Well, I like everyone’s enthusiasm. Some of you are planning on shooting a lot more than me or living much longer than me….. and I’m in my 50s. Here I was thinking 200 pieces of new brass in .416 Rigby was overkill. I do shoot it occasionally, but I fully expect brass for this low-pressure round to last 8 or more reloads. That gets me up to where barrel life starts to come into question.

As far as what to use for the actual DG hunt, I prefer one or twice reloaded brass to virgin brass, assuming it was reloaded correctly - modest shoulder bump, full-length sizing, annealing, appropriate inspection, correct crimp, etc. “Proven” brass like that is hard to beat.

For truly obscure stuff, I’d aim for more, especially bullets. You never know when it might come around again.

I assume some of these rifles featuring obscure cartridges you gentlemen are discussing must be vintage DRs? Are you guys really firing a lot of rounds from vintage DRs? Or are you mainly discussing more modern rifles? Just curious.

RSL said:

I assume some of these rifles featuring obscure cartridges you gentlemen are discussing must be vintage DRs? Are you guys really firing a lot of rounds from vintage DRs? Or are you mainly discussing more modern rifles? Just curious.

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I bought my vintage W.J. Jeffery double rifle to shoot it! A new production 8-bore double rifle would be so absurdly expensive that it would never happen for me. If I can ever make it back to Africa, it will be going with me.

RSL said:

I assume some of these rifles featuring obscure cartridges you gentlemen are discussing must be vintage DRs? Are you guys really firing a lot of rounds from vintage DRs? Or are you mainly discussing more modern rifles? Just curious.

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Not just DRs. All types and calibers of rifles. DRs aren't the only "vintage" rifles/firearms. And all rifles are meant to be shot/used; so I've been told more than once...regarding I have yet to shoot 4 (1 new, 3 collectible) of my rifles, perhaps 2 (questionable collector) shotguns, and 1 handgun.

If I had only one big game rifle I planned on using for the next 10 years or so, maybe 1500 rounds. But as it is I have about 4 rifles I’m into for any upcoming safaris, reasonably 400 each rifle. That would cover prep and ammo for hunt. I reload everything and practice more with non big bore rifles, so in smaller calibers shooting for leisure at any time I have components to load 1000-1500 rounds.

uplander01 said:

If I had only one big game rifle I planned on using for the next 10 years or so, maybe 1500 rounds. But as it is I have about 4 rifles I’m into for any upcoming safaris, reasonably 400 each rifle. That would cover prep and ammo for hunt. I reload everything and practice more with non big bore rifles, so in smaller calibers shooting for leisure at any time I have components to load 1000-1500 rounds.

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I agree most of us have more than one rifle and probably will buy more in our life times, so that can influence the amount of ammo or components needed. some where around 300-500 is a good number for brass on hand to be considered a life time when you have multiple rifles.

Always get it when you can. Something always happens, like Woodleigh's fire and Jamison going out of business. Things were easy to get....then 'whammmm'....the floor fell out from underneath us. I'm holding my .600 Nitro brass and Woodleigh's like gold.