How Do You Choose Which Rifle to Take on Safari? (Not Caliber)

Houston Bill said:

I also think the 243 is marginal for the bigger plains game species and for game the size of a red stag. While you can take game that size I feel that you limit yourself to perfectly broadside or nearly broadside presentation for ethical shot placement.

Full disclosure - I brought the 243 Tikka T3 on that trip to Africa because I was planning on culling a few impala and my friend @Mark Biggerstaff had recently restocked and glass bed that rifle for me so it was like a "new rifle". During the trip the land owner actually wanted blue wildebeest culled more than he wanted impala culled. So I shot a few blue wildebeest with the. 243. I also shot a few blue's with my 450/400 double. So I guess I was a little under gunned and way over gunned for the culling I did! I had brought the 450/400 on that trip because I also culled a cow buff.

And of course I could not pass on the opportunity to let my friend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen know all about how effective the 243 Win was on blue wildebeest!

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@Houston Bill
I wouldn't even let a hunter use a 243 on an enraged field mouse.
Anything tuffer than a paper target is questionable. When it works it works well problem is 95% of the time it's a miserable failure.
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Houston Bill
I wouldn't even let a hunter use a 243 on an enraged field mouse.
Anything tuffer than a paper target is questionable. When it works it works well problem is 95% of the time it's a miserable failure.
Bob

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What about with solids?

Gomer said:

What about with solids?

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@Gomer
Solidly welded up so no-one could use it yes.
Bob

The Don said:

Assuming caliber isn't an issue and all the rifles you're considering are suitable for the game you're hunting, how do you decide which one to bring?

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Very simple.
It has to be controlled round feed bolt action, or double rifle.

If caliber consideration narrows the choices in your box to 2, 3, or 4 guns appropriate for the game to be hunted, I take them all to the range 2-3 times in a row over a couple week period of time. Whichever one I shoot most consistently, and doesn't hiccup at all or have any other "issues" with optics or sights, the winner picks itself. But I will shoot hundreds of rounds figuring this out, and most of it is done way ahead of time.

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Houston Bill
No you took the 243 to prove it for yourself.
A better bullet would have been the Barnes 80gn TTSX at Mac holy shit batman that's movin.

You list all these weird and wonderful cartridges with more letters after the number than a Harvard professor when the plain simple fact is all you need is
A 22 Hornet for little critters.
25-06 with a 100gn TTSX at 3,400fps for a lot of other stuff.
The mighty WHELEN in case you don't take the other 2 and incase your 500 breaks.

And of course the 500 for shit that wants to make a red puddle out of you.
See simples my old friend.
Bob

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Classic Bob!!!! I knew he had to mention the 243 and 35 Whelen!

Rare Breed said:

Classic Bob!!!! I knew he had to mention the 243 and 35 Whelen!

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@Rare Breed
You would be disappointed if I didn't.
Hope you noticed I included a nice 25 cal as well
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Houston Bill
I wouldn't even let a hunter use a 243 on an enraged field mouse.
Anything tuffer than a paper target is questionable. When it works it works well problem is 95% of the time it's a miserable failure.
Bob

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lol!!! Bob just can’t help himself…my word that man hates the 243!!!

Bob just so you know, I gave my daughters 243 to her cousin and bought her a 30-06… you should be pleased…no a 35 Whelen was not available!!!

I had grown to hate carrying heavy rifles so my 338WM was not invited. Just too heavy.

All of the hunting writers at the time had recommended a 30 caliber, no smaller than a 30-06, a 300WM ideal. That's what they said.

Kimber rifles were new to me, but I found that the Montana rifles felt perfect for me. A firearms store had a sale that included Kimber rifles. By the I arrived, only 300WSM Montanas were left. It was on sale for an incredible price. A price too good to not take advantage of. That 8400 SM Kimber Montana felt great to me. It came home with me. I immediately knew that this was my "Africa" rifle.

It took me a while to learn how to shoot it well from the bench so I could test it's accuracy. A 7lb (rifle, Talley LW rings and a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36) rifle is a beast from the bench. I found that I had to have a firm grip on it while shooting from the bench. With my handload of a Barnes 168gr TTSX over RL17 with a CCI 250 in Federal cases I could place 3 shots in a half inch. Recoil in the field was fine, including prone off a bipod.

It is the sole rifle that has gone with me to Africa for plains game over three trips, grey duiker to cape eland. By now, I have used it to harvest more game than any other cartridge I have used.

My only disappointment was going to Africa and finding that with the PHs and land owners, the 270Win was the most popular caliber. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with my WSM, but a 270 is even nicer to shoot in the same rifle.

My Kimber Montana 300WSM is probably, no IT IS the last big game rifle I would sell.

AB2506 said:

I had grown to hate carrying heavy rifles so my 338WM was not invited. Just too heavy.

All of the hunting writers at the time had recommended a 30 caliber, no smaller than a 30-06, a 300WM ideal. That's what they said.

Kimber rifles were new to me, but I found that the Montana rifles felt perfect for me. A firearms store had a sale that included Kimber rifles. By the I arrived, only 300WSM Montanas were left. It was on sale for an incredible price. A price too good to not take advantage of. That 8400 SM Kimber Montana felt great to me. It came home with me. I immediately knew that this was my "Africa" rifle.
It took me a while to learn how to shoot it well from the bench so I could test it's accuracy. A 7lb (rifle, Talley LW rings and a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36) rifle is a beast from the bench. I found that I had to have a firm grip on it while shooting from the bench. With my handload of a Barnes 168gr TTSX over RL17 with a CCI 250 in Federal cases I could place 3 shots in a half inch. Recoil in the field was fine, including prone off a bipod.
It is the sole rifle that has gone with me to Africa for plains game over three trips, grey duiker to cape eland. By now, I have used it to harvest more game than any other cartridge I have used.
My only disappointment was going to Africa and finding that with the PHs and land owners, the 270Win was the most popular caliber. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with my WSM, but a 270 is even nicer to shoot in the same rifle.
My Kimber Montana 300WSM is probably, no IT IS the last big game rifle I would sell.

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You’ve more or less gone “back to the future” in your pursuit of a light-but-hard-hitting PG rifle for Africa.

Time-travel back to 1965, and we find 6.5lbs of “bolt-action fury” on display in the world’s first short-magnum carbine, the .350 Rem Mag with 18.5” barrel:


As nice and handy as my M600s are, Remmy’s successor model, the M660, is my choice in .350 Mag for PG. With a 20” tube, it weighs in field-ready as shown at 8lbs.


Handloaded, it puts a 250grn Spitzer SP @ 2490fps and gets 1”-1.5” groups at 100yds.

And as you say, there’s a learning curve to shooting compact magnums well, but it can be done.

Jack Stevens said:

You’ve more or less gone “back to the future” in your pursuit of a light-but-hard-hitting PG rifle for Africa.

Time-travel back to 1965, and we find 6.5lbs of “bolt-action fury” on display in the world’s first short-magnum carbine, the .350 Rem Mag with 18.5” barrel:

View attachment 800035
As nice and handy as my M600s are, Remmy’s successor model, the M660, is my choice in .350 Mag for PG. With a 20” tube, it weighs in field-ready as shown at 8lbs.

View attachment 800042
Handloaded, it puts a 250grn Spitzer SP @ 2490fps and gets 1”-1.5” groups at 100yds.

And as you say, there’s a learning curve to shooting compact magnums well, but it can be done.

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@Jack Stevens
I definitely wouldn't like to touch my Whelen off with a 250grainer at 2,700 fps and 4,000fpe if'n it weighs 6.5# even if I had my big boy pants on.
That would really get your attention.
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Jack Stevens
I definitely wouldn't like to touch my Whelen off with a 250grainer at 2,700 fps and 4,000fpe if'n it weighs 6.5# even if I had my big boy pants on.
That would really get your attention.

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Right, but a 250-grainer @ 2500fps you could handle, Bob.

And the PG won’t notice the 200fps difference. They’ll hit the fine dirt floor of Africa just as hard as they did with Kynoch’s 225grn SP @ 2400fps out of Rigby’s .350 Mag.

Dead is dead, which is the point.

The Don said:

This topic may have been covered before, so if it has, please forgive the repetition and point me in the right direction. Otherwise, I'd enjoy hearing everyone's thoughts.

We all have rifles that we love, or that hold sentimental value. Maybe it's the rifle Dad gave you, or the one Grandpa used to put food on the table years ago.
These rifles deserve to be taken out and used. After all, they're more than just firearms. They're memories, and memories deserve to see the light of day.
What could be more exciting than taking some of those memories on an African safari?

So, here's my question to the group:
Assuming caliber isn't an issue and all the rifles you're considering are suitable for the game you're hunting, how do you decide which one to bring?
Do you choose the rifle you shoot best? The one you trust the most? The one with sentimental value? Or perhaps the one you've always dreamed of taking to Africa?
I'd be interested in hearing not only which rifle you'd choose, but why.

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Truly owning the R8 has been the answer to this question for me. It is a good question!

My last few hunts have been primarily DG, so I love my 470NE double rifle. But I usually take a reliable bolt gun as well. My Dakota 416 Rigby or lately, a Mod 70 375 H&H. The bolt guns work well as a back up in case I suffer any issues with the double and also allows me to easily hunt any plains game I encounter. To each their own. Just my choice.

My current choice is this Blaser BD-14. 20ga barrel for flushing birds/duikers, 22 hornet for small pg/jackal class critter, and 9.3x74r for large/DG. Never have the wrong gun in hand!

Rimshot said:

My current choice is this Blaser BD-14. 20ga barrel for flushing birds/duikers, 22 hornet for small pg/jackal class critter, and 9.3x74r for large/DG. Never have the wrong gun in hand!
View attachment 800211

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Even though I've visited the Blazer booth at the shows, I'd never noticed one of those. What a beautiful and very practical hunting implement.

I struggle with what to take on most trips. I try to match the gun to the game and or have appropriate bullets for the extremes. IE 400gr 416 solid on my suni and red diker.

If I am hunting in a area with any of the big 5 (even if none are on my hunt list) I take a rifle that is DG capable. (9.3 or bigger) If hunting a non DG area I will always try and select the correct rifle or rifles to meet the intended target animals and what the normal distances you will expect to make 95% of your shots.

Once I sort that stuff out I look at do I take a double, bolt of single shot?
DG it will be a double 9 out of 10 times.
PG in a DG area where PG shots are under 125 meters. will be a 9.3 or bigger. 1st choice is a double 2nd choice will be Bolt gun, and 3rd choice will be a single shot.
PG in a PG area an appropriate cal for the game intended from a 22 hornet to 375. based on the precision required IE a wildebeest at 45M vs a Val Rehbok at 400M.

Like a number of folks here I have a number of rifles that are DG bolt guns down to small PG level. That should get to go and hunt what they are intended for but due to my preference of rifles I use. Will sometime after the first of the year thin the safes a fair bit.

skydiver386 said:

Even though I've visited the Blazer booth at the shows, I'd never noticed one of those. What a beautiful and very practical hunting implement.

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My local Frankonia has one. I personally feel like it’s not something I would ever want to own. They are in the €10,000 plus range sometimes they are on sale for €9000 but for the most part you’re looking at €10,000 which is about 12,000 American dollars. The price isn’t terrible. The concept of the gun is it’s called BOCK drilling. I personally feel like it’s too much of a generalist and I prefer a bolt action rifle or a single shot rifle or a double rifle. Here is the rub. You were sitting on a driven Hunt. A stag comes out. He blast him with your 8X 57 barrel or your 9.3 X 74R barrel. A couple of seconds later a Hind comes out and she is a wounded by another hunter down the line. You can’t legally shoot her with the 22 hornet. Even though ethically you must. If you were on a public land area in Europe, requiring led for ammunition, you’re not going to shooter with the shotgun slug either. It probably makes more sense for somebody Hunting elk in Wyoming, then it would for European Hunter. I think it would also have some good used situations in Scandinavia. Because of the way licenses are allocated over here for things. There just isn’t a situation where I feel. It’s the ideal firearm for most of the European Hunting that I do. Driven hunts mountain hunts in Slovenia and Austria and roe reer it’s all over Central Europe. To me, it’s neither fish nor foul, but all drillings are. Very pretty to look at interesting. I don’t currently on one, but I think I’ll probably buy one before we leave here probably a 7X65R 20 gauge Keieghoff. A very useful one for Wyoming would be a 222 or 22 hornet 20 gauge. That way you could use it on turkeys cause you can shoot a turkey with a rifle in Wyoming. That is a very expensive turkey again.

First I match the caliber to the game and secondly I match the gun to the terrain I will be hunting in. If none of that matters I just take my Mannlicher Schoenauer model 1905 in 9x56ms