ZIMBABWE: Leopard Charge My Nightmare In Zimbabwe

tarbe said:

The ejector is not fixed, it is spring loaded.

Therefore, it is possible for several things to go wrong.

The spring can either start out or get weak.

The ejector can get dirty/gummed up and this slows it down, allowing one to get the bolt back faster than the ejector can get into battery.

If the bolt is moved rearward rapidly enough that the ejector does not get into battery, a flick forward roughly 1/4" to 3/8" allows the ejector to pop up and then upon a second rearward pull the case ejects. This does take a half second or so to accomplish.

Not sure what the confusion is over the word "honestly"? I am saying it needs to be fixed. Unfortunately, it is a design flaw...so while no machine can be guaranteed to be 100%, this one is in need of some remedial work to even get to 90%, let alone 99.95%.

Time will tell if I can get it there. I've only had it in my possession a week, and only ran 25 rounds through it.

Tim

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BRICKBURN said:

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I’m thinking of the bolt on the left that has the button. There must be some spring behind it to push out.
Larger caliber having a slightly larger spring to throw the slightly increased weight of the brass.
I can imagine the wrong spring or some "gunk" could cause some issues for ejecting the brass.

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flatwater bill said:

All of the PH's I have hunted with have been excellent riflemen. Some not ballistic experts, but handy with the rifle...even excellent. The same wasn't always true with the shotgun. One PH I have hunted with...and an excellent leopard man..was mauled by a wounded cat he had followed with his 12 ga.....A Benelli pump with 30" bbl and fixed full choke. His load, a cheap Eastern European load of SSG. Bullet technology has improved greatly in the last few years. So has the tech for slugs and buckshot. I tested dozens of loads last year for a hunt in grizzly country. The performance was so very different from the loads of my youth. If you haven't looked at slugs and buckshot lately, it is a fun topic to review on the net. Anyone choosing a shotgun to follow up a wounded animal would do well to learn what is new. Flesh and blood hasn't changed, but the shotgun has. There are killer loads suitable for almost any living creature...........but if you short-cycle the gun in your haste, well, that may still cause problems............FWB

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tarbe said:

Reading these updates to this thread, as I prepare to head to the range with 5 rifles...including the new-to-me RSM 458 Lott.

Decided to pull the bolt and get a feel for the strength of the spring that operates that ejector.

Hmmmm....it does seem weak!

I will be looking into a stronger spring for that puppy! I want that sucker into battery quicker than I can get the head of a case banging into it, for sure!

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IvW said:

He needs to discover Brenneke slugs, SSG on leopard is a no no, no penetration unless the barrel is in his mouth.....

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flatwater bill said:

Thanks, Lv..............I always wondered what the SSG stood for. After testing 8 different slug loads last year, my choice came down to two: The Federal True Ball Deep Penetrator, or the Brenneke 70mm 1 1/8 oz old fashioned "magnum". Although the Federal penetrated a little better, the Brenneke was my choice for wide wound channel and nearly as deep a penetration..................good call.................................FW Bill

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Philip Glass said:

Well there is more to the story it seems. After reading on AH the account of the Zim PH discussing all the different makes of rifles and what works and what has problems(Sorry I can't remember his name or title of the post). I now realize that I didn't short stroke the bolt under pressure! My Ruger, as was mentioned in the article, when the bolt is worked hard such as in a pressure situation does not always eject the spent shell casing completely. I've tested this myself and I was able to recreate the malfunction. I will be taking these Rugers to the gunsmith to see what can be done about it. I am still a die hard Ruger fan but I now know that their gun has a problem and it could have got me killed!
I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience or something similar with another make of rifle?
Regards,
Philip

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Dr Ray said:

It would be so easy to short stroke and jam with the push feed.
This has certainly enlightened me and I like the control feed action although these can jam. However the control feed action is less likely to jam.
I have Sakos and these are sort of control feed actions.
In my 375 and 416 I have control feed actions.
Thanks for this article as it definitely has made me very aware of operating under extreme pressure.

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Scott CWO said:

Philip,
A close friend and a Registered Guide (Outfitter) I work for guiding brown bear on Admiralty Island in SE Alaska had a similar situation with a charging wounded bear with a Sako bolt action. He got one shot off before being tackled by the bear while blood tracking it in the thick rain forest. With all this strength and adrenaline flowing, the bolt on the Sako malfunctioned or over-rotated in some way. He could not chamber a new round. He had to use the rifle as if it was a stick that he shoved into the bear's mouth as it tried to maul his head and neck. The bear shredded his right foot, bit a big chunk out of his left thigh (narrowly missing his femoral artery) and chewed up his hands as he held the rifle sideways and pushed it into the bears mouth. He had left his client (a Mexican national) on the beach and instructed him to come to his aid if he heard a shot(s) followed by screaming. Instead, the hunter was a coward and retreated to the skiff - leaving the guide alone to fight a brown bear for his life. The guide's 18 year-old nephew was at the skiff and asked where the guide was. The hunter muttered something about a wounded bear so the nephew took the rifle and went looking for the guide. In the meantime, the bear became very sick during the fight and sat down next to the guide. Common knowledge is that you don't run from a bear but the guide did not have a functioning rifle, had a shredded foot, and was abandoned by the hunter so the guide decided to make a run for the beach. The guide got up and hobbled/ran for the beach as best he could. Luckily, the bear was very sick and did not follow. The guide reached the beach, radioed the Coast Guard on his hand-held radio and then passed out. The nephew found him on the beach passed out. The next day, a State Trooper, Forest Ranger and the nephew went to the attack site and found the bear dead right there. My friend still has the skull of that bear. He let the cowardly hunter have the hide only. Sako covered the guide's medical bills and he made a complete recovery after several surgeries. The doctors wanted to amputate his foot but he begged them to try to save it. A specialist surgeon was flown in from Seattle and his foot is 95% today.

Something to think about when deciding on a DG rifle! As a guide for 27 years in Colorado and Alaska, I want to thank you for staying by your PH's side and saving each other!

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Shootist43 said:

Guys IMHO everyone knows about CZ's issues and that they to be corrected before going afield. But this problem with Ruger(s) was "a new one on me." This deserves it's own thread so that all AH(ers) know of the potential problem. It is no longer a matter of "if" it will occur but "when" it will occur.

Phillip Glass, since you were to one to bring this problem to light I think it would be appropriate for you to take "point" till a solution is found and information disseminated. Especially since you are already planning on having your rifles looked at and hopefully fixed. We cannot let this issue just simply return to the closet.

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crudeoildude said:

Phillip I want you to know that I am taking lasik for water retension and reading your hunt nearly caused me an embarrassing accident.but I Am glad that you are ok and your ph is alive if cippled later we all know that this can happen and sometimes we may actually anticipate some of the excitement of the situation but thank god you came back to give this report.no matter how you mount this leopard you will always remember the last few seconds god bless

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IvW said:

That is why you need a 110% reliable rifle to start with.....

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Philip Glass said:

But this is my point now that how do you know? I would have gone through life thinking all was good if I had shot my leopard out of a blind. I am very thankful for the Heath PH from Zim and his article. The Zim PH’s are the ones that actually put their guns in real dangerous situations often.
Philip

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IvW said:

Not a straight forward answer but start with what guy's in the field use...

I do not own any "fancy" name make rifles, but they are extremely reliable and they have never let me down..

I do however look after them, clean them and run a bore snake through the barrel every morning before setting out.

Then when on the range you need to work your rifle hard... ejecting spent cases at slow speed and as hard as you can and do the same with fully loaded rounds un-fired. Always operate or fire the rifle with a full magazine. Always cycle ALL ammo you intend to use, EVERY morning through the rifle before you set out.

I fully understand that the needs of a client and a PH in the chosen rifles are not the same.

Early on in my career I had a close call on a follow up on a wounded leopard that nearly got hold of my tracker. There and then I realized with the speed and close distance the attack took place from that a bolt action was not suited for the purpose. I built my poor mans double for follow up on leopard and have not been sorry since.

Ruger's have had an ejection problem for a long time and this has been documented for just as long, people do not want to accept such when they own these rifles or buy them. They use them and all seems fine, until the paw paw hits the fan so to speak..

Certain rifles and calibers I will never ever own or use again in my life. Remington M700, Weatherby, Ruger(unless a nr 1),Sako for DG are off my list.

Many folks complain about CZ being rough and having feeding issues, that may be so, I never owned one and have no desire to, but they are reliable and they work.

I use ZKK 602's on my DG rifles and yes I had to smooth two of them up, but they have been the most reliable and strong action ed rifles I have ever used and have never ever let me down, even before smoothing them up.

For leopard I use my 12ga Brno, cut down to 24" with ghost ring and slugs or my 9.3x74R/12ga combo, depending on situation and terrain. There is no time to reload a bolt gun when a wounded leopard launches its attack.

Given your hunt was different and getting a charge in that situation is not the norm, the cat should have treed and who knows why he had staged a stand on the ground, perhaps the follow up was a bit too fast, who knows but that is hunting.

I would have been carrying my 12ga/9.3x74R when hunting leopard with hounds.

The bottom line is that what ever the weapon of choice is, make sure by working it in all sorts of ways that it is totally reliable and use technology(Google, yes I know I hate it) but a wealth of information is available that will help you make your choice.

Trust me, no matter how much you spend on trying to rectify that Ruger (even if successful) , you will never trust it again when hunting DG..

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