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I hear you that the average starter DG gun for these PH's is junk. That doesn't disqualify a better quality bolt gun as being a step up that achieves adequacy. I still think a double is pushing it (makes me think of Marie Antoinette's alleged quote of "Let them eat cake") and it's less optimal...

I bet that draws an audience at the range:sneaky:

Hi Kevin, Nice idea and thought process. I do differ from you on the appropriate first DG rifle. I agree that from an ammo cost and availability aspect, a the 375 H&H makes most sense. But buying one in a double makes very little... The appy PH will be tasked with shooting camp meat and bait...

When more food is found in the trough, all the piggies quickly force their way in to get their share

While a .458 cal in whatever flavour you prefer is the next logical step up from 416 (with lots of component availability etc), I also stand in the .505/.510 camp. 500 Jeff or 505 Gibbs in a bolt gun or 500 NE in a double. If you need bigger than 416 then you need it to be quite a bit bigger!

Go for it! The 7mm works just fine on PG with appropriate bullets and ranges!

They need water supplies and some food and they can make do The Northern Kalahari was 'settled' by the apartheid government to form a buffer against any potential invasion from the north (Russian/Cuban etc plus the ANC and its friends) in the 60s and 70s. The primary input needed was access to...

Search the forum and you'll come up with lots of references - both highly regarded and you won't go wrong with either. Adding my 2 SA cents - while I hear you on your reservations about SA hunting and the image of high fenced, 'artificial' hunting I do think it's a serious consideration for the...

I think I bought it at Outdoor Warehouse. Pretty sure Safari & Outdoor will carry it. Cape Union Mart would likely have it too.

Kevin, you can buy Bayticol in SA - looking it up, I see its active ingredient is "flumethrin", which is from the same family of compounds as permethrin. It's an aerosol that you can spray your socks, gaiters and lower trouser legs with. I've found it to work well in SA - I've never tried...

Sadly A-Frames max out at 200gr in 30 cal. Only 'proper' hunting bullet in 220 gr I know of is the Partition. At 2600 f/s out of my 300H&H I've had only positive experiences with them - they're my first choice kudu combo. For eland the 200gr A-Frame would be my no.1, with 200gr Barnes TSX close...

Agreed!

100% success is largely a marketing gimmick for me - no outfitter/PH can account for the fitness and marksmanship of his hunter, even if he could ensure 100% certainty of shot presentation of whatever species. If we further complicate the picture with trophy aspirations of the hunter, then 100%...

Don't underestimate or ignore this advice, especially with a speedy calibre like a 300WM. For Limpopo ranges, you can use bullets as heavy as you like in the WM - 200-220gr would be ideal, doing 2600-2750f/s max at the muzzle. Anything going at 3000+ f/s is just tempting bullet failure at close...

Hi Jack, and welcome - unfortunately, while Cape Town has many touristic merits, hunting opportunities are not really among them. There is a bit of wingshooting that takes place there but November is out of season and far from ideal timing. For furred game, my feeling is that you would need to...

Glad you made it with your sanity and gear intact - it was a close run thing for a while! Hope things continue to go smoothly here in SA :giggle:

With the endemic corruption in SA government departments, the standing joke is that people either just buy driving licences (not sure if this is really possible/true) or bribe the testing official (much more likely). Ergo, there are some grossly unqualified drivers on SA roads - I have my...

Great story! And please write/publish all of them! Not only do you have an appreciative audience here, but you are also recording your invaluable memories and experiences for posterity.

Yessir - I'm using Sako brass currently, which have an ave H2O capacity of 76.2gr. I trim to 61.8mm if that's of relevance. I have Norma too but haven't measured them. Figured I'd stick with Sako until they are retired and then do load development with the Normas.

This is true. Completely non-regulated item here, available over the counter. Prices range from $200-450 depending on materials of construction, design etc.

Very doable, especially if you're prepared to work hard stalking and you're happy to take any representative animal that presents an acceptable shot, rather than holding out for maximum inches..

Obviously depends on the specific terrain that you're hunting but Limpopo is generally characterised as bushveld (short range shots likely). The exceptions to this would in mountainous areas like the Waterberg where you might have a longer (>200m) shot at something like kudu. But closer shots...

Sorry for your trials and tribulations and aggravations - at least you'll be acclimatized ready for African bureaucracy when you land. Hope you get going soon! Safe travels!

That there is a dream double, calibre and all!!! I hope you've bought this by now!!! I doubt you will ever find a more desirable big bore double and they're not going to get cheaper. The only negative of buying this rifle now is that any future gun purchases are going to be unsatisfactory...

How did it go?

The default capacity or volume of the H&H Mag case is actually slightly smaller than the Mag Flanged - the big difference is in the CIP max pressure. The H&H Mag is 62,000 psi (which is surprisingly high for a cartridge of its vintage) and the Mag Flanged Pmax is only 47,000 psi. Nope, a...

Perhaps some useful info here: From Norma I see MRP powder also has quite a low burnt propellant percentage in the Fl Mag so maybe my concern is misplaced. I have a lot of faith in Norma's info as a general rule.

Hi Kevin, I ran it through GRT and got a somewhat different answer to Frog Stealer. I note that he's used a 26" barrel. The key parameter in these simulations is having a precise case capacity -> GRT default is 94.4gr H2O. To be on the safe side, I would advise measuring the H2O capacity of a...

Given that the 243 WSSM is very fast, I would be looking for 100gr premium bullet. The only one that really comes to mind is the Norma Oryx which is a great bullet but is a flat base (if that is important to you). Bullet choice might be influenced by likely hunting distances. A mono bullet like...

The police didn't do their job properly, so now the laws need to be changed? :Facepalm: Sadly that song has been top of the charts in South Africa for many years too.

Shotgun licensing is treated very differently to rifle/'firearm' licensing in the UK

Why Ruger? I'm a bit lost on the relevance/significance of Ruger here?

Sports/golf parlance - for a missed shot where the only thing hit is fresh air. In American it's probably a whiff... which means something else in English :ROFLMAO:

Keep it simple, especially if hunting in the dark and mixing up ammo is a risk. One load, one trajectory to worry about. I get the impression that shots will likely all be at close range, so bullet drop probably isn't a major concern. Monos will work fine but a 180gr in your 30-06 would be...

Excellent post - thank you for sharing!

Add a suppressor if possible. Less recoil is always a good thing. As has been stated, the 7-08 with appropriate bullet will be up to the job for 99% of PG. My initial reaction was to suggest a 6x45 shooting 100gr bullet at 2400 until I saw that a 7-08 is an option. My daughters shoot happily...

You're asking about reloading manuals/resources for 'our' reloading needs - this is a broad description as reloading needs vary. Are you after load data? Or guidance on reloading techniques and steps? Or both? While I do have a few reloading handbooks, I can't say I find them very useful other...

My thoughts on the subject - as the hunter and not PH... I use a bolt action for a variety of reasons: familiarity with the platform, better accuracy (for me), greater ammo capacity - I'm sure I could fire 2 rounds faster with a double but not 3 or 4. And in the back of my mind I have this...

Anneal every reloading cycle and they should last many, many firings being a low pressure round. Keep using until the cases crack. Annealing only every 3rd, 4th, 5th whatever cycle might be ok but why take the chance - you'll only discover when the necks have already cracked that you should...

I have and reload for both. My 2c.... RL-17 for the 9.3 - second Shootist's recommendation there. Case capacity is a bit limited and RL-17 helps with performance in the 9.3. For the Rigby the case is so big that you're not limited for capacity to chase speed, so there's quite a wide range of...

Wishful thinking on my part to believe...? I posed this as a possibility, no more. Sometimes doing the right (moral?) thing requires some risk of personal expense. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil requiring good men to do nothing and all that. I empathise with Victor on this...

This is a textbook dilemma for sure... A couple of alternative points to ponder: - Victor contributed to these folks returning to hunt in his area. They had a great experience and now they're branching out. If their previous experience had been poor, they would not be booking with anyone in the...

Agree wholeheartedly with this! I have found most Hornady components to be inferior from brass to bullets to dies. The possible exception being Interbond bullets but there are more black rhinos in SA these days than Interbonds. Putting it differently, how many people think any Hornady offerings...

What Bob said..... For PG up to eland a premium 200gr or more bullet doing around 2750ft/s that the operator can shoot accurately to 250yds from field positions is perfect. Getting back on topic - sadly the old 45-70 isn't it!

Consistency is is second only to safety in the Ten Commandments of reloading... annealing every cycle is the way to go. Otherwise you're guessing plus once cracking starts, annealing aint going to fix it. Make annealing one of your reloading steps. The AMP machine is nice to have for sure but...

Agree with this! I and many others have found Norma Oryx to be particularly accurate, although maybe not the best BC for real long range work. If you come across 200gr ABs, Oryxs or Partitions, I would consider those too - 200gr work well in 300 mags and arguably have a better balance of...

Your budget may well be the determining/limiting factor in scope selection.. My 2c - no idea what purpose a 1-6x scope would fulfill on a 300 WM. It's a plains/savannah calibre in Africa as well as the US, so more magnification makes sense. So to address your question on this, the answer is no...

Ha ha rhetorical question of the year

Best wishes to you, Mark! Hope you bounce back quickly!

To be clear, fired/unloaded cartridge cases are not illegal in carry-on in RSA. But airport security are a law unto themselves, like most other places around the world. Yes you may get jerked around and I suppose the worst case scenario is you may miss a flight because of this. But you will not...