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One of each. A CZ .550 in 416 Rigby and an old Browning Safari .375.

Plains game...... This is hard to answer. They're all different, and every single species can be enjoyable. I've been there 6 times now. 5 PG hunts and 1 DG hunt. The PG hunts I enjoyed the most were mountain zebra and eland. The zebra hunt was done on horseback, up in the mountains. Neat...

In Africa, it's a poisonous nasty SOB until proven otherwise. Kinda sorta looks like a mamba to me, but I'm no expert. I've had one levitation experience in Namibia where a cape cobra raised up, hood flared, hissing at me from 2 feet away. I had another encounter where a snake and lizard were...

I've put maybe a hundred rounds of .416 Rigby down the tube during the last couple of years. The last two went into a cape buffalo and a bull elephant. 400gr bullets just a smidge over 2400 fps. My shooting has been done in a CZ 550. Learning how to shoot it helps. It's not bad at all over...

Sounds like you had a blast. Congrats! I did a NM pronghorn hunt a couple of weeks ago myself. I've been blessed with a few draw tags in Idaho and Wyoming over the years. This was speed goat #8 for me. It's a tremendously fun hunt and hunter success rates are usually pretty good if there...

Goodness, better exclude birds and rodents..... Mule deer, pronghorn, moose, elk, duiker, steenbok, springbok, blesbok, gemsbok, black wildebeest, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, waterbuck, kudu, warthog, baboon, Hartman zebra, Burchell's zebra, eland, giraffe, cape buffalo, elephant, impala...

Take a rifle. It isn't that big of a PITA. Especially for an animal where you might get a single good opportunity in weeks of hunting. I would use something that I absolutely TRUST, points well, feeds well, is absolutely true once sighted in, and could dispatch a leopard in a nasty spot...

+1 for the Barnes TSX, Barnes Solids, and Swift A-frames. I've used: TTSX in .300 Wby/.300 Win for eland, moose, elk, gemsbok, steenbok, duiker, warthog, wildebeest, etc. TSX in .416 Rigby for cape buffalo Barnes solids in .416 Rigby for elephant Swift A-frame in .375 H&H for giraffe and...

I suppose more has been written about cleaning bores than about any other rifle topic. If you care, the acquisition of a borescope will change the way you think about this. Some rifles foul more quickly than others. Much depends on what bullets you're using. Not everyone is trying to treat...

Wow. Best of luck to him and his family. Sounds like the outcome could have been much worse.

Ha. Fantastic! How's the recoil? Pretty tame I'd imagine.

Yeah, sorry to you poor souls living in the wrong states. Regulating suppressors is so idiotic in my mind that the thought of not being able to own one is so ridiculous I often forget about it. I'd love to fly to overseas with them, but the though of getting re-routed through New York, New...

I kind of see all the viewpoints. I have classic rifles that I don't want to mess up by threading the barrels. I also have severe hearing loss in my left ear that happened in a single episode of shooting over the open bed of a pickup when I was 16. It's made it difficult to follow...

Not a bang-flop, but my first buffalo in the Caprivi this June took one 400 gr TSX from a .416 Rigby at 25 yards. He was quartering towards and I hit him square in the shoulder, clearly breaking it. The bullet was recovered on the far side missing 3 of 4 petals. He went maybe 20 yards and was...

Sounds similar to the nonsense I've been dealing with. Also from Idaho. My route in June was simple, SLC-FRA-WDH. The flight out of Salt Lake on EuroWings can't depart due to temperature, fuel load, and too much cargo. They say come back in the morning, we'll try again. So, we come back...

Interesting question. Most of the hunters I know would conceptually like to go, but lack the funds. Let's face it, this is mostly a rich man's game and most people struggle just to have the basics. I don't personally know anyone who has been there that didn't want to go back. My...

I used the PH’s Tikka T3 in .308 on a PG Safari in Africa a few years back and came home and bought one just like it. 2nd choice would be Kimber. I’ve got one of those too and it’s a shooter. In reality though, an occasional rainstorm isn’t a big deal as long as the rifle doesn’t sit wet for...

The elk is the toughest critter on the list, but the .300 H&H is a cool classic and up for the task. The 30-06 is a close second. There’s nothing wrong with the .375 though.…… ‘cept maybe for the turkey. ;)

We were hunting with Michael & Tienie Duvenhage from Uitspan Safaris on the property of Johnny Schickerling (Agarob Safaris). Wonderful folks & a great hunt.

An excellent choice. I love the #4 reticle. Just remember to keep the thing on 1X if you’re truly on the path of DG, especially after the first shot.

.300 WM with TTSX is perfect for PG. The 404 is perfect for buff (and will work just fine for duiker and steenbok). I’d probably get real comfy with the .404 and only carry it until the buff is in the salt. After that, there’s no chance you’ll be standing there with the wrong gun.

A few miles a day will be all that is needed for 90% of typical PG hunting in Africa. Unless you’re hunting elephant or chasing eland on foot it really isn’t that bad. I’ve done some death-marches across the Kalahari dunes chasing wounded critters in 100 degree heat, but that’s not really that...

One of the funnest hunts I’ve done was mountain zebra in the Khomas mountains west of Windhoek. We went in on horses and it was more demanding than I anticipated. Add a few days of tracking in the Kalahari or in the open areas around Windhoek and you’ll have a ball.

.300 Win Mag. Tried. True. Proven. Versatile. Besides, I have one that shoots like a dream.

I just flew back and forth to Africa in Premium economy. The seats are a bit wider and lean back a bit more. It’s not all that much more, either. My last elk hunt in Colorado was $11k. $3-$4k would get you a decent short hunt and a few PG animals in Namibia or RSA. The flight from JFK would...

Nice hard-bossed old bull. Congrats!

I use a Pelican for the reasons stated above. It's been to Africa 6 times, Alaska 3 times, and all over the lower 48 in between. I put my ammo and a bunch of other stuff in it when I fly with firearms. The handle is convenient and the wheels don't take up much room.

So very sorry. 5 years is better than average with that one, but that’s not much comfort. God bless & hold the good memories tight.

Too many good options is a GREAT problem. Good luck & be sure to check some references.

I would recommend Michael & Tienie Duvenhage at Uitspan Safaris in Namibia’s Kalahari region. I’ve hunted with them a half-dozen times now and keep going back. They are especially family-friendly, wonderful folks, and I virtually guarantee a great time & lifelong friendships. They will move...

I just got back from a hunt in the Caprivi and eyed and ogled the PH’s Heym .470 double. random thoughts: - What a perfect marriage of form & function! - Doubles only have a few legitimate uses, but for those, they reign supreme. - They’re not great for a 1-rifle safari. - Please, please don’t...

The .22-250 is an excellent round, just not for what you’re thinking about. Velocities are just too high for much beyond varmints and target work. I tried it with Barnes TTSX for pronghorn here in the US. It worked, but the varmint barrel at 1:14 would barely stabilize the bullet and the...

Gorgeous! Enjoy it.

Ideally yes, but it seems that not all elephants have read about his formula. :) Are you willing to bet a lost animal and $30-50k on Taylor's theory? I wasn't. There are loads of stories of skull hits inches away from the brain that had minimal effect. There are plenty of Internet videos...

My first safari was a management hunt to Namibia. My father and I combined on 24 animals in one week of hunting. Included were a handful of trophies. On almost every trip since, we've included some meat, cull, or non-trophy animals. It's more relaxed, enjoyable, and serves a great...

I just got back from a Caprivi hunt. Once the buffalo was in the salt I had an unexpected and amazing opportunity to hunt for elephant. Due to a cancellation, one animal was still available on quota. I was using a CZ 550 .416 Rigby, 400 gr TSX for the buffalo and was glad to have brought...

Ha. My old trusty .300 Weatherby Mk V started doing that 20 years after I bought it -- when I actually LEARNED HOW TO SHOOT IT. As far as your rifle, you're probably right about the breaking-in issue, but who cares? Don't ask too many questions. :)

Great thread on a great topic. I work as an orthopedic surgeon and I do rotator cuff and other shoulder work. I'm also getting ready for a trip to hunt buffalo in June. Before my first safari, I decided to actually master the .300s. I probably put 1000 rounds of .300 WBY downrange over the...

Just for fun, here's a panoramic photo I took during a hunt in Namibia in April of 2017. We were hunting about an hour away from Windhoek. A late evening thunderstorm wandered in and by pure luck, the iPhone captured a little bit of magic. The sky was just unbelievable that evening. I...

Congratulations on a fantastic hunt! Great writeup. I love hunting with Michael and Tienie at Uitspan..... so much that I've been four times and the 5th trip is in the works. Everything Gesch has said is absolutely true. Michael and Tienie have become tremendous friends and they are...

I've had buffalo on the brain again lately. The old 550 CZ in .416 Rigby and I went out today to sling a few 400gr TSX into an empty pop bottle. I love that gun. Shooting it did not make the buffalo images go away. It will soon become necessary to legitimize the ownership of such a thing by...

... shall not be infringed. 'nuf said.

I shot the rifle again a few days ago. It's quickly becoming a favorite. Very, very accurate off the leadsled too. About the partitions, a box of them came with the dies I purchased - never intended to hunt with them as my experience is similar to yours. I've moved on to Barnes TSX and their...

I agree with everything said here. I bought a 550 CZ in .416 Rigby a few years ago. After the first 4 shots it would no longer fire. I shipped it back to the factory and in short order it was repaired. I forget the details but I talked to the techs and they had a reasonable explanation of...

I haven't had any run-ins with black mambas, but a stupid cobra got my full attention one day. We were watching a nice herd of kudu move along in and out of the trees. After a bit of hide and seek we knew we had to really move quickly to get to a certain point before the kudu did. The guide...

One enormous advantage of eland is that the vital zone is hard to miss. It's as easy to hit an eland well at 300 yards as it is an impala at 100. Barnes TTSX are fantastic, fantastic bullets. I shot an eland last year at 200 yards, broadside with a .300 WBY with 180gr TTSX. The bullet was...

We're a few months out from your question, but as I haven't checked in for a while, here are my thoughts: I have a .416 Rigby in CZ 550 that I've put maybe 100-150 rounds through so far. I recently fired a Browning Safari in .375 H&H that my dad bought intending to use it on buff. My normal...

Hunting antelope in Wyoming is something every NA hunter should try at least once. It is so incredible to hunt public land and be able to see dozens of bucks per day. Great thread, great story, and great people here on the forum. My second antelope was as a teenager in Idaho. The animals...

I prefer to wire the bulk of the $$ and take enough cash to cover extra animals that demand to be shot and to cover tips, curios, etc. I would not be comfortable with this plan without personally knowing the outfitter or having very solid references. For a first-time hunt, it's harder...

Take whatever you shoot the best, provided it's in the .308 Win class or bigger. Use good bullets, shoot well, enjoy!