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  1. Tom Leoni

    GREENLAND: Has Anyone Hunted With Erik Lomholt Of Trophy Hunting Greenland?

    I'm leaving for Greenland today! Will post a report when I come back! @Green Chile - you're in Ft. Worth? TCU is my alma mater.
  2. Tom Leoni

    One gun or two? On safari

    Taking two guns is no more of a hassle than taking one. A Pelican case accommodates two easily. If using the rifles in your collection is a substantial part of the pleasure of going on safari (as it is for me), then by all means take two. .357 and .308 are both extremely versatile and useful...
  3. Tom Leoni

    270 grain vs 300grain which is better for cape buffalo and lioness

    I would use 270gr on lion and 300gr on buffalo. The 300gr may just zip through a lion if it encounters no bone or harder tissue. To be honest, a well-placed 270 will also kill a buffalo reliably, but if those 30 additional grains of insurance and slightly better penetration are reassuring, go...
  4. Tom Leoni

    Safari Fitness Requirements in Africa? How to hunt your way to health and fitness

    Two considerations here (well, three really--the first one being congratulations on your success so far). 1 - Any PH worth his salt will tailor your safari to your fitness level. Let's face it, most of us here aren't getting any younger and I'd wager that the average age of safari clients is...
  5. Tom Leoni

    .270 for plains game? Should I be scrapping it?

    I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of the .270, since it was never designed to throw heavy-for-caliber bullets. I don't know why this bothers me, but there it is. However, it is one of the most used and successful plains-game cartridges out there. Go with 150s and never give it a second thought.
  6. Tom Leoni

    Redneck 40 caliber?

    Hi, Steve--recoil measurement depends on four factors mainly: firearm weight, bullet weight, bullet velocity and powder-charge weight. Pressure itself does not directly factor into the equation. (Felt recoil also depends on gun fit, recoil-reducing devices, etc., but that's another ball of...
  7. Tom Leoni

    My new (to me) .303

    I've been looking for a Lee Speed for a long time, but I can't seem to find one. Since a few years ago, they sure have dried up here in the US...
  8. Tom Leoni

    What is the purpose of carrying a knife out in a safari..

    In my experience no, you don't need a knife as a client while on most safaris. Especially if you are worried about extra gear and weight, as you indicated in your original post. I also understand that many (most?) trackers and skinners like to do the job themselves and may not welcome offers to...
  9. Tom Leoni

    What calibre for Cape Eland

    @318AE - Thanks! The falling block H&H (my .375) is going to accompany me to Greenland in two short months!
  10. Tom Leoni

    What calibre for Cape Eland

    I shot mine behind the shoulder with my go-to cheap-ass Speer 270gr .375 boat-tail spitzer traveling at a moderate 2,500 f/s and the bull fell dead without even taking a step. In my PH's experience, anything 30 caliber or over is more than adequate for eland. As nice as it is to split hairs...
  11. Tom Leoni

    My new (to me) .303

    Voila’
  12. Tom Leoni

    .375 vs .404 jeffry

    Eric, I haven't read all 9 pages of this thread, but to answer your original post: 1 - The muzzle-energy formula gives too great a weight to muzzle velocity, and energy values don't necessarily translate into killing power. In 30+ years of hunting, I've never given them any thought. 2 - Bullet...
  13. Tom Leoni

    Is it disrespectful to the animal?

    I think none of the items you mention is disrespectful to the animal. If anything, they make it part of your family atmosphere at a cherished time of year. I say do it and keep the missus happy. What I do find a bit gauche is: Posing for a trophy picture (right after the kill) with a foot on...
  14. Tom Leoni

    Eland Cartridges for recoil sensitive shooter?

    I will kindly and modestly put forth that we're overthinking this. Any cartridge of 6.5mm diameter or more, with a relatively heavy-for-caliber bullet at moderate velocity, can kill eland cleanly and humanely. Yes, a more powerful cartridge can also smash its shoulder-bones if needed, but...
  15. Tom Leoni

    Chapuis Iphisi .375 H&H Double Rifle NIB

    The Iphisi has a cast off. $9k is a good price, $8.5K is a great price.
  16. Tom Leoni

    Questions about the African Carry and Others

    I'm also an NRA chief range safety officer and firearms instructor, and muzzle discipline has been ingrained into me to the point that if anyone sweeps me with a firearm I get nervous, no matter the place or the circumstance. For the same reason, I go out of my way never to sweep others with...
  17. Tom Leoni

    One caliber away from contentment... who else?

    How very true. Mine may be (or certainly is) an unpopular opinion, but I'd venture to say that by 1925 all useful sporting cartridges had been invented and perfected. Anything that came afterwards--with perhaps one or two exceptions--either duplicated the performance of something that already...
  18. Tom Leoni

    Elk at 688 yards with a 243

    Yikes. If you've got to brag about your long-range shooting skills, brag about how you do at the range. Shooting at a living creature at 700 yards with a bare-minimum (if that) cartridge is certainly nothing I would advertise, no matter the result. Best case scenario: you sniped at an animal...
  19. Tom Leoni

    Blasphemy!

    I consider the can at the end of a fine sporting rifle to be just as blasphemous. o_O
  20. Tom Leoni

    What's the next cartridge your looking to add to your collection and what role will it fill?

    I hate to say it, but the older I get, the more compelling the desire to thin out the range of cartridges I use and shoot. Over the last 30+ years, I've accumulated about 50 different sets of dies, brass, and bullets for cartridges ranging from the 6.5 Carcano and 8X50R Lebel to the .500 NE...
  21. Tom Leoni

    Sights - open, scope and red-dot - my experiences

    There's another option: a peep rear sight, commonly mounted on the tang. Such a Lyman sight was if not common, at least frequently-employed on big-game rifles before hunting scopes came of age. I find it a lot easier to use with my aging eyes, while not detracting at all from the looks of a...
  22. Tom Leoni

    Woodleigh reloading manuals

    Thank you, Phil! The Woodleigh reloading manual is already part of my collection!
  23. Tom Leoni

    Tire kicking for a Ruger #1

    Hi, Altitude, the .303 is the highest-pressure round we've chambered it in (that is, since my involvement with Uberti), so I would be hesitant to speculate on something that may involve danger to the user. I would say that anything within the pressure range of the .303 would be OK.
  24. Tom Leoni

    Tire kicking for a Ruger #1

    @Altitude sickness - why, thank you, sir!
  25. Tom Leoni

    Tire kicking for a Ruger #1

    We are still making the Courteney. It's my own creation--I literally hand-drew it on a number of legal sheets stapled together, in 1:1 scale. Uberti was great at making it exactly as I wanted it. It's selling very well--roughly equally in .303 and .45-70. I wish we could also make it in some of...
  26. Tom Leoni

    Tire kicking for a Ruger #1

    I have a .450-400 Ruger N. 1, fired only once, with extremely nice wood, if you're interested.
  27. Tom Leoni

    Still worth buying a 338 WinMag if I own a 375?

    Answer: no, not really. Unless, of course, you have an itch to own a new rifle/cartridge combination, in which case yes, absolutely.
  28. Tom Leoni

    Favorite Lubricants 2023?

    I love all lubricants, as long as they are Ballistol. :cool:
  29. Tom Leoni

    .458 Win Mag vs .470 NE

    I'm with those like Hunter Habib and Colorado who recommend the .375. Besides the arguments already presented, I believe that there should always be some area of functional overlap between what you already own and the more specialized rifle you're planning on buying. In this light, going from a...
  30. Tom Leoni

    GREENLAND: Has Anyone Hunted With Erik Lomholt Of Trophy Hunting Greenland?

    Considering a Winter Muskox hunt with Erik Lomholt-Bek of Trophy Hunting Greenland. Has anyone had any experience with this outfit? Thanks! Tom
  31. Tom Leoni

    Cartridge for dangerous first game

    Unless you plan on this hunt being the first of many for buffalo or thick-skinned dangerous game, I think you would be much better served with a .375. With a 300-gr bullet it will take a buffalo (or any other game) all day long, while also offering you the option to shoot a lighter bullet (e.g...
  32. Tom Leoni

    A tick in the usa thats bite can basically turn you vegan...

    Miss you, Gina! Hope to see you at SCI next year (time flies!). Pierre says hello! Please say hi to Bob too.
  33. Tom Leoni

    1 MOA Hoax

    I have worked in the industry for 20+ years, and the MOA guarantee is just what it says depending on who's making the promise: generally, that the rifle is capable of either 3-shot or 5-shot <=MOA groups, off a bench, with match-grade ammo and in controlled conditions (e.g., not in a 20 MPH...
  34. Tom Leoni

    Chapius Iphisi 375h&h

    Hello, @Mike B. ~ I find posts like yours extremely valuable. If you send me a PM with your serial number I can follow up on your Elan and see what the deal is. I'll be out this week, so it will be upon my return. I will also copy and paste your post in an email to Chapuis to make them aware...
  35. Tom Leoni

    Chapius Iphisi 375h&h

    Hi, Wishfulthinker--it will be less than the Elan in the same caliber. I'll try to keep it about $2k or more lower. So I expect around $10,999 or thereabouts--but we are still about a year and a half away, so this may change.
  36. Tom Leoni

    Chapius Iphisi 375h&h

    All ~ A .450-400 version of the Iphisi is in the making. It will probably be a 2025 offering. Re. the markings. As an importer, we must include certain inscriptions and display them on the firearm in a conspicuous manner, i.e., prominently visible when the firearm is assembled with the action...
  37. Tom Leoni

    Wanted 375 H&H Double

    PM sent. :)
  38. Tom Leoni

    Advice on Factory Regulation of Chapuis X4 in .30-06

    Hello, @mdsalern ~ It's already out. I'm happy to say that the little X4 has been fairly well received--obviously nowhere near like the Iphisi, but it's picking up. Many if not most of you recommended the 180gr load, so this is what I went with. Currently they have a good supply of Federal...
  39. Tom Leoni

    Chapuis ROLS straight pull bolt action ???

    @WillMFerguson - could you copy and paste a link to the page(s) you are referring to? All the ROLS pictures work fine for me (Firefox), both on the Chapuis USA and the Chapuis France Web site.
  40. Tom Leoni

    Chapuis ROLS straight pull bolt action ???

    The Chapuis ROLS is, of course, frequently compared to the R8. Similarities: both are interchangeable-barrels straight-pull bolt action rifles. Starting prices are comparable between the two brands--base ROLS Classic model is $5,899 MSRP. Main advantage of the R8: many more calibers and...
  41. Tom Leoni

    Mounting a red dot/RMR on a new Chapuis Elan-anyone done it?

    There is a Recknagel Fixed mount Weaver base (size small) that can be mounted directly on the front one of the two blocks of the Elan. Part number 66010. It can take Aimpoint or any other red dot that can be mounted on a Weaver base.
  42. Tom Leoni

    Scopes for Plains Game

    +1 on the advice most users have given you so far. A 3x9 is pretty much an industry standard and Nikon is (was) as respectable a brand as you'll find. Unless you want to buy a new scope just to have another one, I'd save the money and take an extra animal or two! As long as your scope is clear...
  43. Tom Leoni

    Advice on Factory Regulation of Chapuis X4 in .30-06

    Hello, @Woodcarver - MSRP is about 7,500 for the '06, a bit less for the rimmed 9.3x74R.
  44. Tom Leoni

    Advice on Factory Regulation of Chapuis X4 in .30-06

    Alas no. Factory chamberings include 8x57JRS, .30 Blaser, .308 Win, .30-06 and 9.3x74R. Of these, for now I only import the last two as stock items. The others can be had by (non-cancelable) special order, delivery time approximately 6 months. I have flirted with the idea of buying an 8x57JRS...
  45. Tom Leoni

    Advice on Factory Regulation of Chapuis X4 in .30-06

    I’m envisioning this as a 150-200 yard rifle. We also offer the 9.3x74R version, which is regulated at 50 meters.
  46. Tom Leoni

    Chapuis Chasseur SxS - Any experiences?

    BTW, here is a picture of the “Progress” action, which is common between the Chasseur, the Elan, the X4 and the Iphisi. The arrow shows the 2mm-thick retracrable plate, operated through the top lever—that is the heart of the locking system. The two circles show the parallel lugs that make the...
  47. Tom Leoni

    Advice on Factory Regulation of Chapuis X4 in .30-06

    Let's also keep in mind that ANY double that takes optics can be used as a single-shot with whichever ammo groups well with the (mostly) right barrel. The use for this little '06 would be mostly for deer- or elk-sized game. Hence my dilemma between 180gr and 165-168gr loads :)
  48. Tom Leoni

    Advice on Factory Regulation of Chapuis X4 in .30-06

    More pics... (And sorry, the second image in my first post is not an X4--serves me right for using my iPhone with less-than-good eyes :ROFLMAO:).
 
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