3 Gun Battery

[mdsalern]

I am a Texas deer and hog hunter. I have been expanding my hunting horizons and after Colorado, I have been looking to Africa. I am interested in putting together a 3 gun battery for the purposes of PG, DG and some bird hunting. Looking for thoughts not only on caliber, but action type and brand. Would like to show up with a respectable setup that would make my PH comfortable. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Most likely will be looking in the used, but well cared for category.

My initial thoughts:

Browning Continental O/U .30-06/20ga set
Bolt Action .375 H&H, maybe larger
Double rifle .450/.470 NE

 

[sureshot375]

12 Ga Over Under. Beretta Silver pigeon. Krieghoff k-80 parcours if money is not a concern.

.300mag of your choosing.

.375 H&H bolt action. Unless you are planning to hunt multiple elephants, then I would bump up to a .416 rigby. Bolt actions are the more practical choice for a client.

 

[mdsalern]

Thank you for the reply. I was expecting and maybe hoping for a more exotic list.

 

[ARHinAK]

I’ll play.
Browning Superposed Lightning, 12ga, 26 inch bbls.
Winchester M70, 30-06, pre “64 or Portugal made makes no difference to me.
Heym 450/400 double rifle.
Keeping it real!

 

[mdsalern]

Thanks for playing! Heym is new to me.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

A heym 450/400 89b double and you are set for buffalo and elephant. Open sights, but just in case the buff are a little bit further out for your eyes add a Khales red dot sight.

For the PG a Sako in 30-06, fit a Swarovski Z3 with coloured turret. If your budget is not tight then a Rigby Highland Stalker with the Swaro.

For the birds Beretta Silver Pigeon in 20 gauge.

Small pair of good pocket binos, you don't want anything dangling around your neck or thudding against your chest when you are crawling in to the buff. Mine are Swarovski Curio 7x21 and these are a mini miracle.

Avoid the temptation to carry Cabelas around your waist - a clean belt is best for long, hot treks through undergrowth, especialke Jess and wag 'n bietjie thorns.

 

[Bonk]

Browning 725 12ga
CZ550 300H&H
Ruger RSM 404J

 

[BourbonTrail]

Dakota 76 African Traveler - 416 Rigby (with 300 H&H barrel if you could find this set)
Heym 89b - 500 NE (with 20Ga Barrels)

4 Calibers, 2 guns…Blaser need not apply

 

[Rell]

Heym 89B 450-400 3”
9.3x62 Rigby Highland Stalker
12G Berretta o/u

 

[Velo Dog]

Hello mdsalern,

Pick a Safari Company that has a truly huge hunting area plus, a decent rifle or rifles and shotgun/s for rent.
Save yourself the increasingly tedious and sometimes frustrating red tape of traveling across international borders with multiple firearms for your first Safari.

That said, if you do decide to travel to Africa with multiple firearms, I recommend bringing only a sturdy bolt action .375 H&H plus, a 12 bore shotgun of either side by side or over under design.

The recently discontinued CZ Model 550 or, the present day Winchester Model 70 or, the Ruger Model #1 single shot are all fairly easy to find on the used rifle market here in the USA.(www.gunsinternational.com)
The also discontinued (35 or so years ago?) Brno Model 602 in .375 H&H is also quite an excellent rifle but, getting very hard to find now.

On your rifle, I suggest a simple but rugged 4x scope.
Or, if variables are your thing (most guys like them), I would avoid the larger lense, larger magnification ones, especially ones with a lot of gadgets and gimmicks built into them, so popular with the younger crowd these days.

Sight your .375 in at 100 paces with 300 grain bullets and practice from field positions mightily, especially from standing, supported by shooting sticks.
Unless hunting elephant or hippo on land, use this rifle for all species, small and large, dangerous and not so dangerous.

For elephant or hippo on land, consider training quite a bit with and then using a bit more rifle than the .375.

Best Regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[mdsalern]

Renting is probably the better idea, but for me that would take out a lot of the fun.

Appreciate the ideas. I shall check out Heym. The US importer is close to me.

Thank you for the clean belt advise. I normally carry 10x42s and will look into something more compact.

 

[Shootist43]

Midsalern, welcome to AH. So far, you've received several good recommendations. Bare in mind that most of them are taking it easy on your wallet. However if you want to go "all out" all you have to do is say so. The attendant costs of those recommendations will be quite different.

 

[baxterb]

Based on zero African hunting experience. A low-powered variable scoped 375 is all you will need in africa as a new visiting hunter. Your PH will likely very much agree. Your 30-06 will do the rest. A double will likely guarantee your PH gets in some shooting (I’ve had several PHs tell me this). Your 20ga is just fine.

if you had no guns and wanted to know which ones to buy: 2x Winchester Model 70s, the 375 with a 1.5x5, the 06 with a 3.5x10. A silver pigeon is a solid shotgun.

Happy hunting

 

[Nevada Mike]

I am taking a M98 .404J and M70 .375 (if I had a .338, I'd take that instead of the .375)... and considered taking my 28", solid rib Browning Superposed 20 gauge for birds. My PH discouraged the idea of taking shotgun.

 

[mdsalern]

Thank you for the greetings. I don’t necessarily want to go “all out”, but I also don’t want to stand out as the guy with the wrong or sub-par equipment. I’ve been the guy with an inexpensive lever gun when everyone has fancy bolt actions.

 

[mdsalern]

What was the reasoning behind not taking a shotgun? I have the Silver Pigeon covered.

 

[Nevada Mike]

What was the reasoning behind not taking a shotgun? I have the Silver Pigeon covered.

He did not elaborate on his suggestion. Perhaps he felt we would be busy hunting or perhaps he is not interested in bird shooting. In any case I hunt birds in the US and Canada, so I am not sure I'll miss out on a unique opportunity.

Birds in TZ are expensive -like $100 per bird on license.

 

[IvW]

O/U doubles are very underated.

450/400 Ne or 450 NE barrel set
9.3x74R barrel set
7x65R/12ga combination barrel

Would cover the whole lot.....and each can be scoped detachable. One rifle 3 barrel sets....perfect

 

[Velo Dog]

Renting is probably the better idea, but for me that would take out a lot of the fun.

Hello again mdsalern,

It is right that you plan your trip to Africa, according to your own preferences and not listen to jaded old farts like me. LoL

Myself being a life long rifle grump and serious firearms enthusiast in general, not bringing whichever pet rifle and ammunition to Africa took some serious soul searching for me.

Meanwhile, I shall look forward to reading about your time in Africa.
It has been somewhat life changing for me, something of a paradise on earth experience.
Hopefully it will be the same for you.

Cheers,
Velo Dog

“I spent most of my money on decent rifles and big game hunting, the rest I just wasted.”

 

[K-man]

Thank you for the reply. I was expecting and maybe hoping for a more exotic list.

A reputable dealer nearby has a Heym set with 20 Gauge barrels, a .375 double with scope, a .470NE and a .500 NE all in one case. only $34K . Only thing more exotic would be if you go with a vintage European set or a London bespoke. As long as you can shoot it and the gun is reliable, only you will care what you show up with in Africa. Your P.H. has seen it all and just wants you to be capable.