Big bores...just because?

[EDELWEISS]

YES Size does Matter! I love to hunt with Big Bores just because..... I have a 470 SxS Merkel and a Ruger No1 JDJ Custom .577Nitro. A good entry thats often over looked is a 10gauge. I just used a 10ga double Bore Gun, that I used for Wild Boar. Over powered yes, too much never....

 

[Velo Dog]

Hi, new member, first post. I will never be able to afford a safari but I love the lore of the safari. Does anyone else buy big bores to try to live vicariously? In the past I had a .458WM and now I have a .458 Lott on the way and I'm waiting for an opportunity to shoot a friends .416 Rigby. Not exactly plinking rifles but I like poking holes in paper and punishing my shoulder when it has been bad.

Hello zzzippperr,

Rifles are interesting, but Dangerous Game Rifles are time machines.
When we practice with them, they transport us to the Veldt, or the Tundra, where we are set upon by all manner of savage beasts.

Regards,
Velo Dog

 

[bassasdaindia]

welcome,and there is something special about big rifles

safaris in Africa are achievable and something that an avid hunter should strive to achieve.

good luck

 

[Boomer41]

First post here, But I too am an African Safari enthusiast..I loved reading about it as a kid and still do.I had owned quite a few guns over the years. Last spring I bought an AR-.308... BORING...Traded it a couple weeks ago for a CZ-550 American Safari Magnum in .458 Lott. Now THAT is fun to shoot and own... Now I have never been interested in hunting small game. If I hunt it will be African dangerous game. Or Alaska for Kodiak Bear. to me that is the only kind of hunting that would interest me. At 55 I better make a plan. I want to hunt at least Cape Buffalo and Hippo on land with a a guy like Mark Sullivan or Ivan Carter. That kind of hunting would be for me. Dangerous Game should be DANGEROUS. Corny?.. maybe but its the truth. I don't think I am alone either!
My bet is more big bore rifles are sold than ever make it to Africa or Alaska!! We men like big loud toys!!... I sure do.

 

[sestoppelman]

Welcome to the forum. Be prepared to find out that putting Mark Sullivan and Ivan Carter in the same sentence is liable to elicit interesting replies.

 

[Boomer41]

I figured that... But my idea of hunting dangerous game would be to get as close as possible and enjoy the fact that you are in the presence of an animal that has the ability to kill you. From what I have seen and read, those are two of the men who enjoy hunting very close.Two different men but both seem to like close encounters with dangerous game.
I have seen most of MS videos and one thing I think is clear, Only a very small percentage of his hunts have death defying charges in them. They were filmed over a fair span of time and condensed into his various films. The best buffalo hunts and best hippo charges are two of them that condense years of hunting into a half dozen or so "Charges"... He obviously does enjoy walking up on Buffalo and Hippo to provoke a charge. I also think its few and far between in relation to his large volume of hunting. He tends to get very nice trophies for his clients. I have yet to read a real bad report on him from any of his clients.
As far as Ivan Carter, it seems he loves to get very close to Elephant, VERY close in some cases. To me, I want that thrill, to be close to such large powerful animals. What good is it to shoot many yards away or from a vehicle? Not for me. I never have lived a "safe" life. My work has always entailed certain risk. If I was to hunt I would want it close and exciting. Something to remember. Just shooting something from 50 yards away is not what I consider enjoyable. Unless maybe for the skill of VERY long range shooting. I have no ability to shoot at extreme long range though.

 

[Ray B]

With big guns they can be loaded down to lower levels. small guns are stuck being small.

 

[PLM]

I don't have any big bore modern caliber rifles, but I have a few black powder guns that I love to shoot. The biggest is a 50-2 1/2 Sharps. I don't think it will kick like a 458 or so but when you load up a 650 or 750 grain cast lead bullet over 110 grains of 2f black, it give a pretty good wallop on both ends. A big boom and a big cloud of smoke! You can almost imagine what the old buffalo hunters on the western plains went through shooting three or four hundred rounds in a day. Ouch

 

[dougfinn]

If you shoot a single shot or bolt gun you can reload milder rounds and hunt the local game in your area. Doubles might be a bit of a problem but I plan to experiment with loads for mine and see if I can come up with a milder load that will regulate.