Classic Farquharson No Safety An Issue?

[Tom Leoni]

Hello, All,

This is my first post because this year I'm planning my first Safari. South Africa, Kudu + other plains game TBD.

Ever since I've dreamt of my first safari, I've dreamt of the rifle I would carrying as much as the animals I would take and the experience I would have. I grew up on Capstick, Taylor, Ruark, etc., and as my profession took me (luckily) into the gun industry, I have had the occasion to meet and (unluckily VERY occasionally) hunt with some of the best and most experienced writers.

So this year I'm taking the plunge. I am thinking of taking a lovely little Westley Richards in .375 NE 2 1/2" (270-gr, 200 f/s), a caliber that I've known and trusted--at the ranges within which I know and trust my shooting! My only reservation is that the rifle has no manual safety.

In your opinion, would this be an issue with the average outfitter? I haven't decided 100% on one, although I'm leaning heavily towards Karoo.

Any advice or simple opinions would be appreciated. I don't want my passion for classic rifles to impinge on any spoken or unspoken etiquette--especially when it comes to safety.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[Ray B]

the most important safety is the one between the gunholders ears.

 

[Tom Leoni]

Thanks, Ray--of course, you're absolutely right. It's a matter of basic safety (and etiquette) to follow the 3 cardinal rules of gun safety--but my question had more to do about custom/convention. Since I've never hunted in Africa, I don't know whether there are some "pet" requirements as far as mechanical safeties that PHs tend to have.

All the best,

Tom

 

[Red Leg]

Neat old cartridge. For a while I had a Lee Speed in it and basically thought of it as 45/70 with a bit better ballistic coefficient - at least with the 270 gr bullet which you seem to have settled upon. It is a fine 100 - 150 (100 is really better)meter round and at those ranges will deal adequately with plains game - though I would not use it to poke an eland, and I would want nearly perfect presentations for almost everything else. A single lunged wildebeest or zebra can lead you a very merry chase, and may never be found at all.

You need to come up with a plan for that weapon. I wouldn't want a rifle behind me locked and cocked with no safety available. However, your WR should have a very quiet action. Simply load it as you prepare to get on the sticks. A number of PHs are not comfortable with clients stumbling around behind them with a round in the chamber and a safety in use in any case. Your rifle will be much quieter than cycling the typical bolt action.

Make sure you are really comfortable with such a rifle for a first African hunt - and by that, I don't mean comfortable with the idea. I mean that you truly know its every idiosyncrasy from every shooting position and in every imaginable condition. Open sights on the typical PG hunt are a challenge, and remember, in Africa, every drop of blood is a trophy fee. A scoped rifle covers for a lot of marginal presentations on a limited time frame hunt. You may very well only get one opportunity at that kudu, and that will require you to thread a bullet through a tiny opening in eighty meters of jess. With open sights you may have to walk away until another year. A suggestion would be to bring a more modern rifle along with a telescopic sight. Take an animal or two, and get a feel for the conditions in which you are hunting. Then work a plan with your PH to blood the Westley Richards. The results of that effort would inform both of you for the rest of the hunt.

Several years ago, I took along my 12 bore William Evans paradox (I would have poked an eland with it). After a couple of frustrating stalks, my PH and I decided that a waterhole ambush of warthogs (we were baiting leopard anyway) was a perfect use for the old gun. I rolled two and then had a delightful hour or so whacking sand grouse from the same spot with the same gun before heading in.

 

[Velo Dog]

Hi Tom Leoni,

I'm definitely +1 with Ray B and obviously with you as well on where the "safety" is without exception, always located.

Regarding your question on Africa's PH / Client etiquette, my "still learning" level of experience with same indicates that, a PH will very likely not want a loaded rifle behind him, unless maybe you are in the final phase of a stalk ... AND, he or she has become somewhat comfortable enough with you by that time, to trust you to absolutely never cover them with your muzzle, not even for a fraction of a second.

Even with that, most PHs will want a mechanical safety engaged, until you are actually pointed-in on your animal.

One of my friends has hunted in Africa once with a Ruger single shot 9.3x74R and once with a Simpson & Sohn drilling, the rifle barrel was also in 9.3x74R.

Of course, unless actually engaged in shooting francolin, or guinea fowl and such, his drilling was carried with no cartridges in the shot barrels, effectively making it a single shot 9.3 rifle as well.

He had worked on the action of that Ruger at home, (as he does with all of his Ruger single shot rifles) until it was somewhat quieter to open than those "clacky" Rugers are when they leave the factory.

And, the Simpson was naturally quiet to open, (compared to an unmodified Ruger #1).

He has mentioned to me, more than once that, he will always prefer a single shot, drilling, double rifle or Cape gun, probably never a repeater, as his rifle of choice in planning any future Africa safaris.

Fellow AH member Cal Pappas, only hunts with vintage doubles and has perhaps a dozen or 15 (??) African safaris in his life's experiences, few if any with a repeater.

Yours truly has hunted in South Africa with two separate double rifles, during two separate trips there by now.

One Safari was with a Merkel SxS in .375 H&H and the other was with an Army & Navy SxS .450 No2 NE, (also a Side by Side but with external hammers).

My mentioned friend evidently has not felt held back by bashing about the bush with a single shot that is empty, until the final moment before pressing the trigger.

Personally, I slightly prefer bolt action repeaters for so called "plains game" but, only slightly and, I might show up there in the future, armed with another double or perhaps a single shot, no worries.

--------> Do work this no mechanical safety thing out with any PH that you are considering booking with, before you place your deposit on a hunt with them. <--------

I presume by the described caliber and therefore presumed vintage of your WR that it is not scoped.

( ? With the lack of a mechanical safety, I also presume it is a single shot, built on a Farquarson action ? )

Whether single shot or special order double (with no "safety catch") and, if it is indeed not scoped, I agree with Red Leg (as usual) that, you will need to be OK with passing on some animals, which would otherwise be very "shootable", for a scoped rifle.

That being said, I shot very dead, a number of animals, (not always large / easy to hit sized animals either) in the Limpopo District of South Africa, with coarse "express sights" (my aging eyes now require a white, quite large front bead these days).

That part of Africa is tailor made for iron sights, as much of it is relatively thick thorn bush and riverine forest therefore, many encounters with game are usually at fairly short range.

So also, do discuss with any prospective PH, your intent to use iron sights, most if not all of them will likely be very happy to guide you with same ( PHs often are firearms enthusiasts, especially pertaining to hunting rifles and a Westley Richards of any description in camp will probably be their delight).

Parting Shot, as it were:
Also in concert with Red Leg once more, I believe the caliber you have is a peach and furthermore, with 270 gr softs, (about 2,000 fps ? ) you will have no trouble keeping the skinning shed buzzing and the braai sizzling.

Cheers,
Velo Dog

 

[lcq]

the most important safety is the one between the gunholders ears.

truer words were never spoken. My first trip 3 years ago I rented the PH's gun a 270 Musgrave. It would sometimes fire when you pushed the safety off (scary) so I took to leaving the gun unchambered as I normally do until the stalk began. I would them leave the bolt partially open on that first detent until ready to put it on the sticks. There is always a way to be safe