Double, Bolt action or Lever Action rifle on Dangerous Game

I bet it is not a "timing" problem. When you cycle the bolt back all the way as fast as you can, there is no "timing" involved, just practiced as fast as possible reloading. If timing is required to eject a case from the chamber there is something wrong with the gun.

I bet the tip of the extractor was damaged, this damage normally occurs when a round is placed on top of the stack in the magazine and the bolt then closed(as many people do when using a push feed. This forces the extractor claw to have to snap over the rim of the cartridge as the bolt is closed. It was never designed for this and is a big no no for Mauser type actions. You need to load it with rounds from the magazine only or ensure the extractor is over the rim before closing the bolt if carried one up and a full magazine.

The problem could also be that they used a K98 which was configured from one cartridge and then rebarreled to a different cartridge resulting in the extractor claw not fitting the new case. Incompetent gunsmiths don't look at this competent ones do. You wont find a Rigby or H&H if built on a K98 with this issue unless the extractor tip has been damaged.

 

Lion and Leopard I would imagine to be faster than a bear. I dont guide for bears but I can assure you a Lion is extremely fast and a big male needs to be hit squarely with a big enough caliber in order to stop it. They will typically, depending on cover(the more cover the closer)come from about 20-30 meters at a blinding rate. Luckily they more often than not grunt when starting their charge which allows for the PH to at least pinpoint the direction.

Leopard are the most difficult to hit. They typically wait until you are on top of them before launching the charge, which is a blurr launched at a selected individual in the follow up(it may pass the first and even second in line and pounce on the third. The speed is frightening and the action fast and furious. Cool nerves, absolute firearm reliability is called for. A short double barreled(24 inch) twin trigger shotgun is my choice for this type of follow up.

Elephant are surprisingly difficult to spot for there size, they are deceptively fast and the target on a full frontal charge is not easy to hit, without the necessary experience.

I would presume less hunters are charged by wounded bears than any of the African DG. Although if one gets hold of you I am sure the results could be just as devastating.

I prefer a CRF bolt for my follow up work in an appropriate caliber except for leopard where I prefer my sxs shotgun with ghost ring rear sight and double triggers or my 9.3x74R/12ga also with two triggers.

Horses for courses I guess but I can only comment on what I have seen work in the field for myself as well as others I have hunted with and what does not and the push feed action irrespective of the rifle make is not one I would ever recommend for African DG.

 

The K98's were 8X57. Timing being the distance between the bolt face and the back of the extractor. Either way the Mauser and its derivatives do fuck up. The military use push feed for all their weapons and they are after some that shoots back from 0 meters to hundreds of meters, must have something going for the system.

Re the bears, not just wounded ones charge. What I am getting at with this, is that Africa is not the only place with hazardous terrain and DG.

Just a question about the shotgun follow up for leopard, Would a pump action be better, as good as, not as good as a side X side? I do like the double triggered SXS fo quick shots and follow up. Be very hard to beat for speed and reliability.

 

A pump action is not better than a sxs for leopard. You have one shot at a charging leopard. If your first shot does not stop it and the leopard decides you are the one, then you can feed him your left arm and with one hand use the sxs pushed against it to give it the second barrel. With a pump you might as well use a single shot as you will not be able to cycle the action for the second shot with just your right hand. With the sxs you just need to move your trigger finger.

When I follow up on leopard I wear a jacket used by the tank division of our military(when it was still considered an army) which is made of strong fireproof kevlar type material, as well as a scrum cap on my head. Looks weird but offers some form of protection.

Furthermore I only use Brenneke slugs and no buckshot. Buckshot lacks penetration and is very hazardous to use if the cat decides to grab the tracker or anybody else for that matter and you need to shoot it off him.

 

I tend to agree with IvW. If you have a push feed and you hunt the big and uglies once a year, by all means use it. After all you have the back up of a PH. But if you are a PH whose life depends on it and you do it 50 times a year and 250 times in 5 years, use a controlled feed in a proper caliber. Not something that might or might not work. One of those that you do not need to debate since you and everybody knows, it works!

 

Thats my

That's my point Mauser actions/type do fuck up meaning the might or might not work. Don't for one second think they do fuck up. Yes they are recognized as the best of the bolt actions but they are not infallible like people believe them to be.

IvW, thanks for your info about the shotgun.

 

True but the fu..up a lot less than a push feed..

 

After six decades of hunting , eight years of which was as a professional Shikari for dangerous animals , l am of view that all three designs are good and it all matters which you are comfortable with. I was a Shikari in Darjeeling from 1962 to 1970 and most English calibre had been replaced by American calibre except the venerable magnum .375 by Holland and Holland . The bolt system was most common although l had clients also who used under lever repeating rifles and double barrel rifles. I had a client who was extra passionate about double barrel rifle. He was a repeat client and initially used a .400 bore double barrel rifle made by the firm , Jeffery. He was a swift shooter at leopard , Gaur and Nilgai. His fifth Shikar with us was his last one where he used the aforementioned gun , as he had expended his stock pile of ICI Kynoch cartridges. He later changed to a magnum .458 Winchester double barrel rifle made by the firm , Holland and Holland to use for his Shikar and used it for a 430 pound weight Royal Bengal Tigress in 1967 with success. There are sportsmen who can operate bolts on bolt type rifles very fast. There are others who like to rely on the swift pull of a second trigger on a double barrel rifle to kill their quarry. My clients who preferred doubles used to defend their choices on the grounds that bolt rifles might jam , while a second trigger is free from any mechanical failure in a double barrel rifle. With modern arms , this is hardly a problem as bolt rifles are as reliable as can be. I would like to give one word of caution however for patrons of double barrel rifles . Avoid a double barrel rifle with automatic safety mechanism. Such a safety mechanism may prevent a shooter from firing a second series of shots in a hurry or emergency . Practice how to hold two cartridges between the fingers of your non shooting hand. As soon as the shots are fired , snap open the gun, get the two cartridges into the chambers ( assuming you have ejector mechanism , which is imperative ) , close the breech and get ready to shoot again. Of course , all this is unnecessary if you place your first shot correctly , which is what we all should aim for , for a safe and enjoyable Shikar.
I do however , strongly recommend a double barrel for one application where a bolt operated fire arm is not good. If you are pursuing panther or leopard into thick vegetation , always use a double barrel shot-gun with large projectiles . I personally used 12 pellet SG , but many prefer Slug bullets .

 

Generally yes, if you take the operator out of the equation. The most reliable rifle I have ever used or seen used is the old SMLE. I have come across far less fuck ups with this action than any. Never had one myself, but yes this can still fuck up and of course is not a rifle to build a large bore or higher pressure cartridge on.

 

Doubles, bolts, or lever guns what about a good old fashion Ruger #1 in say a 416 Rigby. The one in my gun safe weights 11-1/2 pounds and is MOA at 100 yards. It's as short and handy as a double but a lot more accurate, not to mention only having one shot before you need to reload causes you to pass on marginal shots and focuses your effort on making the first shot count. I will admit that the #1 is not as fast as the other rifle to reload but with practice you can get pretty fast.

 

All the stuff I read about poor feeding from custom rifles and factory bolts jamming the Ruger No. 1 maybe the safest bet. It's the ultimate control round feed.

 

The fastest time for the Zim PH shooting proficiency test is held by a Ruger nr 1.....
Is it a good backup rifle...no
Is it ok for a client...absolutely...