Fourty Something

TOBY458

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THREE SEVEN FIVE.....THREE SEVEN FIVE.....THREE SEVEN FIVE. That's all I hear about these days! And for very good reason! It's the most versatile rifle a man could carry in Africa, and around the world, for that matter. It can't be beat for a pure do it all, big and small, type of weapon.
But, for those of us that spend our days dreaming of hunting large, tank like beasts, there is cause to think of something larger. As in something over 40. Which also reads.....450/400, 404 Jeffery, 416 Rigby, 416 Rem Mag, 416 Ruger, and if you must, 416 Weatherby.
Pure Buffalo rifles, if you will. No one can muster up much of an argument that more is needed for anything other than Elephant, and even then, one could make a strong argument for the 40 something crowd. With their high SD bullets, and relatively flat trajectory, there's not much that can't be accomplished with a 40 something.

Sure, a 458 or larger may hit harder, but they also hit harder on both ends. It is said that 2300-2400 FPS is the magic velocity at which the best penetration takes place on large animals, so if a 500 grain or heavier bullet is pushed at those speeds, the recoil begins to push above what most mortals can handle. It takes major practice, and concentration to shoot these rifles well.

This leads us right back to our 40's. A 400 grain,.410-.423 caliber bullet, at a velocity of around 2200-2400 FPS is amazingly effective on large, dangerous animals, while maintaining a recoil level that most people can handle with practice. It also boasts a SD of around .330, so penetration is off the charts, as well as having a trajectory that makes longish shots feasible. What more could one ask for?

Fourty something rifles come in all shapes and sizes. From double rifles, to custom built Mauser style safari rifles, to affordable production arms. All levels of income can be accommodated. One can take a rather inexpensive Ruger M77 in 416 Rigby, or 416 Ruger, and hunt any large game the world has to offer. However, if you wish to hunt with a little more gusto, the Heym Express Martini in 404 Jeffery and 416 Rigby, or any number of other custom or semi custom, double rifles or bolt guns might just fit the bill. You can spend hundreds, or thousands on a rifle, it's all up to your sensibilities. But, either way, if it's in the 40 something crowd, you will be well and truly armed, if you make sure to work any possible bugs out before the hunt.

In the end, the good ole THREE SEVEN FIVE might hold the title of King Or Queen Of Africa, (you decide which one). But for those that want just a little more, welcome to your 40's. It's all down hill from here.
 
What recoil is like when you are first learning to shoot
 
Recoil as you move up to larger calibers
 
Recoil when you get to the 40’s
 
I really enjoy shooting my 40’s now. However, at the beginning I was like those youth league football players.
 
I love my Win 70 375H&H... but my 416 Taylor is actually preferred..

I cant tell any real difference in recoil between the two (The taylor does weigh about 8 OZ more than the 375).. and the 400 gr 416 TSX trucking along at 2400 FPS packs a whole lot more whollop on the receiving end than the 300 gr 375 TSX scooting through the air at 2500 FPS...

Truthfully, I've all but retired my 375 H&H to being an occasional range toy..

Im sure I'll find a reason to dust her off sooner or later and hunt something again with the 375.. but for now, if Im going after something big and/or mean... I'm reaching for the 416..
 
I absolutely love my 404 Jeffery. It is as versatile as can be, have done the majority of my hunting with it, with a lot more PG than DG. 90% of my hunts with an Aimpoint Micro. Absolutely love it.

The more I hunt with it the better I prepare myself for DG hunts.

Busy finding my feet with the 450 Rigby now, and that is a massive step up in the recoil division.

404 took a beautiful Redhartebeest last week at 120m with a low powered scope.

20200718_100504-2016x1512.jpg
 
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I love my 375's, but I have to admit that a side by side 450/400 in VC, Heym or Chapuis would be very nice indeed. Top wood, a few game scenes and a red recoil pad.
 
I own a wonderful .404, 500-416, and a .470. I shoot them all extremely well - within their limitations - not mine. :Finger:

I don't like traveling with an extra rifle. I don't burden myself with one anywhere in North America, Europe, or Asia so I don't get the need for a "battery" in Africa either. Before WWII? Absolutely. For a seven to fourteen day hunt today? Just don't get it. I'll admit that I have yet to spend to spend a month in Tanzania. I almost certainly would bring something with a bit more reach than my standard traveling companion. Perhaps an extra barrel (more on that in a moment). Were I going to hunt an elephant, I likely would bring either the .470 or 500-417 - not really because they are more effective, but because, simply, it is an elephant.

What most of us actually do nowadays is a mixed bag hunt that would include a buffalo. It will also obviously include PG - anyone of which may be calmly staring at us from the next ridgeline. None of my forties are remotely ideal for such an opportunity.

What is ideal - not just good enough - but just about perfect is one of my .375's loaded with a 300 gr A Frame or TSX. It carries all day like a deer rifle, is supremely accurate, and is decisive as far as I want to shoot a zebra or as close as I care to poke a buffalo. My current favorite is a Blaser R8 because it is ideal as a travel rifle (it is also supremely accurate). Nothing travels better than it than perhaps a double, and the Blaser has the double beat by a wide margin with respect to versatility (I have done both). And should I take that extended excursion in Tanzania, the .300 Win Mag barrel fits very neatly in the same case as the .375.

So sure - broadsword or rapier. Most of the forty something testimonials contain some form of the "if you can handle it ...." nonsense. (Perhaps with some football imagery thrown in?) :cool: Well, I have a choice. I much prefer my 8.5 lb fully kitted .375 for anything I will encounter on a mixed bag hunt anywhere south of the Sahara. To paraphrase Mathew Quigley, "Never said I couldn't use a forty - just said I never found much use for one." Make mine a rapier.

 
@Jfet , what caliber would you say this is? :giggle:

That would be like the calibers @Redleg shot in his youth. Probably a 155mm.

To the credit of the young man playing in the secondary he never hesitated or backed down. Which is the purpose of the "Oklahoma Drill" or "Shotgun Alley" that is used in American football to deliver a blow or take a blow. I have coached young me who were 12 and 13 years old in that drill and the first time they got hit they laid down and cried. 5 years later they are delivering a blow. Getting used to shooting the 40's is much the same principle. We have to get used to it. It takes practice and it is going to hurt. However, over time you get used to it and they are fun to shoot.
 
I own a wonderful .404, 500-416, and a .470. I shoot them all extremely well - within their limitations - not mine. :Finger:

I don't like traveling with an extra rifle. I don't burden myself with one anywhere in North America, Europe, or Asia so I don't get the need for a "battery" in Africa either. Before WWII? Absolutely. For a seven to fourteen day hunt today? Just don't get it. I'll admit that I have yet to spend to spend a month in Tanzania. I almost certainly would bring something with a bit more reach than my standard traveling companion. Perhaps an extra barrel (more on that in a moment). Were I going to hunt an elephant, I likely would bring either the .470 or 500-417 - not really because they are more effective, but because, simply, it is an elephant.

What most of us actually do nowadays is a mixed bag hunt that would include a buffalo. It will also obviously include PG - anyone of which may be calmly staring at us from the next ridgeline. None of my forties are remotely ideal for such an opportunity.

What is ideal - not just good enough - but just about perfect is one of my .375's loaded with a 300 gr A Frame or TSX. It carries all day like a deer rifle, is supremely accurate, and is decisive as far as I want to shoot a zebra or as close as I care to poke a buffalo. My current favorite is a Blaser R8 because it is ideal as a travel rifle (it is also supremely accurate). Nothing travels better than it than perhaps a double, and the Blaser has the double beat by a wide margin with respect to versatility (I have done both). And should I take that extended excursion in Tanzania, the .300 Win Mag barrel fits very neatly in the same case as the .375.

So sure - broadsword or rapier. Most of the forty something testimonials contain some form of the "if you can handle it ...." nonsense. (Perhaps with some football imagery thrown in?) :cool: Well, I have a choice. I much prefer my 8.5 lb fully kitted .375 for anything I will encounter on a mixed bag hunt anywhere south of the Sahara. To paraphrase Mathew Quigley, "Never said I couldn't use a forty - just said I never found much use for one." Make mine a rapier.

Just when I got an R8 off my mind, you have to bring it back up! I'm trying to hold on to some safari money over here for God's sake! :A Surrender:
 
two-gun case will carry my Chapuis 375 H&H double and my new John Rigby & Co. 416 Rigby.

Honestly, that line-up doesn't make much sense. It's like taking the reverse of what makes sense and is duplicative to your detriment. That said, if you just want to blood-in both of the rifles, I am sure it will be a ball.
 
THREE SEVEN FIVE.....THREE SEVEN FIVE.....THREE SEVEN FIVE. That's all I hear about these days! And for very good reason! It's the most versatile rifle a man could carry in Africa, and around the world, for that matter. It can't be beat for a pure do it all, big and small, type of weapon.
But, for those of us that spend our days dreaming of hunting large, tank like beasts, there is cause to think of something larger. As in something over 40. Which also reads.....450/400, 404 Jeffery, 416 Rigby, 416 Rem Mag, 416 Ruger, and if you must, 416 Weatherby.
Pure Buffalo rifles, if you will. No one can muster up much of an argument that more is needed for anything other than Elephant, and even then, one could make a strong argument for the 40 something crowd. With their high SD bullets, and relatively flat trajectory, there's not much that can't be accomplished with a 40 something.

Sure, a 458 or larger may hit harder, but they also hit harder on both ends. It is said that 2300-2400 FPS is the magic velocity at which the best penetration takes place on large animals, so if a 500 grain or heavier bullet is pushed at those speeds, the recoil begins to push above what most mortals can handle. It takes major practice, and concentration to shoot these rifles well.

This leads us right back to our 40's. A 400 grain,.410-.423 caliber bullet, at a velocity of around 2200-2400 FPS is amazingly effective on large, dangerous animals, while maintaining a recoil level that most people can handle with practice. It also boasts a SD of around .330, so penetration is off the charts, as well as having a trajectory that makes longish shots feasible. What more could one ask for?

Fourty something rifles come in all shapes and sizes. From double rifles, to custom built Mauser style safari rifles, to affordable production arms. All levels of income can be accommodated. One can take a rather inexpensive Ruger M77 in 416 Rigby, or 416 Ruger, and hunt any large game the world has to offer. However, if you wish to hunt with a little more gusto, the Heym Express Martini in 404 Jeffery and 416 Rigby, or any number of other custom or semi custom, double rifles or bolt guns might just fit the bill. You can spend hundreds, or thousands on a rifle, it's all up to your sensibilities. But, either way, if it's in the 40 something crowd, you will be well and truly armed, if you make sure to work any possible bugs out before the hunt.

In the end, the good ole THREE SEVEN FIVE might hold the title of King Or Queen Of Africa, (you decide which one). But for those that want just a little more, welcome to your 40's. It's all down hill from here.

have two 40s and a 375 and love them all.
 
I took a .375 and a .416 Ruger to Zim on my first safari. As I thought this would be my only chance for fulfilling a life long dream of taking a buffalo, I wanted whatever rifle I had in my hand to be up to the task. As it turned out I shot my buffalo and seven other head of game with the .416. I only used the .375 on three.
I wish all of you would cease writing about the Blaser R8. It Is already on my wish list and I begin drooling whenever I handle one. Some day.
 
Although Ive shot many Buffalo with the 404, 416 Rem mostly and my 450-400 double named sweet thang, if I had to hunt the world over with a 375 H&H or Ruger, I would be content and feel well armed, even for elephant and Hippo..I used the 505 and the 470 a bit and never got attached to either, got detached however..Never could tell much difference in any of them if the first shot was good..that lets the dreaded adrenaline out!! :)
 
We grow and stretch our wings...maybe even stretch too far sometimes.
If you had told me 5 years ago I'd be shooting a 375, I would have called you crazy.
Now my wife is shooting a 375H&H and considering Buffalo.
For the sake of versatility (and stretching my wings), I got a 416RM.
Shooting off sticks is getting easier for both of us.
Makes our 300WM feel like a 22lr.

Who really knows what the future holds for my wife and I hunting Africa.
Have to wait and see, but we will not be ill prepared when the opportunity comes.
We are very happy and fortunate to be able to enjoy such a sport.

For the time being, we are planning on using our DG rifles to hunt hogs in GA.
Mrs BeeMaa has family down there and some pigs need to find the inside of my smoker.

@TOBY458, how is it you have not owned a Blaser R8...:rolleyes:
 
We grow and stretch our wings...maybe even stretch too far sometimes.
If you had told me 5 years ago I'd be shooting a 375, I would have called you crazy.
Now my wife is shooting a 375H&H and considering Buffalo.
For the sake of versatility (and stretching my wings), I got a 416RM.
Shooting off sticks is getting easier for both of us.
Makes our 300WM feel like a 22lr.

Who really knows what the future holds for my wife and I hunting Africa.
Have to wait and see, but we will not be ill prepared when the opportunity comes.
We are very happy and fortunate to be able to enjoy such a sport.

For the time being, we are planning on using our DG rifles to hunt hogs in GA.
Mrs BeeMaa has family down there and some pigs need to find the inside of my smoker.

@TOBY458, how is it you have not owned a Blaser R8...:rolleyes:
Time is a remedy for most things......
 

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Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

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