Hello friends!

[HB Singh]

Hello friends!

I went on my first African safari 11 years ago and completed my dream hunt. Since then, I have been dreaming of returning hahaha.

I have always wanted to hunt a cape buffalo with a double rifle, which is the reason for me finally joining this awesome group! I need some guidance and mentorship.

I am a romantic and finding the right gun, and training with it, is equally important to me as the hunt itself.

I have been charged by animals before, and I fully understand that having "enough gun" is peace of mind- with the understanding that shot placement is king, of course. I believe there is a balance to both!

I have settled on not going smaller than a .500 NE, with the .577 NE being my goal. I understand neither one is cheap (I am a buy once cry once kind of guy).

I have a PH friend who loves his Merkel .470 NE. I see Merkel makes a .500 NE for a great price; there is just something about that .577 NE that calls my name in the night!

I would love some advice on how to go about sourcing the right rifle.

Thank you all!

 

[Mekaniks]

 

[Klamaers]

Hello friends!

I went on my first African safari 11 years ago and completed my dream hunt. Since then, I have been dreaming of returning hahaha.

I have always wanted to hunt a cape buffalo with a double rifle, which is the reason for me finally joining this awesome group! I need some guidance and mentorship.

I am a romantic and finding the right gun, and training with it, is equally important to me as the hunt itself.

I have been charged by animals before, and I fully understand that having "enough gun" is peace of mind- with the understanding that shot placement is king, of course. I believe there is a balance to both!








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Welcome

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Welcome to AH HB Singh!

 

[Andrew62]

Welcome! And best of luck finding the perfect rifle for your next adventure!

 

[Nyati]

 

[Ridge Runner]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Tanner Lee]

Welcome to AH

 

[GLC300]

You're welcome to the forum.

 

[Shootist43]

Welcome aboard HB Singh. Where do you live? Is your access to firearms / rifles limited?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Hello friends!

I went on my first African safari 11 years ago and completed my dream hunt. Since then, I have been dreaming of returning hahaha.

I have always wanted to hunt a cape buffalo with a double rifle, which is the reason for me finally joining this awesome group! I need some guidance and mentorship.

I am a romantic and finding the right gun, and training with it, is equally important to me as the hunt itself.

I have been charged by animals before, and I fully understand that having "enough gun" is peace of mind- with the understanding that shot placement is king, of course. I believe there is a balance to both!

I have settled on not going smaller than a .500 NE, with the .577 NE being my goal. I understand neither one is cheap (I am a buy once cry once kind of guy).

I have a PH friend who loves his Merkel .470 NE. I see Merkel makes a .500 NE for a great price; there is just something about that .577 NE that calls my name in the night!

I would love some advice on how to go about sourcing the right rifle.

Thank you all!

I think the first step would be try shooting a .577 before committing to buying one. Like you said, they are not cheap. I know a fella who had his heart set on 416 Rigby and finally got his hands on a nice CZ. He shot it six times and that popped his dream. Sold it without ever pulling the trigger on an animal.

 

[HB Singh]

Welcome aboard HB Singh. Where do you live? Is your access to firearms / rifles limited?

Thank you sir! I live in central PA, about 2 hours from Pittsburgh. The local markets do not have anything in terms of African Big Game rifles. If you have any suggestions to go check out, I am all in!

 

[HB Singh]

I think the first step would be try shooting a .577 before committing to buying one. Like you said, they are not cheap. I know a fella who had his heart set on 416 Rigby and finally got his hands on a nice CZ. He shot it six times and that popped his dream. Sold it without ever pulling the trigger on an animal.

Yes, that makes sense! I think I have been convinced to go with a .500 NE after talking to Chris from Heym, and my PH in SA. I think training is far more important than more grains. The .500 NE ammo is way more accessible for me

 

[Andrew62]

I was just up to Big Bucks Sport shop in Wexford, I was not looking for a double so I don't know if they have any, but they do have some really nice guns there, perhaps they would be worth a phone call.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Yes, that makes sense! I think I have been convinced to go with a .500 NE after talking to Chris from Heym, and my PH in SA. I think training is far more important than more grains. The .500 NE ammo is way more accessible for me

I know you seem to have your heart set on a double rifle but I think it is still advisable to try out .500 NE before buying one. I shot one once ... and only once! May have been seventeen I think. After a local gun show in Montana a bunch of the vendors adjourned to a range afterwards for a get together. My dad knew many of them and worked at the dam with two. Someone had a 500 double which was quite the novelty in Montana back in those days (not so much today I suspect, given how the state has been taken over by rich Californicators). I was encouraged to take a shot (I'm sure smirks were on everyone's face when I stepped to the line). I stayed on my feet, but just barely. That is the ONLY gun that's ever bruised me and I've shot a lot over the past sixty+ years hunting/shooting. Nowadays (as of 2023) my heavyweight DGR is a puny 404 Jeffery on a 98 Mauser, and its recoil is definitely my threshold. At the time I handled the 500NE (or rather it handled me) I weighed 170 lbs and 6'1". I'm now a bit shorter and just under 190 lbs (lost 15 lbs after stomach surgery last year). And especially if you are diabetic and/or near sighted you should consider what harsh recoil can do to your eyesight. I am neither and have undergone multiple surgeries for retina detachments and tears. It was a long time before I got clearance to shoot again and I do everything possible to mitigate recoil. My 10 lb 404 gets shot enough to be zeroed an that's it.

The magical allure of double rifles is really hard for me to wrap my head around. Perhaps I'm just too "sensible." But I'm not alone. Most of the big names in professional hunting didn't prefer double rifles. For forty years Ruark's Harry Selby backed up clients with a right-handed standard action Mauser modified to 416 Rigby. And he shot it left-handed! A double rifle would obviously have been much easier for him to shoot but he preferred bolt action. Must have been a reason? Capstick's ivory hunter Wally Johnson killed hundreds if not thousands of elephants with a Model 70 Winchester in 375 H&H. I rented a 375 CZ to shoot both my buffalo and it was very effective (two buffalo in three shots/bullets and the last shot was probably unnecessary). The bullets used were shockingly light too. Half the weight of a standard 500NE ... and I'm sure much less than half the recoil! When asked which cartridges were best for dangerous game, Selby said 375 H&H for clients and 416 Rigby for PHs. It goes without saying he wasn't talking about double rifles.

I have seen too many YouTube videos of clients with fancy doubles rattling off the second barrel way too fast and sending the followup round into the dirt or thin air. I'm not convinced fast shooting is all that advantageous, especially if the second shot fails. Then the gun has to be reloaded which may not be easily accomplished in high stress situations ... like running for one's life. Yes, sometimes buffalo do elect fight over flight. Hasn't happened to me yet (I have been charged by other animals) but my PH is there to be my extra barrel if needed (he was shooting CZ 458 Lott). I'm much more comfortable knowing we have eight rounds between us to employ without reloading vs just four.

 

[Das765]

You are welcome

 

[coreydb]

Welcome to AH! You'll get plenty of information from its members and will guide you. As far as your dream double rife goes, search out a place where you can rent one at a range, or through someone on this site. Definitely shoot one of them before you commit to a purchase. Double rifles are expensive and if you buy before you try, you may find the caliber is way beyond your comfort level. Buyers are not aplenty and a lot of money spent for nothing. I thought the same as you, the nostalgia of African hunting dangerous game with a double rifle. I found the .416 Rem Mag the absolute most kickback I could handle. Comparing the dangerous game calibers, recoil force in lbs, the .375 H&H Mag, 300 grain bullet travelling at 2530fps has 32 pounds of recoil; the .404 Jefferey is 40 lbs of recoil. The .416 Rem Mag with 400 gr. bullet at 2400 fps produces 53 lbs of recoil; the .416 Rigby with the same grain bullet at the same fps is 58 lbs of recoil. The .500 family goes from a little over 60 lbs to over 120 lbs of recoil. To help put this in perspective, the .308 Win (depending on bullet weight, ranges from 14 to 18 lbs of recoil. The 30-06 is 14-18 lbs, and the 300 Win Mag is 32-34 lbs recoil. Recall your feeling with the way you felt from the recoil of your own rifles and judge from that.