Mike LaGrange's rifles

[juan pablo pozzi]

Hey thanks , man !
I think that all the rifles used in the cull were ISSUED guns as you and IvW noted
I conclude with this list :
For culling Elephants :
Normal cullers used FN Fal assault rifles in 7.62 × 51 NATO loaded with FMJ solids for small critters and .458 Win Mag Winchester , BSA or FN bolt action rifles for bulls
Don Heath's men used Dragunov Soviet captured rifles loaded with 7.62 × 54 R armor piercing ammo and M1 Garands loaded with A Square 220 grain monolithic solids for shooting cows and calves and any rifle over .375 HH Magnum for shooting bulls
( Since A Square's .30-06 Monolithic solids which were commercially available , only weighed 180 grains , l'm guessing that Art Alphin must have made a special batch of heavier bullets for the elephant cullers )
Mike LaGrange used an FN Fal in 7.62 × 51 NATO loaded with military FMJ solids for small critters and an issued .458 Win Mag rifle for bulls. IvW speculates that it was a BSA emperor ( CRF ) or a BSA Majestic ( push feed ) , but the pic which IvW showed us , might indicate that it could have been a .458 Win Mag double , maybe. But Mike didn't use Monolithic solids. He favored FMJ Hornady 500 grains , as per his own words which IvW posted here
Mystery solved

This was told to my by Don Heath in person

 

[juan pablo pozzi]

Nhoro
This is most interesting. Based on the photograph of the hunter in question and what words he himself used as kindly posted on this thread by IvW , l would think that this Mr. LaGrange used a double barrel rifle calibrated for magnum .458 Winchester loaded with 500 grain metal envelope bullets from the firm , Hornady for bull elephants. For smaller elephants , he must have used the 7.62 millimeter automatic rifle which you all mention.

Don Heath told me he used a Dragunov with piercing ammo and iron sigths too

 

[juan pablo pozzi]

Hey thanks , man !
I think that all the rifles used in the cull were ISSUED guns as you and IvW noted
I conclude with this list :
For culling Elephants :
Normal cullers used FN Fal assault rifles in 7.62 × 51 NATO loaded with FMJ solids for small critters and .458 Win Mag Winchester , BSA or FN bolt action rifles for bulls
Don Heath's men used Dragunov Soviet captured rifles loaded with 7.62 × 54 R armor piercing ammo and M1 Garands loaded with A Square 220 grain monolithic solids for shooting cows and calves and any rifle over .375 HH Magnum for shooting bulls
( Since A Square's .30-06 Monolithic solids which were commercially available , only weighed 180 grains , l'm guessing that Art Alphin must have made a special batch of heavier bullets for the elephant cullers )
Mike LaGrange used an FN Fal in 7.62 × 51 NATO loaded with military FMJ solids for small critters and an issued .458 Win Mag rifle for bulls. IvW speculates that it was a BSA emperor ( CRF ) or a BSA Majestic ( push feed ) , but the pic which IvW showed us , might indicate that it could have been a .458 Win Mag double , maybe. But Mike didn't use Monolithic solids. He favored FMJ Hornady 500 grains , as per his own words which IvW posted here
Mystery solved

Mike used a Dragunov but i doubt if there were more than one

 

[juan pablo pozzi]

Elephant was culled in large numbers in Zimbabwe with 7,62x54R armour piercing ammo due to lack of anything better...it worked..

He used a Dragunov with iron sigths too .That was told to me by the late Don Heath