Renting a rifle for your African safari

ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS

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Hi all

I am considering to acquire a double rifle that would be available for clients to rent on our dangerous game hunts in the Caprivi.

It is becoming more and more prevalent for clients to use our guns, as a lot are doing travelling before or after the safari, some may not want to go through the hassle of travelling with a fire arm, and some may just want to do an elephant hunt with a classic double, without having to fork out a big chunck of change for what may be a once in a lifetime experience.

Currently, I have the following battery available as loaner guns:
9,3 x 64 with scope
.375 H&H with scope
.416 Rem with Trijicon reflex site
.404 Jeff open sights
.450 Rigby open sights (also my personal "second" gun.)

We do not charge anything (not even ammo) for the above guns, except in case of breakages. I feel that to charge 30-50 dollars a day on a hunt costing more than the average car, would be nickel and diming it. But as more and more clients want to use our guns, and many have expressed interest in shooting with a double, I am considering buying one for a camp gun. BUT they cost a lot of money, and that made me wonder what would be reasonable to charge for such a gun? And also if you rent it out by day or by hunt? Or maybe one price for 7 days or less, and another for a longer hunt?
My mind sort of got stuck on US$ 500 to use the gun for a week, and an additional US$ 200 per week more than that?
Would that seem fair? Or what do you guys think?
 
interesting question karl i look forward to the replies . if you got a double for clients what would you be thinking of, as maybe that would also influence what people would find reasonable to pay?
 
Spike, I would definitely be looking at Verney Carron, in calibers .450 NE or .450/.400 NE (IMO about ideal client gun). or even .470 NE just because ammo is easier to get.
 
Spike, I would definitely be looking at Verney Carron, in calibers .450 NE or .450/.400 NE (IMO about ideal client gun). or even .470 NE just because ammo is easier to get.

nice they are my favourite non english doubles
 
1st all let me say that as a hunter that would prefer to not pack guns- it is very commendable that you have good rifles that hunters are not charged for using. I for one REALLY appreciate that !!
That being said, I see where you are coming from and as stated it's likely the type of client that would use the new gun you are contemplating buying wouldn't blink at those proposed rates for a quality gun.
 
My concern is the type of client that would want to rent your gun, not the modest price you propose.

DG hunts are life and death. It's expected the client has obtained confidence, muscle memory and proficiency with his double rifle before he attempts to hunt dangerous animals.

Sadly, I fear that this query supports my assumption that there is a herd of jackasses out there that have prepared minimally for a hunt and just don't care, otherwise you wouldn't be thinking of offering this courtesy.

Sorry if I sound like a curmudgeon but I guess I'm disappointed in the sad state of hunting clients these days. (None of this should reflect on you of course)
 
I have sworn to never loan a rifle , I did it once ............ never again , I found that my standard is not the same as someone else's standard.
 
Agreed. And to be honest, I've never personally seen in person, a gun owned by a PH that I found acceptable. Actually, I've never seen one I wouldn't physically discard as opposed to sell were it mine.

The author appears to be an exception to my personal experiences and I applaud him for having servicable arms.
 
Agreed. And to be honest, I've never personally seen in person, a gun owned by a PH that I found acceptable. Actually, I've never seen one I wouldn't physically discard as opposed to sell were it mine.

The author appears to be an exception to my personal experiences and I applaud him for having servicable arms.

Agreed, the author does seem to be the exception , my comment is not meant with any disrespect .
 
Karl, If the policy is part of what sets you apart from others Outfitters, (providing quality firearms at no cost) why change it?

I personally get quite apprehensive when I have borrowed a firearm, never mind an expensive firearm.
I don't want to damage someone else's property.

My nightmare.
A borrowed firearm, previously broken and glued together. It fell apart in my hands when I closed the action.
Thankfully it was a shotgun and I was not hunting dangerous game.
IMG_1405.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I appreciate the comments. I must agree that most PHs are not rifle enthusiasts, merely seeing it as a tool. However, I, and a few others I know, are true rifle nuts.

Here is a pic I took a year or so ago, of some of the mentioned guns, plus my .577
10689771_10203834494455665_2337813258831910789_n (1).jpg
 
Congratulations on owning quality guns. I appreciate the silvers pads on rifles that ought to have them.

Tell us about #2 and #6. Those look like nice British styled guns.

And by the way, my PH (who I really like) calls me and would call you a "gun nut". Ironic, since we are not necessarily gun nuts. My PH really upsets me with his lack of gun maintenance. He lugs around a FN 458 win Mauser with no bluing and a cracked stock courtesy of overpowered ammo. He thinks it's a great gun that's perfect. I think the gun will jam and kill him or a client someday because the stock recoil lug is compromised and will eventually cause a feed issue potentially. That's why I always make sure I can save my own life with my weapon choices for DG in case my PH has a weapons failure which he eventually surely will.

You cannot teach old dogs new tricks! That's typical PH for ya. The parks service carry North Korean AK-47s that are in even worse shape. Why don't most Africans/Afrikaans believe in basic maintenance?
 
Sadly, I fear that this query supports my assumption that there is a herd of jackasses out there that have prepared minimally for a hunt and just don't care, otherwise you wouldn't be thinking of offering this courtesy.

Sorry if I sound like a curmudgeon but I guess I'm disappointed in the sad state of hunting clients these days. (None of this should reflect on you of course)
Not everyone can afford a double rifle and that does not make them jackasses or unprepared. If someone can save the money to go elephant hunting but not if he spent 50k on a rifle and the pH has one he can use, so be it. It's a compromise, yes, but doesn't mean unprepared. Having money to blow doesn't make you a better and buying expensive stuff doesn't make you more prepared. Not everything in this world is only good for the rich privileged
 
For myself who is a rifle nut and hunter would be glad to rent a double rifle or even a larger bore bolt action if I ever decide to hunt one of the big 5. I wouldn't even mind having to pay for the ammo that I used as long as it was within reason.

I would love to be able to afford and shoot a .404 and above caliber of rifle but I would have no real use for one back here in the states and it would become a safe queen the rest of its life after I took it on a hunt in Africa. Even on my hunt last year I was thinking of renting a rifle from the outfitter instead of going through the hassle of bringing my own rifle into South Africa but decided to use my rifle instead.
 
My concern is the type of client that would want to rent your gun, not the modest price you propose.

DG hunts are life and death. It's expected the client has obtained confidence, muscle memory and proficiency with his double rifle before he attempts to hunt dangerous animals.

Sadly, I fear that this query supports my assumption that there is a herd of jackasses out there that have prepared minimally for a hunt and just don't care, otherwise you wouldn't be thinking of offering this courtesy.

Sorry if I sound like a curmudgeon but I guess I'm disappointed in the sad state of hunting clients these days. (None of this should reflect on you of course)
Agreed. And to be honest, I've never personally seen in person, a gun owned by a PH that I found acceptable. Actually, I've never seen one I wouldn't physically discard as opposed to sell were it mine.

The author appears to be an exception to my personal experiences and I applaud him for having servicable arms.


You don't sound like an old curmudgeon, but you sound like a spoiled, narcissistic brat. Guess that's the way they roll in N Illinois, the great state that brought us OBama.
 
Perhaps. Let's define.

I find objectionable people that can afford a $10,000-$50,000 hunt, but cannot afford an appropriate firearm and the amount of time investment to obtain proficiency at using it.

Life is exceedingly precious. Humane killing of animals is very important. Rushing ripshod into a situation where you are using an unfamiliar weapon in haste to do a dangerous game hunt seems reckless. Shouldn't the hunter be equally accountable for the safety of all involved and for the humane dispatch of the quarry?

Doesn't the animal deserve the respect of a speedy death that comes from a well placed shot? Doesn't a well placed shot come from disciplined practice at home on the range with a weapon so you can successfully operate it accurately and rapidly?

I don't care if someone opts for a magazine rifle in lieu of a double rifle, it's not an issue of who has more money or a fancier gun, it's abot being ready to properly care for ones self, his associates, and for the proper dispatch of the quarry.

If that is snide or entitled or narcissistic, I'll accept such monikers. I care for the animals I hunt and for the people I hunt with. How can that be done by someone with their quickie rental of an unfamiliar weapon? I've done gun fitting for people before where they can't remember they are using a double trigger for the first hour of the session with a try gun. Would we hand the same double triggered double rifle to someone green in Africa for a buffalo hunt and "let'r rip"? Sounds like a bad idea to me. I would not wish to be friends in the field with someone that exhibited such callous and reckless decision making.
 
It's also exceedingly short-sighted to assume (you know what that gets you) that hunters borrowing an outfitters gun cannot shoot and kill humanely. That's just ignorant. If you can shoot, you can shoot. A few test rounds down the tube should be all that's necessary to gain confidence in an unfamiliar rifle. BTDT. Just

Interesting comment you made about the outfitter's "loaner" rifles and how sorry they were. That's not at all my experience. On my first safari to SA, I borrowed a rifle from the outfitter. He had a room full of Rugers, Winchesters, CZ's, and an old Sako. Same thing in Namibia.
 
For my part I was going by the fact this was about a double rifle being discussed. Second just because you borrow one over there doesn't not mean you are not proficient with it, as many people are willing to help people out and let them use it here to be prepared over there. The above statements in my opinion put all "borrowers" under a general umbrella based entirely on assumption. But I do agree if you are going to do a dangerous game hunt it would seem wise to settle on a decent bolt gun if need be and practice like crazy with it. All this of course is just my inexperienced (africa) opinion
 
Everyone's different I guess, but I would say I've shot at least a 1/4 million rounds out of double guns (a fraction of that from DRs). If my DR failed in Africa I could see myself really being reckless if I were to shoot say a Krieghoff or a blaser loaner gun. Different stock shape, a tricky cocking lever that operates with much different effort than a safety...bottom line is my muscle memory would be out the window. Add to that shooters weight and grip and forend tension can have a pretty big difference on the point of impact of a DR and I'd say I would be a danger to myself and others. ("Can I get a Mauser over here?" Would be my sheepish request)

Classic loaner gun story from last summer. As is customary, my rifles got lost inbound so I was gun less for day 1 of the hunt. The PH whips out his loaner gun and it was a piece to behold: a remington from the old days before the 700. Rusty all over. A $10 tasco 2.5x scope that was so filthy internally I couldn't see through it. 1" of eye relief and a field of view that literally made me take 45 seconds to find a warthog in the open at 45 yards. The rings were special. Extra extra extra high with a set of sights front and back on top of the rings. Never seen anything like it. Magazine spring so over compressed it would not feed round 3 or 4 but you kept them in there to provide the tension to allow for round 2 to feed. It was minute of Impala at 50 yards. So rusty. Had not seen oil in my lifetime. That's the comedic experience I most recently had on loaners. I understand the RSA boys can have some nice kit by these standards, but I've never seen ANYTHING that approaches the quality of gear shown by the original PH author of this thread. Super nice gear.
 
Mr rookhawk, how old are you sir?
 

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