Rifle/ammo failure on Ele

[Josh P]

I would be going through hundreds of dollars of ammunition in practice with the loads and rifle I planned to use if I were hunting pachyderm. Try to eliminate as many variables as is reasonable.

 

[sureshot375]

That was all operator error.

The hunter would have been better off with a reliable bolt gun that he could handle.

He kept lowering his rifle and reloading rather than shooting the second barrel.

I don’t believe there were any actual misfires. He was loading the left barrel and pulling the front trigger.

At one point it looked like he started to open the gun but then remounted and tried to shoot with the lever half engaged.

His reloads were obviously a problem. I think he may have dumped a number of live rounds on the ground.

When he did finally get a shot off at the side brain it looked like he hit about a foot forward.

I think his shoulder shots were a bit forward too.

 

[grand veneur]

36:25

The shooting opportunity, but we don't know what the hunter saw because we have the camera's angle. I see a lot of branches and there may have been a problem. It certainly did not go ideally, but despite everything, I would not judge the hunter and his PH from the armchairs at home. The hunter was very hesitant in many regards and the ammunition issue is a separate event, but no one anticipates that he will need 14 cartridges, or I don't know how many, for shooting an elephant.

 

[deewayne2003]

I would be going through hundreds of dollars of ammunition in practice with the loads and rifle I planned to use if I were hunting pachyderm. Try to eliminate as many variables as is reasonable.

Very sound advice, I put 200+ rounds through my .470ne before my tuskless hunt.

It's sad to hear the stories from the PH's about clients having rifles that cost five and even six figures but they rarely if ever practice with them.

 

[Josh P]

Very sound advice, I put 200+ rounds through my .470ne before my tuskless hunt.

It's sad to hear the stories from the PH's about clients having rifles that cost five and even six figures but they rarely if ever practice with them.

If I had regular access to a 470, I’d be shooting it somewhat regularly, regardless of the prospect of a hunt. It’s half the fun/point!

 

[grand veneur]

The elephant looked aggressive and ready to attack. Perhaps they should have been a bit braver at the beginning, approaching it closer to shot it, Mark Sullivan style.

 

[Russ16]

I think the misfire was twice on the same shell. He was also way too concerned with preserving his brass. That’s something I see in a lot of these videos it comes from bad range habits. I’ve seen guys stop to pick up brass ejected from a bolt gun and have the PH yell leave the brass.

I also think they were handicapped by the camera man. The bill appeared to be looking right at the camera man when they wanted his to turn for the side brain shot. But the elephant seemed intent on watching the camera man rather than turning.

 

[1dirthawker]

i think the PH did a great job, shooting if/when needed and then laying off and waiting (a loooong time) on the hunter to make his shots. well done on the PH.

pretty brushy shooting environment. i suspect i would have done a bit better (like many on here think too) but, as @grand veneur has noted, maybe not.

 

[PARA45]

Sh*t is going to happen in the field, and we've all been there. However, if it's bad, have enough common sense to not publish it and make a huge a$$ of yourself. Don't give the anti's any more ammo to use against us.

 

[uplander01]

Thats really hard to watch, it doesn't take much to know that fella didn't train enough with that rifle and WTF on the misfires or pulling the trigger on an empty chamber,...can anyone tell what kind of rifle that was?

Lack of physical training, lack of shooting practice, maybe with a side order of being not a very good marksman, with a red dot even.

I had a PH friend of mine say something once about older gents going on safari for dangerous game,...."If I had a dime for every time I've heard a 70 something client say he wishes he would have done this 20 years ago, I'd already be financially set and retired." Simple fact is when you're older you have less endurance, worse eyes, slower reflexes, and overall less coordination with fine motor skills,.....when you think about it it's a recipe for mishaps and mistakes, you just hope not fatal.

 

[JHT]

Can anyone tell what kind of rifle that was?

It’s a Heym 89b and I would be flabbergasted if it malfunctioned.

 

[Flbt]

I would love to know where all those shots hit. Some of the first volley had to be placed somewhat close to home or they wouldn't have been able to run the bull down for the other, later shots. I will have to watch again and count how many. Near the end, was the client pulling the same trigger repeatedly on an empty barrel?

I would like to know if it was good ammo.
Or was it the rifle
Or both messing up.

 

[steve white]

If you don't open the action widely enough to cock the internal hammers, then you get a trigger pull without a click---it was not cocked?

 

[JimP]

I had a PH friend of mine say something once about older gents going on safari for dangerous game,...."If I had a dime for every time I've heard a 70 something client say he wishes he would have done this 20 years ago, I'd already be financially set and retired." Simple fact is when you're older you have less endurance, worse eyes, slower reflexes, and overall less coordination with fine motor skills,.....when you think about it it's a recipe for mishaps and mistakes, you just hope not fatal.

There are quite a few of us out here that quite possibly have to save and wait until we are retired and in our 70's before we can afford a DG hunt.

 

[uplander01]

There are quite a few of us out here that quite possibly have to save and wait until we are retired and in our 70's before we can afford a DG hunt.

For sure JimP, not meant at all to be an insult,...I am one of those guys right there with you. I work in the hunting and shooting sports industry and my comment was not just about this video, more about continued observation when going through shooting exercises with a group during trainings. I have to go through various training sessions, mostly tactical type stuff nearly every year, and every year I feel slower and less natural doing anything that has to do with "fast", then I start watching the young guys and I feel, well, old. LOL

 

[Hunt anything]

There are quite a few of us out here that quite possibly have to save and wait until we are retired and in our 70's before we can afford a DG hunt.

When most of us are in peak physical shape, good eyes and stamina we don’t have the money, when we have the money we don’t have the eyesight or stamina to track Buffalo or elephant all day. Realities of growing old and maturing as hunters.

 

[Vintageguy]

One thing that drives me nuts in so many off these videos is after spending very large amounts of money to be there and days of effort, they fire their initial shots on their target animal. Then rather than quickly reloading without having to look at their gun and ammo because they obviously haven’t practiced that. They WASTE PRECIOUS TIME LOOKING FOR AND PICKING UP THEIR BRASS! For the love of GOD! Practice reloading before going and look for your brass later!

 

[JimP]

For sure JimP, not meant at all to be an insult,...I am one of those guys right there with you. I work in the hunting and shooting sports industry and my comment was not just about this video, more about continued observation when going through shooting exercises with a group during trainings. I have to go through various training sessions, mostly tactical type stuff nearly every year, and every year I feel slower and less natural doing anything that has to do with "fast", then I start watching the young guys and I feel, well, old. LOL

No problem, I wished that I was in the financial situation as quite a few members on here are. But it wasn't in the cards. I can also see the problems that a first time DG hunter could have as far as loading getting confused along with picking up their brass.

I shoot a single shot quite a bit along with a double barrel shotgun with 2 triggers so I think that I'd be fairly adept at shooting a double rifle, but there is always that excitement of being that close to a elephant.

My thing is that I am calm until the animal is on the ground.

 

[Tanks]

Bad shot placement initially. Should have done it my way.

Money shot at 0:43

 

[Flbt]

One thing that drives me nuts in so many off these videos is after spending very large amounts of money to be there and days of effort, they fire their initial shots on their target animal. Then rather than quickly reloading without having to look at their gun and ammo because they obviously haven’t practiced that. They WASTE PRECIOUS TIME LOOKING FOR AND PICKING UP THEIR BRASS! For the love of GOD! Practice reloading before going and look for your brass later!

Hey bad gun handling even if you practice. Can go bad because you practice bad.
Back when revolvers were stander issue during a fight guys were sticking empty speed loaders in there pocket
And picking up mags after they changed over.

Why? Because they did what they did on training.
I have seen it on ccw ranges have have told people to drop them and pic them up after there shooting was done.

I have heard more than once you know what this mag cost?