My personal favorite “Tiger Rifle” (were I absolutely unrestrained by issues of availability or affordability) would have to be a Heym Model 89B boxlock ejector chambered in .500/416 Nitro Express. 26” barrels, manual safety, double triggers (with the front trigger being articulated), wide V backsights, uncovered ivory bead foresight, India rubber recoil pad. Regulated for the 400Gr Wim Degol “Lion” soft point bullet at a velocity of 2330 FPS. I have detailed my reasons for preferring such a rifle for Royal Bengal tiger hunting purposes in my autobiography.
In my field experience, the .500/416 Nitro Express is the world’s best double rifle caliber for hunting the great cats. Capable of delivering immense shock to the great cat’s central nervous system while still being perfectly light & handy enough to carry all day with you in the field (without having to rely upon a gun bearer). It’s a real shame that Kreighoff came out with this caliber in 1996 and not earlier (back during the days when hunting Royal Bengal tigers was legal).
If only I owned such a beauty back when I had to hunt down my three man eating Royal Bengal tigers, then none of them could even remotely give me the difficult time that they did.
Interestingly enough, my predecessor (Inspector General Of Forests Yusuf Salauddin Ahmad) preferred a .450/400 Nitro Express 3.25” William Evans boxlock ejector (loaded with 400Gr Kynoch soft points) for his tiger hunting purposes (using it to down three Central Indian tigers in Buxa and one Royalty Bengal tiger in the Sundarbans).
The late Pakistani politician Gauhar Ayub Khan (then a captain in the Pakistani army) preferred a John Rigby & Co. boxlock ejector chambered in .470 Nitro Express (built on a Webley & Scott PHV-1 action) for all of his tiger hunting purposes (loaded with 500Gr Kynoch soft points). He used this rifle to down two Royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans.
Pakistani journalist Tahawar Ali Khan preferred a pre- ‘64 Winchester Model 70 chambered in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum (loaded with 300Gr Winchester Silver Tip soft points). He used this rifle to account for five man eating Royal Bengal tigers in the Sumdaebans (albeit with varying degrees of success).
