What is the ultimate stopping rifle..?

Pondoro

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Double or bolt..? What calibre..? I am thinking game like elephant, rhino (perhaps not that relevant), hippo and cape buffalo..

I will argue this: - Either a double rifle in .600 or .577NE OR a Mauser actioned bolt rifle in .500 Jeffery..

What do you think..?
 
Here are my dream stopping rifles. Please note that the images are taken from the internet.
IMG_2909.jpeg

Among double rifles, it’s got to be a James Purdey & Sons sidelock ejector in .600 Nitro Express. I certainly wouldn’t mind a Heym Jumbo sidelock ejector in this caliber either.
IMG_2910.jpeg

Among bolt action rifles, it’s got to be a Ryan Breeding .505 Gibbs built on a Granite Mountain Arms African Magnum Mauser action. I certainly wouldn’t mind an Armeria Concari Super Magnum (with the 3 round detachable magazine) in this caliber either.


I personally prefer the double rifle, but this is very much a matter of individual taste. Much also depends upon the kind of terrain where one is hunting.

In dense vegetation with low visibility, double rifles all the way. 8 out of 10 hunters won’t be able to cycle the bolt quickly enough for a second shot, if a Royal Bengal tiger charges at you in these mangrove forests. Or any of the African Big 5 in the dense Tanzanian bush.
IMG_2788.jpeg

In open terrain, bolt action rifles have the advantage of range (generally speaking). 8 out 10 hunters wouldn’t be able to get within conventional double rifle range of this Asiatic water buffalo in South Bengal. Same applies for lion hunting in the Kalahari (amongst other African places).
IMG_2519.jpeg
 
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nope…bigger is not always better…470-500 NE IF you can 100% place that first shot…i’ll take a DR please over a bolt in that situation
My Zambian & Botswanan white hunter friend Jeff Rann shares a very similar view, @Rare Breed . His former backup double rifle of choice used to be a Holland & Holland Royale sidelock ejector in .577 Nitro Express. In 2020, he switched to a William Evans boxlock ejector in .500 Nitro Express. Having extensively hunted all of the African Big 5 with both calibers, he has observed that the .500 Nitro Express (570Gr bullets at 2150fps) will actually outpenetrate the .577 Nitro Express (750Gr bullets at 2050fps) at acute angles.
 
Here are my dream stopping rifles. Please note that the images are taken from the internet.
View attachment 569252
Among double rifles, it’s got to be a James Purdey & Sons sidelock ejector in .600 Nitro Express. I certainly wouldn’t mind a Heym Jumbo sidelock ejector in this caliber either.
View attachment 569253
Among bolt action rifles, it’s got to be a Ryan Breeding .505 Gibbs built on a Granite Mountain Arms African Magnum Mauser action. I certainly wouldn’t mind an Armeria Concari Super Magnum (with the 3 round detachable magazine) in this caliber either.


I personally prefer the double rifle, but this is very much a matter of individual taste.
Great to see the Italian firm Concari on your wish list - Mr Concari is a true artist. Super high quality stuff, built one-piece-at-time, class and beauty.
 
Double would be a Krieghoff Essencia Big Five in 500NE.
1699912654987.png


Bolt action would be a Blaser R8 500J, something like this would fit the bill nicely.
1699912749263.png
 
Recently reading what a few of the old Ivory hunters had to say on the subject, after having shot the 600NE, the 577NE, the 500NE, the 470NE, the 458 Win Mag, the 416 Rigby (these are what they had access to at the time) the 500NE came out the winner as it was the only one that went from one end of a Cape Buffalo to the other. They felt it had the best penetration of those listed. I found it interesting that only one of them actually used a 500NE daily.

To the person they all felt that for a bolt gun the 416 Rigby was in a class of its own.
 

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autofire wrote on LIMPOPO NORTH SAFARIS's profile.
Do you have any cull hunts available? 7 days, daily rate plus per animal price?

#plainsgame #hunting #africahunting ##LimpopoNorthSafaris ##africa
Grz63 wrote on roklok's profile.
Hi Roklok
I read your post on Caprivi. Congratulations.
I plan to hunt there for buff in 2026 oct.
How was the land, very dry ? But à lot of buffs ?
Thank you / merci
Philippe
 
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