An African safari puts a historic spin on rifle and ammo selection. Seasoned hunters with whitetails, mule deer, elk, moose and bears under their belts begin looking askance at their 270s, 7mms, 300s and 338 magnums. They need something bigger. They need something better. What they need is something classic, something “African.”
What they need is an excuse to buy a new rifle. So I’m having Parkwest Arms build me a controlled-round-feed, bolt-action SD-76 in 375 H&H and another in 300 H&H for my upcoming Mozambique tour. In for a penny, in for a pound. The H&H twins do Africa! This is not because either is vastly superior to the 375 Ruger, 416 Remington Magnum or 300 Winchester Magnum. They’re just more classically African. And, like me, they are washed in the patina of age, sepia toned through the fog of years. The 375 H&H’s 100th birthday party is already a decade in the rearview mirror. It’s first born, that 300 H&H Magnum, is just three years shy of its century mark and I’m racing to catch up.
This rapid passing of decades has done nothing to rust either cartridge. With today’s powders and, especially, bullets, both are deadlier than ever. But neither is the sine qua non of safari cartridges. Ballistically and ergonomically one can argue for shorter, more efficient brass configurations that deliver similar or slightly better performance. More velocity with less action length, potentially less carry weight, arguably better ammo selection. This raises an obvious query: Why do we do it like this?
Because we can. And because hunting, guns and gear are about more than efficiency. They’re as much about tradition, nostalgia and pizazz as foot pounds and feet per second. And those concerns color our choices. A good friend is plotting a Cape buffalo hunt for which his old 375 H&H stands ready and more than capable. But he’s already bought a used Kimber Caprivi in 458 Lott. We could agree a 500-grain .458 bullet packing 5,375 foot-pounds of kinetic energy is the better option for dissuading an overly excited buffalo than is a 300-grain .375 slug hauling 4,165 foot-pounds, but we might also assume we could deliver the lighter slug with more precision, nipping any charge in the bud. Recoil matters and flinching in anticipation of it matters more. Besides, for visiting sport hunters there is always a PH with a big bore and plenty of experience for back up.
But what’s the fun in that? We don’t want to be backed up. We want to shoot precisely and kill quickly. One and done. And done in style. Blued steel and checkered walnut. Nicely figured walnut at that. Leather sling. Slouch hat and fixed blade knife. Cotton, button-down shirt with double breast pockets and epaulets. We dress the part to act the part in homage to our heritage. It’s like dressing up for church. Respect the dignity of the setting. Honor the traditions.
Of course it doesn’t have to be this way. Plenty hunt Africa with cutting edge cartridges throwing Cutting Edge bullets (or Barnes TSX bullets, Hammer Hunter bullets, Hornady CX bullets, etc.) Iconoclasts mount red dot sights atop Cerakoted steel barrels chambered 375 Remington Ultra Magnum, 338 Lapua Magnum or 416 Ruger set in hand-laid carbon stocks. And that’s fine. Whatever curls your toes and powders your nose. Just hope your ammo doesn’t get lost in transit because the local Gun Mart in Beira probably doesn’t carry 416 Ruger.
A more pragmatic approach to gearing up for your safari is to take the same old same old. The 7mm or 300 magnum you’ve depended on for countless hunts, the one that comes to your shoulder on auto pilot, the one you shoot as straight as a hard stare. Your old deer and elk rifle with the right bullets matched to the African game you target can be the best option for all but dangerous game, and these days that’s everything on license but buffalo. For mbogo you might need that new rifle. So congratulations. You get to splurge.
And what better splurge than a classic rifle for a classic hunt? A side-by-side Holland in 577 Nitro Express. A 425 Westley Richards bolt, a George Gibbs M98 in 505 Gibbs, perhaps a Rigby Single Square Bridge Mauser in 450 Rigby?
Expensive? Sure, but so is life.
And you get just one crack at it. Take your swing at Black Death with a classic thumper you’ll remember and your quarry will not. You can always recover your investment on the used market. Resellers like my good friend Dwight at Sportsman’s Legacy reluctantly let classic, vintage safari rifles slip through their hands on a monthly basis. Elmer Keith’s rifle last century, yours this, who knows whose next. Take your swing at immortality. Go classic. Go big. But don’t stay home.
Dangerous-Game Rifles Second Edition
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In this book, firearms expert Terry Wieland explores the history of big-bore rifles for dangerous game, covers rifles and ammunition available today, examines controversies about killing power, and explains the nuances of big rifles and how to use them. $40