Originally Posted by Wildcatter264
Usually custom rifles are selected for their exhibition walnut stocks, highly polished rust blued steel and adornments like engraving and carvings. Here are a couple of customs with a slightly different take.

Purpose built DGRs, especially for African Big Game - DG to us American hunters - are built for flawless function. Feeding the selected ammo and reliable follow ups are what counts. Here are a couple that fit that bill

The first one is a 458 Win Mag I built by rebarreling a Ruger African Hawkeye which had left the factory as a 375 Ruger, evolved into a rebored 404-375 Ruger wildcat used for Cape buffalo and PG in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Along the way it left the wood stock and acquired a Borden Rimrock stock and finally was rebarreled with a Ruger No. 1 458 WM barrel. New 375 H&H follower, some magazine box tweaks and reconfiguring of the feed ramp and rails yielded a reliable CRF DGR. Loaded with CEB BBW #13 450 grain 0.458” monolithic brass FP solids at 2375 fps MV, it’s now Africa ready. It’s well traveled and well worn, but reliable and definitive.

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The second is a little different. Purpose built as a working DGR by Gene Simillion, this one started out as a Win M-70 Classic 300 Win Mag. Rebarreled with a Douglas 5A 0.458” barrel, action tuned for reliable feeding and extraction, fitted with Gene’s own 4 round magazine box, follower and spring, it’s now a 460 G&A. A wildcat DG cartridge designed by Tom Siatos in the 1990s, it’s based on a 404 Jeffery case with shoulder advanced a bit, minor decrease in case taper, case length 2.800” and necked to shoot 0.458” bullets from any LA which can accommodate a COAL of 3.6”, it’ll easily duplicate the ballistic performance of a 458 Lott or 450 Rigby Rimless in a trim package. The stock is a factory Win M-70 SG walnut stock with good but not spectacular grain. Bedded in place it easily handles 500 grain bullets at 2350 fps MV. The epitome of a working DGR, without fanfare.
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Like you my DG rifles are plain and no frills - but feed and fire flawlessly each time. I would stake my life on either of my DG rifles...

The first is a Zastava M70 that has been fitted with a Hogue synthetic stock that has the full aluminium bedding block fitted.
This not only makes it very strong but very stiff as well.
lt is chambered in the reliable .458 Winchester Magnum and has a Leupold 1-4 scope fitted in steel Warne rings and Warne steel bases.
This rifle has been in some atrocious conditions with me and has never, ever refused duty.
The 2 loads l use in it are the 550gn Woodleigh Weldcore at 2100fps and the 450gn Woodleigh Hydro at 2300fps.
There's not an animal alive that could withstand one or the other of these loads.

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My second DG rifle l had built by Anthony at NT Firearms Gove.
It's also a Zastava but this one is chambered in 425 Express.
This rifle has a properly bedded, strengthened and floated synthetic stock, and all the metal work has been beautifully ceracoated to provide a tough weather resistant finish.
Like the .458, this rifle has been fitted with a Leupold 1-4 scope and also like the .458 has steel Warne rings and bases.
The 2 loads l use in the 425 Express are the Hornady DGX 400gn at 2300fps and the Australian made all-copper Atomic 29 360gn projectile at 2455fps.
As an added bonus these 2 loads shoot to the same POI at 100m. Awesome.

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Which of these 2 rifles do l prefer?
Well for general use l think l'd take the 425 Express because it's definitely in the elephant class category, but with a useable trajectory out to 300m.
But l think that if something wanted to bite/ stomp/ gore/ hurt me up close, the 458 would get the nod everytime...

Russ

You'll probably never NEED a gun. In fact I hope you never do. BUT IF you do, you will probably need it worse than anything you've ever needed before in your life...