Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Dangerous Game Rifles for Professional Hunters in Africa?

100% of my experience is with Zim PH's, and like I said, they all roll their own or have a PH friend do it for them (except the one Appy, who was happy as hell to recieve my left over 458wm ammo.)

JPK

Interestingly, I just picked up a 243w, LH Hawkeye, my first ever Ruger. The action is rough as hell, even with some stoning, but it picks up the cartridge coming out of the box. CRF, like it is supposed to be.

If this rifle is representative of all Rugers, they need A LOT of work.

JPK

I have never been to Africa, but own several rifles that qualify. I sold my CZ 458 Lott as the recoil was more than I could handle. I kept my Sako 375 H&H as it was relatively pleasant to shot and very accurate to boot. My opinions:

1) Know your limits about recoil. If a 375 is too much, fine; consider foregoing the hunt for the bad boys.
2) Practice for a year before going, at least
3) Use the big guns for normal deer/bear/pig hunting
4) Take a second scope already mounted in rings
5) Take spare firing pins, extractors etc.
6) Walk like hell to get ready. No sense going and being tuckered out after the first day.

Damn I hate to confess to owning a Stainless steel gun with a damn plastic stock, but I bought a .338 Win MK11 from either one of the Mule Deers or maybe it was Ingwe out of the classified and it feeds slicker n snot, I didn't even have the pleasure of tweeking on it, scared to touch it, if it ain't broke, don't fix it..

Add to that it shoot 1/2 inch groups with some of the loads I have taylored for it and one inch with anything up to and including beer cans filled with IMR-horse-s--t. It is a really nice gun..I still don't like it much, but everyone should have one of those SS and plastic monstrosities.

Maybe a custom Exhibition Turkish walnut on a SS gun would make me happy, maybe add a quarter rib, barrel band front sight and swivel..

It's a good Ruger for sure. My Ruger 30-06, about a 1965 model I guess, but over the years it got a tweeking, then a 2 pos M-70 trigger, later on a controly feed conversion, and I cut 5 lbs of wood off that bulky stock, and added a nice checkering job and its a real nice Ruger now..A Christmas present from my youngest son.

Agreed. Ruger advertises CRF on the African, but I have a custom .458 built on that action and it is not a true CRF action. The extractor doesn't pick up the cartridge rim until the cartridge has been pushed off the stack and has traveled halfway to the chamber and then the rim clicks into the extractor. It's a pushfeed/CRF, for want of a better description, and you can short stroke it and jam it. I know because I did.

If you're going DG hunting with a Ruger African, you'd better spend a lot of range time with the rifle practicing your rapid fire. I intend to put at least 500 rounds of hot stuff through mine before I enter the fray.