Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa detachable rings?

Are they a must have for a 21 day full bag safari? Is an illuminated scope also a must have?

Thanks

I have not hunted 21 days but have hunted multiple 15 day safaris. I like detachable rings primarily because I like to remove the scope during travel. Of course it quickly gives you the option of iron sights.

I successfully hunted leopard earlier this year and used a VXIII Leupold and do not even own an illuminated reticle scope.

I had a set of QD Warne rings, on my Ruger No. 1, for my Zim hunt last week. Neccessary?, No, Handy?, Yes. Can't comment on the illuminated scope, never used one. However, I don't think it is neccessary either.


maddog

I do this for a living and I don't own an illuminated scope. I've seen about 5 hunters in 20 years use them. So clearly not needed.

As far as the rings go, I have QDs on my 375, But not on my 30/06. Depends on the cartridge and your reasons. Are you truly going to hunt with open sights? Are you seriously going to pack multiple scopes? If yes then QDs are great. If not then mount Leupold dual dovetail rings and never worry about rings again.

With those rings you would likely have to destroy your scope in order to knock it out of alignment even a little bit.

I have not had the pleasure of an African hunt yet, but all the rifles I have, save the double rifles are outfitted w/ QD rings both Talley and Warne's.
Peelin' a scope off and walkin' and shootin' w/ sticks is one of my fav. pastimes here on the farm.

Gunner

Hunting is hunting. North America, Europe, or Africa.
As JJ stated, if you want a backup scope or if you want you want to use your iron sites detachables have a use. I think allot of hunters have iron sittes for Africa as backup but are not very proficient with them. Especially on moving DG game.

They dang well better get proficient with them, it would take a complete idiot not to be, in the case of a scope failure, or a damaged main rifle, I would not risk the outcome of my hunt on not being the best I could be w/ what I had left to work with.

Gunner

Having done this for all my adult life in both Africa and Alaska I have simply not seen enough scope failures to see this as a real worry point.

Maybe a dozen scope problems during my whole career. Some of which were absolutely guys that botched a shot, blamed the scope, swapped it and continued hunting. Unfortunately they did not "swap the problem" as it was never the scope to begin with. It was a seemingly good excuse though.

The true scope failures have been very rare, nearly non-existant. I have seen twice as many jammed push feeds as I have scope failures, I have seen several burst barrels and fail to extract shells. Lost Luggage, lost ammo. However scope failures seem to be a much bigger talking point then they are a reality.

With that said I have QD rings on my 375, and I have a Peep sight that slides on the rear base and locks down. So I suppose My paranoia has the best of me too. My 375HH has a scope, open sights, and a Peep sight. It's used in the bush 90 plus days a year in every type of condition, and as a loner about 30% of the time.

Scopes are amazingly well built today from all the major players. Just not seeing failure as a serious concern. Falling and being damaged is possible, but then what? bring a knee brace, crutches, wheel chair, for yourself? where does the backup plan end and the insanity begin?

I must differ with your statement. Iron sites are not a must if you cannot see them. Eyes age. A backup scope for most is more important than iron sites I'd you cannot see them. Most can't afford to go to Africa when we are twenty with good eye site. By the time we can afford the cost our eyes have had better days. I am far better with a scope. I have to use a right bifocal contact to use irons fairly now.

I hear You guys and agree, I should have said specifically in my case.
I am 48 and lucky enough to still have 20-20 vision, just coming down from 20-15 a coupla years back, so in my case Im not rich and could not see losing 2000 a day while on safari, without having done everything possible in "advance" to make sure I was up to the task of completing a sucessful safari.
When I do go I will not burden my PH or endanger trackers and skinners with my inability to deliver nothing less than a clean lethal hit on all game encountered.
Not to mention the safety factor, but I have studied these great animals for 3 or 4 yrs. now and a quick clean humane kill is the very least I owe them.

Gunner

Are QD's a "required" item on a plains game rifle. I don't think so. However, the first time you follow your PH into the dark to see where your leopard went to die, you will have driven home to you in resounding clarity that a scoped rifle has less utility than a nine-pound club in such a situation. All my rifles which might be used on dangerous game now have detachable scopes (.338, 2x.375, .318 WR and a .450 NE). At 58, I am somewhat vision challenged with open sights, so each of those rifles has a large white bead which is very, very quick.

So equipped, you can make that first shot as accurate as possible and then switch to irons depending upon the animal, situation and terrain. I have claws on my double, Griffin & Howe on my .318 WR, and Warnes on my .338 and .375 mauser. All work as adverstised.

An illuminated is not needed unless you are hunting leopard (and possibly lion). I hunter leopard last April/May and would never have gotten a leopard without an illuminated reticle. It ewas critical.

I have never been afraid to follow up with a scope.
This is based on my actual circumstance so I have no fear in being handicapped.
My Z6 1-6 is a perfect example of the changes in optics. Unlike scopes of old it is a true 1x (I never had a problem with a 1.5 or 1.75 either). S&B has a 1-8 short dot coming that I can't wait to see.
I have a little Aimpoint that fits in a pocket that based on my limited use to date is incredible.
My one and only lion was with the Z6 and I had no problem finding that whirling ball of fur. That first well placed shot is a whole lot more comfortable with the scope for me. Quick second and third shots at DG will be taken with what you started the events with. In my case it is mostly with a scope. The walk ups are always tense in a DG hunt but after all is said and done is allways drama free. The first shots matter. And while we are on the subject, an animal that raises it's head off the ground for a second does not count as a charge.
On leopards not all PH will allow the hunter on follow up especially if it is at night.

[quote=blaser_guy]I have never been afraid to follow up with a scope.
This is based on my actual circumstance so I have no fear in being handicapped.
My Z6 1-6 is a perfect example of the changes in optics. Unlike scopes of old it is a true 1x (I never had a problem with a 1.5 or 1.75 either). S&B has a 1-8 short dot coming that I can't wait to see.
I have a little Aimpoint that fits in a pocket that based on my limited use to date is incredible.
My one and only lion was with the Z6 and I had no problem finding that whirling ball of fur. That first well placed shot is a whole lot more comfortable with the scope for me. Quick second and third shots at DG will be taken with what you started the events with. In my case it is mostly with a scope. The walk ups are always tense in a DG hunt but after all is said and done is allways drama free. The first shots matter. And while we are on the subject, an animal that raises it's head off the ground for a second does not count as a charge.
On leopards not all PH will allow the hunter on follow up especially if it is at night.



It is a skill set worth experimenting with. We are all products of our life experiences. I spent nearly thirty years in the military and so am very comfortable with irons - particularly an aperture sight (my .375 is set up with the G&H side mount and an aperture ring with a big fat bead. I shoot SxS shotguns almost exclusively and make sure my rifles "fit" as instinctively. I am also a huge fan of the Z6, but I am more comfortable and much quicker at twenty yards to twenty feet without it. It is perfectly reasonable another's training, which is essentially what our range time is, would leave him far more comfortable with a low power scope in such a situation. And I absolutely agree that a scoped rifle is the best way to go, particularly when placing that first, most critical shot.

I would also agree that charges are exceedingly rare. I have not experienced one and hope I never do. But on my first leopard three years ago, my PH took me along on a very, very slow thirty-yard follow-up on my fortunately very dead lung-shot cat well after dark on a moonless night. Pure flashlight sort of thing. Last summer I killed a buff with an island-to-island shot in the Caprivi marsh and we found him dead in his tracks. We didn't know that for sure until we were ten feet away and in the 80 yard wade through the saw grass I was very glad to be able to remove my scope. This summer a neighboring PH called our camp with a request for help on a likely wounded cat. My PH, and friend with whom I have hunted several times, asked me if I wanted to come along - hard to refuse. We spent an incredibly nerve racking three hours doing a minuet in a couple of hundred acres of acacia so thick that we were all cut to ribbons. Fortunately, the cat probably wasn't badly hit, and the Jack Russels lost the scent when the air warmed up. I would admit that is an unusual client experience, but regardless, I would never do that with a scope.

These guys have all given good input and perspectives..

Heres my .02 cents..


Nope.....and nope...

Nothing like getting directly to the point, ingwe...


maddog

I completed my second DG safari in May. My .458 and .375 both use Talley detachable scope mounts. There are two reasons for this. First, if something happens to your scope, you've got a back-up. Second, if you have to follow up a wounded leopard, take the scope off. Both of these are extremely unlikely but could happen.

In the first instance, you have to be somewhat proficient with iron sights. I am. One problem is the crummy sights most manufacturers put on rifles as an afterthought. In the second instance, you just want to get the scope out of the way, so you can point and shoot faster. At least (never having done this), that's what I think.

As far as illumination, I shot a lion under a dim light (legally) on a dark night. I used a scope with an illuminated dot and think it helped a lot. I only think illuminated dots are useful for lion and leopard over bait, and not always then.

If I'm going far from home, I like a spare pre-sighted in scope in detachable Talleys. So far I've never needed it, but it could certainly save an expensive hunt.

thanks for all the replies guys, it is appreciated.