Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Preparing for Africa rifle/scope

I have been having a heck of a time deciding on a rifle and scope to take to Africa next year. I am on a very tight budget and i am looking for something practical that has a wide range of uses. I dont plan on shooting anything extremely large but i would like to be able to have the capability of shooting longer distances(500ydish) with some emph. I plan on hunting Gemsbuck, Zebra, and maybe Blesbuck. I also hunt the larger North American game as well. I have been directed and i am pretty much have my mind set on a 300 win mag. I have found a Savage 111 with a prostaff 3-9x40 for $519. Thats the rifle i am most interested in as of now. I have 2 other Savages and love them so i favor them the most plus they are very affordable which is a plus for me. I would like to keep the budget at $1200 for this rifle and scope combo. I would remove the scope off that rifle and use it on one of my others. As far as a scope, I would like something a tad bit larger than a 3-9. But some thing with low enough power to shoot at closer ranges. I would also like a side focus parallax and finger adjustable turrets. I dont even know if this is possible with my budget. I would like to stay under $500 for the scope but the one ive seen that fit the bill are $559, The Vortex Viper HS long range 4-16x44. Im not very scope savvy. Ive always cheaped out on scopes and always had to replace them. I also want to learn about the turrets better, ive never used them. Can you buy adjustable turrets and install them on any scope? I always mesmerized trajectory tables and would hold high to compensate for the given range. I have approximatly a year to work out everything and i wanted to start with the rifle set up since it is most important, in my mind, then practice, practice, practice. Sorry for this being very scattered but i wrote it as it came to mind. Any advice, thoughts, direction would be greatly apretiated!

Sniper scopes and your budget don't meet...

Where are you hunting in Africa that you need 500 yards?

No place these species exist in nature will you "need" 500 yards. A long shot even in the open areas of the eastern cape and the Desert habitat of Namiba and the kalahari would be well under 500 yards. I'm not sure any PH is going to be judging game and calling shots at 500 yards.

If you set up for 300 yards for all the typical species in Africa you would be well sorted. If you're hunting in the NP of RSA or the same area in Zimbabwe or even Botswana, Getting a 300 yard shot would be harder then finding a trophy animal.

Long shots in the bush are 75-150 yards. Where are you hunting, and was it your outfitter or PH that told you to prepare for 500 yard shots?

Just as a side note here.

My hunters quite often use my 30/06 rather then bringing a rifle. It uses a 3.5-10 VX3

Nobody has needed more power, or more magnification then this. It has been used in the Kalahari, the Eastern Cape, and the Drakensburg mountains as well as our home base in the NP

You seem to be way over thinking this decision.

JJ gave some excellent advice. I will add that if your PH is advising you to gear up for 500 (or 400, or 300) yard shots, you need to find another PH. And forget about the turrets and the side focus. When you have stalked up on an animal that is 100 yards away, that is not the time to fiddle with your scope. That is the time to get on the sticks and shoot. By the way, buy a good pair of shooting sticks and use a scope-sighted, bolt action .22 rifle to send several thousand rounds down range between now and your safari. Work on accuracy first and then add speed to getting set up and taking the shot.

RS

A 3 to 9 scope is all you need.

Ditto for a .30/06.

You might be able to locate a used Winchester 70 Featherweight in '06 with a VX-III or a Zeiss Conquest on it that is within your budget range. All the better if the current owner will let you shoot a few groups out of it before you seal the deal.

That combo with Federal's new Copper bullet or the Vortex loaded TTSX in 165 or 180 grain weights and you are GTG on your safari.

i dont want a sniper scope, thanks tho

I will be hunting in S. Africa and Namiba. I have no intentions of shooting 500yds in africa nor has my PH told me i will need to prepare for that. This rifle is not only for africa. I can not afford to have a rifle specifically used for africa and nothing else. This rifle will be a elk, moose, bear, deer, coyote, woodchuck, whatever i decide to hunt in africa, and target gun. I enjoy shooting, and i enjoy shooting longer distances at the range. I wouldnt be getting a 4-16 or whatever i decide to use the magnification hunting. Thats why i stated i wanted a scope that would have a fairly low beginning range of magnification. when i hunt i always have my scope on the lowest power until i get in a position where i am able to adjust.

I'd heed JJ's advice. Since you are on a tight budget, if the PH has a loaner - use it. Take the money saved and shoot another trophy, and worry about what you need for your North American bucket list later.

The scope is also in the same boat as the rifle. I can not buy a scope just for Africa, then buy one just for target shooting at longer ranges. I just cant afford to do that nor do i want to. That VX-3 you mentioned is a very nice scope for shorter ranges than i want to be able to shoot and larger animals. But i want something that is a little more powerful for the farther shots and/or smaller game and something with the features i mentioned before. I thought that vortex was a good all around scope since it is only .5 more powerful at its lowest but also is 6 settings more powerful at its highest setting. And not to mention, its about the same price as your Leupold.

Disregarding what you want for your hunting at home, for what you are planning to do in Africa a fixed 6 power scope sitting on an accurate 30.06 loaded with 180 grain Nosler Partitions or something similar would be hard to beat...

If the PH where you are going has one that you can use, go for that and study more on what you want at home in the meantime.

that's what I'd do in your situation.

Step up to a Savage .338 - stick a Burris 1.5-6 on it and you are set for life. My .375 H&H with that scope puts three 235 grain Speer bullets into 2 inches at 300 yards from a good rest. IMHO longer range shooting at living animals (humans NOT included)is only engaged if starving or incapable of hunting (stupid).

Terry

My "go to" rifle for almost all my hunting is a Ruger M77 stainless laminate hawkeye in .300 win mag and topped with a Zeiss Conquest 3.5- 10 x 44. I just took 6 animals in Africa last month and will be using it again in New Zealand in May.

My longest shot in Africa on 2 trips was 300 yds. Most were at or under 150yds.

Try Ebay and get yourself a Leupold vx-3 3.5-10, or a 4.5-14. I have purchased many new and used Leupolds on Ebay and have never had any problems. There are quite a few 3.5-10's on there right now going for about $300. Some still in the box! Kevin

I'd question the ability to afford the complete hunt if you are having a hard time affording the rifle and sights that go with it.

Going cheap will work often. But as you've noted you are not a one time hunter. Buy it once, buy it right IMHO.

For what JJ has mentioned,I'd not be feeling undergunned with one of my 308s at all..

Thanks for the Response! I thought i was crazy for wanting to take a 300 win mag from what others were telling me. Im not very scope intelligent nor do i know alot about the good brands or the ones i should stay away from. Ive had other people on a different forum tell me that the vortex are the best for the money and for the performance and that they are very durable. Thats the reason why im looking into them. From the research ive done it seems that you get more for your money with them than the other known companies, am i wrong? And what kind of rounds were you using if you dont mind me asking? Thanks Again

So, since i want to budget myself on a rifle, that must mean i can not afford to hunt?

One rifle cannot do everything for every hunting situation, much like a fishing rods or golf clubs ( so Iv'e been told?)

I think some of the folks here are reading the very strong concern over an outstanding 1200.00 rifle scope combination. Then wondering how you pull of a $10,000 two country hunt with airfare and trophy shipping trophy fees, daily fees, taxidermy, and all that little stuff that adds up to a couple thousand more bucks. Like for instance the several hundred bucks for a quality air travel case, and the pre-issued permit fees, field glasses, cameras, boots and the plethora of additional "nickel and dime items that come up. Unfortunately there are not many "nickel and dime" items when going to Africa. They turn out to be 50-100 dollar items!

It's certainly possible you have managed this trip to the penny and you have a budget to manage for the gun. That's cool, but it does tend to sound like a fella buying a Bugatti and trying to make a deal on new tires for it. There is no real difference in the best options for a big game rifle in North America, and the rifle scope combo needed in Southern Africa for Plains game.

If you in fact have the 10K plus for this two country trip, and can fund the rifle scope combo for another 1200.00 why worry beyond this? The cartridge is a perfectly functional choice, and so is that scope. You're not hunting DG with it.

Of the 400 plus hunters I have had in my career, the most popular cartridge by far has been the 300 mag of one flavor or another. Of those using it, I would guess that 9 out of 10 used a 3-10 0r 3-9 or something right in that magnification range. Not a single one has ever needed more or less. Although some had scopes of lower quality that lost shooting light well before they should have. The magnification range was just fine.

What kind of rifle is your 30-06?

I will be of no help for what rifle/scope to buy but what do you currently have?

you might just need a better scope on a rifle you already own, or swap scopes around