Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa African DG caliber questions

Blkpoder50, your questions sure started me thinking a whole lot and after wondering about it had to refer to the books. Gun Digest 66th edition by Dan Schideler (Ed) and Ammo and Ballistics 3, Third Edition by Bob Forker were used as reference material.

Getting to your original questions here are a few thoughts from the books and from the field:

According to Gun Digest the 50 and 58 calibers include: (Maybe the table created in Word will not appear as planned but I hope the general idea will surface)

Caliber Bullet weight (gr) Muzzle velocity Ft lbs energy at 50 yards
500 S&W 500 1 425 1 823
505 Gibbs 525 2 300 5 539
500 NE – 3” 570 2 150 5 256
500 NE – 3” 600 2 150 4 947 at 100 yds
495 A-Square 570 2 350 6 302
495 A-Square 600 2 280 5 598 at 100 yds
500 A-Square 600 2 380 7 364
500 A-Square 707 2 250 6 530 at 100 yds
577 NE 750 2 050 6 197
577 T-Rex 750 2 460 9 018
500 BMG PMC not included

I have never guided any hunt where the hunter used a revolver and needless to say I have ZERO experience in that regard, so I phoned Peter Harris a 30 year veteran who has. He said that he had to kill an elephant the hunter could not outright put down with his 500 S&W with a perfect broadside shot, as was the case with a charging lion. A given is that the same situation can arise even using a 375 H&H, or any other caliber for that matter. However, chances are just so much higher of harvesting your own animal with only you shooting when using a bigger rifle caliber.

Your questions and I hope this helps:
1. With the limited time I had available I could not easily find data for a .580 caliber 650 FMJ doing 1 600 fps, but here are my thoughts on this – hurling a 650 gr projectile at 1 600 fps would to my mind of thinking almost equate to throwing a brick at a barn door from 30 yards away. You need to aim at 45 degrees and may end up hitting the bottom of the door. Calculating the ft lbs energy at muzzle velocity (you did not mention if the velocity of the 650 gr was at muzzle, or at 50 yards) it seems you will have 3 696 ft lbs of energy at (arguments sake) 50 yards which is still well below the average listed in the table above. So would I use this combination when hunting DG? No, I would not and if you want me to help you shoot your animal you can use it. Every hunting situation dictates what and if I shoot – if there is a dangerous situation where any staff, you and worst of all, me, are in danger I am not going to ask permission if I can shoot.
2. To use a lead bullet on a thick-skinned animal like rhino and elephant is just plain not advisable in modern rifles unless of course you decide to use a 4 bore and crank the speed up some!
3. A 510 caliber with a 405 gr solid doing 2 000 fps would in my opinion be adequate for both rhino and elephant. A 375 using H&H using a Barnes 300 gr solid at 2 493 fps (MV) does the job when like you stated “assuming shot placement is as good as can be delivered...” Under usual hunting conditions the 375 is equally as effective when shot placement and bullet construction are favorable.
4. With the specifications you gave in the OP I would opt for the .510 if I had to choose between it and the .580

If ever you were going to hunt any of the Big 5 only once I would think of getting a 375 that can be used in NA and anywhere else in the world for that matter. If funds were not a major issue get a double in Heym, Merkel or any other double rifle that fits you, that does not double discharge and preferably in a minimum caliber of 470 or larger.
I sure hope you have plenty of fun finding a suitable DG hunting rifle and that you may end up saving enough to hunt your favourite African DG animal.

I think this conversation is pretty silly. First, it's basically illegal to hunt rhinos anyway.

Blkpowder:

You don't need a "577 wildcat". A .577 Nitro is way more than enough. Have you ever picked up a .577 double? It weighs 17 lbs. and doesn't balance particularly well. Better a .470 or a .500 that handles and balances like a well fitted bird gun. My .470 weighs 11 lbs loaded and is fitted to me. If I close my eyes and mount the rifle, when I open my eyes, the sights are perfectly aligned and the rifle is balanced so that it is steady as a rock. That's what you want in a double.

Listen to Hatari. Hunting DG is not a casual undertaking. It can be deadly business.

Don't worry so much about the rifle/ballistics end of it. Pick a well made double of sufficient power, have it fitted to you and practice with it until it becomes an extension of your body. Study every aspect of your quarry's anatomy so you can make the shot count.

If you go to DSC or SCI, the folks at Heym will take your measurements and will build you a rifle that fits you to a "T". Takes about six months for them to deliver it. If price is not an issue, Westley Richards will do the same, though it will take a good bit longer to deliver. IMO, you are better off with a well made box lock than you are with a side lock in a working rifle.

Have you ever been to Africa? Just curious.

a ".577 wildcat" is not only ballistically superior but also more reasonably priced in bolt action form, although 750@2400 produces alot of recoil in a 10 lb gun and is best loaded down to around 2100fps, or NE velocities anyway.

I submit to you a 750gr slug, even at 2100 fps in a 10lb gun is beyond the recoil tolerance of most mortals...

It is still very legal to hunt rhino and I have several available for this season (2014)

Peter: What's the fee to hunt rhino?

And are they "wild" or basically let out in a paddock like some rhino hunts I have heard about?

And finally, since the same calibers are usually recommended for elephant and buffalo (solids for elephant, softs followed by solids for buffalo), why would the presence or absence of rhinos, which are intermediate in weight, have anything to do with the debate?