I'm booked to hunt buff and plains game in Zim in 2015. I've been reading and thinking about this hunt for years--decades, really--and I've got a good bit of advice. I'm still open to more, particularly on some of the more nuanced questions. There is so much to consider, from clothing to cameras to God know's what else, but I have some specific questions about riflery that I want to throw out on this forum.
First thing, I've decided I want to do most, if not all of my shooting, with one rifle. The 375's are the obvious chocie for this mission, and as it happens I've already got a Ruger M77 African in 375 Ruger already. I've killed a Wyoming bison with it, it hits hard and well for me. Everything I've read says it's equivalent to the H&H Mag, so I'm planning to take it as my main safari rifle. There are a lot of reasons to do so, not the least of which is that while hunting plains game, the big game animals don't magically vacate the hunting concession. If the buff of my dreams shows up while I'm holding a 7x57 or a .30-06, I will not be pleased... so my first decision is to use the .375 for everything, although perhaps with a long-range rifle along for the chance of a long shot on plains game. A pre-64 Model 70 in .30-06 would be my most likely choice for a second rifle; I've been looking at a project gun in that config for a couple years, now seems to be the time to start moving on it.
The Ruger's scoped with a Nikon 2-7X, but I'm thinking hard about a Trijicon with the lighted reticle for buff. Watching Boddington use one in his video's really impressed me. Black crosshairs on black buffalo hide strikes me as something to avoid if I can. Talley mounts with the intrinsic ghost ring are going on the rifle regardless of scope choice.
I'm pretty much settled on a 300 gr bullet... either the Swift A-frame or the Barnes TSX (opinions seem to be evenly split so far among the folks I've asked) backed up by a Barnes 300 gr solid for follow-up shots. Other opinions are welcome. But this brings up the question of practice ammo... I'm gonna be putting a LOT of bullets downrange with this rifle, and I'd just as soon not be "wasting" premium bullets in practice if I can avoid it. Anybody have a favorite cup n' core 300 gr bullet that has served well?
I'm not as happy with the stock on the Ruger as I could be. I've got a longish neck, and I think I need a better cheekpiece on it. Also, reports of the stock Ruger stock being prone to cracking with lots of shooting concerns me. I think I'll probably look at getting an aftermarket stock for this rifle. I'm wondering if there's any other long-necked curmudgeons out there who've found a good stock for this or similar application?
Practice will be off sticks and offhand, with scope and with irons. I'm strongly considering putting a Harris type bipod on the rifle for use from seated and prone positions... several African PH's have endorsed this practice, some of whom I spoke with at Dallas Safari Club last weekend. One PH suggests working on fast follow-up shots, and another suggests working on moving targets for your followups. I'm thinking a lot about my practice regimen. Shooting from point-blank to 200 yards, from all the field positions, etc. What have you experienced African hunters done for your marksmanship preparation?
