Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Africa Rifle Choice for the Memsahib?

I stand humbled in front of you.

Well, that is interesting, if true and current. If a 7mm minimum applies, then a 7x57 would be a good place to start. I will check with my PH to see what he knows on this.

Also, I’m encouraged by the suggestions we let her try the Savage 99’s... I have a .308 Win and a .358 Win. When the current string of wjibs on the road slows down, we will head to the range and see what she thinks of those rifles. I have a beautifully light .308 load (130 gr TSX) for her to try for starters, and we can work up from there.

Thanks for all the comments, guys.

Yeah Doc...ask your PH...those rules are very seldom enforced.....

Doc,she could use a .270 Ingwe.

That’s a good suggestion! I’m sure he would be honored by the nod to his love of the caliber!!

It goes without saying that you'll smoke a turd in hell...

Well, I’m smoking a Dominican dog rocket on my patio now, and it’s hot as Hades this afternoon, so...

9.3x62







(Last photo looks like an 03 Springfield)

Does she really need to shoot anything more powerful than that in practice?

It isn't like she will need to be calling hold-over at 400 yards...and she isn't going to feel the recoil in the field when she shoots at game.

You'll know the hold-over from zero if needed. And she will shoot that bugger in the bush just like she did at the range, knowing it is friendly.

As someone mentioned earlier, fit and natural aiming is key. You could get her shooting bug-holes with a 130gr at 2,200fps and when she shoots the 165TTSX at 2,750 at that Zebra, she'll never know the difference.

Oh - and don't forget - I'm coming in for 12 days right behind you...so leave something for me!! haha


Tim

Good practice!


And that .308 130 TSX combo would be good for what she wants to do!

Don't worry DocRocket,there's plenty of turds here in Hell to smoke.

Maybe I should post some pics of the .270 Ingwe and we can watch Ingwe bust a vein.

Well, that's a good point, and one worth exploring.

My wife isn't what I'd call a girly-girl, although she can dress up with the best of those... she is a tough cookie and I expect she'll be ok with game load recoil, provided she has time to work up to it. Getting a rifle that fits her well is the first step, and getting used to it using light practice loads is the key to the process. I expect she'll be able to work up to her game load alongside myself.

Peter Flack, who I've had the great pleasure of meeting and speaking with annually at DSC for the past 6 years, writes/tells of his annual pre-hunting season training: start with a .22, move up to a light rifle, then move up to a medium rifle, then move up to light loads in the heavy rifle, and finally heavy loads in the heavy rifle. If a hunter as experienced as Peter does this, I'm sure many of the rest of us would benefit by following this practice. I know I used it myself prior to my 2015 Zimbabwe hunt: I started out shooting a bolt .308, then transitioned to my .375 with light practice loads, then moved up to my full power hunting loads. Each practice session for a couple of weeks I'd work through that progression, then eventually I dropped the 308 and just shot the 375. Over 2-1/2 months or so I shot more than 700 rounds of .375 that way. As a result, I was/am more comfortable and familiar with my .375 H&H than any other rifle I own, with the possible exceptions of my Model 70 .308 and my old .22 rimfire I grew up shooting.



Tim, no worries there! I won't be shooting a lot of game on this trip. As I said, I want a better buff than I've got now, and an eland. Cate will get a zebra or two, and maybe a warthog and an impala. The rest are yours!

My daughter at 13 got a zruger #1 in 7 x 57. Kill a zebra and kudu dead in their tracks. I got Memsahib a custom Mauser 6.5 x 55 and that has taken wildebeest, kudu and a host of things and never caused a flinch.

My favorite calibre and wow! What a girl!

Ah. Now THERE is a suggestion that makes my bells ring! A Ruger No. 1 in 7x57 makes a LOT of sense!!

I was about to say, a #1 solves the left hand and right hand user problem. My #1A in 7x57 dropped my best whitetail last year. If she wants to try it, or one of the other chamberings, she'd be welcome. Heck, if she wants to borrow one for a Texas whitetail hunt, that would be fine.

A 270 w/ 150 Partitions or 140 TSX's & never look back.

It'll b easier on her shoulder, & she'll shoot it better, & she won't likely flinch as much as an '06 with 180's. (The main reason the U.S. military went away from the '06 & 7.62 was complaints on recoil.)

But if'n yer bound 'n determined to go to an '06, use the 168 TSX instead of the 180's..............plenty more than enough.

And good luck on the eland, too.

MM

Patrick, I just might take you up on that offer. I think a 7X57 aka 257 Rigby aka 270 Ingwe is ezACKLY what we need!

MM... no bound and determined about it, my good man!

I just got an email reply from my PH, who says Zim has a minimum 7mm caliber requirement for Zebra and smaller critters. But furthermore, the 270 is considered a 7mm since 6.8 mm “rounds up” in whole numbers to 7mm! Gotta love the arcane legal reasoning of these old British colonies, what?

Any roads, I’m thinking we’ll try a Ruger #1 in 270 or 7X57, or both, and see how the memsahib does with it/them.

This^^^^^^^^^Perfect! (BTW, never been to Africa, probably never go, but I read a lot about it on the innanet.