Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa double or bolt?

Butch Searcy makes a box lock double for about $15k. And Heym makes good doubles, but I think they cost around $25k new. Used rifles can be a bit cheaper.

So it's at least the cost of a plains game hunt. But if you can afford it, why not?

I did my leopard and lion with a bolt. Ele with a double- actually that entire safari in addition to the ele with the double: buff, kudu, impala, wildebeest and bushbuck. Just got back from doing a buff & PG with a bow.

All I can say is that the closer you get to game, the more exciting and rewarding the hunt. I like hunting, I don't gauge a hunt by what is in the salt, so the notion of needing a scoped rifle to ensure a "successful" hunt is foreign to me. Not a small dick SCI type.....

I'm not going back to Africa again with a scoped bolt rifle. Been there, done that rather boring after having done it with a double and a bow.

This most recent hunt we saw 45 dugga boys in 36 hrs, could have shot a boatload with my double if I wanted, but getting to under 20 y on several stalks is as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

I've decided to pretty much just hunt buff with a bow til I can't do it any longer. I'll shoot a deer or two for my dogs, but not (over)paying to hunt in NA ever again with a rifle. Next year Zambia for hippo, croc & buff with a bow.

Elephants up close, in the herd, with bolt or double is as real as it gets. As long as God allows me enough health and energy, I’ll see this as the ultimate hunt.

A game of strategy with real consequences and rewards both for the hunter and the eles.

Verney Carrons are also a great value. Full disclosure, that is what I own.

To the thread as a whole "Et tu, Brute"

Jeez, an interesting thread topic for someone like me who will never be able to afford a double rifle or a trip to Africa and it too goes sideways three different times because someone has always got to out-ahole someone else.

No love for single shots?

Scoped rifle in a 9.3x62 or 375 H&H.

First two buffalo I hunted were with a Ruger No. 1 in 416 Rem.

I also shot a leopard with a No. 1 in 300 Win. Mag.

None, zero, nada, zilch. BTDT, same with lever actions.

I am bolt action trash. I will stay in my lane so to speak. Not even going to bring in the money spent to get to this point.

If I feel the need to use open sights, I will just pull the scope off.

Single shots are fine- until you need 2 shots in a charge….

Charges never happen, wait Mike Fell may disagree right now.

After my first hunt I always carried a double hunting DG, a tracker carried a 375 bolt gun which was used from time to time. On my fourth safari I hunted leopard with Shaun Buffee. We had one on bait, good daylight, and I put a good shot through it with a No 1. The cat fell off the branch but hung on to the bait, its jaws were clinched shut. Shaun yells shoot it again. My spare bullet is in my shirt pocket because after all you never get a second shot at a leopard. After a good impersonation of Barney Fife and the exhibiting the reloading skills of a spastic monkey, the leopard fell without receiving another shot. Thankfully it was dead at the bottom of the tree.

I was in camp once with someone who's hunted Africa more times than the fingers on both hands. We got to chatting about 450/400 3" NE - mine a #1, his a very nice Chapuis double.
We both are the same height and build and he generously offered to let me fire 2 rounds through his double. I wasn't going to pass that up.

They're not kidding when they say if the rifle is fitted to you it's a joy to shoot. ~10 1/2 lbs weight, and lovely balance between the hands.

I waited until I got back to find out what they cost new and was a bit surprised to find ~$12,000. I expected one to cost more.

I’ve only used a double once and it was a shotgun on a leopard hunt with dogs in Botswana on a leopard hunt. A close range charge on such hunts is almost guaranteed. The leopard was bayed up in a patch of really thick blackthorn. As soon as we arrived the leopard came. My first shot was about 15-20 yards and the thick bush ensured it did nothing. By the time the gun came down out of recoil, the leopard was airborne about 10’ away and the second barrel caught In midair. Tumbled and landed at my feet. Without a second shot, I would have been screwed. There’s a good reason a lot of DG PH’s use a double…… Mine uses a Verney Carron .577 NE. Single shot?. No thanks.

When did you dream that story up?

George, if you keep that up Jerry is not going to invite you over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Usually rifles that don't shoot well move on. So owned one but don't own one.

It certainly wasn’t in the same fantasy land where you shoot a cow buffalo- on video that you posted- after your PH told you not to shoot…. Then you hesitated after the PH told you to come up and finish of the poor, bellowing cow. Come on shootaway aka ready, set, shoot, get honest.

Seeing as how my goal is to make safe handling and proficiency with the Winchester Model 70 second nature, I would go with the Model 70, probably in .375H&H magnum, Warne or Burris Extreme Tactical two piece bases, and swap between an Aimpoint H2 (to keep the loading port open) and a Leupold 1.5-5x20mm scope in QRW rings depending on what I expected to be doing that day. Both optics would back each other up if one failed.

Of the Ph's that were killed in a charge I think there were two that I can remember that were using a bolt.Did the others use bolts too?

That has been my goal also. Have thousands of rounds through my various Model 70's.

My "DG" rifles are set up with Warnes bases, QD rings with back up scopes and iron sights.