Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Custom African DGRs

Usually custom rifles are selected for their exhibition walnut stocks, highly polished rust blued steel and adornments like engraving and carvings. Here are a couple of customs with a slightly different take.

Purpose built DGRs, especially for African Big Game - DG to us American hunters - are built for flawless function. Feeding the selected ammo and reliable follow ups are what counts. Here are a couple that fit that bill

The first one is a 458 Win Mag I built by rebarreling a Ruger African Hawkeye which had left the factory as a 375 Ruger, evolved into a rebored 404-375 Ruger wildcat used for Cape buffalo and PG in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Along the way it left the wood stock and acquired a Borden Rimrock stock and finally was rebarreled with a Ruger No. 1 458 WM barrel. New 375 H&H follower, some magazine box tweaks and reconfiguring of the feed ramp and rails yielded a reliable CRF DGR. Loaded with CEB BBW #13 450 grain 0.458” monolithic brass FP solids at 2375 fps MV, it’s now Africa ready. It’s well traveled and well worn, but reliable and definitive.



The second is a little different. Purpose built as a working DGR by Gene Simillion, this one started out as a Win M-70 Classic 300 Win Mag. Rebarreled with a Douglas 5A 0.458” barrel, action tuned for reliable feeding and extraction, fitted with Gene’s own 4 round magazine box, follower and spring, it’s now a 460 G&A. A wildcat DG cartridge designed by Tom Siatos in the 1990s, it’s based on a 404 Jeffery case with shoulder advanced a bit, minor decrease in case taper, case length 2.800” and necked to shoot 0.458” bullets from any LA which can accommodate a COAL of 3.6”, it’ll easily duplicate the ballistic performance of a 458 Lott or 450 Rigby Rimless in a trim package. The stock is a factory Win M-70 SG walnut stock with good but not spectacular grain. Bedded in place it easily handles 500 grain bullets at 2350 fps MV. The epitome of a working DGR, without fanfare.

My tweaked 416 Rem M70.









In Zimbabwe.

EdM,

Very nice DGR and great buff! Is that an NECG Masterpiece banded FS? IME they work quite well with the 3/32” white bead.

Nice rifles, gents

Wildcatter264

I like your M70. The mag box your smith made is worth a detailed review, if it holds 4 down and fits in a standard stock.

What has your smith done to protect the stock from recoil? It doesn’t look like you have a crossbolt at the front of the action. Is there a barrel mounted secondary lug?

JFE,

You’re correct about the mag box/spring/follower combination. It holds 4 down +1 in the chamber without undue force on the bolt’s action when the mag is full.

There is a barrel recoil lug, as I specified, based on my experience with a Pre-64
M-70 404 Jeffery built by a now departed GS. It is a system which works well. In addition, the 460 G&A stock is properly glass bedded.

I’ll post some pics of the mag box as it is quite simple, strong and very effective. Neither movement of the cartridges in the box nor any play of the box in the stock. A very well done build.

Yes and I agree on the bead. The rear sight is one of Jim Wisner's Winchester African remakes.

Very nice. I grew up shooting a 458 win mag. When I was a kid in AK it was my second centerfire rifle and I shot everything with it. I have a M70 stainless 338 I am not using and have been wanting to turn it into a 458 WM.
S.

EdM - that is a sweet looking rifle.

Sir Khulu,
Your rifles are definitively great!
A 3/32" silver bead was what Winchester paired with the original African
rear sight like on EdM's masterpiece.
White is good too!
.460 G&A dates to 1971, and is probably what really inspired Jack Lott
to name one for himself after getting inspired by Tom Siatos of G&A.
The .458 WinMag was happily still being used by both men on 1969 African Safaris.
The .458 WinMag never actually failed Jack Lott in 1959.
It was a gut shot first with a 510-gr soft by Jack,
then a second shot with a 500-gr FMJ that deformed and went squirrely.
Higher MV would not have helped.
Oh, well, the more inspiration the better,
the more wildcats the better.
New bullets and new powders have made everything definitively better.

Sir Ron,

Greatly appreciate the correct historical citation on the birth of the 460 G&A because it now makes sense as to the timeline.

Loaded what I anticipate will be the African loads for both rifles today. AA-2230 80 grains behind CEB BBW #13 450 grain FPs in new 458 WM cases and BL-C(2) 89 grains behind CEB BBW #13 500 grain FPs in BELL cases. Settled on BL-C(2) because the 89 grain load surpasses 2350 fps while filling the case to a point below the shoulder-neck junction, thus allowing the CEB 500 grain monolithic to be seated at COAL 3.540” without compression. Will use these loads to sight in both rifles later this week.

The 460 G&A Win M-70 is currently fitted with a white line sourdough FS and NECG rear peep with extended slide. I suspect once I’ve determined the needed FS height, filing it based on POI, I’ll replace it with the 3/32” white bead I prefer and use in my other heavy caliber DGRs. Last bench session hopefully this week and then sticks and offhand til departure. Mostly 350 grain bullets with Trail Boss and
H-4895 with around 25% full power loads per session.

I’m very impressed with the performance of the 458 WM and the brutally simple setup of the Hawkeye. Perfect for the Zim environment.

Another brief progress report on DGR development. I’ve installed a Ruger Hawkeye rear sight on the Hawkeye 458 WM. The sight radius is 16” - a bit longer than the factory installed sights on the factory Hawkeye African rifles.


I’ve also adjusted the lead weight embedded in the buttstock from 1 lb to 10 ounces, favorably impacting the balance of the rifle with the #1 barrel and replaced the foam filling in the buttstock, fixing the lead weight in place.

At 9 3/4 lbs unloaded, the rifle is perfect for both balance and recoil.

Finally I fitted a Limbsaver pad, completing my concept of a classic elephant rifle. Haven’t been able to get to the range for the last couple of weeks due to a small contratemp, but plan on final sighting in next week.

Report on performance of the iron sights and the Leupold 1-4x25 mounted on QD Warne steel medium rings to follow next week.

This is my old MRC action I had set up for the 458 Lott before it was shipped. It is built with NEGW sights, front band is silver soldered and screwed in place, rear is a fixed and three blade folder, a 26" barrel with a .90 muzzle diameter, a 100% glass bedded Bastogne walnut stock, Madagascar Ebony tip, cap and plugs. With a 7" SS threaded rod glass bedded through the wrist. Smoothed the action inside to a slick full function feed and extraction, as any DG rifle should be. The sight blades are registered at 50, 100, 150 and 200 yards with 500 grain solids at 2,400 + fps. With those open sights it shoots .75 inches at 100.

Had I to do it again, a 24" bbl with a barrel ring mount for the front of the sling.

That rifle is not only beautiful but it sounds as if it should be a reliably useful DGR in the field. Like the lines, wood, metal work and choice of components.

Enough gun for anything that walks anywhere. Hope to hear about your future adventures with this DGR!!

Like you my DG rifles are plain and no frills - but feed and fire flawlessly each time. I would stake my life on either of my DG rifles...

The first is a Zastava M70 that has been fitted with a Hogue synthetic stock that has the full aluminium bedding block fitted.
This not only makes it very strong but very stiff as well.
lt is chambered in the reliable .458 Winchester Magnum and has a Leupold 1-4 scope fitted in steel Warne rings and Warne steel bases.
This rifle has been in some atrocious conditions with me and has never, ever refused duty.
The 2 loads l use in it are the 550gn Woodleigh Weldcore at 2100fps and the 450gn Woodleigh Hydro at 2300fps.
There's not an animal alive that could withstand one or the other of these loads.



My second DG rifle l had built by Anthony at NT Firearms Gove.
It's also a Zastava but this one is chambered in 425 Express.
This rifle has a properly bedded, strengthened and floated synthetic stock, and all the metal work has been beautifully ceracoated to provide a tough weather resistant finish.
Like the .458, this rifle has been fitted with a Leupold 1-4 scope and also like the .458 has steel Warne rings and bases.
The 2 loads l use in the 425 Express are the Hornady DGX 400gn at 2300fps and the Australian made all-copper Atomic 29 360gn projectile at 2455fps.
As an added bonus these 2 loads shoot to the same POI at 100m. Awesome.



Which of these 2 rifles do l prefer?
Well for general use l think l'd take the 425 Express because it's definitely in the elephant class category, but with a useable trajectory out to 300m.
But l think that if something wanted to bite/ stomp/ gore/ hurt me up close, the 458 would get the nod everytime...

Russ

Grip rod in stock is a great feature.
Congratulations on the slick functioning action.
It's not too late to rebarrel that to .458 WinMag.
Use a No. 5 Sporter of 24" length, 1:14" twist and you will reduce the weight from 12 pounds to 9 pounds, with no ammo or scope.
If you have a SAAMI .458 Lott chamber throat, you are about to blow a gasket at 2400 fps with 500-grainer.
The .458 WM+ loads will do that with 3.6" COL at lower pressure, even with 24" barrel instead of your 26".

Here is a 10.75-pounder .470 Capstick (no ammo or scope) that I tried about 2004-2005.
It will do +2400 fps with 500-grainers as top end loads, has 0.300" of parallel-sided freebore.
Imagine what it could do if throated like the .458 WinMag scaled up to .475 caliber:













A-Square data used 465-grainers to get their 26"-barreled .458 Lott over 2400 fps MV.
They used 500-grainers to get their 26"-barreled .470 Capstick over 2400 fps MV.





The .470 Capstick has bigger bore, longer case AND longer throat than the SAAMI .458 Lott.
Yet the .470 Capstick is pushing the envelope to get past 2400 fps with 500-grainer, even with 26" barrel.
Beware the SAAMI .458 Lott doing 2400 fps with 500-grainers,
unless it has had a SAAMI .458 WinMag reamer run into it to extend the throat.
This public service message has been brought to you by the .458 Winchester Magnum Square Table.

Russ said:
"Well for general use l think l'd take the 425 Express because it's definitely in the elephant class category, but with a useable trajectory out to 300m.
But l think that if something wanted to bite/ stomp/ gore/ hurt me up close, the 458 would get the nod everytime..."

With the 404-gr Shock Hammer in the .458 WinMag at 3.38" COL, easily handled in a 3.4" magbox, for 2500 fps MV
your .458 WM will shoot flatter and hit harder than the .425 Express does with 360-gr Atomic at 2455 fps.
Better BC and higher MV with the .458 WM.
Not a bad deal though, if you can only get the Atomic bullets, not the Hammers.

CZ 550 with AHRs CZ31 upgrade (single stage match trigger, 3 pos M70 type safety, straighten and fill bolt). Rebarreled/rechambered by Harlan at the CZ Custom shop form 375 H&H to 500 Jeffery. Feeds and functions flawlessly. 570g TSX at 2300 fps things don't get back up. All in about $3000.



https://imgur.com/BD0shRU.jpg

BB Melvin and Riflecrank, I spent my $$$ on Parker shotguns, so has only a bit left for a big bore rifle and had to settle for this Winchester 1886 45-90.
It also shoots 45-70 and put down an ele with one 45-90 shot to the forehead and also took several one shot Cape Buffalo and a big cat.
The list of American game is too long to type in though. The list of custom features is short, being only a folding tang and folding barrel sight.



A bargain for the money.

I was at a gunshow in Post Falls last weekend and passed on a mint 375 H&H that Wayne worked including a beautifully done stock. It was a bargain at the $3000 asking price but I do not need another 375. Matrix Gunsmithing has taken over Wayne's work. That same rifle goes for $6000 now.

Russ
Who made that stock?