Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa First Safari

First post here but I've been lurking for some time. I'm in the very early planning stage for my first and probably only Safari. The only animal I know for sure I want to take is a Cape Buffalo. I'm sure I'll have a bunch more questions but here goes the first one. I figure the first thing I need to buy is a suitable rifle so I can get started shooting. My first impulse is to go with a Ruger #1 in 450/400. I have other #1s and am very comfortable with them but have concerns about follow up shots. What are your thoughts on this rifle / caliber? My budget is going to be pretty limited so I can't afford a double gun as much as I would like one. The other guns I've considered are the CZ in .458 Lott or a Remington 700 re-barreled to .458 Lott.

Thanks in advance!

Bob

Welcome aboard Bob. You can find some pretty good deals on rifles from http://www.gunbroker.com/

Hi Bob

Welcome to the forum.

I'd recommend the CZ action in either .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery or 458 Lott. - Any of those will do the job.

This link also might be of help. http://www.trailsranger.com/html/rifles_for_africa.html

.375 H/H would be my choice or a .416 Rem or Ruger would be my next. I would think you could find a nice used M70 CRF for a decent price, especially with the Winchester starting to produce the M70 again.

the CZ would be the best DG gun on a budget


welcome aboard!

Hello Bob,

Welcome to the Campfire. As I'm sure you know, there are some very experienced African hunting folks here who can certainly answer your questions better than me, but I'll give you my opinion just the same.

I've only hunted Africa and Cape Buffalo once, so by no means am I an expert. Your question regarding the Ruger #1 has been asked and debated several times before on this and other forums and there has never been a consensus reached on this issue, at least that I'm aware of. Many people think it foolish to hunt Dangerous Game with a single shot due to the possibility of having to make a quick follow-up shot at either a fleeing or charging animal. Others say that hunting with a single shot is fine, that you often don't have the chance for a follow-up shot, and that if the animal charges, that is what the PH is there for. Myself, I'm not much of a single shot guy to begin with, so I would always opt for the magazine fed bolt action, given the choice. However, since you are very comfortable with the #1, then I wouldn't let naysayers influence my use of one.

As to the cartridge, I think the 450/400 is sufficient for buffalo. In fact, I think I recall that Craig Boddington (or his girlfriend, Donna Grey) took a buffalo with this combination last year when this chambering first came out in the #1.

If you were to go with a bolt rifle, the CZ, Ruger 77, or Model 70 CRF type rifle is what I'd go with. You certainly don't need a .458 Lott for buffalo, so unless you really want that cartridge, you can certainly get by with smaller cartridges such as .375 H&H, .375 Ruger, or a .416 Remington. Any of those will do the job just fine. Obviously, so will the Lott.

Best of luck,
Test

Don't bet on it! Africa is addictive. I hope to go after buffalo in 2010 and will be contemplating caliber selection too. I have a custom 9.3x62 and may use it-depending on the country and the PH's wishes. My wife and I are making our 2nd trip to Namibia in June and I can't decide what rifle(s) to take this time either. Eland is the biggest game on my list and duiker the smallest. My choices are a Model 7 in .260, Model 70 Classic in 9.3x62, and .270, .06, .338 WM and hopefully a 300 H&H in pre-64s.

I should have added that 450/400 is essentially/ballistically a 404 Jeffery by another name. - The .404 has been popular with the game departments of Africa for many years and (IMO) is a fabulous calibre for Africa in general and Buffalo in particular.

We use this calibre for all our spare/client/loaner rifles and I've never had cause to be disappointed in the choice of calibre.

The 450/400 should be a little more comfortable to shoot.
The 458 Lott is pretty "sharp" in the recoil department.

I am more worried about you trying to make it a one and done safari. If you figure out how to resist the urge to return please let me know as I need help in this area

One and only safari? I'll bet not! Beware the Dark Side (or is that the Dark Continent?) Luke.

Gunbroker is a good place to pick up a nice rifle at a good price. A .375 H & H is the standard. You'll never go wrong. I might add that I don't have one. I like the 9.3 X 62. I also have a .450/400. They all will kill buffalo. The sub-400 are better for other game than the .450/400.

Planning and anticipation are great a wonderful part to the safari experience. Enjoy!

Thank you all for the information!

As for the one and only Safari, this is going to be a work all the overtime I can get and get a second job for the next 2 years ordeal. So it's not a matter of want but a financial thing for me. I would love nothing more than to spend a few months on a big 5 safari with all the assorted plains game thrown in and then vacation to the rain forest for a Bongo hunt! Just don't have the $$$.

The input on calibers was interesting, I was looking at a few things when trying to decide. I wanted to make sure I had "enough gun" I had thought about the .375 H&H but was equating it to a .243 on whitetail deer, a good caliber under ideal conditions with ideal shot placement. If this is not the case let me know! I had not considered the .404, I had forgotten about it! I looked on the CZ website and didn't see it listed, nor did I see it on Ruger's. Ammo availability is another concern. If somehow my ammo didn't make it to Africa would I be able to get more? The .458 Lott interested me because of it's origins and also because I could use .458 Winchester ammo in a pinch.

I really appreciate the input from the "been there, done that" folks. I can read all there is to read and watch all there is to watch but there is no substitute for experience.

Please keep it coming and let me know if I am being a pest!

Bob

Bob,

The .243 and deer is not quite the best analogy. I'd say .30-06 is closer to reality. Kills 'em dead. No question from anyone. Will it stop a charge? Yes. Will bigger calibers stop better? Sure.

The .375 H & h is always a good choice.

CZ makes their rifle in 416 Rigby and that may make a good choice for your interests. I see your point about the Lott and using the win mag ammo as a good one.

BobT

You're quite right in your statement about the 375 H&H. - It is a good all rounder - as are the 404 and the 416. The 458 is getting slightly more towards the realms of a big rifle..... but I get a lot of hunters who bring a 458 and take everything from impala to all the big 'n' uglies and don't have any problems.

Regarding ammo availability, Africa is a BIG continent and every individual country is different to every other country in this respect. You really need to decide which country you want to hunt in before worrying about whether you can buy ammo there or not. As a rough guide, in countries such as SA that have a good infrastructure, you'll probably drive from airport to hunting area and assuming you're using a reasonably common calibre, you'll be able to buy ammo along the way. - If you're hunting an area that has a less well developed infrastructure, ammo might be harder to get hold of. - You can either wing it, or do some research and ask the outfitter what calibres he commonly has in camp. - I'll use the areas we hunt as an example. We'll ALWAYS have spare 375 H&H and .404 ammo in camp and often have 416 and 458 ammo.

Another factor is how good the PH etc is at their job. - A good one can often pull a rabbit out of the hat when required. Last year, I had a client who ran out of ammo in the middle of Masailand. - I was able to get on the phone to a few friends and arranged for Friends A&B to deliver their spare rounds to friend C who gave it to friend D who was driving past our area the next day. Then all I had to do, was meet him on the road and collect it. It took less than 12 hours from first call to collecting the ammo. - Payment in cash and a few beers was dealt with some weeks later when we all met up in the bar in Arusha.