Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Anyone hunt DG with a single shot rifle?

I would like to hear from anyone who hunts cape buffalo with a single shot rifle. Calibre, rifle and bullet choice?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Brian

Shot my first two buffalo with a Ruger No 1 chambered in 416 Remington Magnum.

i have always been a fan of the Ruger #1`s and own a few also and generally hunt with a Ruger #1 , i did go on a plains hunt in Africa this year 2024 i took a bolt action rifle i shot 10 animals all with the 1st shot , a couple had to be shot again and a single shot would have been just fine instead of the bolt rifle. the only reason i took a bolt action rifle was i was more worried about wracking the wood on my nice Ruger #1 `s but after being there now i wished i would have taken my Ruger #1 rifle over the bolt action. as far as taking a single shot for cape buffalo i see no reason why that would not work great , if i ever go back i will use my Ruger #1 next time even for a cape buffalo. my biggest Ruger #1 is a 458 Lott but i also own these 458 win. mag , 450/400 , 416 Ruger ,416 Rigby , 405 win. ,9.3x62 , 9.3x 74 , 375 H&H all in Ruger #1`s , i have always been a big fan of African cartridges and Ruger #1`s. good luck ,Pete53

There is a long sticky thread at the top of the Express Rifles & Big Bores Only forum dedicated to the 458 Win Mag where they have discussed hunting DG with single shots. The Ruger No. 1 is a particular favorite since it is chambered for a round that this group is enthusiastic about to the point of fanaticism. Lately they have been touting the capabilities of the 404gr Shock Hammer and working on various loads for it. The link below is to a trip report where gunner500 was able to use this bullet to drop a cape buffalo with a single shot (from a Winchester M70). The posts that follow it give additional details.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...hould-own-one-at-least-once#Post17706621

If you repost this question in that thread, I am certain you will get plenty of workable suggestions. They'll probably all be dedicated to that single chambering but at least you'll be able to make an informed decision about that whether that option is a good choice for you.

Odonata, Thanks of the heads up. I will head over there.

I have been hunting cape buffalo for a few years now with my converted H&R single shot, mostly with a 577NE barrel but also with a 50-110 barrel. I would like to meet some single shot DG hunters to trade reports/views with.

I use 700gr. Peregrine Bushmaster bullets and 600 gr.CEB Raptor bullets in the .577NE. In my 50-110 which is a custom chamber to true .500 cal, I use 410 grain CEB Raptor bullets.
I hear good things about the Hammer bullets.

Single shot are a hoot!

Thanks again, Brian

gunner500, who I mentioned in my previous post, has a 577NE and mentioned working up loads for it in the 458 Win Mag thread. There was also some discussion about it in this post from a couple of weeks ago if you missed it:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-robertson-on-big-bore-safari-cartridges

The well-known gun writer Jon Sundra killed ALL of the so-called "Big Five" with Ruger No. 1 single-shots. He also hunted considerably in Botswana on his own with a particular tribe, and used his No. 1s for some of that hunting.

Jon signed up on the Campfire a few years ago, but hasn't posted much since then--due to the general BS. In fact I can't find his name on the member list anymore.

Mule Deer, thanks, That is interesting. He was a single shot man! I did not know that.
I wish he was still here. I have kinda admired him from afar. Brian

Have any of you singe shot African hunters ever tried or owned a nice double rifle?

Swiftshot, I sure would have liked to own one but could never afford what I wanted. I shot a Sabbatti, in 470. It was nothin' to write home about. Brian

I got to try a Manton in .450/.400 NE 3". Big Mistake. That is one nice shooting 10+ lb rifle.

I console myself with a #1 chambered in the same cartridge.

Don't own a rifle, but I've done elephant, lion, Cape buff with my .416 Taylor Encore handgun. Did hippo, leopard with .375/.284 XP-100 handgun, croc with .325 WSM XP-100 handhun, and rhino (for the heck of it) with my .475 Linebaugh revolver.
Never saw a need to use a rifle.

wvhitman,
That is awesome!! Brian

Thanks, Brian. I'm an adrenaline junkie. Got the ele at 12 yards...charging. Got the 475# lion charging at 20 yds. I was "person of interest" on Cape buff & rhino at 35 yds. Hippo, leopard, croc were one shooters from 65 to 129 yds. Ele & rhino took 2 shots. Others 1.

WV...did your humongous balls make it harder to do all the walking that Africa requires? Lol

WVhitman,

That is fascinating to me. (Sometimes I panic at card tricks!) Please tell me what your favourite DG bullet is, especially for buffalo.

Congratulations again,

Brian

I used 400 gr. Horn. DGX on my buffs in my .416 Taylor.. I used Nos. 260 gr. Solids in my .375/.284 XP on the hippo. On my male lion I used a special made 400 gr. bullet by Northern Precision that was like a gigantic Nos. BT/Solid base. It dropped him. On my lioness, we tracked it for hours. She jumped up at 30 yards, growled. I put a 275 gr. .475 Barnes X from my .FA .475L in her shoulder. DRT. The croc was taken with a 180 gr. Barnes X from my .325 WSM XP-100.
MJB, I walked just fine for all these, but now with a new knee I walk a little slower, but still shot the same.

That took some excellent hunting/shooting, I'll bet. I have an old foot injury that limits me now, a bit in the bush. It's wonderful what medical science can do now to keep us going. Cheers, Brian.

Of my four big-game rifles, two are "single-shots", so-called, as ANY other rifle called a "repeater" with a magazine only fires one at a time. . . same as a Ruger No.1. My .458 Win Mag is a Ruger No.1 and now waiting for the right bear to show up at my bait site.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I had a Ruger #1 in 416 Rigby but never hunted Africa with it because I got a chance to get a William Evans double that was made in 1898 in 450/400 3 1/4 Nitro Express with the exposed hammers. The #1 was sold to help finance the double. The double made it to Africa and the PHs were really happy to see it back in the bush.

In a time of complete and total idiocy I sold the double. This is the only photo I have of it.