Africa Ready DGRs - 05/20/23
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.
These 2 will seek tuskless in Zim this summer.
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.
These 2 will seek tuskless in Zim this summer.