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I think different areas are simply different products that you can choose from. As long as you know what you are paying for and it is delivered then you are happy. Crooks and liars occur in all countries so do your homework. If you want a quick and very civilised hunt, maybe with your family...

I have used Viperflex and Primos. PH friend of mine had the Primos and said they jammed up within half a season of every day work. Two PH friends used Viperflex for a few seasons so much more robust. I have a Manfrotto tripod which I take with me anyway so I made a mount with a V from steel to...

Decocking removes spring tension on the firing pin. It does not immobilise the firing pin. It also relies on the trigger to take up the firing pin and hold it during the cocking procedure. So if your trigger mechanism fails or pull the trigger during cocking it goes bang A number of people have...

All mechanical safeties can malfunction, it goes with the territory. Simply put, I do not want to shoot someone by accident. So ... 1. Muzzle direction is your most important safety. If a sling is your best muzzle control device, use one. I would rather be run over by an elephant than shoot...

I have a CZ 550 in 458 win mag and used 480 gr Hornady and 450 gr Peregrine (mono copper). I was able to get 2250 fps with Somchem powder. They slightly lighter bullets help with powder space and still have sectional density to equal the 300 gr 375 bullet. My rifle went in for some work on the...

I would go with a 375 H&H in a Winchester Model 70 (new) or other makes second hand. If you really want a 416, I would get a 416 rigby- second hand. Otherwise, as you already have a 45-70 , you may want a 458 win mag or Lott. My brother and I have CZ 550 in a 416 Rigby (him) and 458 win...

I firmly believe high magnification is the cause of more missed opportunities and poor shots than low magnification. You want to be on the sticks and on target in seconds. So field of view and low magnification are key. I want to see the front leg, back and head of the animal so that I can see...

From what I have read, they either electroplated the lead core with copper or in the case of DG bullets, they coat they solder the lead into the jacket ie coat the lead with flux and melt the core in the jacket, soldering the two together. So maybe they missed the flux on one bullet ?

That bullet is not bonded, there is zero lead adhering to the copper jacket. Either it is an unbonded soft ie cup and core or it is failed QC at Hornady. I suspect it is a simple cup and core bullet, probably designed for 45-70 or maybe the old unbonded DGX.

Sorry what I said doesn't make sense. What I meant to say is the bullet will climb up to zero quickly and then drop off after zero quickly as well. So it starts 1.5 " low and will very quickly drop off after zero. Bullet will probably only be within 0.7 " of zero from about 15 yards to 40 yards...

I use the Hornady ballistic app to see roughly what the trajectory is for each zero. Attached is the calculation for 100 m zero. It shows the trajectory is within 0.7 inches of your point of aim from 20 yds to 120 yds. Also consider that the bore is 1.5 inches low so the bullet will climb up to...

I think the 458 win mag is capable but you don't have much wiggle room. Lead core bullets give you space for powder. Copper bullets take up that space. For factory ammo, I would use Hornady DGS and DGX. And handloading I would use aframes and DGS. 480 or 450 gr. Not any lighter.Mono metal...

I use a manfrotto camera tripod. I made a simple v out of metal that clips into the quick release. You can also get a clip on head from primos etc that grips your rifle. I have found a camera tripod is more stable and you can use it for camera work as well.

A PH friend of mine told me about his teams experience 2 or 3 days after it happened. He had a lion come to bait right at dusk. He said to the client can you see it, if you can, take the shot. So she fired and hit it to far back. Turns out she couldn't see it well enough to see the front leg or...

Most PHs seem to agree faster bullets are better on the cats. As you say, a bullet in the right place is all that counts.

You are right, a big male is bigger than you think. I was once in a Hilux with the top cut off and 3 big males were fighting within 5 -30 m of me. Loud, huge and damn fast. What would you thoughts be on 338 mag ?

30-06 is not legal in zim but 300 win mag is. Eland and lion are in the same category here in zim. Most old pros say that a bit of extra velocity helps with the cats but doesn't make much difference on the eland. I filmed a big bull eland drop with one shot from a 30 06 in Moz. It then took 2...

I think a 338 mag is ideal for eland and lion. Good penetrative and a little extra velocity hopefully some shock on the lion. Anything from 300 win mag to 375 h&h will do the job. Larger calibres mean more recoil and less accurate shots.

I have spent many hours walking behind client hunters. Hiking boots (Danner, Lower etc) are not designed for hunting in Africa. Their stiff soles are noisy and they give many people blisters (even though clients have worn them for 'miles'). Boots are subjective but I see threads on boots...

I think all would agree that the only way to stop elephant / buffalo/ hippo instantly is destroying the brain. Therefore any rifle which can reach and destroy the brain from the front is a stopper. We all hope that a bigger calibre increases the margin for error ie you miss the brain but the...

I think you are right, "poop" happens to all of us. It does seem that the CX is softer than maybe a ttsx. I kind of feel that an a.frame also opens more easily than a ttsx so maybe not a bad thing.

Went back and watched it a few times. The PH says in the crease but it looks to me like she hits outside shoulder. At first I thought it broke the shoulder but then you see it running pretty normally at the front of the bunch in the next shot. I think it hit shoulder muscle and maybe knicked...

Watched the video, IMHOpoor shot placement on a frontal shot. She was high and right. I have followed a buff that took a similar shot with an a frame and went 2-3 km and several more shots. She may have hit the shoulder and I would guess only 1 lung. The whole hunt has questionable planning ie...

Not trying to start a war but I doubt she hit the right spot. 4 days of tracking means she missed her mark. Almost any bullet will punch through the lungs heart if you don't hit major bone. Bullet failure is blamed for poor shooting all the time.

So basically it sheds petal at pretty much 3000 fps impact velocity. I am pretty positive about your tests.I like a heavier projectile at lower velocity, as long as it opens reliably. I think that puts it closer to lead core bullets performance ie it opens quick and big. But maybe not a great...

Anyone tried a scout scope like this one -VX-FREEDOM 1.5-4X28 IER SCOUT DUPLEX. I know it is kind of out of the box and I guess you would have to mount it forward- maybe on the front bridge and it will look a little strange but 6 “ of eye relief would give you some room to work with.

The leupold freedom 1.5 to 4 would be my choice or the 3 to 9 if you want more magnification. I am pretty happy with 4 x magnification out to as far as I can shoot in the field- 200 m or so. I would only use more mag for target shooting.

I am currently carrying flat nose Peregrine solids. I will happily use Hornady flat nose solids and round nose Woodleighs or other decent bullets. Flat nose may penetrate better but round nose will still do the job

I would add that you must make sure that your chosen load feeds well. Hornady DGS has a flat nose and caused problems in my CZ. I worked on the feeding until DGS and Peregrine copper solids load flawlessly. Woodleigh solids are very good for feeding reliability. I would add Woodleigh hydro to...

45-70 has been making holes in American game for a few years now. Lead cast, solids and softs will all work. Doesn't really matter which bullets/ manufacturer. Hornady DGS and DGX will do the job and will also work in africa. You may want to use A frames in africa on DG for a little more piece...

Amanzi is a good lodge. They will be able to organise an airport shuttle or local taxi for driving around sight seeing. Plenty of nice restaurants around that area with good food if you want something other than their in house restaurant. Mozambik is just up the road, great peri peri chicken and...

Len is brilliant. Great hunter and great friend of mine. Currently hunting a lot for Charlton Mcullum safaris. I would also recommend Thierry Labat for a great safari and the Duckworths, Gary and Neil at Mokore Safaris. Some of the best PHs around. You are welcome to pm me for contact info.

Download the hornady app and put in your estimated velocity and other parameters and it will calculate it for you. Then fire a round at a target to check ?

308 or 3006 get my vote. I prefer the 180 gr bullets or heavier for bigger game.

Surely you can load any bullets with the same powder load. Point of impact will shift but you will soon figure it out. For example you may have a zero shift of 1 inch up and 2 inches left along with group size to judge your shooting ??

My brother has used Hornady DGS to take somewhere between 15 and 20 elephant with his 416 Rigby. He works on a conservancy and they do some control work.

It is a decent bullet. Quite a few members use the DGX especially in doubles. They have a conventional round nose shape..I think the A frame and bear claw are tougher bullets because of their design ie the partition or solid base.

Blue duiker is about the size of a house cat without the fur. Smaller than a jack Russel terrier. As said above, slow velocity projectile, so 308 is not great unless you use heavy bullets and maybe download. But then you have to rezero and can't use higher velocity rounds for other plainsgame. I...

The trigger on my 2 x 550 rifles is good. The set trigger is easily adjusted away ( on my 458) and the trigger was easily adjusted to a crisp break and light hair trigger on my 30-06. Pretty easy to adjust in both cases.

So I scraped the finish off with a sharp cabinet scraper not stripper. It was pretty easy to see when the finish ends and saw dust/raw wood starts.You probably only need a little sanding with 400 grit after using stripper before going to 600 and finer.

You can strip the finish with a chemical stripper quite easily. It then needs thorough washing and you will need to sand the surface or use a cabinet scraper. The polyurethane type finish on most rifles will soak into the wood a little and can leave a blotchy surface if you just strip and oil...

I had a gunsmith increase the size of the bead. You can also file the sight front edge at a 45 deg angle to catch light. Otherwise you can get optic fibre sight. A good Smith or even DIY enthusiast could fit it

The 450 gr and 500 gr bullets are better I think. 400 gr is a little light on elephant and buffalo. Probably good on Eland and plainsgame but I think that there are better calibres for that. I think that higher velocity causes a more vigorous kick of recoil. I find my current 515 gr load at 2200...

It is all historical, that was the 450 and 470 NE specifications. Add that to bad win mag ammo in the days and it has become an obsession for some. I guess you have to aim for something. I can say that 45-70 velocities lack penetration on elephant and maybe on buffalo from certain angles. So...

That is correct in theory. But it is a little more complicated. Below 7, your scope has transmitted more light but your eye cannot use it. Your pupil is too small and excludes some light. And beyond 40, your pupil may only open to around 5mm. Meanwhile, you zoom, you are getting less light...

I agree with the suggestions above. First check alignment of the rings and then check the rings themselves. The action will hold that scope together so that separation of tube from turret shows shifting of the rings on the scope or rings on the dovetail.

My Cz came with the front sight soldered at an angle- easily visible to the naked eyeThe gunsmith sorted it by heating the solder up and centering it. A little irritating on the quality control but my rifle is now dead on with iron sights. I don't know how you would measure the dovetails on the...

I think the problem may be with the Cz action bridges. An action should mount a scope approximately to zero with a bit of zeroing to do. That said, a change of scope is probably your simplest solution.

That is tough. You cant get old fashioned 1800s boot anymore. Courtney's are great. But you can try wildebeeste boots from South Africa.

As suggested above, win mag chamber is long throated and so you can load bullets long and get the same capacity in the case as a conventional lott. The monolithic bullets with gas checks/ driving bands are well suited as you can select the crimping groove to seat your bullet out. The process to...