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I agree on accuracy and reproducibility trumping absolute top velocity. Inside of 300 yards, a few feet per second this way or that way makes no difference. Beyond that, you're either guessing holdover or turning turrets. Again, accuracy trumps velocity every time, as long as it's reasonably...

I used a .375 H&H for a klipspringer at a bit over 200 yards. The solid did its job perfectly with minimal damage to the cape. A solid .375 makes about the same size hole as an expanded 6 or 6.5 mm bullet. Lower velocity = less damage to the trophy. Could use the same bullet for hippo or...

There are lots of Tikkas in the under $1k range, but plenty of models that are $1.5k and up. The one I just purchased is a Tikka T3x Super Varmint. They’re going new for $1700-1800. On a base model $700 rifle, I suppose I’d expect to get plastic everything.

Thanks for all the replies guys. Fun discussion. It’s an interesting world where a $2k rifle is considered a budget rifle. From my perspective, it’s pretty hard to beat these little rifles from a value proposition. Why would I want to spend more for a Sako when the little sister version...

Walnut and maple go together like peas & carrots. Beautiful. What did you finish the wood with?

Wish I’d have seen this a couple days ago……. This is a better scope than I found…. But, that’s the way it goes some times.

Elevation and temperature differences are pretty minor inside 400 or 500 yards. Happy hunting!

Sure, there are plenty of workarounds. A thread adapter is one. The TBAC options work too. Simply cutting a 5/8-24 thread and direct-threading a .375 can to the barrel probably isn’t the best idea.

Once installed over the threads, the base of the suppressor needs to fit squarely and butt up against something. The rim of remaining barrel would be very, very thin once the threads are cut. This wouldn’t support the base of the suppressor (or quick detach device) very well and could result...

Tikka is quickly becoming one of my favorite rifles. On several PG hunts, I’ve used a certain T3 in .308 several times over the years in Namibia. This rifle spends many weeks per year in the field with a variety of clients. The last time I used it was two weeks ago during trip number 8...

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5.5 lb 375 H&H???!!!??? No. In a Christensen...... bleeep no!

Hmmmmm. Well, I used him for a buffalo/elephant crate out of Namibia. It went OK-ish, once the US import permit had been issued. It was a 3 year process, all together. I think the export agent did most of the actual prep work and legwork. Thanks for the info.

Gracy.

I used 3/4 plywood behind my drywall. It’s way more expensive than OSB, but worth every penny. I trust it for stuff up to deer/wildebeest size. Kudu, eland, elk, and anything bigger still goes in a stud. I had a lag bolt break on me once and drop an eland mount to the floor. Use the biggest...

Really, really cool. Those are right proper tusks!

High-velocity rounds like most Weatherbys, Ultramags, Nosler calibers, and such recoil in a nastier way than slower rounds, even when the total energy is similar. Most big-bores run relatively large bullets at relatively slower speeds. This translates to a slower recoil pulse - more of a...

Oh, for sure the concern is legit. For 21 days it would feel very much on the light side for me too. 20 rounds gives you very little wiggle room if you need to troubleshoot a grumpy scope. But, from experience, I haven’t ever needed as much as I’ve taken. Not even close, including 2-week...

Well, they might check. If you’re over, it’s not like you can take out the extras and leave them with the lady at the check-in counter. If it was me, I’d take enough DG stuff, and lighten up on the .300. You’re not likely to need it, and if you do, there are undoubtedly rifles in camp than...

I’ve never been bear hunting, but it’s starting to catch my interest. Great report. Great practical tips. If you’re only going to go once or twice, getting it right can be tricky. Thanks!

What a great hunt. Leopard, on the ground, with dogs….. It just doesn’t get much more intense than that, and it’s not just the dogs that are in jeopardy. I just got home from safari number 8. I didn’t collect my number one target animal, and that’s perfectly fine. Other opportunities arose...

My last crate came ground freight from JFK to my home in Idaho. Total transit time was about a week. The cost of the domestic freight was small in the grand scheme of things. Just get it into the country the bets/cheapest way possible. After that, it can ship straight to your house...

I’ve seen a giraffe flat skin, and it’s already enormous. An elephant flat skin would present certain problems. Tanning it would require facilities that probably don’t exist. The wet weight alone would be many hundreds of pounds. Working the leather - scraping, drying, stretching, etc would...

Just for reference, if bullets from your favorite buffalo rifle are leaving the muzzle somewhere around 2400 fps and you sight in at 100 yards, your rifle will (by coincidence) be almost exactly zeroed at 50 yards. The recommendation to sight-in at 100 yards is therefore excellent advice...

I’ve been present for three eland hunts. One was my own with a .300 Wby Mag 180 TTSX. It was a one-shot deal with a dead bull inside of 10 yards. The bullet was recovered tenting the skin on the far side, perfectly expanded. The second eland was shot with a .340 Wby and was recovered the...

I agree with what has been shared here. The .375 H&H is fine for cape buffalo but only with premium bullets. That means Swift A-frames, Barnes TSX, or the TBBCs. I prefer the Barnes TSX and those aren’t usually too hard to find. For buffalo, IMO, you need to be able to put a bullet in a 6”...

Very cool. The sitatunga has always been interesting to me.

Beautiful rifles. I haven't fired one since yesterday. :) A few years back I inherited a 1967 Browning Safari Rifle in .375 H&H that does not appear to be a salt gun. It likes both TSX and A-frames, with both shooting around 1 MOA. If you want to buy that one, just pop it out of the stock...

Guys at Trophaendienste in Windhoek arranged for this to be made for me about 6 or 7 years ago. I didn’t see anything similar when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if they still do it.

Yesterday it was windy and cold. It was a good day to load up some .375 H&H with 300gr A-frames, and .260 Rem Ackley fireform loads with 135gr Berger Hybrids. :)

4 rifles is easier than 4 firearms. I'd need a shotgun and a pistol, and that would leave only 2 slots for rifles. Yikes. For 4 rifles, I'd go with: .22LR - probably the CZ 457 trainer I have. .308 Win - Barrels last forever, ammo is easy to source, and it can take virtually anything in...

I have the printed Berger, Barnes, and Nosler manuals. There are another 2 or 3 kicking around somewhere. The first half of these books, where they go over reloading theory and proper technique, is probably the best part. Actual load data is available many places on-line. I often visit the...

The last two trips have been cold……May and June in central Namibia, so shorts only in the afternoon.

The data size is small, but my conclusion would be that accurate shot placement into the actual vitals resulted in dead buffalo. If you can place shots accurately with a .500 Jeff, that’s fine, but pretty good data suggests better real-world results with .375, .404 Jeff, 9.3s, etc. Frontal...

I've heard the 7x57 has been used in Africa, on occasion, with acceptable results. ;) The number one consideration is the rifle/scope/bullet combination that will put the bullets where they need to go. Everything else is secondary to that. Zebra are tough. 7x57 is adequate, but chose...

Great buff. On the ground, up close it's pretty darn intense!

Interesting topic, much better suited to a discussion around a campfire or over dinner than an open Internet forum. Too much gets left out and unspoken commonalities aren't understood. I know what makes sense to me, but I don't really have a desire to throw it out there for others to trample...

I love the story about the hartebeest and I always love hunting them. You shot a great bull. They are so incredibly aware. It is sooooooo very common to bump them five or six times before getting a shot opportunity. Patience, and the willpower to keep on the track is what it's all about...

Yeah, put one in your wife's name, in its own case. Problem solved, but it will be a bit bulky on the luggage side, of course.

Big game only. I just added 6 more from the Namibia trip we just did. Total is 71, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a few from my youth. 1 elk with muzzleloader. All the rest were with a rifle.

Yes indeed. The same flight. The rain showers on the way to the airport were IMPRESSIVE!!!! compared to any I've seen on 4 continents. :) I would have said about 52" on the kudu, so nice guess. :) Yours is bigger than my first trophy bull. I have the devil of a time judging them. In...

What a great report. Great animals. I was on the same Frankfort-Windhoek flight as you, just one day earlier. We also got the offer for the $300 upgrade to business, but there were four of us and only 3 seats……. So we didn’t do it. Oh, that would have been nice! The rains in that region...

My last day was yesterday……. Typing this from the airport. On the way home now. I ended up with 0/2 of my primary animals (nyala bulls are hard to find!), and yet had the most amazing, epic hunt ever. I got my biggest kudu to date (free range), a monster blue wildebeest (free range), and an...

I’m sitting in the Kalahari right now in my Crispis. They’re a bit of an overkill for this sandy terrain, but last week we were hunting in the mountains of central Namibia. In that rocky terrain the Crispis were barely adequate.

It is going to be very difficult to ever shoot a nicer kudu. Ask me how I know…… Congrats on what looks like a tremendous hunt.

Because that's what has been shown to work. That's why. Those who survived the episodes that didn't go well reported their empirical observations to others...... All I know is that when a bull elephant becomes aware of you and turns to face you, nothing capable of being carried afield seems...

There are WAY too many variables here to give a meaningful answer. Some powders are probably better than others in terms of consistency. I've seen huge differences between lots of RL22. I have not had the same problem with H-4831, Varget, or H-4350, at least not to the same degree. Some...

Stuck live round in the chamber? When I first read your description, "bang" sounded you had a failure to extract a fired case. That's not that hard. Yikes. That's a trip to the gunsmith for me. The bolt is not closed? Am I reading that correctly? If it isn't in battery, it really isn't...

Sling. It's a long walk. :)

Looks like a fantastic hunt. All are nice, especially the giraffe. Be aware, anything involving giraffe taxidermy can be expensive. Do a carved leg bone if you can. Inexpensive, and high in cool factor. Of course, larger examples of every one of those animals exist, but I'd be quite...