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One of the two times I've completely missed an animal was when I borrowed someone else's rifle. I will not use a rifle that I have not spent extensive time practicing with.

I'm a firm believer in having a backup rifle. If I'm hunting DG then I bring two DG rifles. If I'm hunting PG I bring two PG rifles. If I'm hunting both DG and PG the I bring two DG rifles, with one or both of them being suitable for PG (medium bore guns).

I was very impressed with the VC rifles I've handled and it saddens me to hear they are going under.

I live up in WA, but do have family down in AZ. Perhaps I'll bring the 8-bore with me next time I go visit them.

+1 to this. I personally used a-frames for my buffalo and they worked wonders. I give the slight edge to the a-frames because a tsx would likely have struggled with my first shot. My first shot hit a small unseen tree before hitting a buffalo, which could have damaged the hollow point.

Was a hard choice, but I picked left.

Agreed! Be it going 130mph down a back country road on my bike or looking at a cape buffalo through a red dot site. Either way, I am seeking a dangerous thrill that can very easily put me underground somewhat prematurely.

Or at least have good taste in music. :)

Your bigger issue will be regulation. It is unlikely a load that light will regulate properly.

A quality semi-custom bolt gun in 458 Lott. Or if the stars lined up, a vintage double in 577 NE. Those two cartridges would round out my large bore gun collection nicely.

While unlikely, if the economy improves I may be able to do a hippo on land with my 8-bore.

Having a 470 NE and a 500 NE makes just as much sense as having a 458 WM and a 470 NE. They all perform the same roll. The 500 NE will have a slight edge over the others in performance. Then again, nothing wrong with owning one of each! :) The 500 Jeffery would be easier to hand load to "normal...

The three main 50-caliber cartridges are very nice, but each has a bit of a "downside". 500 NE This is probably the "best" of the 50-caliber cartridges in that its only "downside" is the cost of the firearm. 505 Gibbs It is difficult to get magazines to hold the large cartridge reliably. The...

Not much difference between a 458 WM and a 470 NE, it would really be a question of bolt gun or double gun. Next would be a 50-caliber rifle of some flavor, again the question of bolt gun or double gun. Things get very expensive after 50-caliber, but the 577 NE is a wonderful cartridge!

My old Leupold RX-1000i TBR has finally faded to the point where it can't be used anymore. I called Leupold to see if it could be refurbished, but sadly it could not. They did offer me 30% off the purchase of a new one. Looking at modern range finders, it seems most of them have plenty of range...

@odonata There is an upper limit to everything, it's just that ceiling can be hard to reach sometimes :ROFLMAO:. When it comes to hot sauce, I'm happy up to habaneros. Beyond that all I get is burning without taste. When it comes to guns, I'm happy up to around the 8-bore or 577 NE. I found...

It takes considerably more black powder to achieve the same results. Per the ledger, the original load for this gun was 10 drams or 273 grains of black powder. If memory serves, I was using something like 265gr of Schuetzen FFg black powder to get decent regulation. Developing a nitro-for-black...

I do not believe the 8-bore round ball is suitable for elephant. Perhaps it might be fine for other dangerous game. But I can't imagine why I would pick a ball over a conical. The conical would be much more effective at odd angles and be less likely to deflect off large bones.

I'm still very sad they discontinued the CZ550 Safari Express! I had been hunting for a used one in 458 Lott when they quit making them and the prices skyrocketed. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't buy a new one when I could.

a ball over smokeless powder produces pretty mild recoil. I have tried the same 67gr Blue Dot load under a 0.853" ball with some success. But the terminal performance of an 8-bore ball load isn't great. So, I haven't put much effort in creating a good load.

You need to try my 8-bore double rifle! It was an 8-bore double that sent me spiraling down the path of addiction... so I feel obligated to use mine to drag others down with me. I found the 8-bore cartridge to be the perfect balance of size and recoil. It dances on the line of being "too much...

You inspired me to go look at some videos of an M79 being fired. The recoil on the M79 does not appear to be on the same level as a 500 NE. @VertigoBE If you try firing your 500 NE without using your thumb, be sure to have an extra firm grip with your off hand. Dropping a double rifle hurts the...

I was sitting around bored today and decided it might be fun to make a small tutorial of how I make cartridges for my 8-bore 3.25" double rifle. Use at your own risk! 1. I start with a primed 3.25" case and 67gr of Alliant Blue Dot. 2. Next is four 1/2" cushion wads, three overshot cards, and...

There have been some good options mentioned. If you don't want to go any longer with your LOP, then squaring up on the rifle will help. I'm not sure I like that technique with the thumb on the side of the stock. It might be "ok" with a 500, but it seems like it might cause problems with...

That is some high praise! You really think they are superior to Swift bullets? I have always thought Swift soft point bullets to be the king of lead core expanding bullets. I have never seen these in the states... Wonder if someone could import them.

Growing up, my father always encouraged haggling. But he also taught me "a deal is a deal". I will attempt to negotiate the price of an animal or hunt. But once it's agreed upon, the contract is fixed. I don't see anything wrong with asking for a free pig, monkey, or Jackal (if you have extra...

Welcome!

The rifle was an AHR custom 505 Gibbs. I am not familiar with NY laws and was simply told by TSA that the gun was not legal to have.

From what I understand the cartridge originally had major issues with case capacity. These seem to have been mostly solved with better powders becoming available.

Sadly the state I live in, isn't much better.

Welcome!

Lucky! Enjoy your hunt!

Just did some searching for you... No luck. However, RMC lists it as something they can make! It will take a while and be expensive but you will have new brass. Here is a link: https://www.rockymountaincartridge.com/index.htm They did a good job with my 8-bore brass.

Travel express screwed me pretty good, when they had me do a transfer in NY. Turns out the airlines they set me up with would not transfer my gun from plane to plane, so the gun had to go threw security... Well that gun was illegal in NY! So I found myself desperately trying to talk NY TSA out...

It has been a while since I've looked at plane tickets, holy cow these critters are expensive! For some reason there is also no direct flights... I will keep looking.

Wonder how much a ticket is to KY from WA... I might be free in October. Assuming a scruffy fat northerner such as myself is welcome.

I've had a Primos for many years. They are expensive but extremely well made and serve multiple purposes. Mine pulls double duty as a stand for my chronograph.

This perfectly sums up my thoughts.

Not sure about the legality, but a 10mm or 41 magnum will likely not help much if an angry buffalo decides to end someone. Short of a brain shot with a non-expanding bullet at close range... The buffalo will kill you or someone else before you kill it.

This was just posted by someone else on the previous page.

See the signature under my post. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

I meant a slow-motion video of one of these hitting a gel block would be boring, shooting the gun is definitely NOT boring! On gel and in animals, these simply blow clean through, making a hole the diameter of the bullet. In terms of terminal performance, the old 8-bore simply does not compare...

Probably not as exciting as you would think. The muzzle velocity of these critters is low! I clocked an average of 1300fps with my regulating load. Granted that's still 4500 ft/lb of energy so it will certainly get the job done. I do have a slow motion video of one of these being fired with a...

I melt a can of two parts bees wax and one part tallow in the oven. Then I dip the bullets base first a couple times until the grooves are filled. Lastly I run them through a sizing die while the lube is still soft.

RMC can make you a loading kit which works great.

Congratulations on your purchase! A 577 Express rifle is high on my list of future guns. I hand load for a W.J. Jeffery 8-bore 3.25". If you need any help with your 8-bore I would be happy to offer my assistance.

Agreed, looks weird. I hope that isn't the case!

Red

Welcome!

Welcome! I'm sure the kind folks on this forum will help you spend your life savings on many truly amazing adventures!