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Dieter Prinsloo of Mattanja Safaris, a forum sponsor. We’ve had some good hunts together and this one is shaping up to be a lot of fun.

Right now we have made a plan for Sharpes grysbok, klippie, red duiker, steenbok and some night critters. We will see how it goes.

Actually my bags have been packed for 3 weeks...leaving tomorrow afternoon...Delta to ATL...then JNB...then overnight at Africa Sky this time...then fly to Polokwane...then drive all over Limpopo for a week chasing tiny 10 and night critters with a 22 Hornet...BUT I've got a 416 just in case...

That's a good question and depends on what kind of weather and environment you are looking for. There are many versions of Alaska to experience. I think the SE has a lot to offer...fishing and crabbing, bears, deer, goats, milder winters but a LOT more rain. One thing I will say is that some...

Excellent and welcome aboard! Fairbanks...I lived in Ft Yukon for awhile and worked all over the state. I miss Alaska.

+1 to Fox's comments...search the forum to see if others have hunted with that company and send some PMs to learn of their experience...if you haven't already done that in your research.

My eland shot end to end was a follow up from the first shot, which tumbled after hitting a stick or something we didn't see. We tracked the eland for several hours to get the 2nd shot and that happened when he jumped up in front of us like the world's biggest rabbit. Only target I had was his...

We might be saying different things but Wildlife Gallery and H&H are both well known taxidermists. I have gotten traction on this topic with @gizmo, who is a forum sponsor here and taxidermist. He has sources that I'm going to try out for both tanning and painting of ele hide. He also has...

Do you have their WhatsApp contact info? If not, I would start using that channel for comms. You could reach out for a status update and ask when they would like to complete the paperwork. I think good comms are very important and I stress that to people asking me for advice. I have...

For sure...it doesn't need it. Those bullets will kill easily.

I would have but things moved and shipped far faster than I anticipated. I feel like we had some communication issues with exporting but lesson learned. The photo above of ele skin panels was supposed to be 1 panel and 1 ear...it's a few hundred pounds more than that.

I run my 300 TSX at about 2400...but if it hits them at 2300 it wouldn't make any difference visible to me. I already get pass throughs on most hits.

@gizmo has a US source for tanning. I'm going to explore that option. He also has an artist that might be able to do ele ear paintings, etc. We are going to look into that. I will share more of the results.

Bump for a really nice rifle and package. I'm looking for a 458 barrel but someone could get this and be set for lifetime of hunting.

Put those bullets in the right spot and it will kill anything in Africa. They won't bounce off!

Just to show you some sense of the bulk/volume/weight of untanned ele panels...this is hundreds of pounds.

You kept the ele skull? I haven't done that yet. To me, the ultimate would be a euro mount of a big tusker...like having a wooly mammoth on the wall.

They usually ship it together with ivory.

I would have happily waited but with the ivory permit coming through so quickly it got shipped before I knew what happened. Just a miscommunication. Now I have hundreds of pounds of untanned ele hide panels and no good plan.

My ele skin was shipped before it was tanned. I haven’t found anyone to tan it in the States yet. I have multiple big panels salted in a climate controlled storage unit.

This is one of the best books written for double rifle load development.

These are fun rifles and that's a good value.

Good to know. We are in comms about it. Thanks.

I came at this a little differently. A-frames are great but can't get them...so I went to TSX and they work great and I can get them anytime...now I'm using more NF and CEB and liking those as well. I like how they have different versions of soft points for different applications (like cats).

I used that scope for about 3 seasons taking a dozen animals. Worked fine for me in that short time. I primarily use Swaros.

Does anyone have recommendations for US makers of wood pedestals/bases for ivory? I was going to have that made in Zim but the ivory shipped before I could get it done.

Kevin Robertson...well known PH....Zim veterinarian...author of numerous well known African books...legend in the industry.

Ooof....that's a fantastic bushbuck. That's a freaking sitatunga bushbuck.

I shot this big eland last fall with a 416 Rigby and 400 gr cup point solid from NF...shot in the tail at 20 yards and was stopped in the skin on the shoulder....full penetration end to end...way over 72"...however long a big eland is.

If you have a chance, take some video with your phone. I can post it if you need help. Nice rifle.

Curious on the trigger weight if you have measured it? 2 stage or 1 stage?

Looks great. I like the drop belly mag. What's the mag capacity and what does it weigh? The safety would take some getting used to...new muscle memory.

A-frames for reloading are very hard to find unless you get them in loaded ammo...thus the comments on other bullet options. We wish they were available but the inconsistency in finding them has caused many of us to look at other options...TSX, NF, CEB, etc. Lots of good options today.

Video was posted above...post #25

The Hydroshock and NorthFork cup point solids seem to be very effective on first shots instead of only as follow-ups. My next buff will be shot first with the CPS.

One or the other MIGHT be slightly more penetration but both setup correctly work very well in the field on DG. Pick your favorite and don't look back. There are other subjects that have a FAR greater effect in the field than 416 vs 458.

Yea that green is striking.

Nice setup...lot of thought behind it...perfect range of calibers. Perfect traveling rig. I added 416 to mine for DG to have a bit more power. Have you considered the .22 rimfire conversion? That's a lot of fun and very practical.

When A frames dried up, I switched to TSX in 375 and 416 with no regrets on buff, croc and PG of all sizes.

From a practical perspective, any PH in Africa would be happy to see a client show up for buff or ele with any 416 or 458, a good soft or solid depending on the game, and the ability to shoot it without being over gunned. If you do that and can walk, you will probably take your DG.

I hadn't seen this one so thanks for the heads up. I've watched many of Shockey's productions and they are excellent. He's won many production awards.

The old ones like that are a LOT wider than younger ones of similar length...but a true 15 footer is rare. Awesome lizard. The big ones will give you the creeps...and they are really hard to catch out of the water...very wary.

Yes - thanks.

How is this statement made with no mention of bullet weight or velocity? Are you talking about factory loadings of 400 grains in 416 and 500 grains in 458? There are also many factors of bullet shape/design that contribute to the answer.

I would say their approval rate has a lot to do with your outfitter being able to properly answer all of US Custom's questions. My Zim outfitter had to go back in and provide a LOT more detail after the first round of answers. If US Customs doesn't think there is enough conservation efforts...

I paid $2500 last Nov to CF and got my tusks here last month. That was from Zim. Each country has different backlogs.

I have NOT heard any updates. Anyone close to Norman that knows more?

These are great ammo belts. Anything Murray makes is excellent.

Thanks. It was a fun hunt. My bear was very smart and only came down slowly at very last light. He was alpha enough, I think, to keep other bears away from his bait...so I would sit there for hours with nothing going on until he was ready to come to the bait. I think he probably set up...