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I have only one Hawke scope and it is on a CZ452 22lr rimfire rifle that I sometimes use for squirrel hunting. It works great and has more clarity than most of my budget scopes. I cannot comment on its recoil stability. If for some reason you cannot make the Hawke work and do not want to...

Thank you. It is a '63 vintage Medallion Grade FN Browning made in Belgium with a CRF action wearing a 60's era B&L Balvar 2.5-8x optic. I killed my first African animal with it, a Nyala using 180g Federal Fusion. My PH says it is too pretty to hunt with but that is what it was meant to do...

Yes - Good eye Ontario. It is a clunky, obsolete design but the glass in that old optic is as good as any modern scope that I own. Being an old Vintage design from the late 50's to early 60's, it was a good fit on the 63 era FN Browning. It is a bitch to adjust but once you get is sorted, you...

Matt85 - I agree 100% with your assessment. Recoil management is a learned skill just like marksmanship. Practice and training to get accustomed to it is critical. Being motivated helps. Prior to my first Safari, I had never fired any hunting rifle larger than a 30-06. Mind you I had fired...

I can imagine the legal beagles at Federal being a bit uneasy about the potential liability of putting out ammo running 23% higher pressures than the rifles intended to shoot it were designed for. Even new rifles with modern manufacturing and QC will be subjected to more stress than the design...

If her rifle shoots the terminal ascents well you have a good option there. Most of the rifles, I have tried them in did not shoot them nearly as well as some other options. For what it is worth, Federal also makes a factory load with the Trophy Bonded Tip bullets. I have not tried them in...

I have some 30-06 factory loads from Double Tap that chrono 2782fps ave with a 180g Swift Scirocco bullet. They also are consistent with SD's in the single digits. These will maintain 2000+ fps out past 400y and are accurate enough in my Husqvarna Swedish Mauser to shoot 12" steel out to 400y...

I would have to respectfully, disagree Sir. If you look at the variables that affect recoil impulse it includes bullet weight, bullet velocity, powder charge, and firearm weight. Federal is running up to 155g bullets in the new +Peak ammo, and is also claiming 300fps more velocity in the std...

Sadly, I do not take the time to photograph my rifles much. These two are exceptional. The 375 had lived a long and useful life in Alaska before I got it but fortunately, the 375 is not hard on bbls or the owner was just frugal with his ammo. When I scoped it, the throat looked like new but...

When I 1st read your title, I misunderstood the term "Beater". I envisioned long lines of Gurkas beating on metal pans while seeking to drive the Bengal Tiger to my hunting stand atop the Elephant. I missed the mark by a mile or two, lol. Instead of a 416 Rigby or a nice 450NE double rifle, I...

I am not a fan of the 6.5CM but nobody can deny the precision that can be had from the little cartridge. Recently, I was reviewing the new Federal +Peak technology applied to the 6.5CM cartridge and was well and truly impressed. This +Peak metallurgy enables the cartridge to run higher...

Adding weight to any rifle can reduce the felt recoil to a degree based on the weight added. But this comes at the penalty of having to lug an already heavy rifle around all day that is now heavier only to reduce the impulse from one or two shots. The juice ain't worth the squeeze in my...

Any rumors that Sako stopped making great rifles in the 1980's are ill founded. Of my most accurate rifles, four of the best are all Sako or Sako based rifles. Sako Quad in 22lr - This is a custom rifle built by GA Precision and was one of only 49 built in a series for Euro-Optik. It has a...

Africa is Magical. Well done on the Buff. How did you like Free State? I hunted there last year and it felt too much like Kansas to me. Much preferred the terrain of Limpopo. Super nice bull you bagged though. Perfect curl.

Welcome Sir - We look forward to hearing from you. I am in the USA in KY and while I have hunted some other parts of the world that is not my home range. Locally, my big game hunting is confined mostly to Eastern Whitetail deer and wild boar which originated from European black boar...

Wildebeest and Cape Buffalo have been the two species, I have hunted that were the toughest overall. Both required multiple shots with 375HH using 300g TSX bullets and of all the shots only one exited the Wildebeest and none passed thru the Buff. They are simply about as dense as any flesh &...

No, we did not use TX processor. The ranch skinned and quartered them and left them in the walk-in cooler overnight and we iced them down in huge coolers for the two day trip home where a local processer cut, packaged and froze everything. To date my favorite recipe is my version of Kudu pot...

My greatest concerns when I went on my first Safari were: Venomous snakes scare the hell out of me. The PH assured me that we would be hunting during their winter and while Mambas are there, they are less active and not all that common. I have never since seen a snake in Africa. Traveling...

Thank you for the reply and input. The range of PG for that hunted ranged from the little Springbok and Warthog, to the Black Wildebeest and Zebra. I was also in pursuit of Kudu but used my 375 on it. The 7mm mag has more oomph for sure than the 08. The load that I liked the most for it was...

As stated, I would love to try the 243 on croc but would not because I already have better options in hand. Cup & core bullets work great on most game... until they don't. And I agree with you that any bullet can work well in most cases and any bullet can fail in some cases. We are all...

With the right bullet such as bonded fusion or TSX for example, I would expect the 243 to work as well. However, the 220 Swift running a 110g bullet is not any faster than a 90g 243 and might even be a few fps slower depending on the load. Ruark's and Selby's poor results with the 220 Swift is...

Interesting topic. As a normal rule, looking at small & fast vs big and slow, I firmly prefer the big & fast option for all forms of hunting in relative terms. As for African PG being tougher than North American game, that is in my opinion not true. The African game is harder to kill only...

This is spot on. My load out is similar: Rifle with sling carried Rhodesia style on weakside shoulder muzzle down. Extra ammo numbering 6-10rds carried in either a belt slide pouch or in the ammo loops of my hunting vest. I have seen hunters using the rifle butt loops have all or most of...

I do not consider gold or silver to be great speculative investments. Collectible coins are not going to hold value above their metal weight price in SHIF scenarios, so I avoid them as investments. Where precious metals shine is they create a relatively stable valuable asset that is not going...

Thank You - no worries. Unfortunately, I did not get any direct damage assessment data from the hunting so far with the 7/08 simply because it was all in Africa and the skinners did all the field dressing and skinning back at home base and I was usually off with the PH at the time doing...

Your apparent sarcastic tone suggests you did not want a reply, but... As for shot placement data, looking back, none of my shots were perfect with either rifle. Some shots with each were very well placed. The rest/most were not. As a former National Champion rifle marksman, I strive for...

I looked on Euro-Optics for the Mauser and found the 18 but not the newer 25. Perhaps it will be available soon. I liked it.

Are you selling because the commies are taking over your state and plan to outlaw hunting and gun ownership? Inquiring minds want to know? You are on the political front lines at the moment. Godspeed.

You Sir are quite correct in your assessment. Both the 7x57 and the 270 out perform the 7/08 by a marginal amount. My 270 does not like the heavy bullets either but gets good speed from the smaller 130's and is a very efficient killer. I missed a chance to buy a lovely 7x57 custom Mauser...

Well, I took both to Africa, just on separate trips. Splitting hairs or not, I was rather surprised how much better the 308 performed for me. Especially since they are so close to identical. The 308 is only 12% larger and 28% heavier. Since the sectional density is nearly the same, I was...

I was looking for something yesterday and wandered across a number of new German rifle options that included two that piqued my interest. Mauser 25 straight pull action JP Sauer & Sohn model S505 The Sauer is even available in such cartridges as the 9.3x62 or 375HH. The Mauser brings the...

Point well taken. I explored that option prior to the hunt but I do not reload for hunting rifles. Because, I simply do not shoot enough hunting rounds to justify the substantial investment in dies, powder, bullets, etc to do so in such small volume applications. Plus, I was unable to find...

I like the 30-06 as well and am working up to a hunt which may include mine. A recent polling of African hunters on top ten plains game cartridges listed the 308 as #2 and the 30-06 as #1. The 7mm/08 did not make the top ten. I recently tested a load from Double Tap for my 30-06 loaded with...

I enjoy comparing the performance and ballistics of different hunting cartridges which might be selected for hunting the same animals. In this case, I wanted to open a discussion of the 308 vs the 7mm/08 for use on African plains game or North American big game such as deer, elk, etc. I am not...

I am a big fan of saying "The rifle does not know which equipment you are using to aim it and it will shoot exactly the same shooting with open irons, quality peeps, 1-6x optic or 5-25x optics." But, the difference is your ability to see and aim precisely that changes with a quality optic...

While your goal is a Euro rifle, one of our other members did suggest the Springfield 1903 as a possibility. I can say without reservation that they are fine rifles. I have a nice original Springfield 03/A1 that was made by Remington in early 1942. It is one of the few rifles that I can still...

I am not 80 but will share what I have learned. 1st the USA medical system is not focused on curing its patients. They are trained to prescribe a medication to address the symptoms of your ailments and to keep you on those meds for life. Blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, you name it they...

Congrats on such a lovely rifle. I am jealous. If you decide to go with an LPVO, the 1-6x Kahles K16i that I put onto one of my DG rifles works very well and I liked it much more than the Swarovski 1-6x. The reticle allows for a bit of hold over if you need to take a longer shot but at 1x...

Lovely rifle in the right caliber and what looks like a fair price. If I did not already have two 375's, I would be all over it. Good luck with the sale.

If you do not mind going vintage, the easy answer in my opinion is the Husqvarna, Swedish Mauser in 30-06. They are easily one of the most accurate factory rifles I have ever owned and check all of the boxes on your list. The 30-06 is not hard on bbls so, even a well used example is likely to...

While I think the scent control matters some, I also know that sometimes the deer just fail to notice. Still hunting from a stand can be hours of boredom punctuated by moments of excitement. I am old enough and have killed so many deer that I rarely care if I ever shoot one. To combat...

Africa was educational for me. I did not wear camo at all. Only earth toned cotton clothing in solid prints. We made little or no effort to manage scent. But, we were still able to stalk slowly to within very close range of our prey. I have never been able to do this with North American...

You said a mouthful with the comment above. I have always tried to control my scent profile when hunting but in Africa nobody seemed to be all that concerned about it. We stalked to within 30y of one Nyala and several others were inside of 100y. Only the Zebra seemed to be easily spooked but...

I love bonded bullets but am still limited to what I can locate in factory ammo options. I have some 300g AccuBonds for the 375. They are factory loads from Nosler. When I chron'ed them last year prior to the Nilgai hunt, I found them to be loaded very mild. My Barnes factory loads were...

I bet you love the guys who claim the 22 Creedmore is the best rifle for Elk? lol I have never hunted Elk or Moose but your comment caught my eye. I am in no position to argue but it contradicts some previous comments that I received on this forum a few months ago. Many hunters claimed that...

There was a reason that I was comparing the 235g load in the 375 to the 200 and 225g loads in the 338. I needed a rifle with a high degree of performance out to 300y. This is easy for the 338 but the heavier bullets in the 375 loose velocity so fast that beyond about 225y they simply drop...

Holy Bullwinkle Batman! I began this discussion with the midbore shootout to choose my primary Moose & Elk hunting rifle for the fall Saskatchewan Moose and Elk hunt that I am planning with my friends. I am fortunate enough to already possess many suitable rifles and am already planning to...

The 35W is one of those sweet spot cartridges that seems to get the most out of what it has to offer. I have always been baffled by why so few ammo makers choose to make ammo for it. And I refuse to reload for hunting rifles since I shoot so few shots each year with them. In recent years I...

200y and under is my 1st choice as well. Until last year in Africa, I had never fired on a game animal at a range longer than 202y by choice. Sure, I had killed prairie dogs and coyotes further but they do not count. Last year, I was forced to take shots at 243, 280, and 314y in Free State...

I enjoy testing and planning and thinking about my hunts for months prior to the actual hunting. I suppose this is my way of wringing out as much enjoyment as I can from my limited hunting time and budget. This fall, I am going to Canada on a combined Moose and Elk hunt and am playing with a...