Big Bores for small things

[Safari Dave]

I used a .416 Rigby to take a baboon.

I shot it with a solid to minimize pelt damage, but the bullet hit the humerus and damage was done.

 

[Jack Stevens]

How many of you have used your big bores, I'm thinking .40 cal or bigger, to take smaller game than these guns are typically used for? Have you used them for plains game, or maybe North American and European game? If so, tell me about it. What animal did you hunt and what caliber and load combination did you use? I'd like to hear what led you to use the big bore rifle, for example maybe you got a chance at nice trophy impala while on a buffalo hunt, or maybe you were getting ready for a DG hunt so decided to use it for mule deer to practice. And of course, pictures make everything more fun.

All the Big Bores - or for inclusivity's sake, let's just say "375H&H and up" - with the right amount of AA 5744 can be loaded down to "deer load" velocities and still be accurate. I've done that with handloads for my .375H&H and 200grn bullets for a few deer camps, and still want to do a deer camp with my .404J.

I also definitely want to smash some feral hogs with my .404.

 

[BryceM]

One klippie at 220 yards with a solid from a .375 H&H. Went about 5 feet. One little hole in, and one out. Not much damage to the cape.

 

[ftrovato]

I used the 416 Rigby for everything other than the Buffalo. And I wish I used my 500 NE double for more than I did! It's the land that big calibers were built for. If we dont use them there than where.....

 

[V.Veritas]

I've shot a Black Bear (450 lbs) with a 450/400 NE, using Hornady 400gr DGX non-bonded.

 

[Kevin375]

I have shot almost 50 plains game with my .458 Lott as well as few european games. It includes impalas, warthogs, kudus, wildebeests, oryx, Burchell zebras, wild boars and also a red hind. I have also killed a good number of elands and two giraffes with that caliber.
At the beginning, I used Barnes TSX 350 gr with the Zeiss 3-12x56 and after, I only used 500 gr bullets (Degol Lion Load & Starkmantel as well as Hornady DGX Bonded) with the Zeiss 1.1-8x30.
I like to use a big calibers while I hunt in the thick bush. I bought this rifle because I met a PH who had the same one, and because it was in my rack, I think it was better to use it in real just to see how it perfoms in the field.
Here is why it came with me during several hunting trips.

 

[ftrovato]

I have shot almost 50 plains game with my .458 Lott as well as few european games. It includes impalas, warthogs, kudus, wildebeests, oryx, Burchell zebras, wild boars and also a red hind. I have also killed a good number of elands and two giraffes with that caliber.
At the beginning, I used Barnes TSX 350 gr with the Zeiss 3-12x56 and after, I only used 500 gr bullets (Degol Lion Load & Starkmantel as well as Hornady DGX Bonded) with the Zeiss 1.1-8x30.
I like to use a big calibers while I hunt in the thick bush. I bought this rifle because I met a PH who had the same one, and because it was in my rack, I think it was better to use it in real just to see how it perfoms in the field.
Here is why it came with me during several hunting trips.View attachment 657567View attachment 657568View attachment 657569View attachment 657570View attachment 657571View attachment 657572View attachment 657573View attachment 657574View attachment 657575View attachment 657576View attachment 657577View attachment 657578

A man after my (and Elmer Keiths) heart shooting big bores for everything!

 

[Excessexpress]

I shot a wombat with my 375 H&H.

It was legal in that location and it had been hit by a car, so it was a mercy really. It did somewhat do the job quite well…..

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

I shot a wombat with my 375 H&H.

It was legal in that location and it had been hit by a car, so it was a mercy really. It did somewhat do the job quite well…..

A mobile brick….
Was the car a write off…… a car hit one here near me (other side of the river)and it ripped the passenger side wheel off and put the car into a culvert , no one hurt but the car was a trashed
Gumpy

 

[Gluff]

How many of you have used your big bores, I'm thinking .40 cal or bigger, to take smaller game than these guns are typically used for? Have you used them for plains game, or maybe North American and European game? If so, tell me about it. What animal did you hunt and what caliber and load combination did you use? I'd like to hear what led you to use the big bore rifle, for example maybe you got a chance at nice trophy impala while on a buffalo hunt, or maybe you were getting ready for a DG hunt so decided to use it for mule deer to practice. And of course, pictures make everything more fun.

How many of you have used your big bores, I'm thinking .40 cal or bigger, to take smaller game than these guns are typically used for? Have you used them for plains game, or maybe North American and European game? If so, tell me about it. What animal did you hunt and what caliber and load combination did you use? I'd like to hear what led you to use the big bore rifle, for example maybe you got a chance at nice trophy impala while on a buffalo hunt, or maybe you were getting ready for a DG hunt so decided to use it for mule deer to practice. And of course, pictures make everything more fun.

I love my 416 Rigby. After several trips to Africa and different rifles and calibers….I have fell in love with this cartridge, maybe it’s nostalgia or maybe the 416 offers a nice balance between both worlds… but for what ever reason this CZ550 in 416 Rigby fits me perfectly. I have considered it my do all gun. I have taken everything from Hippo to Klipspringer with it, and I can shoot it very well. I decided I could use solids on small game and softs or solids on larger …..and this is the gun I took my klipspringer with my 416 Rigby. I hunted for this guy 4 days straight. I walked and tracked and walked and finally the day my flight was leaving… we decided to take one more small hike before I left, and I saw him. He was larger than I had imagined, he had positioned himself on a rock standing broadside to me… I raised my rifle up and shot him free hand about 50 yards. Any one who has hunted these animals knows they can disappear like a ghost into the mountains never to be seen again. I gave the rifle trigger a slow steady squeeze and then watched him disappear…. My heart dropped as I thought I had missed. But as we climbed to his ledge on top of the Mountain we seen a blood trail. The trail only went about 40 ft and there he laid this old fellow, this monster of a klipspringer. This possibility could be the new World Record. He is still at the tannery. I will keep you all posted. But as far as I am concerned “big” bore rifles do have their place in the world of smaller game. Proper bullet choice is key. I was using a 400g Solid.

 

[Green Chile]

As others have said, there were numerous times when I used what I had in hand to take something a lot smaller than normal...416's on PG, pigs, etc is common and another reason why I like the 375 or 416 scoped in Africa. It's a very versatile setup and quite suitable for a one gun safari.

 

[hoytcanon]

While not exactly "small game," I have shot many WT deer and bears with various big bore rifles... including .458 WM, .458 Lott, .45-120 etc... I like big bullets moving slowly... it is a different way to accomplish the same task. The terminal results are not as spectacular as light bullets moving at the speed of light, but I am not a fan of jello, and I actually eat what I shoot.

 

[Forrest Halley]

.458 Lott running at 40 yards. 400 gr SP at 2100fps.

.375 H&H running at 100 yards. 300gr Sierras.
I haven't taken any with the other .375's as yet, but my Encore goes out after every rain during deer season. The Safari Express not as much. I'll have to work on that.

 

[Cheesehead]

Well it seems the answer to my question is a resounding yes. Thank you all for sharing. It's very cool to see the wide variety of game taken with your big bores, from all over the world, too. Keep em coming!

 

[HankBuck]

How many of you have used your big bores, I'm thinking .40 cal or bigger, to take smaller game than these guns are typically used for? Have you used them for plains game, or maybe North American and European game? If so, tell me about it. What animal did you hunt and what caliber and load combination did you use? I'd like to hear what led you to use the big bore rifle, for example maybe you got a chance at nice trophy impala while on a buffalo hunt, or maybe you were getting ready for a DG hunt so decided to use it for mule deer to practice. And of course, pictures make everything more fun.

@Cheesehead - after my Buff/PG hunt in TZ I used my Chapuis .470 NE on a black bear hunt in Maine but never encountered a bear to shoot. So later I hunted whitetail deer with it and shot a small buck, open sights, at 40 yrds. Even with my poor bullet placement (high spine) the buck dropped but that would’ve happened with a .22lr. I figure for black bear over bait - close shots 40-60 yrds, its an acceptable excuse to use your double rifle, for deer a bit of a disadvantage on shots over 100 yrds. But either beats letting just sit in the safe between trips to Africa.