Bringing 2 guns on a dangerous game hunt?

[HWL]

My second rifle is always big enough to take the dangerous game I am hunting, just in case there is an issue with my primary DG rifle.

So true....

HWL

 

[steve white]

I would bring the 9,3x62.
If there is anything wrong with your .404..... the 9,3 can deal with the Elephant in a pinch.
The .30-06 can not.

HWL

Agree. It occurs to me that the beauty of a double is redundancy--two separate mechanisms so that at least one will work. With two rifles you have redundancy--but only if they are in the same ballpark in power. (after all, one seldom hears of a double with two different calibers?) The 9.3 can do in a pinch as you said.

 

[IvW]

404 Jeff and 9.3x62mm is what I would recommend.....

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I concur with others. 404 and 9.3.
My last 3 safaris I have taken 3 rifles, 458 Lott, 375HH and 300 win mag. If I’m hunting DG primary is 458 but always carry the 375 as back up.
Next trip is all DG so 458 Lott and 375

Two is no more problem than 1 to me

 

[Altitude sickness]

A useful axiom

2 is 1 one is none.

 

[BJH65]

Last hunt I used a 416 Rigby for everything and transported it in a two gun Pelican case. Next DG hunt is next year and the plan is to bring two rifles, a custom 458 Lott and custom 416. I know, some redundancy there and bringing only one would make more sense or one of my 375’s instead of the 416, but my rationale is bringing 2 rifles in my two gun case isn’t a hassle to me and I really want to use both 416 and 458 Lott on DG.

 

[IvW]

9.3x62mm will be perfect as the second rifle. One of the trackers can carry it.
I never hunt DG and only take one rifle I always take 2.....calibers will depend on what we are hunting but my 500 Jeff always gets to go....

 

[aminkus]

9.3x62mm will be perfect as the second rifle. One of the trackers can carry it.
I never hunt DG and only take one rifle I always take 2.....calibers will depend on what we are hunting but my 500 Jeff always gets to go....

That is exactly what i am thinking too

 

[DLSJR]

I prefer 2 rifles and usually take my .416 and .338. In your case I’d take the 404 and 9.3. Or just take the 404 and call it good.

I haven’t hunted the communal lands, but did hunt Deka (which is not far away) once, a long time ago. My .458 was along most of the time as we regularly were around buffalo, elephants, a Black Rhino, a Lion. Having the big gun close at hand was comforting.

 

[TOBY458]

I’ve never been to Africa without two rifles. It’s typically been a 375 and 416/458 of some sort. I’m returning to Zim in April to hunt bull elephant and buffalo, so this year I’m only bringing my R8 in 458 Win Mag. I’ll probably feel strange with no 375. But from what I’m told, the cover is very thick this time of year, so a 458 should do it all.

 

[IvW]

That is exactly what i am thinking too

And as has been mentiond if something goes south with the 404 the 9.3 can stand in as good a pg caliber as the 30 06 is it cannot......the 9.3x62mm is also legal on dg in Zim.......and a very capable pg rifle especially on the larger pg....

 

[PerH]

.404 and 9,3 Are two good friends to bring along

( as Peter Flack said on his SA hunt dvd , he would always bring two dg rifles when on dg , and 1 pg with 1 dg when on pg ) as his examples were then .

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

Bob and I always bring 2 Rifles…
.375H&H and a .243!

 

[Flewis]

I think the next time I will hunt with the Jeffery brothers. 404 and 500. Well covered.

 

[IvW]

I think the next time I will hunt with the Jeffery brothers. 404 and 500. Well covered.

Pity they went 333 if they went 338 Jeff it would be the perfect threesome.......

 

[Ericedwinbates]

All great choices, I love the 9.3's. Have used a 370 Sako on Croc, 9.3x74R on Lion and Cape Buffalo, 9.3x62 on numerous plains game! Bullets Aframe and Barnes TSX, bad medicine!!

 

[Flewis]

Pity they went 333 if they went 338 Jeff it would be the perfect threesome.......

That’s exactly what I was thinking 15 minutes ago.

 

[Longwalker]

When I hunted elephant in that area with CMS two years ago, the elephant hunt was all done the first day. So after that I was hunting impala and wildebeest with a .416. It worked OK, but if a 9.3 was available instead, it would have been nicer to carry and nicer to shoot. I greatly prefer carrying a 9.3 for plains game in dangerous game country vs carrying a .30-06. Not because the 9.3 is much better for plains game, but because it is a dangerous game capable cartridge and you never know what might surprise you.

 

[Philip Glass]

I will be hunting in Zimbabwe on my first Elephant hunt. I will be using my Custom built CZ 550 .404 Jeffery but i was wondering what people think of bringing a second rifle for plains game? I will be hunting on the communal lands outside and around of Hwange National Park. I would most likely bring my model 70 9.3x62 or my KImber 89 .30-06 for any other game?
What is everyone's thoughts????

It will depend on what the PG situation is like and what your prospects are. For me most of the Zim hunts are time consuming on the DG part which does not leave a lot of time for PG. I feel a bit uncomfortable carrying a small PG rifle there in the field. My .300 with 180g TSX gives some peace of mind when collecting leopard bait. This is THE smallest rifle I would recommend taking to Zim. The bottom line is that you are unlikely to shoot more than 2 or 3 PG so why not just take the .404? Shots are rarely far so if the kudu of a lifetime shows up you will be fine with the big gun.

 

[coreydb]

Either one is the perfect plains game rifle. One thing for sure, you'll definitely use them before your hunt is over.