I went through:
- My "presentation grade" period with a .375 H&H Griffin & Howe full custom job on a ZKK602 action in the 90's when old original Mauser magnum actions were near impossible to find and before Mauser resumed production in 2015. The rifle was later rebarreled to .340 Wby.
- My "double rifle" period with first a pre-WW II .450 #2 Jules Burry (highly respected Belgium gunmaker in Liege), then a .470 Krieghoff when .450 #2 ammo became completely impossible to find. Both of them were resold.
- My "workhorse rifle" period with a .416 Rigby CZ 550 with extensive deburring & tuning, direct trigger, 3-position bolt mounted safety, synthetic stock with full length aluminum bedding block, etc. (and its twin in .375 H&H). The .416 Rigby was resold, I still have the .375 H&H as a loaner.
- My "light rifle" period with an 8 lbs 10 oz .458 Win Mauser 66, rechambered for .458 Lott. The rifle was a true joy to carry, but really nasty to fire with full house Lott loads. I still have it somewhere in the back of the safe.
And I learned a few things along the way:
- It breaks your heart when rust-blue turns into rust, and 5-star Bastogne walnut with hand rubbed linseed oil finish turns into a grey warped plank despite anything you can do to prevent it during a 2 week, non-stop rain, fly camp hunt.
- British (or Belgian) golden era doubles are useless without ammunition. Admittedly this has been fixed for .470 and .500 with several sources, although shortages DO happen, and a few others (e.g. .450/.400) resurrected and currently survive thanks entirely to Steve Hornady. May he live long.
- Double rifles in DG calibers are faster for shot #2, but slower for shots #3 and #4, and they are at best awkward to scope, which becomes more and more advantageous as you move from your 50's to your 60's (and I hope 70's and 80's).
- Anything under 9 lbs is pure murder in .45 calibers, 10 lbs is a minimum and 11 lbs is often a lot better than 10, without making a real difference strapped on your shoulder.
- The rifle needs to fit you, be reliable, safe, and in appropriate caliber.
- .375 will kill them, .40 will numb them, .45+ will stop them. Take your pick.
The end of this 35 year trip for me is the Blaser R8 PH (steel chassis) in .458 Lott. Entirely reliable, bullet proof, great ergonomics, accurate, instantly scoped or unscoped, appropriate weight, appropriate caliber.
View attachment 698989
Admittedly, the R8 won in large part because it is a system: mine never goes to Africa without 3 barrels picked from .458 Lott, .375 H&H, .300 Wby and .257 Wby depending on what is on license.
But I have to admit that it fits me marvelously well, I have blind trust in it, and I easily hold 1++ MOA with it in
standing position, from the quadsticks (remember when 1 MOA from the bench was the holy grail!?!?).
This is no doubt in large part because I also have .223 and .22 LR barrels and I shoot the rifle literally several thousand times per year, which I have NEVER done with any other DG rifle, boringly stacking strings of 5 rounds of .22 LR in a tiny 2" steel 'plate' I had to cut myself because I could not find one for sale that small.
Believe you me, THAT does wonder for you by the time you get on the sticks in Africa whether it be for Buff at 50 yards, Kudu at 300 yards, or Klipspringer at 400 yards.
View attachment 699004
10 rounds of .22 LR at 100 yards standing from the quad sticks
in ~1 MOA group in a 2" 'plate'. The ability of the R8 to swap its
.458 barrel for its .22 LR barrel is priceless when it comes to
serious practice.
You never know, but I would be really surprised if I ever drop off the R8 bandwagon.
