Into large caliber rifles

[Aussie_Hunter]

I am relating personal experience. I domy know why yall can’t get this through your heads! I have no axe to grind! I know it is counter intuitive as you point out but facts on the ground on an actual safari are what matters to me. Two different custom guns had major issues on two of my safaris this year.
No sir the R8 has not had any safety issues. This is an often repeated lie and dates back to the R98 and some suspicious things that evidently happened. It makes me mad when people lie about the R8. Don’t like it? I could care less but don’t keep the old legends alive!
Most indecisive people would actually save money by going with the R8 due to its modularity.

Mate don't let opinions backed by facts or otherwise get to you. The R8 is a fine rifle, always has been and always will be.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I am relating personal experience. I domy know why yall can’t get this through your heads! I have no axe to grind! I know it is counter intuitive as you point out but facts on the ground on an actual safari are what matters to me. Two different custom guns had major issues on two of my safaris this year.
No sir the R8 has not had any safety issues. This is an often repeated lie and dates back to the R98 and some suspicious things that evidently happened. It makes me mad when people lie about the R8. Don’t like it? I could care less but don’t keep the old legends alive!
Most indecisive people would actually save money by going with the R8 due to its modularity.

Not going to derail and debate this again. I did say "slightly more real than imagined." Clearly, others have had safety issues with disengaging the R8 safety (cocking the gun). Complaints can be found on this and other forums.
See if you can find one reported incident of a Winchester style 3-position safety accidental discharge. Perhaps the old style where the safety lever was on top of the bolt shroud could be inadvertantly disengaged, but I've never heard of any issues with the rifles that have lever on the side of the shroud.

Is "modularity" important? I don't have any trouble switching from my 98 Mauser 404 Jeffery to Springfield 03A3 30-06 on a daily basis. Safeties are different, scopes are different, fit is slightly different. And I haven't had the 404 long enough to shoot a box of shells through it. Modularity is overrated in my opinion, especially at that price.

 

[ChrisG]

I am relating personal experience. I domy know why yall can’t get this through your heads! I have no axe to grind! I know it is counter intuitive as you point out but facts on the ground on an actual safari are what matters to me. Two different custom guns had major issues on two of my safaris this year.
No sir the R8 has not had any safety issues. This is an often repeated lie and dates back to the R98 and some suspicious things that evidently happened. It makes me mad when people lie about the R8. Don’t like it? I could care less but don’t keep the old legends alive!
Most indecisive people would actually save money by going with the R8 due to its modularity.

I would always argue that a custom rifle is bound to have more issue (percentage wise) than a production gun. Winchester, ruger, Kimber, etc. All have mechanical engineers, materials engineers, QA and research and devlopment teams. Custom gunmakers (as good as they are) are ALWAYS producing prototypes. Prototypes will never be as reliable (percentage wise) as a hashed out production model.

Look at the reliability of a Bentley vs. Honda Civic. Bentleys are hand crafted works of art designed to push the bounds of comfort and performance, but people don't buy them as a reliable daily driver.

 

[IvW]

375 is medium bore
400 is large medium bore
458 large bore
500 are in their own class super bore if you wish....

 

[ChrisG]

375 is medium bore
400 is large medium bore
458 large bore
500 are in their own class super bore if you wish....

For Africa, absolutely. Most American hunters who never look into African hunting have never seen, let alone fired anything bigger than .338 Win Mag. To them a .375 H&H is a fire breathing monster. Anything bigger than that is in the realm of myth

 

[Warbeast]

+1 on a 375
Also suitable for ypur lokal woods

Next would be a 458.
All on a nice 98 action would be my ticket

 

[Nevada Mike]

I have a 404J and a 375 H&H. If I am going on a DG hunt, the 404J will always get the nod. The 375 H*H is more like a heavy PG rifle. The difference in recoil is very little.

 

[Philip Glass]

Not going to derail and debate this again. I did say "slightly more real than imagined." Clearly, others have had safety issues with disengaging the R8 safety (cocking the gun). Complaints can be found on this and other forums.
See if you can find one reported incident of a Winchester style 3-position safety accidental discharge. Perhaps the old style where the safety lever was on top of the bolt shroud could be inadvertantly disengaged, but I've never heard of any issues with the rifles that have lever on the side of the shroud.

Is "modularity" important? I don't have any trouble switching from my 98 Mauser 404 Jeffery to Springfield 03A3 30-06 on a daily basis. Safeties are different, scopes are different, fit is slightly different. And I haven't had the 404 long enough to shoot a box of shells through it. Modularity is overrated in my opinion, especially at that price.

No sir this is untrue on the AD. I have tried to explain this before but you R8 haters will never listen. One more time: Keep your finger off the trigger and the gun won't go off!
The AD you mention is from the trigger being pressed accidentally while disengaging the safety/decocker. How, may I ask, is this the guns fault?
One thing y'all R8 haters might take note of is how few people buy an R8 and then dislike it. I guess there are unicorns.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I would always argue that a custom rifle is bound to have more issue (percentage wise) than a production gun. Winchester, ruger, Kimber, etc. All have mechanical engineers, materials engineers, QA and research and devlopment teams. Custom gunmakers (as good as they are) are ALWAYS producing prototypes. Prototypes will never be as reliable (percentage wise) as a hashed out production model.

Look at the reliability of a Bentley vs. Honda Civic. Bentleys are hand crafted works of art designed to push the bounds of comfort and performance, but people don't buy them as a reliable daily driver.

If you order a "prototype" from your custom gunmaker then yes, the product may well be a dud. That's the risk one takes for having/being something special. Again, one of our animal survival instincts is to be different. According to Charles Darwin, variation is the key to survival. We have an inate desire to be extraordinary. Well, most of us who will survive in a changing world have it. However, one can still choose to be different while minimizing the risk for failure. Order a custom gun built on an established caliber rather than some trendy-at-the-moment wildcat. Like a car, a custom rifle with too many "accessories" (especially high tech accessories) offers the potential for one of them to fail at the wrong time. Do I need a quick detach bipod or will it be impractical to put it on when I'm hunting? On the other hand, was everything about a gun made a hundred years ago still as applicable today? Do I want three-leaf express sights on my custom rifle or is something adjustable a better option? Or a low power scope? It's a balancing act between choosing something tried and true vs new and adventurous. But in the end the custom rifle is an extension of you and the gun maker, not just one of a million guns crapped out by an assembly line of cheap non-union part time laborers (e.g. Remington). Listen to Darwin ... but don't be impulsive.

 

[PCC600]

I would advise against a no.1 in .416 or bigger until you're used to the heavier hitters. The No. 1s are awesome rifles, but they are pretty light for a gun that is slinging 400 grains at 2400fps, and the stocks are not really designed to be comfortable at that level of recoil. My guess is your cheekbone is gonna hurt after a few of those! The drop at the comb pushes the rifle into your face on recoil, and they dont have a raised cheekpiece.

A Ruger No1 in any version of 416 or bigger is probably going to be unpleasant to shoot . I have one in 450/400 NE which is really nice to shoot and great on buff . The 450/400 is a much milder cartridge to shoot than the 416s .

 

[Tanks]

...

Look at the reliability of a Bentley vs. Honda Civic. Bentleys are hand crafted works of art designed to push the bounds of comfort and performance, but people don't buy them as a reliable daily driver.

Actually, Bentley Continental GT is a great and reliable daily driver.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I would advise against a no.1 in .416 or bigger until you're used to the heavier hitters. The No. 1s are awesome rifles, but they are pretty light for a gun that is slinging 400 grains at 2400fps, and the stocks are not really designed to be comfortable at that level of recoil. My guess is your cheekbone is gonna hurt after a few of those! The drop at the comb pushes the rifle into your face on recoil, and they dont have a raised cheekpiece.

@ChrisG
@Badboymelvin has a lovely custom 425 Express that launches a 400 grainer at around 2,350fps built on a Zastava that weighs around 8# and to me that is a beautiful pleasant rifle to shoot. Where as my mate @peter who has a 9.3x62 that is around 9# and with 286gn factory loads that thing boots like a bitch. It's all to do with stock design. You would think by now ruger would put a decent stock on the No1 to help mitigate recoil.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

If you order a "prototype" from your custom gunmaker then yes, the product may well be a dud. That's the risk one takes for having/being something special. Again, one of our animal survival instincts is to be different. According to Charles Darwin, variation is the key to survival. We have an inate desire to be extraordinary. Well, most of us who will survive in a changing world have it. However, one can still choose to be different while minimizing the risk for failure. Order a custom gun built on an established caliber rather than some trendy-at-the-moment wildcat. Like a car, a custom rifle with too many "accessories" (especially high tech accessories) offers the potential for one of them to fail at the wrong time. Do I need a quick detach bipod or will it be impractical to put it on when I'm hunting? On the other hand, was everything about a gun made a hundred years ago still as applicable today? Do I want three-leaf express sights on my custom rifle or is something adjustable a better option? Or a low power scope? It's a balancing act between choosing something tried and true vs new and adventurous. But in the end the custom rifle is an extension of you and the gun maker, not just one of a million guns crapped out by an assembly line of cheap non-union part time laborers (e.g. Remington). Listen to Darwin ... but don't be impulsive.

@Ontario Hunter
Getting a custom gun built is dependent on the quality of the craftsman.
Buba the blacksmith will build you anything but will it work. Probably not.
Choose a GOOD Smith and discuss your needs you will end up with what you want.
My gunsmith is a craftsman in wood and metal. When I built my Whelen we chose a quality barrel and a Savage action. It was up to him to build it. Instead of using the barrel nut like Savage he used the traditional method and extremely close tolerances. The recoil lug is stamped on the Savage and at times isn't flat so this was honed to perfectly square for even bearing.
Things like that determine the difference between a gunsmith and a blacksmith.
Bob

 

[Scott CWO]

I’ve been looking into a safari rifle, Ive used the 300wsm round but looking for something larger to get a custom to for a safari trip down the road and a good caliber

I’ve got a nice and great shooting Kimber Caprivi in the classifieds here on AH. Kimber makes one of the best production rifles. Fully bedded with cross bolts, smooth actions, etc…

 

[Ontario Hunter]

@Ontario Hunter
Getting a custom gun built is dependent on the quality of the craftsman.
Buba the blacksmith will build you anything but will it work. Probably not.
Choose a GOOD Smith and discuss your needs you will end up with what you want.
My gunsmith is a craftsman in wood and metal. When I built my Whelen we chose a quality barrel and a Savage action. It was up to him to build it. Instead of using the barrel nut like Savage he used the traditional method and extremely close tolerances. The recoil lug is stamped on the Savage and at times isn't flat so this was honed to perfectly square for even bearing.
Things like that determine the difference between a gunsmith and a blacksmith.
Bob

Bob, we've all also seen lemons that came off the assembly line. And some are expensive guns too. Built or bought, there's never a guarantee it will be done right the first time. But you're correct, do the homework before selecting someone to do the build. It was easy for me. No one up here could build the gun I wanted ... so I built it myself. Nothing to lose.

 

[Flewis]

No sir this is untrue on the AD. I have tried to explain this before but you R8 haters will never listen. One more time: Keep your finger off the trigger and the gun won't go off!
The AD you mention is from the trigger being pressed accidentally while disengaging the safety/decocker. How, may I ask, is this the guns fault?
One thing y'all R8 haters might take note of is how few people buy an R8 and then dislike it. I guess there are unicorns.

Not to start anything, but it’s not the gun. I think it’s kind of the 6.5 cm thing. The R8 is a great system, just not for everyone.

 

[D.M.V]

+1. My CZ .416 Rigby gets my attention EVERYTIME I shoot it. So does my Lott. I started with a .375 HOLLAND and HOLLAND MAGNUM and would STRONGLY recommend buying a rifle in that cartridge and learn to master that recoil before moving up? I've shot a .338 WINCHESTER MAGNUM for years and the recoil is very similar to the .375. Just my 2 centavos.

I had a Winchester mod70 in 338 and it was awful to shoot. Very unpleasant. It was to light and the recoil was just too much. It ended up cracking the beautiful stock it had and I ended up selling it and I don't miss it either. My two 550's one in 375hh and 416rig are a pleasure to shoot.

 

[K E Johnson]

Bob, we've all also seen lemons that came off the assembly line. And some are expensive guns too. Built or bought, there's never a guarantee it will be done right the first time. But you're correct, do the homework before selecting someone to do the build. It was easy for me. No one up here could build the gun I wanted ... so I built it myself. Nothing to lose.

Dennis Olson is who you said threaded and head spaced your barrel.

I sent Dennis an action more than two years ago for a .404 Jeffery build. I drove up and picked out a stock blank. I left a rifle that fits me I want the new stock new match. Dennis profiled the stock on his duplicator to match.
I did make an action wrench and barrel vise to remove the original barrel. I have mills and a lathe along with other machine tools at home. Threading on a lathe for me is a no brainer. I however, do not claim to be a gunsmith.
That is not the skill set I have or claim to have. Sometimes you are better off paying the other man for his expertise. You did the same.

When mine is finally completed, can I claim I built it? You farmed out significant work you could not do. I farmed out work that I could have done more of. I prefer to pay for the expertise and end result.

Don’t negate the work Dennis did for you. Even though you questioned his head spacing on it.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Dennis Olson is who you said threaded and head spaced your barrel.

I sent Dennis an action more than two years ago for a .404 Jeffery build. I drove up and picked out a stock blank. I left a rifle that fits me I want the new stock new match. Dennis profiled the stock on his duplicator to match.
I did make an action wrench and barrel vise to remove the original barrel. I have mills and a lathe along with other machine tools at home. Threading on a lathe for me is a no brainer. I however, do not claim to be a gunsmith.
That is not the skill set I have or claim to have. Sometimes you are better off paying the other man for his expertise. You did the same.

When mine is finally completed, can I claim I built it? You farmed out significant work you could not do. I farmed out work that I could have done more of. I prefer to pay for the expertise and end result.

Don’t negate the work Dennis did for you. Even though you questioned his head spacing on it.

Ah. I couldn't get cartridges to snap over. I did ask him if this could be a head space issue. He responded that it was not. He has used the same reamer for years with no issues. I eventually determined it was not a headspace issue. The RWS brass I procured was shorter length than it should be. Consequently loading dies were adjusted incorrectly and shoulder was set too far back. My mistake for not checking the brass before setting up the dies.

Reaming and mounting the barrel is the only thing I could not do. And opening the bolt face. I changed to a 3-position safety, changed the trigger, fitted new magnum bottom metal to a standard action, finished a semi-inletted stock, fitted a new magnum follower to the action, added an internal rear recoil crossbolt (stock came with an external forward crossbolt), and I modified the loading ramp, feeding rails, and extractor. I provided a local machinist with instructions for opening the bolt face. He'd never done it before. Dennis Olsen removed the 30-06 barrel on the action and installed the 404 barrel, but he refused to do the loading ramp or feeding rails. He mounted the iron sights. I was prepared to do it (I had mounted the same sights on my Springfield) but when I picked up the rifle he offered to do it so I gave him my drill and taps. I also farmed out the bluing but I did all the prepping and polishing.

So you're correct, I didn't build ALL of this rifle ... but most of it. I have given the others credit for their work. I never claimed to be a gunsmith.

 

[IvW]

No sir this is untrue on the AD. I have tried to explain this before but you R8 haters will never listen. One more time: Keep your finger off the trigger and the gun won't go off!
The AD you mention is from the trigger being pressed accidentally while disengaging the safety/decocker. How, may I ask, is this the guns fault?
One thing y'all R8 haters might take note of is how few people buy an R8 and then dislike it. I guess there are unicorns.

Some people are clueless yet they always have opinions......