Lever actions in Africa...

[Brian]

18.5" CANT REMEMBER IF ITS FACTORY PORTED OR W.W.G. DID IT WITH THERE PACKAGE.

Thanks, I will bet that it is nice and handy. Looks cool. The porting probably helps a lot , right?

I hope that you don't mind all my questions. I am very interested in how well the 45-70 killed the lion.
Please tell me how the bullet performed, where did you hit the lion? did she die right away?
How many shots?

Cape buffalo is the only DG that I have hunted. I would like to hunt a lion. Thanks again, Brian

 

[Sturgeondrjb]

2017 in SA,
Marlin guide gun,Barnes 300 gr TSX factory load.
All were one shot kills,two bullets recovered.
The zebra stallion made it about 100 yds,
shot through both shoulders. The rest were DRT,shot through the top of the heart.
Had trouble finding pictures of Blue Wildebeest,warthog and impala.
PH was impressed by the Marlin,the ported barrel not so much!

 

[Brian]

MARLIN 1895 45/70 GUIDE GUN BY WILD WEST GUNS IN ANCHORAGE
2002: MY "ONCE IN A LIFETIME SAFARI" NOBODY HAD SEEN OR HANDLED A LEVER GUN ON THE RANCH. SUPERIOR AMMO 300GR TSX: KUDU, ZEBRA, IMPALA, WARTHOG
2018: BUFFALO BORE 350GR TSX: LIONESS, ONE SHOT AND MY HUNT WAS OVER BUT MY SON DID A BUNCH OF HUNTING WITH OUR R-93.
MARLIN 1894CSS 357MAG WITH BUFFALO BORE 158GR J.H.C.
2007: SOUTH AFRICA : CIVIT, GENET, PORCUPINE, CARACAL, AFRICAN WILD CAT
ZIM: ROCK DAISY'S AND CARP AND/OR CATFISH OFF THE BRIDGE WITH THE YOUNG GUIDE WHO HAD NEVER HANDLED A LEVER BUT HAD A BLAST SHOOTING IT.

Seth, Very exciting!, Thanks for the info. Brian

 

[Brian]

Great photo! What calibre and bullet please ? Thanks, Brian

Sorry Seth, I see your detailsl were already posted above. good job!

 

[pmangelos]

A lever action is an excellent choice for Africa.

You probably know that Teddy Roosevelt used the same rifle and cartridge as Paul posts above. He called it "Big Medicine."

I note that Paul used the 350 grain CEB bullet at 2150 fps. Awesome bullet that greatly improve the performance of that cartridge over what ever TR used back in the day.

I'll bet a dollar that Paul got a one shot kill on that beautiful buffalo.

I'd love to say it was one shot, but i hit him three times in the shoulder/chest area, he only traveled about 15 yards but I was instructed to keep shooting until he is down hard. And I am a big Teddy Roosevelt fan, hence my choice of rifle.

 

[Brian]

I'd love to say it was one shot, but i hit him three times in the shoulder/chest area, he only traveled about 15 yards but I was instructed to keep shooting until he is down hard. And I am a big Teddy Roosevelt fan, hence my choice of rifle.

You did well and I can't say anything bad about your taste in rifles either.
I once read that Teddy Roosevelt said " I don't shoot well, I shoot often".

I also read that when he was a young man he rode his horse from his family ranch to a saloon for a glass fo beer. He was kind of a green horn and was over dressed in a buck skin outfit, the story goes.

Some jack ass made fun of him and TR retreated to a quiet table behind the stove, The jerk kept at him so TR pounded him out. That story just rubs me the right way.

I want to believe this stories are true.

 

[KCSafari]

Has anyone used a 44 Rem Mag? How did it perform?

 

[dogcat1]

Lever guns are fine if you can truly shoot them.
I take a lever .22 in Winchester 9422M. Bolt guns work for me much better and are easier to operate.
I would not use a lever gun on anything big enough hurt me.

 

[michael458]

Primarily I am a Winchester M70 fan. But I do love a lever gun and have carried Lever Guns to Africa many times. Most of those times have been 45/70s and 45 Colt. In those early days, late 1990s to probably 2010 or so, we suffered a lack of truly effective bullets for the 45/70 and the 45 Colt, especially in the limited lever guns. When we were working with the CEB solids and Raptors, I made sure we had lever gun bullets designed for the purpose. I also worked with North Fork in those days to get some more effective bullets too. But early on, we just did not have any super bullets....... I managed to get by, but I wish I would have had todays bullets when I was doing some lever work in Africa.

Marlin 45/70 using 405 Remington for this warthog.......

45/70 using 420 Cast Performane......... Not satisfied with the performance of this bullet at all

Winchester M94 45 Colt........ As I remember a heavy Cast Performance at 1600 fps Not so pleased with the performance of those as well. It did make a dandy little camp rifle however. And has been on many trips to Africa as a truck gun as well.

My last Lever Gun hunt was with the 50 B&M Alaskan. Using 365 gr Lever Raptors from CEB at 2200 fps and 405 CEB Lever Solids at 2120 fps.........

The bullet makes all the difference in these Lever Guns. In 45/70 today we have the CEB 295 Lever Raptor and matching 325 Lever Solids, 370 Lever Raptor and 400 Lever Solids. These are designed with shorter nose projection to work in all lever guns.

In 45 Colt there is a 240 Raptor and 300 Solids that work extremely well in the lever guns. I will be in South Africa in October. While retired from any serious hunting, and I have some very serious eye complications, I will be taking a lever gun once again. Mostly camp and truck gun, Rossi M92 in 45 Colt set up with a Laser system. I can no longer see irons, red dots, scopes, or anything else for that matter, except a laser..... severely limited except in low light or Zero Dark Thirty.

I have worked up some nifty loads for this little gun, 205 Lehigh Extreme at 2050 fps matched up with the 200 gr CEB FN Solids at 1950 fps..........

Lever guns are limited in many ways, COL for shorter actions like the Marlins, maximum pressures in the traditional lever guns, and lesser capacity/velocity than most bolt guns. But you can enhance the lever cartridges with todays modern bullet tech and get terminal performance unheard of 15 years or more ago................. Choose your bullet wisely, and you can be very successful in the field with your levers..................

 

[.50 Express]

Wow, great photos Michael458. In my 6 trips to Africa, I have only hunted with revolvers and lever guns. In 2019 I took an impala, zebra, wildebeest, and klipspringer in Zimbabwe with a Browning 71 in .348 Win. In 2021, I took a Klaserie buffalo with a Turnbull 1886 in 50-110. I also took a Zimbabwe buffalo in 2022 with the Turnbull 50-110. Last year, I took another Klaserie buffalo with a Turnbull 1886 in 45-90.

I am hopping on a plane tomorrow to begin hunting buffalo next week with the 50-110 in Zimbabwe.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Wow, great photos Michael458. In my 6 trips to Africa, I have only hunted with revolvers and lever guns. In 2019 I took an impala, zebra, wildebeest, and klipspringer in Zimbabwe with a Browning 71 in .348 Win. In 2021, I took a Klaserie buffalo with a Turnbull 1886 in 50-110. I also took a Zimbabwe buffalo in 2022 with the Turnbull 50-110. Last year, I took another Klaserie buffalo with a Turnbull 1886 in 45-90.

I am hopping on a plane tomorrow to begin hunting buffalo next week with the 50-110 in Zimbabwe.

Inspirational! I can't love that response enough.