One gun or two? On safari

[Ridge Runner]

Upgrade to a 17REM, 204RUGER or 22HORNET and it removes any questions.

I have a 22 Hornet to take with me. But I have been entertaining the thought of taking a 22 mag with me to RSA.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have a 22 Hornet to take with me. But I have been entertaining the thought of taking a 22 mag with me to RSA.

Head shots with the Hornet would get it done.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Head shots with the Hornet would get it done.

But....but.... I would like to have the head for full body mounts on the smaller cats, Porcupine and badger.

 

[BeeMaa]

But....but.... I would like to have the head for full body mounts on the smaller cats, Porcupine and badger.

375H&H with brass solids. Two holes, one in and one out.

 

[Ridge Runner]

375H&H with brass solids. Two holes, one in and one out.

Yeah...375H&H even with 300gr solids aren't good for all PG. The exit hole on my mongoose wasn't pretty. Well it was pretty big taking out- blowing the offside shoulder away.

Have a good taxidermist that did an exceptionally good job on a full body mount.

 

[meigsbucks]

A .375 will serve you well on everything. Take 300gr TSX, Swift AF, Wodleighs or TBBC along with about ten solids and you’ll be good to go.
However, and this is just my quirkiness, I like to take two rifles, just because I want to. I like using my rifles and I can look at them and think of the trophies I took with them.
Bottom line, it’s your hunt, take the rifle(s) you want to, but you’ll never go wrong with a .375 in your battery, whether it’s one rifle or three.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I lost an skb case the same way 8 inch by 3 inch chunk of plastic just gone

I love SKB they do have two different tier qualities I have never experienced a problem with my four gun heavy duty but they did as you mentioned put a giant hole in my son's bow case once. I'm guessing it made for a nice loser's lunch abs on hand sandwich??

 

[WAB]

375H&H with brass solids. Two holes, one in and one out.

Agreed. My hornet would decapitate those small critters. A .375 solid will do much less damage.

 

[DLSJR]

I typically take my .338 & .416 and that makes a great 2-gun battery. But, I just returned from a hunt where I took only my .375. I shot everything from Oribi to LDE with it and it was fantastic on everything. I think more of my future hunts will be one gun safaris than 2 gun.

The .375 is great for just about everything. And it sure is easier than hauling 2-guns and ammo for them around.

 

[Challer]

I would always take two guns that are both suitable for the largest animal on my list. This way if something happens to one of my guns, I am not forced to borrow/rent a gun.

Or get an R8 and just bring a spare trigger group and bolt…

 

[Philip Glass]

Thanks for the info on rimfires. Can you elaborate on which countries a rimfire cannot be imported?

More specifically: Can a 22 mag rimfire be temporarily imported into RSA?

I've not read the actual regs in a bit but I am fairly sure no rimfire of any kind to RSA. Keep in mind a smaller rifle is the ideal one to borrow from your PH. I almost always get to shoot someone's .22 at guniea fowl! Actually now that I am thinking about it I do wish I could take my own .22 or .22 mag. I can't hit anything with York's!

 

[Fatback]

I plan on taking 2 rifles in my trip this year. A 404 Jeffery for buff and either my 300 Win Mag or 30-06 for PG and spotted Hyena, leaning towards the 30-06 but not for sure.

Would my 375 H&H work for all, absolutely, however, I’d like to try some of my other rifles out on safari. As far as hassle goes, if you’re bringing 1 rifle I don’t think it’s that much more of a hassle to add the second rifle to the mix. I can see myself only taking the 375 H&H on some future safaris but also taking a bigger rifle for DG and a smaller for PG. one thing for sure though is I certainly prefer taking my own rifle/rifles when I travel to hunt.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I plan on taking 2 rifles in my trip this year. A 404 Jeffery for buff and either my 300 Win Mag or 30-06 for PG and spotted Hyena, leaning towards the 30-06 but not for sure.

Would my 375 H&H work for all, absolutely, however, I’d like to try some of my other rifles out on safari. As far as hassle goes, if you’re bringing 1 rifle I don’t think it’s that much more of a hassle to add the second rifle to the mix. I can see myself only taking the 375 H&H on some future safaris but also taking a bigger rifle for DG and a smaller for PG. one thing for sure though is I certainly prefer taking my own rifle/rifles when I travel to hunt.

Correct. I have done one rifle and two. Two is just a bit more weight. Really no more hassle. With scopes detached I can stuff both of them in a single gun case.

 

[BeeMaa]

I plan on taking 2 rifles in my trip this year. A 404 Jeffery for buff and either my 300 Win Mag or 30-06 for PG and spotted Hyena, leaning towards the 30-06 but not for sure.

Would my 375 H&H work for all, absolutely, however, I’d like to try some of my other rifles out on safari. As far as hassle goes, if you’re bringing 1 rifle I don’t think it’s that much more of a hassle to add the second rifle to the mix. I can see myself only taking the 375 H&H on some future safaris but also taking a bigger rifle for DG and a smaller for PG. one thing for sure though is I certainly prefer taking my own rifle/rifles when I travel to hunt.

Paperwork isn’t the hassle. It’s the added weight of a longer & heavier case that now has two rifles, slings & scopes. Plus the two kinds of ammo in your other checked bag.

Going through an airport with a Pelican 1700, checked bag and carry-on is pretty easy. Make it a 1750 and it gets cumbersome.

However, I completely understand wanting other rifles to get some safari time.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Paperwork isn’t the hassle. It’s the added weight of a longer & heavier case that now has two rifles, slings & scopes. Plus the two kinds of ammo in your other checked bag.

Going through an airport with a Pelican 1700, checked bag and carry-on is pretty easy. Make it a 1750 and it gets cumbersome.

However, I completely understand wanting other rifles to get some safari time.

A double gun  can be a bit more cumbersome. My first two safaris I took two guns in a double gun Kalispel/Cabelas case. My third time I took only my Springfield in Pelican Vault 770 single gun case. And last year I stuffed both the Springfield and 98 Mauser in the single gun Vault case with scopes detached. The stocks were both marred a bit by adjacent muzzles but not a big deal as both had oil finish and easily cleaned up when I got home. In the future I'll put protective slip-on recoil pads on both rifles to protect the stocks during flights and they should travel fine. Or I could cut out the foam to fit the two scopeless rifles but I'd rather have the option of traveling with one scoped rifle if needed.

I bought a small lockable ammo case at Harbor Freight. It's much larger than needed for twenty rounds of 404 and thirty rounds 30-06. Gun case is required flying into or out of South Africa. I don't remember ever being required to open the ammo box during police inspection. Airline requires the inspection sheet inside the case but I've never had them actually count the ammo. Just open the case, throw the paperwork inside, attach special tag, and run it through x-ray. No more hassle with fifty rounds in the case than twenty rounds. Just stay under the weight restriction. And put the case inside checked bag after inspection is done so you don't have to pay for extra bag (except in RSA where ammo case must fly separate).

 

[Fatback]

@BeeMaa,

I use a Tufpak gun case so it is same case wether I bring 1 or 2 rifles. Rolls around pretty easily. Another thing I have in my favor is I leave from a very small regional airport so no real lines to speak of getting checked in, short walk from the parking lot, etc… The only real issue is deciding which rifles I want to take. That is a first world problem for sure. I will say that I have even begun to think about a plan future hunts based on the rifle I want to use.

 

[375Fox]

I've not read the actual regs in a bit but I am fairly sure no rimfire of any kind to RSA. Keep in mind a smaller rifle is the ideal one to borrow from your PH. I almost always get to shoot someone's .22 at guniea fowl! Actually now that I am thinking about it I do wish I could take my own .22 or .22 mag. I can't hit anything with York's!

@riflepermits.com is this correct? No 22 rimfires can be brought through South Africa?

 

[Tom Leoni]

Taking two guns is no more of a hassle than taking one. A Pelican case accommodates two easily. If using the rifles in your collection is a substantial part of the pleasure of going on safari (as it is for me), then by all means take two. .357 and .308 are both extremely versatile and useful cartridges, with a good degree of functional overlap--as you should always have when you take multiple rifles.

I have taken two rifles on my safaris and using both has been a real pleasure for its own sake. Worst thing that can happen, you bloody only one.

If on the other hand the rifle is just a tool for you, then with a .375 you can span the gamut of small-ish ungulates up to the big stuff. In a pinch, if any of the Tiny 10 are on the menu, have a tracker carry one of the camp rifles in a smaller caliber--they will be glad to do it for you (don't forget to tip well).

And if you want to go extra-minimalist, just use the camp rifles and save yourself the paperwork and extra weight.

 

[HankBuck]

I’m thinking about just taking the 375 for everything ( buff , eland, kudos , waterbuck , nyala)
then someone mentioned maybe I should take the .308 also for the smaller stuff just in case
I don’t think there’s a just in case? ( wife definitely doesn’t want to hunt for anything, buddies wife might?)

POCO: as other more experienced Members will tell you _ a .375 can do-it-all and No real need for another rifle,,,,But I would still take another rifle regardless: 1). I shoot my .375 H&H well but I’m still better with my .30-06 and especially at 200yrds plus. 2). Since you’ve got to transport one rifle it’s not much more weight to take a 2nd—-even if just as a back up should something happen to your primary rifle…Yes, you can always borrow a “camp gun” but I prefer using my own, my rifles mean something to me and they add to my enjoyment vs using someone else. Up to you - have a great safari whatever you decide!!

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I’m thinking about just taking the 375 for everything ( buff , eland, kudos , waterbuck , nyala)
then someone mentioned maybe I should take the .308 also for the smaller stuff just in case
I don’t think there’s a just in case? ( wife definitely doesn’t want to hunt for anything, buddies wife might?)

In 2014 I took a .325wsm for plains game

In 2017 .325wsm plains game & 416 for lion

In 2021 .375 for buffalo, hippo & croc, 30.06 for leopard, baboon hyena & warthog

This June it will be the old .375 H&H again for zebra, maybe buffalo again and certainly going for another croc.......300 win mag hyena, leopard

I have a Pelican double rifle case, love it. I agree take a 308, 06 maybe a 300 for smaller stuff.