Rifle conundrum

[Ontario Hunter]

When culling plains game the client sometimes pays a "meat fee" to the property owner if the lodge takes the carcass. It's fair enough deal as property owner would get that price if he culled it himself and sold the meat to the butcher. I have culled impala and a kudu cow in tough shape for staff meat for property owner. I did not pay any fee but didn't ask for the horns either. Culling arrangements can be quite different depending on species and situation.

My lodge owner processes much of the meat and sells it so culling can be profitable for the safari operation. Some double dipping of sorts. But it works well. Client gets cheap target practice with maybe some horns or pretty hides to take home, property owner gets paid the meat price (= very cheap fee), and lodge owner sells (or uses) the meat. Everyone gets something. Except the taxidermist makes a lot less. Boo-hoo!

 

[CBH Australia]

When culling plains game the client sometimes pays a "meat fee" to the property owner if the lodge takes the carcass. It's fair enough deal as property owner would get that price if he culled it himself and sold the meat to the butcher. I have culled impala and a kudu cow in tough shape for staff meat for property owner. I did not pay any fee but didn't ask for the horns either. Culling arrangements can be quite different depending on species and situation.

My lodge owner processes much of the meat and sells it so culling can be profitable for the safari operation. Some double dipping of sorts. But it works well. Client gets cheap target practice with maybe some horns or pretty hides to take home, property owner gets paid the meat price (= very cheap fee), and lodge owner sells (or uses) the meat. Everyone gets something. Except the taxidermist makes a lot less. Boo-hoo!

My wife only hunt was a cull hunt.
I asked for a package and received various offers. For me I got the experience and the full service of a Safari at a fair price.
My understanding always was the meat was to be used by the operators and I sold. No problem no waste. The whole thing is that for them it is a business. I didn’t see sheep and cattle on the property so the game animals are the business they are in.
My PH allowed me to shoot Baboon as a bonus and we looked for a Jackal but did not see any. I have heard of a few times where clients have been asked to cull an animal at no charge. This is a give and a good will gesture and it probably saves the property wasting time returning to look for it. Win, win.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Lots of good advice given. It all comes down to finances. Buy a solid cz 375 H&H and have a gunsmith work out any problems with it. Shoot the hell out of it and go to Africa.
If you have the money buy an R8 with a 300 Win Mag and either a 375H&H, 416 REM Mag, 458 Lott as the other barrel. You will never need anything else.

HH

 

[pilar]

I shoot my 375 with 235 gr hot core @ 2870fps , it’s very very mild recoil
If I wanted I could crank up the volume with some ttsx 235 @ 3100 and it’s a 300 yard gun , it’s sighted in with 300gr on the express sight/ open site if I want to take off the 3-9x40 scope!
Imo there is a huge difference in recoil and versatility once you get to that real DG caliber of .40:+
The .375 is the jack of all trades with recoil of +/- 40 lbs , next size up .404 Jeffry = +/- 60lbs
So I would buy a 375 and load or buy ammo to suit the situation .

 

[Sabre]

Generally no, maybe universally no.

You can always book a regular PG hunt, then do a Buffalo cow add-on. That's what I just did for my first hunt. Cows where I hunted are less expensive than some of the more popular antelope like eland, kudu, and nyala. I'm going to have the hide made into as many rifle cases as can be made

I really like this story! I hadn’t thought about Buffalo AND elephant! On the cull hunt you left all the trophies behind?

However with all the talk of gun rentals I’m thinking that may be the way! Maybe I’ll buy my wife a camera so she is more open to the idea of Africa, and can take pictures of birds and animals.

On a cull hunt are you allowed to take home your derpy looking trophy’s? My wife wants to decorate a Cape buffalo mount for Christmas time, and the leather should be the same quality (I assume)!

It varies if you are able to take cull animals home. From what I have seen it seems to be more common you are allowed to take them home than not. Discuss it with the outfitters you are thinking of going with before you go on the trip. I would not personally pay to shoot a cull that I didn't have the option to take home if I wanted to.

And I wouldn't go into it assuming the culls are all going to look bad. Some female animals have horns that look pretty cool as a skull mount and are offered as culls. And Impala ram culls are often nice looking animals just the wrong shape. If you shot a nice cull impala ram, and brought it home, the vast majority of people who haven't hunted africa before (and some that have), wouldn't know it was a cull over a trophy. Experienced African hunters would know. But how many of those live on your street?

 

[Rule 303]

With my hunts the only part of a cull animal you could take anything from where the pictures. This suits me fine. Where I have hunted cull or non-cull the meat is not wasted.

yes a bolt action is a bolt action, but the stocks and bolt throw are not the same. If the rental is a bad fit for you, it will take you longer to get a correct sight picture and comfortable behind the butt. Also if the rifle you own has a 60-degree bolt lift and short action you are lible to have problems with an action that has a 90-degree bolt lift and may short strock the longer action. If you want to go down the rental route then I would suggest practicing with a friend's rifle that has a 90-degree bolt lift and is a long action. This should stand you in good stead.

You have plenty of time so I would suggest that you try a few different rifles at the range or those of friends. This will help you decide what way you want to go.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

On a cull hunt are you allowed to take home your derpy looking trophy’s? My wife wants to decorate a Cape buffalo mount for Christmas time, and the leather should be the same qual

With my hunts the only part of a cull animal you could take anything from where the pictures. This suits me fine. Where I have hunted cull or non-cull the meat is not wasted.

yes a bolt action is a bolt action, but the stocks and bolt throw are not the same. If the rental is a bad fit for you, it will take you longer to get a correct sight picture and comfortable behind the butt. Also if the rifle you own has a 60-degree bolt lift and short action you are lible to have problems with an action that has a 90-degree bolt lift and may short strock the longer action. If you want to go down the rental route then I would suggest practicing with a friend's rifle that has a 90-degree bolt lift and is a long action. This should stand you in good stead.

You have plenty of time so I would suggest that you try a few different rifles at the range or those of friends. This will help you decide what way you want to go.

Bolt actions do tend to operate with the same basic movements, but the one time I used a buddies rifle I jumped a buck and couldn't get the safety off in time because it was in a different place than I was used to. Never borrowed, or rented a gun after that. Of course that was about 50 years ago and I had a lot less experience.

 

[SETH RINGER]

.375 H&H OF YOUR CHOICE FOR PRACTICE ON N.A. GAME AND AFRICAN DG., BUT DONT BE SCARED TO TAKE THAT LITTLE .44MAG LEVER GUN WITH YOU FOR SOME PLAINSGAME. HAVE HAD MY MARLIN 1894 .357MAG IN NAMIBIA, ZIM AND S.A.

 

[Lumaberpat]

.375 H&H OF YOUR CHOICE FOR PRACTICE ON N.A. GAME AND AFRICAN DG., BUT DONT BE SCARED TO TAKE THAT LITTLE .44MAG LEVER GUN WITH YOU FOR SOME PLAINSGAME. HAVE HAD MY MARLIN 1894 .357MAG IN NAMIBIA, ZIM AND S.A.

Really!?!?! I had read somewhere that lever actions were illegal in South Africa and I’d assumed the rest too… that’s what I get for assuming! I’ll just keep my eyes peeled for a DG rifle for sure then, no reason to get a long range of what I already have!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My wife only hunt was a cull hunt.
I asked for a package and received various offers. For me I got the experience and the full service of a Safari at a fair price.
My understanding always was the meat was to be used by the operators and I sold. No problem no waste. The whole thing is that for them it is a business. I didn’t see sheep and cattle on the property so the game animals are the business they are in.
My PH allowed me to shoot Baboon as a bonus and we looked for a Jackal but did not see any. I have heard of a few times where clients have been asked to cull an animal at no charge. This is a give and a good will gesture and it probably saves the property wasting time returning to look for it. Win, win.

@CBH Australia
My son got to cull an old oryx cow for meat and a few warthog for leopard bait free of charge and was allowed to keep the horns and tusks as well
Bob

 

[jpr9954]

Sgt Zim brings up some good points. I am not a fan of hiring a rifle as it will most likely not fit you. Also you need to practice with the calibre you are going to be using over there. The 375H&H, Rugger are sufficiently flat enough shooting to use on plains game out to at least 300mts. I use my 416 Rigby on animals from feral cats to camels, mainly pigs. The same with my 375H&H and 358RUM.

I am a 375H&H fan, however a Ruger in 375Ruger is normally a bit shorter and maybe a bit more comfortable to a person using a Lever Rifle???

I hunted with a camp rifle in August and have to second your comments on fit. It was a nice rifle but the eye relief on the scope was not right for me. I know both myself and my brother-in-law missed out on shots because we could not get on the animal quickly enough.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Really!?!?! I had read somewhere that lever actions were illegal in South Africa and I’d assumed the rest too… that’s what I get for assuming! I’ll just keep my eyes peeled for a DG rifle for sure then, no reason to get a long range of what I already have!

There might be a less appropriate rifle on a safari than a short range lever action but right off hand I can't think of it. I know the first PH I hunted with had.no.use for a lever action .30-30 that someone brought. If you shot a deer size antelope with a .44 mag he would certainly fall over but I wouldn't even consider hunting a zebra, kudu, gemsbok, etc. with it. African animals tend to be tough and are pretty.good at staying out of slingshot range.

 

[Fatback]

I second the thought of getting a 375 H&H and becoming proficient with it here at home and it will absolutely work on everything you might want to hunt in Africa. In my opinion, especially on DG, having a rifle in your hands that you are already familiar with is a great advantage over one you are not familiar with. YMMV

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

10 + Years?

Don’t do anything except save your money and invest it wisely. Then post about it in 2032 if you are still planning on going. 2 years out is plenty of time to plan. Recoil on .375 is not much more than you are already used to. Read as much as you can, take notes, put your plan together, and then live your dream…

 

[Bush Buck]

The only way I would consider going straight to a 375 H&H as your first bolt action is if you are a reloader and willing to start with reduced loads and work up to full power as you gain confidence and comfort behind the rifle. You can load 235 gr soft points to 2600 fps and use it for practice and deer hunting.
I love my 375 H&H and hunt with it back home too. But I still put more practice rounds through my 30-06.

 

[coreydb]

You could hire a rifle for your first Plains Game hunt if import etc are going to be difficult. Hired a Sako with a Swarovski

But, being an Aussie I have long had a .308 for hunting and pest management. I have others including 7mm-08 that I feel is a great cartridge/chambering.

It won’t hurt the have a .308 and a .37H&H for yourself but that’s my pick and it might not suit you for now.

Good luck on your journey,

I agree with CBH Australia! I'm sure he, like me, employs the KISS principle. I hunt Africa almost every year and literally every plains game up to Kudu, I easily dispatched with my .308 using 180 grain bullets. By law in every country on the African continent, the .375 H&H is the minimum caliber for dangerous game. It's what I use and to date I took two with the .375 H&H using 300 grain ammo. One option, is get light 375 loads and if you can hand load, you can develop loads that are on par with the .30 calibers. One rifle, different loads. Nothing though, will prepare you for the recoil, so practice till you get used to it.

 

[Rule 303]

I agree with CBH Australia! I'm sure he, like me, employs the KISS principle. I hunt Africa almost every year and literally every plains game up to Kudu, I easily dispatched with my .308 using 180 grain bullets. By law in every country on the African continent, the .375 H&H is the minimum caliber for dangerous game. It's what I use and to date I took two with the .375 H&H using 300 grain ammo. One option, is get light 375 loads and if you can hand load, you can develop loads that are on par with the .30 calibers. One rifle, different loads. Nothing though, will prepare you for the recoil, so practice till you get used to it.

I will correct you on one point. The 375 H&H is not the legal minimum for DG in all African countries. Some the 9.3X62 is some have a minimum Energy level, not calibre.

 

[coreydb]

I will correct you on one point. The 375 H&H is not the legal minimum for DG in all African countries. Some the 9.3X62 is some have a minimum Energy level, not calibre.

Duly noted! Thanks for the info

 

[wesheltonj]

Somewhat different advice.

I have no problem hauling around my Pelican 1750 case to Africa. Why, because the only hauling that I do is from my car to the checkin counter and someone else is handling it the rest of the time. Having just returned from a hunt in Europe the case was a handful hauling it around. I would suggest that you buy a takedown rifle that will fit into a more compact case than the 1750. You might look at Blaser or even a SAKO 100. The SAKO is slightly cheaper, but I have no idea how long SAKO will be selling those rifles. Like the Blaser you can have multiple caliber barrels up to 375. My two cents.

 

[Rule 303]

I went a slightly different route to the take down rifle. I had an Aluminum case made that I can get a CZ550 and a rifle made on an M17 action into. Not as easy as the take down rifle but easier to cart around than the Pelican 1750 case is.