What gun do Professional Hunters like to use?

[Whit]

Only been on a single safari. My PH carried a Musgrave bolt rifle in .458 Lott. He was a lefty with a right-handed action. When asked, he said he felt very confident in his ability to reload, acquire a target, and fire again due to practice. He also said he'd give half of a certain, special part of his anatomy for a DR in .470NE and had been busy saving for one.

 

[BJH65]

My african PH’s 1997 Moz and SA.

BRNO ZKK-602 458 Win Mag, iron sights (Moz)
BRNO ZKK-602 450 Watts Magnum, iron sights (Moz)
Winchester M70 Safari Express 416 Rem Mag, Leupold Vari XII 1-4 scope (SA)

African PH’s Limpopo 2024

CZ 550 Safari Magnum 458 Lott, iron sights
CZ 550 Safari Magnum 375 H&H, iron sights

Alaskan Guides - Brown Bear/Grizzly 2004:

Ruger M77 stainless zytel stock 338 Win Mag, Leupold Vari XIII 2.5-8, 250 grn nosler part.
Remington 700 Custom Shop stainless 338 RUM, Leupold Vari XIII 2.5-8, 250 grn SAF
CZ 550 Safari Magnum, 416 Rigby, LPVO, unknown ammo

 

[DLSJR]

The PH’s I’ve hunted with carried the following:

Roy Vincent 460 Weatherby, Weatherby Mark V
Cecil Riggs 458 Winchester. Model 70
Richard Bell-Cross. 458 Winchester. Model 70
Tom Dames. 470 NE. Don’t recall which double, 375 Weatherby, Model 70
Alan Vincent 450 Ackley. Mauser 98. Also a 500 NE Heym 88B

 

[Hillcountry63]

In Africa my PH's have carried the following, Winchester 70 375 H&H, Winchester 70 458 WM, Merkel 88 450NE, Mauser 98 9.3x62......all iron sights

 

[IvW]

Brno ZKK 602 375 H&H, Brno ZKK 602 500 Jeff, 12ga/9.3×74R or 12ga/12ga poormans double with brenneke slugs the last two for leopard.

In doubles I would prefer 500 NE by Heym, Krieghoff or VC.

I am currently drooling over a Krieghoff double rifle drilling 500/416 NE or 500 NE barrels over 12ga with insert for 9.3x74R, 7x57R and 22 Hornet....I can dream at Christmas....

The above......plus.....
404 Jeff on ZKK602 in progress and then a 458 Sabi on ZKK602 as soon as I find a doner rifle for an action....

I will no longer concider a VC......
I am also looking at a sidelock double by Joseph Winkler but it is in the dreaded 458WM......if it can be reamed to 450 No.2 3 1/2 and re regulated I may still buy it but to get someone to re regulate it in RSA is not possible.....

 

[RockAndSage]

Question on maintenance and repair...

It seems like there are a lot of older guns being fielded by PHs, and that they get a lot of hard-use in general. Who do they take the gun to when something breaks, like a firing pin, extractor, springs, etc?

I can't imagine there are a lot of seasoned, well-trained gunsmiths in places like Namibia or Tanzania, especially someone who can do work commensurate with what goes into making a Westley Richards, or a Kreighoff...how do these guys keep their DG guns running, especially when even ammo can be hard to get ahold of?

Any info on this?

 

[daxter11]

Merkel 500N.E

 

[Odinsraven]

There is an excellent article

Thread 'Rifle Lessons Learned from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Proficiency Exam'

Mar 30, 2010

Rifle Lessons Learned from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Proficiency Exam
by Don Heath

Big Bore Rifles

Every year Zimbabwe holds two events which provide the perfect testing ground for rifles. These are the Rifa Professional Hunter and Guides training/refresher course, and the actual proficiency exam itself. As shooting is an important attribute of both a hunter and a guide, marksmanship and speed and dexterity of handling and reloading a rifle under great stress are fully tested with quite...

• AfricaHunting.com
• Replies: 331
• Forum: Firearms & ammunition

• 

Suggests the problems etc

 

[RR 314]

Actually, Phil Shoemaker’s daughter Tia uses a 416 to back client’s up on Alaskan brown bear and is supposed to be quite a petite person.

Recoil tolerance seems to be highly individual and not based on physical size. Of course, the ability to carry a heavy rifle generally is.

Yes sir. D'Arcy Echols built it and it is a fine rifle!

 

[juan pablo pozzi]

Here in Argentina the most common rifle of the guides is CZ i various calibers.For water buffalo there are some doubles mostly Chapuis and Merkels .

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

On my recent buffalo hunt in the Caprivi, my PH carried a Blaser R8 with a fairly short barrel and red dot sight. Chambered in 458 Lott.

 

[mark-hunter]

CZ (Brno) has been the workhorse for decades. Today, they are just another of the budget factory push feed rifles, with limited number of available calibers. I think that with time, maybe in the next decade, this will change.

I wonder what is the next global workhorse professional hunter's rifle?

 

[BeeMaa]

On my recent buffalo hunt in the Caprivi, my PH carried a Blaser R8 with a fairly short barrel and red dot sight. Chambered in 458 Lott.

The Blaser Selous and Safari (22mm) barrels in 375BLASERMAG, 375H&H, 416RM, 458LOTT and 500J are only available in 600mm (~23.6") length.

What makes the Blaser seem shorter is that the trigger group sits below the magazine. This shortens the OAL of the R8 vs a traditional rifle by about 4"...assuming that the LOP and barrel length are the same. The trigger on a traditional rifle sits behind the magazine.

Here is a picture of the trigger group. It can be locked in place and used as a blind magazine or can be left removable by sliding a lock when installed in the stock.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

CZ (Brno) has been the workhorse for decades. Today, they are just another of the budget factory push feed rifles, with limited number of available calibers. I think that with time, maybe in the next decade, this will change.

I wonder what is the next global workhorse professional hunter's rifle?

Well, it would have to be the Portuguese Winchester Model 70 Safari Express. They’re just about the only ones left standing. And they’re pretty okay.

 

[BJH65]

These were the rifles carried by my African PH’s:

Mozambique mid 90’s after civil war ended:

PH1- BRNO ZKK-602 458 Win Mag
PH2- BRNO ZKK-602 450 Watts Magnum

South Africa mid 90’s:

PH1 Winchester M70 Safari Express 416 Rem Mag
PH2 Winchester M70 Push feed 375 H&H

South Africa 2024 (Limpopo):

PH1- CZ 550 458 Lott
PH2- CZ 550 375 H&H

I like how the African PH’s and hunters refer to the BRNO ZKK-602/CZ 550 as the “crowbar of Africa.”

 

[mark-hunter]

Well, it would have to be the Portuguese Winchester Model 70 Safari Express. They’re just about the only ones left standing. And they’re pretty okay.

Eventually, if this is to be proved correct, it will lead to a new revival of calibers 375 H&H and 458 Win Mag. History repeats itself. (with 416 Rem hanging after them).
Other factories still produce (as in addition to their push feed rifles) 375 H&H, like Sako, or Sauer, so this will probably follow with a small advantage in popularity to 375 H&H.

 

[Riflecrank]

Well, it would have to be the Portuguese Winchester Model 70 Safari Express. They’re just about the only ones left standing. And they’re pretty okay.

I acquired one of the US-assembled rifles of 2012 production, .375 H&H M70 Alaskan.
Could not resist another one of 2015 production, assembled in Portugal, .375 H&H M70 Alaskan.
Fit and finish were better on the Portugal assembly, or maybe no different, just a little prettier wood on the Portuguese.

May I suggest that the Japanese PH Girl be a time traveler also ?
That way she can start off with a bore rifle in the BP era, and work her way through all the famous PH mentors and every latest greatest DG rifle of each era.
Ah, yes, she must also be an immortal and does not age and heals like Wolverine or Dead Pool.
make it a manga-style comic book too.

Botswana 2001:
PG PH: .375 H&H Mauser that allowed only two in the magazine and one in the chamber.
DG PH: .416 Rigby original "Rigby For Big Game" Mauser
DG Appy PH: CZ 550 Magnum .416 Rigby
Me: Ruger RSM .416 Rigby and Pre-'64 M70 .375 H&H custom 6.75-pounder.
I left my unused .416 Rigby ammo behind for Ronnie McFarlane's Rigby,
as he was impressed by the results of a 380-gr/.416 GSC FN at +2500 fps MV,
hopefully it did not crack his antique stock.

Tanzania 2010:
PHs: .500 NE Heym DR, .450 Ackley Mauser,
Me: .500 Mbogo CZ 550 Magnum, .395 Tatanka Dakota M76 African.
My .500 Mbogo was the most powerful rifle in camp.

Since then I have tried everything from Bore Rifle to .577 Tyrannosaur,
and have decided that the .458 WIN MAG is tops.
No doubt it has seen more African DG use and killed more elephant than any other cartridge.
I predict that the Japanese PH Girl will eventually find true love with a .458 WIN MAG of Winchester or Mauser persuasion, make that one of each, for backup.
Gotta have backup.
But she will also sleep with a .450 "S. Rigby" Rising Bite double rifle, .450 Nitro Express ammo loaded.
It was after all the first of the Nitro Express double rifle rage, surviving proof first in November 1897.
Make sure she gets mentored by John Rigby too.
Nowadays she wears American Eagle jeans.

 

[Daniel Cary]

These were the rifles carried by my African PH’s:

Mozambique mid 90’s after civil war ended:

PH1- BRNO ZKK-602 458 Win Mag
PH2- BRNO ZKK-602 450 Watts Magnum

South Africa mid 90’s:

PH1 Winchester M70 Safari Express 416 Rem Mag
PH2 Winchester M70 Push feed 375 H&H

South Africa 2024 (Limpopo):

PH1- CZ 550 458 Lott
PH2- CZ 550 375 H&H

I like how the African PH’s and hunters refer to the BRNO ZKK-602/CZ 550 as the “crowbar of Africa.”

That's cool .. I love "Crowbar"

 

[Daniel Cary]

well .. this looks worthy of the greats, idk.

Lon Paul Custom .500 Jeffery CZ 602 ZKK w/ 24" Bbl for sale

Lon Paul Custom .500 Jeffery CZ 602 ZKK w/ 24" Bbl for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

[Crishuntbrasil]

I use a Heym 89 B cal 470 NE with a Trijjicom SRO mounted very low. In DG hunts, mainly lions that are very fast. As a second weapon I have a Winchester 70 in cal 416 rem mag and a compact red dot aimpoint.