Why not a Single Shot?

[Brian]

Sorry, this should have said Tom. Not Tim

Altitude sickness.

Tim, It would be a crime to not that those rifles on a DG hunt.

I killed a Buffalo with a bow. 25 yds. Stalking, no water hole sitting. No bullets needed for backup.


As you pointed out. It’s the hunt and the weapon. Not just killing an animal.

You have to be proficient, practiced and confident. Get close. Pass all but 100% killing shots.

Sure you could kill animals more often with a semi auto, magazine or double rifle.

But it’s fun to restrict yourself even more.

If I owned one of those beauties. I would definitely take one.

I admire you, that is a significant hunting accomplishment and I appreciate your comments.

Please tell me how much camo do use when you stalk that close? You stalk within 25 yds, that is impressive! Do the PH and tracker stalk along with you when you are that close? I am very interested in how it works whit a bow hunt.

My son stalks PG with a bow but has not hunted cape buffalo.

With my rifle hunting I want to sneak within 50 yds for my first shot so I use some camo clothing. My next buffalo hunt is in April and I am going the experiment with wearing more camo, even a face covering.

From what I read on these forums, the rifle buffalo hunters are not so keen on wearing camo and many say that it does not make any difference. The bow hunters sure seem to use camo for getting real close on game. Stalking DG is fascinating to me. I tend to agree with the bow hunters about camo You bunch are the pros when it comes to stalking real close. Thanks for your information, Brian

 

[Altitude sickness]

I had one PH belly crawling with me. Then we separated slightly. Him to my left 10 yards.

Me crawling to get a shot. Another PH and helper behind approximately 100 yards both armed as well.

There were 5 bulls bedded together. I crawled towards the target bull. Inching along very slowly. To get to a small piece of brush I hoped would be in range and give me cover to draw my bow.

When I rose up on my knees behind the small brush to draw the bow. The most mature bull and another bull next to him stood immediately. The mature bull had me pegged from 20 yards through the grass and he then turned towards me. The angle wasn’t optimal.

So I changed focus to his cohort. Not as old but in range and better angle.

I drew, released. And hit where I aimed and he was bellowing shortly afterwards.

We had agreed that the PH’s were all cleared hot if I made a bad shot.

They have killed a lot of Buffalo in pretty much every country in Africa. So I was confident in my back up team.

 

[Brian]

Wow, What a story! Thanks, I have to ask what broad head did you used? I will tell by son. Thanks again, brian

 

[Altitude sickness]

I wore camo wool pants. A solid tee shirt a deceased US Army friend gifted me and I considered my lucky shirt on that hunt. It worked on day 5

I did not wear camo most of the time on this hunt. Since the guy standing next to me wasn’t wearing it. It made no sense.


This was stalking only. on a naturally propagating herd not put and take. I was the first hunter this owner allowed on a very large ranch in Northeast South Africa in 10 years. He then opened it up to hunting.


This bull was no where near the most mature. But he was hard earned and my first.

I’ve shown one of the bulls laying with mine. They got a little cheeky after the shot. The Jack Russel’s were brought in to chase them away.

 

[Brian]

Good job! Thanks for the specific information and photos. That is a nice big bull, he looks scarred up bit too. Is that from fighting with other bulls do you think or are there some lion in the property?

( I have hunted and explored near there. You were fairly close to the infamous Crook's Corner at the junction of the Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa border. awesome country.)

Perfect shot, the arrow must have got to the heart, right? Looks close to that femur bone that runs from the top of leg to the bottom of the shoulder bone. Perfect.

That standing bull seems to think "you owe him money".
He must be saying to himself, "Should I leave now or should I kill that guy first."

Thanks for telling us about it. Very special hunt, Brian

 

[Altitude sickness]

No lions. He was marked up from other bulls

 

[Rafiki]

Rafiki,
Great pictures and congratulations on two wonderful bulls. I see the hole between the horns. Well done! Iron sights! cool.

Your cartridge and load of a 570 grain bullet at 2,100 fps is perfect as far as I am concerned.
That is a very handsome No.1 with beautiful wood a color case hardened frame.

I took both Hornady (DGS & DGX) and Woodliegh (FMJ & Weldcore), all 570gr. I hunted the Hornady's on the first buff and Woodlieghs on the second.

May I please get a couple more details? I wanna know everything!
- What bullet did you use?
- How close were you for the first shots and where did you hit them?

The first buff was one of 3 Dagga Boys that we tracked for several miles. We came up on them to approximately 50-yards. They were all standing facing us so I put a DGX in his chest offhand; that kind'a stunned him. He then charged and I got him between the horns (DGS) but too far back; however it was enough to turn him broadside and stumbling. Final shot in the triangle with another DGX.

The bigger of the 2 several days later. Again 3 Dagga Boys, this time with Woodloeghs. They were milling around an area that had several high mounds so we snuck up using one of those and waited. Eventually he came out from the other side of our mound so I stepped out and shot. That was high but I busted his shoulder, he wasn't going anywhere far. We waited a few minutes, found him again still on his feet. He turned and came out way and, well game over.

I hunt with iron sights without sticks so 50-yards is about my sweet spot.

 

[Brian]

Real Interesting, thanks. And good shooting. I am at the stage in my life where I have to use the sticks on buffalo at 50 yds.

Question please about the first shot with the DGX.
Were you able to tell how that first DGX bullet penetrated? Did it penetrate straight? Did it get near to the heart? How far did it penetrate? Thanks for your good description. Brian Gallup

 

[Datchew]

Here's my Ruger no 1 in 308 with full mannlicher style stock.

This is my primary deer rifle. I'm somewhere north of 25 whitetail (4-6/yr and some ranch cull hunts in Texas) a few coyotes, and a couple dozen pigs in just under a decade.

Jard trigger at 1.5 lbs is light and crisp and far better than the clunky factory unit but it is a fiddly install.

It's such a sweet little gun for tight quarters, blinds, and stalking through brush.

 

[Rafiki]

Real Interesting, thanks. And good shooting. I am at the stage in my life where I have to use the sticks on buffalo at 50 yds.

I was 75 when I took these buffalo.

Question please about the first shot with the DGX.
Were you able to tell how that first DGX bullet penetrated? Did it penetrate straight? Did it get near to the heart? How far did it penetrate? Thanks for your good description. Brian Gallup

You know, I really can't. They found the bullets but I wasn't running,imaging around in there so I just don't know; here's what I do know though, the DGX were bonded but lost around 100grs, like the top half disappeared.

 

[Rafiki]

Certainly is and I'd love to see some close ups of it. I feel sure others would too.

I happened to be doing some testing today, remembered your request so I took a few pictures at the range.

The barrel was made by McGowen. It's 25" long and is 12-sided, a bit unusual. The front sight is NECG "Masterpiece". The front swivel stud is custom and, in my opinion, matches the overall design of the rifle.

I had a custom safety made and recessed in the tang. This was done to allow these big rimmed cases to eject consistently.

Couple things here; I had Turnbull do the case color and a little engraving. Turnbull was of the opinion that the engraving would be somewhat hidden by the case color but I had them do it anyway. The trigger is by Jard, 3lbs; and I had it gold plated just because. Also had the block jeweled.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Rafiki, I love the engraving and CCH. I’m sold. I’ll take it

 

[WAB]

I happened to be doing some testing today, remembered your request so I took a few pictures at the range.

The barrel was made by McGowen. It's 25" long and is 12-sided, a bit unusual. The front sight is NECG "Masterpiece". The front swivel stud is custom and, in my opinion, matches the overall design of the rifle.

View attachment 633967

I had a custom safety made and recessed in the tang. This was done to allow these big rimmed cases to eject consistently.
View attachment 633965

Couple things here; I had Turnbull do the case color and a little engraving. Turnbull was of the opinion that the engraving would be somewhat hidden by the case color but I had them do it anyway. The trigger is by Jard, 3lbs; and I had it gold plated just because. Also had the block jeweled.

View attachment 633964

Stunning rifle!

 

[cajunchefray]

I happened to be doing some testing today, remembered your request so I took a few pictures at the range.

The barrel was made by McGowen. It's 25" long and is 12-sided, a bit unusual. The front sight is NECG "Masterpiece". The front swivel stud is custom and, in my opinion, matches the overall design of the rifle.

View attachment 633967

I had a custom safety made and recessed in the tang. This was done to allow these big rimmed cases to eject consistently.
View attachment 633965

Couple things here; I had Turnbull do the case color and a little engraving. Turnbull was of the opinion that the engraving would be somewhat hidden by the case color but I had them do it anyway. The trigger is by Jard, 3lbs; and I had it gold plated just because. Also had the block jeweled.

View attachment 633964

Elegant rifle, sir.
Curious as to why you chose the .50 Sharps, 2 1/2 cartridge, over .500 Nitro Express? Brass availability?
Shorter case more reliable to eject?

 

[degoins]

I happened to be doing some testing today, remembered your request so I took a few pictures at the range.

The barrel was made by McGowen. It's 25" long and is 12-sided, a bit unusual. The front sight is NECG "Masterpiece". The front swivel stud is custom and, in my opinion, matches the overall design of the rifle.

View attachment 633967

I had a custom safety made and recessed in the tang. This was done to allow these big rimmed cases to eject consistently.
View attachment 633965

Couple things here; I had Turnbull do the case color and a little engraving. Turnbull was of the opinion that the engraving would be somewhat hidden by the case color but I had them do it anyway. The trigger is by Jard, 3lbs; and I had it gold plated just because. Also ha

Gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Rafiki]

Elegant rifle, sir.
Curious as to why you chose the .50 Sharps, 2 1/2 cartridge, over .500 Nitro Express? Brass availability?
Shorter case more reliable to eject?

Interestingly you are the first to ask this question.

I began down this road because I went to Kansas on my first bison hunting trip in 2009. It was a “period hunt” that is supposed to you a taste of what people experienced in the late 1800’s. The rifle I had with me is a Rolling Block chambered in 45-90, but the classic bison round is the 50-90 Sharps introduced in 1872 specifically for bison hunting. I formed the idea of building a “modern buffalo rifle” using a classic British style single shot rifle chambered for that cartridge.

Hunting Cape Buffalo has always been a goal of mine however a 50-90 is really not up to the task as traditionally loaded. This set me off on several years of load development searching for a recipe that mimics performance as the .500 Nitro Express but with a shorter cartridge case.

Both the 500NE and 50-90 Sharps have their roots as black powder cartridges but of the two only the 500NE made the jump to smokeless when they started loading with Cordite. The 50-90 was purpose built and once the bison were gone there was no need for it anymore.

If you compare the two cartridges they are almost identical except for length. One thing I did consider is that the rim of the 50-90 is more substantial than that of the 500NE. The other thing is that since they are both straight cases I felt that with higher pressures having less surface area would be an advantage. The Ruger No 1 has an ejector that is mediocre in my opinion so with less surface area and thicker rim the 50-90 should eject easier, in theory anyway.

I have no idea about brass availability for the 500NE but it sure has been difficult (and expensive) to find 50-90 brass lately.

 

[sgt_zim]

Upon my 2021 safari, I was surprised to hear my PH tell me that I was the first client he'd ever had using a single-shot rifle. But then again, I remember reading somewhere (Boddington? Woods? Capstick?) that in spite of the popularity of single shots in the four decades straddling 1900 and of the rather ubiquitous Ruger No. 1 more recently, the greatest majority of today's traveling sportsmen use bolt-action rifles, a few use doubles, and an infinitesimal percentage stick to single-loaders.

Somehow, the older I get, the less interested I am in bolt-action rifles--in spite of my owning some truly nice ones and in spite of the company I work for being the purveyor of not one but two of the most accurate bolts on the market today. My love affair with doubles has remained unabated since my 20s, when by living on lollipops and ramen noodles for a year I was able to afford my first one. But what is growing every year is my passion for classic single shots.

View attachment 466943

My SAP import permit for my upcoming June safari has the bottom two rifles on it--respectively a .303 Martini sporter by Watson Brothers and "my baby," a Webley-action H&H in .375 Flanged Magnum that I'll literally take to my grave. The top rifle, I'm increasingly tempted to work it up to being my 2023 buffalo rifle--a .500 Farquharson by Westley Richards. In the rotation-system that I am envisioning for my future hunting adventures, I see myself taking two rifles when possible; one of them may be a double or a bolt but the constant will be a single-shot. When it is impossible for me to take two rifles, I'll just default to my beloved .375 Flanged.

Am I alone in this quasi-obsession with single shots? There's something ineffable about them that really captures me--they way they look, the way they work, not to mention the relative ease with which different loads can be worked up for them without concerns about regulation. While going to Africa is a magical experience, I find that going to Africa with a single shot is downright dreamlike.

Just listening to a Kevin Robertson interview on one of my favorite podcasters. Can't remember which big game practice ranch where he was, maybe Joshua Creek, just don't remember...anyway, the fastest course of fire completion they've had there was a guy with a Ruger #1. It just takes practice.

 

[Grandpa Moose]

Love using single shots. I have 11 in various calibers. My African brace are two High Walls in 30-06 and 375 H&H.

 

[cajunchefray]

Love using single shots. I have 11 in various calibers. My African brace are two High Walls in 30-06 and 375 H&H.

I dream of a High Wall in 450-400NE, and a companion in 450 NE.

 

[cajunchefray]

Interestingly you are the first to ask this question.

I began down this road because I went to Kansas on my first bison hunting trip in 2009. It was a “period hunt” that is supposed to you a taste of what people experienced in the late 1800’s. The rifle I had with me is a Rolling Block chambered in 45-90, but the classic bison round is the 50-90 Sharps introduced in 1872 specifically for bison hunting. I formed the idea of building a “modern buffalo rifle” using a classic British style single shot rifle chambered for that cartridge.

Hunting Cape Buffalo has always been a goal of mine however a 50-90 is really not up to the task as traditionally loaded. This set me off on several years of load development searching for a recipe that mimics performance as the .500 Nitro Express but with a shorter cartridge case.

View attachment 634126

Both the 500NE and 50-90 Sharps have their roots as black powder cartridges but of the two only the 500NE made the jump to smokeless when they started loading with Cordite. The 50-90 was purpose built and once the bison were gone there was no need for it anymore.

If you compare the two cartridges they are almost identical except for length. One thing I did consider is that the rim of the 50-90 is more substantial than that of the 500NE. The other thing is that since they are both straight cases I felt that with higher pressures having less surface area would be an advantage. The Ruger No 1 has an ejector that is mediocre in my opinion so with less surface area and thicker rim the 50-90 should eject easier, in theory anyway.

I have no idea about brass availability for the 500NE but it sure has been difficult (and expensive) to find 50-90 brass lately.

Thanks for that information. I had wondered about the rim diameter, dimensions I have not researched yet.
Makes a lot of sense, especially considering the lesser surface area of the case. I am not well versed on the ejector mechanism of the Ruger #1, other than they worked for my .270 Win, 30-06, .35 Whelen, .375 H&H, and 450-400 Nitro. They all worked and some gun writers said it is a good design.

However, stepping up to a .50 bore rifle, physics change, sometimes a lot.

My dream single shot is a Ruger #1, .500 Nitro 3 inch.
26" heavy barrel, barrel band NECG Masterpiece front sight with fiber optic, barrel band front sling swivel mount, action mounted custom .180 aperture rear.

Made to measure stock with shadow line cheekpiece, forearm with ebony tip, London oil finish.
Case hardened action and grip cap. Single scope base 2" from the action, set up for a Trijicon SRO. Red Pachmyr Decelerator to 14 1/4" LOP. Jard Trigger.