The dangers of Buffalo Hunting in Africa

[Thor]

.303 on Pachyderms? No. Then again a lot of the pros back then were using black powder beasts like the 4 bore...

View attachment 31586

Selious said that the 4 bore ruined him as a marksman...the deep psychological trauma of pulling the trigger stayed with him.

 

[indy1919a4]

A great little story on hunting with 303s in Africa...

War horse

 

[yeahbaby]

Ah, no thanks.

 

[Thor]

Well, you CAN do almost anything. I've killed deer with an air rifle but it's not what I'd recommend.

For a good description of cartridges and their effectiveness on various African game I'd recommend John Taylor's African Rifles and Cartridges which has a lot of great hunting stories included with each of the significant rounds.

 

[indy1919a4]

Well, you CAN do almost anything. I've killed deer with an air rifle but it's not what I'd recommend.

For a good description of cartridges and their effectiveness on various African game I'd recommend John Taylor's African Rifles and Cartridges which has a lot of great hunting stories included with each of the significant rounds.

Yeah, I got my suspicions of this guy now, He says he is an Ex Professional Hunter and has hunted in Africa all his life... But who knows, He may have just found those critters already dead and just posed the photos to sell off some extra surplus ammo he has on hand ..?

 

[Hookeye]

In the OP's vid, why does the guy bring his gun down to hip level to work the bolt?

On little guns...........didn't Bell use a 7 x 57 on quite a few pachys?

Trailer looks pretty wicked (maybe too graphic for some). But then eating a .600 Nitro should give a bit of an effect LOL!

[video=youtube;sGDCUHaE0pU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGDCUHaE0pU[/video]

 

[indy1919a4]

Trailer looks pretty wicked (maybe too graphic for some). But then eating a .600 Nitro should give a bit of an effect LOL!

WOw, they let a few of them get in pretty close before putting them down... Scary Close.. Shows Confidence in your Weapon, your marksmanship.. and a Pair of Big Hairy ones..

Many thanks for sharing

 

[Seancass]

That trailer did look pretty awesome! What I really loved was how many of those shots at short and long range were extremely accurate shots under high pressure!

According to the internet, WDM Bell killed over 1,000 elephants, roughly 800 of them with .257Rigby(7x57Mauser). I'd say he probably knew what he was doing!

On the hunter lowering his bolt gun to work the action: With some guns/calibers, the extreme heat of africa can raise pressures slightly, even enough to give stick extraction. I'm going to hope that he has a premium quality rifle that under normal conditions has a bolt that works like butter! If he knows it may have a sticky bolt, better to lower it fast than to struggle with it slowly at the shoulder!

I occasionally read books on africa because I think they have the coolest guns! I want a double rifle so bad! I'll likely never actually go to africa, but it makes for good reading.

I'm suddenly reminded of a gentleman at Bass Pro Shop who was helping me shop for a double rifle one day. The caliber was 9.3x74R which produces energies in the 3500ft-lbs range. The gentleman said it's "big enough for deer, but I wouldn't use it for anything bigger than that"! Never mind it's century old career in africa, just don't use it on anything bigger than deer!

 

[Thor]

A lot of professional hunters used the 7x57mm because it was imported heavily for the Boer War and was available for cheap. They used it not because it was the best round for the job, they used it because it was the cheapest round for the job.

The 1895 Mauser was a great weapon and the 7x57 was better at war than the .303 but neither would be my first choice against dangerous game when MY life is on the line.

 

[2tonic]

P.J. Rourke's book "Use Enough Gun" is good too...those guys weren't.

Just for posterity's sake, "Use enough Gun" was written by Robert Ruark. It has also been reprinted, with additions, as "Horn of the Hunter" and is currently available.

His books, along with the works of Peter Hathaway Capstick, give an intriguing view of both sides, guide and client, of professional hunting on the African continent in the 20th century.
Pattersons books do the same for India, albeit in an earlier time frame.

All of it is really facinating reading, and great entertainment.

 

[Thor]

Sorry about that...didn't run down to the library to double check the faulty memory...thanks for the correction but in my defense (a poor one) it does just say Ruark on the spine. Lemme have another cocktail and see what it says in a minute....where was that tonic...

Since I walked down to the library I'd also recommend Jim Corbett's "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" as one of the best dangerous game books I've ever read.

 

[2tonic]

No problem Thor, you're forgiven.

In fact, your post exposed MY faulty memory. It was the works of Col. Jim Corbett I meant to refer to as chilling tales of hunting India, not Patterson.
"The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag" is one of my favorites, even if the title is somewhat......pedestrian. Also recommend "The Temple Tiger" and the title you promoted as absolutely engrossing reading. Get comfortable, cause you won't be putting any of these books down soon.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I'd like to go on the record and state that I was "thinking" that it was the .303 Britt that took a lot of animals in the early 1900s... But it was the 7mm Mauser that I was thinking about.

The German just didn't / wouldn't come to mind.

Mea Culpa.

 

[Hookeye]

All you would be safari dudes...............here's the rig for your Indiana deer hunting (under current regs)..........

 

[Thor]

That does look nice...I have a Marlin Slugmaster (for IN deer or small vehicles) which does not have the double gun coolness. I like to refer to it as my 12bore...

View attachment 31675

That double gun just does not look right with a scope or single trigger...if you want a traditional look (and why would you buy a double gun if not for that) then look traditional.

 

[ilcaveman]

I used a 375 H&H with a 300 grain solid. The bull dropped in his tracks, he died quick.

 

[Thor]

John "Pondero" Taylor said that he thought the best all round cartridge for big game hunting in the world was the .375 H&H.

He also said that if he was to walk the length of the African continent and all he had to do was eat and survive he'd be comfortable with a big bore hand gun and a .22LR.

The weapon I have for such adventures now is my .45-70 lever gun which has proven more than adequate with Safari rounds to take pretty much everything. Well, except maybe small game!

 

[indy1919a4]

Here is a Lion Hunting video... And the end has a clean out your pants moment.

But the thing I liked about this over the 1st Cape Buffalo video is that the Guide keeps more control of where all the guns are, and seems to take great effort to be in front but yet keeping the other shooters on the line.

The shooter at the far end should never buy a lotto ticket again.. He has used up all his luck and then some.

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/lion-hunters-become-hunted-intense-clip-video/

 

[indy1919a4]

Just to Give Mauser his do, here is some stories on hunting with 8mm Mauser ammo... I like all the talk of big game hunting on the cheap

8mm Mauser