One Man, One Rifle
By Ganyana
I have watched the implementation of the SADC protocol on firearms being implemented in a rather chaotic fashion across the region. The result of a misguided UN/Japanese initiative to limit private firearms ownership, and effected by civil servants who have no idea what constitutes a small arm (a fully automatic weapon or anything bigger than .50 cal up to 120mm artillery ordinance). This is causing undue complications within the hunting industry but is even more of a hazard for local hunters who are not always entitled to the 'extra' firearms above the various four or five gun limits (depending on country). The Tau issue of the African Hunter carried an article on wringing the most out of a .458 Lott - making it suitable for a fair variety of plains game as well as dangerous game. I was asked for my thoughts on the subject of one man one rifle - as I am invariably only ever seen with a 9,3 Mauser. Let me start out by saying that if a person is fit to own one firearm then they are safe with 100 - you cannot commit a crime with more than one gun at a time! - But back to the original topic. It wasn’t that long ago when most men owned and carried but one rifle. They often owned a revolver to back it up but from the introduction of the breech loader, up until the 1930’s one rifle was all the ordinary man owned. Across Africa this was frequently an ex military .303 or 8mm Mauser, with the connoisseurs selecting 7mm Mauser, .318 WR or 9,3 Mauser depending on the areas they lived and hunted. Professional meat, hide and ivory hunters owned and used (and needed) a bigger battery of rifles, but they were a very small band who made their primary living from their rifles. This was also the era of the saying “beware the man with only one rifle it is likely he knows what he is doing with it.” There was a fair amount of truth in this statement. If all you owned was a Martini-Henry or 7mm and used it to put meat on the table, shoot the odd marauding lion, keep the elephant out of your garden and take part in the many informal shooting contests that helped pass the time on the fringes of civilisation, you got to know your rifle pretty well. A man affluent enough to own a battery of rifles and who used a different one for each specialised occasion seldom got the chance to learn the trajectory of each rifle, and, being adequately armed, didn’t have the narrow scrapes from dangerous game that his under-gunned companions had. Gun power made up for any short- comings in shot placement and field craft.
Having used a 7.62 Nato (.308 win) on both elephant and buffalo, I know you always pause to check just how far away the nearest tree is before you fire, and, are some how, in less of a rush and slightly steadier in the aim. After one’s first close call with any of the big five, all main portable rifles seem inadequate, and there comes an urge to rush off and buy a nice .700 nitro or .585 Nyati, but when this is not an option, skill as a hunter replaces firepower (assuming you survive the first lesson). It was the rather inconvenient fact
that far too many men failed to survive confrontations with dangerous game when armed with the medium bores of the day that led to the various colonial governments bringing in legislation mandating minimum calibres or power for hunting big game in the 1940s and 50s, and this pushed the one rifle man into history.
So, whatever hunting a man was planing on in Africa he needed at least two rifles. A medium that was easy to shoot, accurate and useful at moderately long ranges so it could be used on smaller plains game in open conditions, informal target shooting and practice. Then he needed a heavy rifle for dangerous game. For many years I owned an 'ideal' sportsman’s battery. Four Mauser actioned rifles, all with the same two stage military trigger, wing safety and peep sights. They were a .22, a .308 (a converted 8mm), my 9,3 and the above mentioned H&H .404. The .22 and the .308 were the rifles that were shot the most. I took part in a fair number of rifle matches and the .308 was perfect for shooting impala for rations. If I was hunting big stuff the 9,3 came out and when there was a follow up of something large and wounded I reached for the .404. Three things caused a change in battery. Firstly was money, or more specifically, a lack there-of. That H&H .404 now looks like a third of a house. The second was the rather inconvenient fact that I only ever seemed to bump into lioness with cubs when I was carrying the .308 and looking for nothing aggressive! Then one night I was collecting nectar samples from Kigelia flowers - and armed with the .308 in case of poachers, when a buffalo took exception to my Landrover. Hanging onto my roof rack while the vehicle got a work out convinced me that when doing anything in dangerous game country, one needed to have a rifle suitable to deal with dangerous game. The third factor was the need to put a ‘scope on a rifle for night use. Problem animal control was almost exclusively a night-time activity, and having tried all the usual tricks - blobs of toothpaste or tippex on the front sight, a fibre optic front sight, trying to wear a small shooting lamp myself so I could see my sights clearly whilst the game scout used a spotlight to illuminate the problem animal... I gave up and ‘scoped the 9,3.
Recently there have been two new cartridges developed to try and meet the need of a dual-use rifle. One which has moderate recoil for practice and plains game hunting, yet possessing a little more clout when the going gets rough with the big stuff. They are also relatively cheap to load for, which is a vital consideration for a man who might be limited to only one rifle. The .400 Tembo (See Pungubwe’s article in this edition) is a great idea. .40 cal pistol bullets for practice and smaller plains game and 350grn softs and solids for the bigger stuff. Ken Stuarts .44 Ganyana (shooting .429” bullets) is also similar. Cheep .44 mag pistol bullets for practice and everything up to kudu and 425grn softs and solids for the big stuff and when things go wrong. Both these rounds address the basic need to have a rifle of tolerable recoil for fun shooting and use with a ‘scope on plains game, and yet have enough punch to be safe under all conditions you are likely to encounter in the bush. There is still the issue of the sighting system and developing appropriate loads where the pistol bullets are both light loads and shoot to the same point of aim as the heavy ones, but they are the only moves I have seen that could possibly take us back to the point where one (centrefire) rifle might just do it all.
africa's professional journal for serious hunters since 1994
Once, not long ago, I was young, and keen, and full of the vinegar and juice of life. I was strong and the whole world was open before me. Now, suddenly, I am “middle aged”. I am the age of people who, not long ago, I branded contemptuously as “old farts”.
Hunter's News
A Tale of Two Charges
As can be imagined, what happened next took place in a matter of seconds, but seemed to take forever, as the whole episode played out in slow-motion in our minds.
Uttering a few choice expletives, I raised my double, aimed at the only thing I could see - his head - bobbing from side to side as he favoured his wounded shoulder - and let rip with the first barrel! Almost simultaneously, my client, positioned just behind me and to the right, also fired from his .470. The muzzle blast was quite something and I instinctively took a step to my left. Neither shot appeared to have had any effect, and the bull, now just 15 yards away pressed home charge! I fired the second barrel, aiming at the point of the bull’s right shoulder. The heavy bullet struck home and he stumbled, both shoulders now broken. My client, at the exact same moment let loose with his second shot, aiming directly at the centre of the eyes, but in the split seconds of my shot hitting and the bull stumbling, his bullet hit directly between the bosses, knocking the bull to the ground only three steps from where we stood. We both put in a couple of insurance shots.
On Cloud Nine
The first safari was with a good friend of mine from Dallas, we had hunted buffalo on previous occasions and were looking for another good old “dagga boy” to put in the salt. After an early start to the day looking for tracks of bulls to follow, we came across some fresh spoor of two bulls from the evening before. We geared up and decided to follow, thinking they would not get too far. I was carrying my .470 NE double rifle, loaded with two Barnes X bullets, my client was also equipped with a double .470 NE, he had just purchased for the safari. He usually used his .458 when hunting buffalo, but at the last minute had decided to buy a double! Someone must have whispered in his ear as you will find out later on in the story. We also had along a young video man, it was to be his first ever buffalo safari.
Well that's not completely true, I was lucky enough to avoid the near death experience of an out of control cow elephant charging the Land Cruiser at 5am. Thankfully the PH has cat-like reflexes, and was able to safely manoeuver through and around the frightened herd. At least that's how he told it afterwards! Oh yes, then there was the puffadder that was killed by the camp staff a mere three feet from the entrance to my chalet one morning, and fi nally the hunt itself. Our fi rst ten days of “luck”, on this my 17th safari, and my fourth trip to Zimbabwe came to a head when we convinced ourselves that every single female, cub, and young male lion within 100 miles of the Save Valley Conservancy had decided to devour our baits all at the same time. We knew for certain that big male lions were about, but at the rate we were feeding all the others, I was sure to be out of bait money long before shumba ever made an appearance! With all the time and effort we had put in up to this point, one had to fi gure that our “luck” was simply due to change. Maybe so, but would my patience and pocket book last that long?
Upon arrival in Harare, Zimbabwe at the end of May 2008 we were met by our PH and outfi tter, Glenn Stockil from Shangaan Hunters. Our hunt was to take place on Senuko, a 70 000 acre paradise located in the south of the Save Valley Conservancy, in southern Zimbabwe. As is customary in Africa, the moment we set off on the five-hour-drive to the ranch I was treated like a king! In all honesty, the camp and accommodation facilities are simply the nicest I have ever seen. The lodges were fabulous with two queen-sized beds in each, lots of extra room, and a warm, cozy, enclosed bathroom with shower, hot and cold running water - fi rst rate. The bar and lounge sat atop the rocky outcrop above camp with a beautiful fi replace and, of course, a well-stocked liquor cabinet. Best of all though, was the dining area, which is perched a hundred feet above a waterhole below the camp. With a spot-light fastened to a tree, and ample viewing light at night, it makes for a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy one's big game safari. Wildlife frequented the waterhole throughout the evening, and on several occasions herds of buffalo would arrive just after dark. Watching and listening to hundreds of buffalo at a time trying to cram into the small waterhole was a wonderful addition to the dinner-time experience. To top it off we actually had a leopard make a dinner-time appearance as well. It's honestly the best camp I've ever been to in all of Africa, period.
Thankfully when it came invoice time, Glenn went easy on me, thus problem solved. I think he felt sorry for me knowing how difficult it was trying to deal with the “stress” of acquiring all that bait. I know, I know, thanks a lot, I appreciate the sympathetic feeling that is undoubtedly coming over you while reading this. Taking down additional African animals at a reduced rate, in order to provide opportunity to get the trophy of a lifetime is difficult work!
From day one Glenn told me about a particular lion he had seen previously, and he wanted to concentrate on him.
Glenn was familiar with his territory, and felt as though it would not be terribly difficult to get him on bait, wrong! Often times he travelled alone, but seemed to have a larger than normal territory, according to the pro’. We felt as though this old boy was a perfect candidate, usually a loner, and obviously not a pride male. Man we were in for a surprise, but not something I haven’t seen before when hunting lion. Glenn was able to get the magnificent maned beast on bait, but getting him to come back became a whole different ball game. After seeing the mane hairs he left behind, I knew we had found my prize. The question was, how do we collect it? Obviously Mr. Leo had seen this program before, and he was certainly no fool. He fed plenty on the fourth night, so we spent lunchtime the following day building our blind, and sat it out that evening... for hours. It’s legal to shoot after dark on private land in Zimbabwe, so we stayed until 10pm, but he never showed. For the next couple of days nothing, he never returned to the first bait he hit. In the meantime we were having several of the other bait sites hit, but not the big males we were looking for. Finally on day 10 he was back, but at another bait location roughly four miles from the first. Looking at the tracks and the mane hair left on the bait, we knew it was the same lion. This time, however, he was kind enough to feed at a place where Glenn had an old tower blind overlooking a dried up waterhole. The pan was actually under repair and they hadn't been pumping water for several months, but the blind was still good nonetheless. Half-an-hour of sprucing it up a bit, adding a little more camo, and trying to conceal the back drop, it looked good as new. We went back to camp, had some lunch, and took a short nap. The plan was to arrive back at the blind late afternoon and prepare ourselves for a lengthy sit.
By Lance Nesbitt
By Aaron Neilson
Two consequences of mounting a ‘scope was the need to change the safety catch and to alter the stock. If one is going for a left-handed Winchester style safety (my choice) on one rifle, then that is what you need to have fitted to all the rifles you shoot. Changing the heavy rifle was easy and I never use the safety on the .22 anyway. A ‘scoped rifle is never really suitable for back up on dangerous game.
There have always been attempts at a compromise. The 9,3 and .375 were the first, and pretty successful. For the 'average' man who shot mainly plain sgame and the occasional big animal they are great, and both have the added advantage that they often shoot bullets of widely differing weights to a similar point-of-aim. Messrs Holland & Holland went to great lengths to achieve this with the .375 and it was one of their main selling points (235grn, 270grn and 300grn bullets were all advertised as shooting to the same p.o.a. at 100 yards). With a bit of careful load selection my 9,3 does likewise. 286 grn solids and softs dead on at 25 and 100m and the lighter 270grn 1” high at a hundred. Both calibres can be built reasonably light and shoot flat enough to be usable out to 200 metres if necessary, but both fall short in the stopping power department. To a certain extent this can be mitigated by just being sensible. If a buff is standing right on the edge of the jesse make sure you have a dead rest and a perfect shot opportunity - you should be doing that anyway, but if you are not armed for a close range stopping fight, don’t put yourself in the position where you might have to. And chickening out of a follow up because you feel inadequately armed is simply not acceptable.
Hunters' Resource
There were several reasons why men didn’t simply trade in their medium bores for a big bore and use that exclusively. Two factors stand out. Firstly, was ammunition cost. If you are using a medium bore and particularly if it uses surplus military ammunition, practice is reasonably affordable. Big bore ammunition in Africa is, and always has been, outrageously priced and, in many places, reloading is banned or restricted. Even with reloading, big bore ammunition is significantly more expensive than rounds for (say) a 7x57. They chew powder, need magnum primers and most are notoriously difficult to get to shoot well with cast bullets - and most big bore jacketed or monometal bullets command a premium price. Secondly there is the small matter of recoil. Shooting a hard recoiling rifle at targets and even carefully aimed shots at relatively small game for the pot just isn’t fun. You can beat recoil by adding weight to the rifle but a nice handy rifle doesn’t weigh 12lbs! I once owned a delightful H&H .404. All 7½lbs of it. A joy to carry, it came to the shoulder naturally with sights perfectly aligned - and gave me severe concussion after a three round zeroing session from a bench. My other .404 was very pleasant to shoot, but at nearly 11lbs, a 26” barrel and all the “feel” of a mopane log, it simply never got carried. Somewhere along the line there is the inevitable trade-off between weight, balance, handiness and power. Perfect balance and fit can go a long way towards minimising the effect of weight and are key elements of handiness, but unless you have very deep pockets you are unlikely to be buying a best grade double, and in bolt actioned rifles, handiness and balance are already threatened by the added length of the action. Any competent stock maker can achieve perfect fit at a reasonable cost, but it takes a custom rifle to keep the balance right as bore size increases. Most manufacturers, mindful of the increasing recoil, seek to minimise it by adding weight - to the barrel. A few don’t, but they are almost exclusively at the upper end of the market. To get that 'alive' feeling of a great rifle you need 40% or more of the rifles weight to be between your hands. Adding weight to the barrel and butt may keep the balance point in the right place but the rifle gradually loses its responsiveness. It is this simple fact that makes it easier to build a lively rifle in 30-06 than .458 win when using a standard length action.
They were spread out a little but the bull in the centre looked good - good depth of curl nice big bosses on his head. I instructed my client to take him as he quartered towards us, aiming for the point of the shoulder. It was about a 50 yard shot. He let off his first shot. The buffalo lurched at the hit and turned to run. My client fired his second and hit him quartering away. Two great shots - our quarry was not expected to get very far before going down. The bush was pretty thick in the river course, and having learned a valuable lesson on the previous safari, we decided to wait a full half hour before coming off the ridge and looking for blood. We walked down to where we had last seen the buffalo run off, and found sign of his direction of flight. Once again, I decided to walk off at a slight angle from the exact line of spoor. As we proceded cautiously along some open paths looking all the while for blood or any sign, my tracker and I spotted a solitary buffalo bull standing with his head held low, he had not seen us yet. As I was watching him, he lay down. Now we had problems!Of the three bulls, which one was this? Was he the one we had shot? Could it be another member of the group? Had our buffalo fallen close by and this guy was hanging around with his buddy as they often do? I couldn’t see any blood, but he did look a bit sick or tired. Had he just been in a fight with lions? These are all factors one has to take into account when buffalo hunting.
One of the Nine
No kidding! Fortunately we still had a quarter of a giraffe hanging in the meat cooler, so we quickly brought it back, hung it in the tree, and got ready to sit again that night. As we rode back to camp for lunch it was decided we would stay in the blind all night, and find out for sure what the heck was going on.
That afternoon on our way back to the blind, I looked at Glenn and could see the stress written all over his face. With only five days left, things were getting tight, at least for the guide. I learned long ago that putting too much emphasis on the “kill” can absolutely ruin the entire experience for everyone. There is nothing worse than a whiny, complaining client that has put success of the hunt above all else. Besides, I guarantee your guide will work much, much harder if he enjoys your company.
“Relax man.” I said to Glenn, “It's just a lion, it's not a $100 million winning lottery ticket. Let's give it our best. What happens, happens, end of story.”
Just then the night's silence was quickly broken by a loud growl, un-mistakably that of a lion! If you've never heard one in person, describing it in writing will never do it justice.
For the third time I climbed into the blind, but frankly my hopes were not that high! Glenn, the cameraman Ryan Neal and I were all a bit squashed, but getting the hunt on film is very important, so having all three of us there was uncomfortable, but necessary. In only a few short hours I was going to see just how valuable the top-notch equipment I was using would play a pivotal role in my success. As darkness approached the bush fell silent and the breeze died down. Quickly the sting of the cold night's air started to bite, but one simply had to put it out of one's mind and concentrate on listening as light was no longer available. Lying on a mattress all night in a blind is not so bad, but try sitting in a chair, holy cow is that uncomfortable! As the hours slowly crawled by, our concentration level was definitely dwindling. Both the guide and the cameraman started to snore a time or two, but a quick jab fixed that little problem, then I got one of my own.
Glancing at my watch it was nearly half- past-ten and hope of the lion's arrival was about gone. Just then the night's silence was quickly broken by a loud growl, un-mistakably that of a lion! If you've never heard one in person, describing it in writing will never do it justice. The most guttural, deep, and spine-piercing noise you will ever hear up close, that I assure you. Quickly I pulled up my binoculars and could just make out the outline of a lion roughly ten yards to the right of the bait. With less than a half-moon it was extremely difficult to tell exactly how good the lion was, or if in fact he was the one we were looking for at all. Then I leaned forward, looked through my scope, and was amazed at how well I could see the cat. I could very distinctively see the outline of his mane, and quite clearly my crosshairs settling perfectly on his chest. I knew it was him, and knew this was our chance. The bait was exactly 80 yards from the blind so making a good shot was imperative, especially at night. Glenn readied the spotlight and Ryan manned the camera. The lion was now on the bait and began tugging at it ferociously. It took all six of us to manoeuver the giraffe quarter into place, so watching as he swung it around wildly, and with such ease, was totally amazing. Powerful is nothing but an understatement! Meanwhile, I was directing Glenn with the light, and told him to wait a minute as the lion had moved to the back side of the bait, and his vitals were covered by the hanging meat. Finally he shuffled back to his left and gave a quartering broadside shot, so I whispered to Glenn to hit the light. As soon as he did, just as quickly the lion bolted into the darkness. Obviously that plan wasn't going to work, and we were afraid of that. Two nights earlier we got one picture of him on the trail camera, but he quickly swatted it right off the tree. Light was not something he felt comfortable with, and changing that was not going to happen. We gave it a shot, but I was not sure how many times he was going to hang around for that. Five minutes later he returned and I leaned over to Glenn, and whispered, “I can take him without the light.”
“What, no, no way, we need to use the light” he hissed, but I insisted I could do it!
He reluctantly agreed to let me give it a go. I honestly am over-confident in the ability of the cartridge I shoot, the .375 RUM with a custom loaded 270 grain Triple Shock bullet, is purely amazing. John LaSala owner of Safari Arms Ltd from Seaford, NY., loads all of my ammo, including this particular cartridge, pushing the Barnes bullet an amazing 2,950 fps out the muzzle. It has proved to me to be the most devastating bullet and gun combo I have ever used on big, dangerous game. Amazing though, was the incredible ability of the new Nikon Monarch scope I was using that sat atop the gun. This was my first experience with the new scope, and honestly without it, I never would have been able to take the shot. I have never seen a scope with such incredible light gathering ability, proof that quality equipment sometimes can make the difference.
Again Shumba approached the bait, and again he gave me the same quartering on shot, that was all I needed. “Boom”, the loud crack, and brilliant muzzle flash, erupted the quite night's silence. The lion's roar was incredible, and quickly the PH shone the light. The lion was engulfed in a death spin, biting his left foreleg, and angrily trying to determine what was causing his pain. I reloaded, fired twice more, but never touched him again.
Thankfully the first one did the trick, and my 9th lion lay silent on the ground.
Unfortunately for us, our little experience here was far from over. Of course the high fives, the back slapping and all the whooping and hollering were just about complete when the Land Cruiser showed up with all the trackers to partake in the fun. As we start loading up to drive over and have a look at our prize, that spine tingling sound I told you about earlier, broke through the gang's commotion, and quickly got our full attention. Obviously our lion had a companion, who was less -than-impressed with the evening's extra-curricular activities. Hurriedly the trackers started wildly shining the light. Sure enough, only 20 yards from my lion, stood his brother. Now the fiasco was about to begin. As we all approached in the truck, the lion stood in defiance, not willing to relinquish his brother to the lighted, rumbling beast. We had no choice though, we needed to get my prize, try to get in, get the lion and get out of there, without shooting his buddy or getting anyone hurt. Unfortunately, the wonderful conclusion to my video-taped lion hunt was going to have to wait. Getting out, slapping backs and shaking hands just wasn't going to happen, not there anyway! So it was decided, one of the trackers would get on top of the truck and work the light. As long as you shined the light directly on the lion, he would keep his distance. Take it off him, however, and instantly he was less-than 15 yards from the truck. No question this was getting dangerous. I stood at the front of the truck, rifle at the ready, and the other guys, including Ryan the cameraman, loaded up the lion. Not an easy task. When we weighed this bruiser at the skinning shed, he tipped the scales at 229kg, or 503lbs, that's huge! Finally though, he was loaded and we got the heck out of Dodge. Seemed as though nothing on this hunt was going to come easy, but who would want it any other way? Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but when it comes to lion hunting, just playing the game is enough for me. Take your chances, roll the dice, and maybe you too will be “On Cloud Nine”.
A minimalist battery - .22, 9,3x62 and a .458 Lott.
The .458 Lott still wears a big fibre-optic front sight and a Streamlight torch for illumination in low light. The 9,3 has a variety of sighting options from ‘scopes to red dot sights, and is able to meet all hunting needs from shooting impala to elephant.
Getting ready for a future review on whether iron sights are obsolete on dangerous game rifles. A selection of optical sights suitable for hunting dangerous game from Leupold, Trijicon, Burris and Tasco.
Even the Leupold 1.5- 5 or 1-4 scopes that I have for my 9,3 are not what you need at ten yards and under. As a way around this, I am trying a variety of red dot sights on the next cull, and have also installed a very high front sight with a quick detachable peep sight that mounts on the rear scope base as a back-up plan. Still, when dealing with dangerous game, you want the best, not ‘make do’. It is also a fallacy that on any rifle with significant recoil that you can have a choice of ‘scope or regular open sights. The rifle must fit when you are using the ‘scope. As the butt touches your shoulder and your cheek settles into the comb you need to be looking straight through the ‘scope. Remove the ‘scope and try and use the factory-fitted open sights and you have to force your cheek down into the stock to line up the sights. Too slow in a dangerous game situation, and too painful to practice with on the range.
If the rifle is stocked for a ‘scope (which it should be if you primarily use one) then the open sights must mount high enough so that when they are flipped up or attached for use they line up where the crosshairs would be. If I can find a sight that will allow either a ‘scope or some sort of red-dot/ reflex/holo-sight/peep sight that allows a simple change and as fast and accurate shooting as my old peep sights then we are onto a winner, but... There is still the rather sticky problem of stopping power in dangerous situations versus cheapness of practice and general handiness of the rifle under the 99% of hunting conditions. The 9,3s (x62; x64; and x74R), the .376 Steyr and .375 H&H are all excellent general purpose hunting rounds for all round African use. They were, in fact intended as the logical replacements for the medium bores as the 'one man' rifles. Loaded with solids, they work great on the smaller antelope. Loaded with good soft points, they are fantastic on the largest plains game, and are very adequate for dangerous game except under adverse conditions - and therein lies the crunch -‘except under adverse conditions’. You do not play hide-and-seek with elephant cows in the jesse with a 9,3 or .375. You do not follow a wounded lion
into a reed bed armed with one either! These are dangerous enough activities with-
out being stupid about one’s rifle. So we are back to needing a rifle with a bore
size starting with at least .4 and all the problems that entails.
I have tried to use both a .458 with 'light loads' and the 300grn loadings in my .404
to shoot plains game. Some people are a lot more recoil - tolerant than I, but neither
was exactly fun to shoot! Then there was the rather awkward matter of regulation. My
.404 shot to point-of-aim at 50m with a 400grn Woodleigh solid or Stuart soft. It shot
14” high and 8” left at 100m with 300grn softs. Whether you are adjusting a ‘scope
or cranking a peep sight over that kind of variation in point of impact makes it
impractical to change loads. In the .458 I tried, there was a similar problem.
You could Zero the ’scope for the 350grn loads and revert to open sight for the
500s but that was the best option available. Since the rifle was stocked for use with
open sights I collected a magnificent magnum eyebrow trying to shoot an impala with
the ‘scope fitted!
Above - the .44 Ganyana. Inset - the .400 Tembo flanked by a .375 H&H and a .404
africa's professional journal for serious hunters since 1994
africa's professional journal for serious hunters since 1994
This is a short story based on two safaris I conducted in the Zambezi valley, Zimbabwe. It is a true testament to the tenacity, strength and aggressive nature of the African buffalo, the unpredictable danger involved in hunting this animal and the underestimation of how he can absorb heavy calibre fire power.
The author, PH Lance Nesbitt, and client, Greg Allyn, with one of the buffalo mentioned in the story
After about an hour of careful tracking we were moving up a small valley when the trackers suddenly stopped and pointed ahead. About 40 yards in front was a buffalo bull walking straight towards us, he had a good spread and heavy bosses, so I motioned to my hunter to get in position to shoot, and to take him when he had a clear shot. At about 35 yards he fired into the left shoulder of the bull, it hunched and started to run off, he fired a second shot at the buffalo as it thundered off through the brush, with a second old bull not far off to the right. I did not fire as I prefer to only shoot if I think it is needed. We both thought the first shot had been good, as did the trackers. Now, the usual rule of hunting is to wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes for the wound to bleed out and for the adrenaline to fade. But we did not do this, we were confident and perhaps a little over zealous in our optimism. We followed after only five minutes or so, but did not follow directly on the spoor - this may have saved us in the end! The bulls had run off into a thicket fifty yards over a small rise. We followed in the general direction but off to the left along a small path, stopping and looking every few metres. We had not gone far when, from the corner of my eye, I noticed a strange shape. All the sticks were in a vertical sort of arrangement, but the one I noticed was horizontal…
I stopped and slowly raised my Swarovski 8x30 binoculars, trying to make out the shape in the darkness of the brush. As I did this, the bushes erupted with a loud deep throated grunt. Then he came at us, head raised over the lowest sticks, eyes full of hatred and pain and with a determined course - kill or be killed, no other options...
After examination of the entry wounds we concluded that the first shot had hit slightly high and back - a mortal wound but not resulting in a quick death, we could not find the second shot. As the bull charged us, both our first shots had hit it right and left of the head entering in to the neck but not doing much to slow him down. My second shot had broken the other shoulder, hence he started to stumble. My client’s second shot had amazingly just glanced off the skull, not entering but exploding bone fragments into the brain, thus the knock out blow at the end.
The young video man did a fantastic job, stood his ground and managed to get it all on film. I’m not sure if he thought this was all ‘normal’, or if he was frozen with fear to the spot, either way he did well. We all relived this moment many times in the next few days and were very thankful no one got hurt.
My very next safari was also a buffalo hunt with another good hunting friend. Ironically, he had also brought along a .470 NE double rifle. As can be expected, the events of my previous hunt and our encounter with the enraged buffalo, were discussed at great length - were very pumped up during the next few days tracking.
We were hot on the tracks of three bulls that day and had bumped them once or twice already that morning. After waiting for a while to let them settle, we continued on their tracks. They were following a river course and were heading along with the wind. I decided to try and loop around ahead of them, cutting out to the right and finally ending up on a slight ridge ahead of where I thought they would appear. After sitting and glassing for about half an hour, we saw them ambling along an elephant path through the brush.
He was only about 35 yards off but we were trying to view him through some fairly thick brush. We finally concluded that he must be our wounded buffalo. We could not see any other members of the group. His horns looked the same so I decided to shoot. There was not enough room to get my client up in to a shooting position so I told him that I would shoot first. If the bull ran either left or right he would have a better view and shot. I fired, aiming for the joint of the neck and shoulder - all I could see. At the impact of the shot he got up and charged…straight at us, grunting all the time! I fired the second barrel hitting him in the centre of the chest. My client somehow also managed to get off a shot off through some very thick bush - the two shots hitting the buffalo less than two inches apart - a combined impact of over12000 foot pounds of energy! He did not even flinch! I was now out of bullets and had my rifle open, reloading as fast as I could, at the same instant my client fired his second barrel, hitting the buffalo in the neck with enough shock to drop him just five yards from us. By this stage I had reloaded and put in another shot to the back of his head. It was all over.
We found that both the first two shots had hit the buffalo very well - it still amazes me to this day how he could have still been alive, let alone have the energy to get up after a third shot and charge into a hailstorm of big lead bullets? The mind boggles! I have seen buffalo die with just a single well-placed shot from a .375 rifle.
In no way do I want to underplay the .470 NE bullet, or any other calibre. This account is in no way meant to be a set of rules, do’s or do not’s for the buffalo hunter. It merely illustrates the unpredictability of Africa’s buffalo - their sheer will to live, to take out retribution on anyone or anything that gets in their way. The ability to take hits from so called ‘stoppers’, and the cunning to wait in ambush for the pursuer.
Africa’s big game has a lot to offer - all will excite you, all are to be respected, and all are to be pursued with dignity and fair chase. However, hunting buffalo is like a drug - it gets the adrenaline going. Hunt him once, and you will be hooked for life. There is a saying that an old dagga boy looks at you like you owe him money... most of the time he will try and collect!
There is a saying that an old dagga boy looks at you like you owe him money...
About the Author
Lance Nesbitt is a Professional Hunter and Guide and operates in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique. For more information visit www.nesbitthunting.com or email:neshunt@mweb.co.zw
africa's professional journal for serious hunters since 1994
Luck, I've always been a big believer in luck, I also believe that often times you make your own luck. So after ten days of exhaustive hunting the only luck we had made to that point was simple, none!
African big game hunting is my passion, lion in particular. I've literally spent the past 13 years of my life, since taking my first lion in 1995, trying everyday to figure out how and where to do it again. My early adult life lead me from hunting guide, to outfitter, to international hunting consultant, and more recently specializing in helping my clients from around the globe find the very best lion hunts available throughout the continent. As co-owner of Global Hunting Resources, my occupation has certainly allowed me additional opportunity to try and follow my dreams - the next 16 days would be no exception. By the end of this hunt I would have clocked up some 300 days in pursuit of the ‘king-of-beasts’ - I can only hope life has in store for me 300 more. If life is about following your dreams, then without question, my dreams have already come true!
I was trying for my ninth lion, and at the same time, doing some product testing for my good friend Jon Lacorte of Nikon. He was kind enough to give me a shot at trying one of the new big-game hunting scopes they were promoting, the “Monarch”, a beautiful looking matte finish, 2.5 x 10 rifle scope with incredible light-gathering capability.
Along with that, I was of course using my favourite dangerous game rifle, the .375 Remington Ultra mag., loaded with 270 grain Barnes Triple Shock bullets. My theory is that, if you can't shoot so well, shoot a big gun! I cannot begin to tell you how many critters I have taken with this particular combo, but I assure you it's plenty. Along with lion, we were after the ever-dangerous and exciting
“dagga boy” and maybe a klipspringer if everything went right. Although the conservancy is blessed with excellent populations of game, this 16-day hunt was primarily a dangerous game safari. I couldn't wait.
As I mentioned earlier, the first ten days of the hunt just hadn’t gone in our favour. From the start we decided to concentrate on the lion. It was obviously my priority animal, and the one that generally takes up most time and effort.
Prior to my hunt Clive, Glenn’s father, Executive Director and founder of the conservancy invited a lion researcher from Hwange National Park to come out to Senuko and give them an estimated count of the lion population. Clive started the conservancy in the late 1980s, at which time the lions had been completely wiped out by the previous cattle ranchers for obvious reasons. However, in 2000 they started to see the lions returning to the area. More recently, they have started to see quite a few. The researcher spent a week or so, only looked for tracks, and determined by some ‘lion-counting-formula’ that they had roughly 15 lions on the sprawling 70 000 acre property. I can’t speculate as to how accurate this formula is, but what I can tell you, is that, by our own calculations - with several different trail cameras, multiple bait locations, we knew of at least 26 different lions in the area. I have a trail cam photo with 11 individual lions in one picture, it was simply unbelievable! I have never seen a place with so many lions, ever! Our problem wasn’t the lions, it was bait. By day ten we were on our third giraffe and second zebra, and they were quickly disappearing. We needed things to change quickly in our favour, or I was going be skinning the trophies, and doing the dishes, in order to cover the cost for my bait animals.
Senuko is perched a hundred feet above a waterhole. It makes for a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy one's big game safari. Wildlife frequented the waterhole throughout the evening, and on several occasions herds of buffalo would arrive just after dark.
The area, some 70 000 acres in extent, encompasses stunning hunting terrain.
Clive Stockil started the conservancy in the late 1980s. Very little of the original wildlife still remained. Lions had been completely wiped out by the previous cattle ranchers.
Hours later a final glance at my watch indicated it was 10pm when we finally abandoned our post. Riding back to camp we tallied the score. Pretty simple: shumba 2, hunters 0!
As dawn broke we were already on our way back to the bait. Upon arrival, we simply couldn’t believe our eyes. Sometime in the night after we had left he had fed; either he's a really late feeder or, more likely, he knows what's up - we knew we were in for a long hunt. I had a big lion do the very same thing to me in Zambia in 2003. For two weeks we hunted him, sitting on six separate occasions, each time he never showed. When we didn't sit, he would feed. We tried everything, moved the bait, moved the blind, moved both, it didn't matter. Finally we gave up, he was simply too smart for us.
Nightmares of that hunt were flashing through my head as we stared in disbelief at the devoured bait overhead. The look on
Glenn's face was classic, totally stumped. Glenn turned to me, “we need more bait.”
africa's professional journal for serious hunters since 1994
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