Anyone wanna see pics of my Zimbabwe Buff hunt?

[Rich Lucibella]

With any luck, they'll be provided almost real time from in-country. I'm told we'll have internet access and will be taking my laptop and digicam.


The good news:
I leave Tuesday.

The bad news:
You can't come!

Rich

[mete]

Yes give us all the info ! DO NOT adjust camera while buff is charging !!!

[Art Eatman]

Sure!

Art

[JohnKSa]

Lemme think...

Ok, I guess so--but that doesn't mean you can get away without telling the story when you return.

[Dave Haven]

The bad news:
You can't come!

DAMMIT!


I look forward to seeing the pics.

[rem33]

Enjoy and have a good hunt.
Looking forward to the pictures

[Dave R]

Pix in near-real time....the next best thing to being there.

Looking forward to the vicarious fun.

[Socrates]

I'd love it!!!
What are you hunting, and, what are you hunting it with?
Where are you going, and for how long?

S

[MeekAndMild]

Carry an umbrella. You'd be surprised how much they come in handy.

[Rich Lucibella]

Soc-
I'll be 15 days at Mokore Ranch, Southeast Zimbabwe.
http://www.mokoresafaris.com/Safari%20Areas.htm

I'll be there for Cape Buff and Plains Game, though a Leopard license has just become available. Hippo is still being negotiated but may be a non-starter due to the need to move camps to get one.

The Buff/Hippo gun is an iron sighted 50 Alaskan:
Marlin Lever Action, customized by David Clay (DRC Custom) and Ashley Emerson.
Ammunition is a combination of Grizzly Ammo 460 gr Belt Mountain jacketed bullets at 2,000 fps and Grizzly/Belt Mountain 500 gr solids. This combination prints within 2 inches of each other from the bench at 100 yards.

The Plains Game piece is my beloved Blaser R93 in .338 Winmag.
Ammunition consists of custom loaded 250 gr Game Kings and 250 gr Barnes X's, also loaded to the same point of impact at 100 yards.

Rich

[oldbillthundercheif]

Ah, you mean Rhodesia...

Try to bag a few Terr gunmen while you are over there... you can say it was a hunting accident

[FirstFreedom]

ok, you twisted our collective arm. .50 Alaskan - nice; leave it to an American to hunt Africa with guns of the Old West.

There's some bruisers on the gallery there...

http://www.mokoresafaris.com/Buffalo%20Fick.htm

[Socrates]

Rich
Are you the guy that took the big 5 with a lever gun?

S

[Rich Lucibella]

Are you the guy that took the big 5 with a lever gun?

Negatory.
But Lynn Thompson of Cold Steel took 'em all with a handgun; then went back and took several with a spear.

I'd hardly think a 50 AK lever gun grants braggin' rights after that.

leave it to an American to hunt Africa with guns of the Old West.

I'd willingly do it with my Blaser .416.....and almost did. What makes you think the 50 AK is not equivalent? Simply because it's on a platform that is impeccable?
Rich

[FirstFreedom]

No I think it's extremely cool, to use the levergun over something like a Blaser - it's just so American - show those Euro hunters how to get 'er done!

[Socrates]

Well, .50 alaskan gives you ballistics similar too, but a bit lower, then the 458 win mag. As a hunting rifle, you should be fine. As a stopper, it's not, but niether is the 416.
As long as you have solids, you should be fine, with good/great penetration. Shot placement is the key.
Plus, I'm sure you have someone behind you with a stopper.
S

[JohnKSa]

Rich,

Did you get all that?

Good thing you didn't leave on your trip without getting the scoop on the capabilities of your rifle as well as some ammo suggestions. And it's a good thing you'll have someone backing you up with a real rifle.

It makes me wonder how you survived your last African hunting trip--you know, having to go off without any good information about what kind of ammo to use, etc.

[Socrates]

Rich:
Just thinking out loud, and, I'm trying to make the same decisions. Currently plan on rebarreling my 375 H&H to 450 Watts, and going to open sites.




Above are some shots of my girls.

Wondering if I should take the 30-06, or change it to something like 375 or 35 Whelan?

Why did you pick the calibers you are taking?

S

[Rich Lucibella]

John-


Soc-
The .338 Decision:
When I first hunted Africa it was with a .308 for plains game. I knew I'd be back for the big stuff. I also knew that the .375 was ubiquitous. So, I started looking for options and kept coming up with one answer: Blaser.

Interchangeable barrels; bombproof; sweet. Since they make a .416, that was my first choice for buff. That decided, the .375 was superfluous, so I chose a second caliber that could take everything from hog to Eland to Elk....338 WinMag.

Of course, before I left for my first Buff hunt, I'd already had a 45-70 built up for the purpose. I took all three Buffalo with that piece and the .416 has never seen Africa. The 50 AK was simply the next logical step from the 45-70.

As a stopper, it's not, but niether is the 416.

We'll simply agree to disagree there. A "stopper" is anything that can break dangerous game down; both the .416 and 50 AK will do that handily with the right bullet and placement.

Rich

ps: I believe it was Vince Lupo who took the Big Five with a lever gun and Garrett ammunition.

[Socrates]

Thanks Rich

"Zim Parks records show some facts central to this discussion. First is that it is ussually not the elephant being hunted that causes problems but either another elephant accompanying the hunted elephant or a suprise attack from an elephant. Second is the statistics for escaping harm from a bad encounter with an elephant show that all hunters using 375H&H's were either seriously injured or killed, and that the chances of escaping either serious harm or death only increased beyond 50/50 when the hunter was using a 458 or bigger bore rifle."

found this in another posting. Comments?

Well, if there is one thing I've been learning lately is the rules for stopping rifles seem a bit different with 50 caliber rifles, or pistols. I recently shot a 570 grain, soft point, out of a 500 Nitro Express, double, at 2014 fps. That IS considered a stopper, so the .50 AK may well be. Just haven't tried it, or really heard much about it.

I've also been learning that 525 grain 50 caliber bullets, at as slow as 1100 fps, simply hammer game like a 375 H&H, so, a bit faster, and, I may concede the point. Let me know.(Socrates runs to new Hogdon reloading manual to look up new cartridge, for him ) WOW! How long is your barrel? Looks like the 50 AK REALLY likes heavy bullets, like 525's, at 1850, with 35k pressure. GOT to like that.

I'd like another 150 ft a sec, but, I'm really wondering, with that big a bullet, if the game is going to notice the difference in velocity?

Rich, What did you use in 45-70 for your buffalo, last trip, and what kind of rifle was it?

Is the Blaser a 416 Rigby, and are you taking that with you, as well? (conversion kit, etc.?) I've heard, that the 400 grain 2400 fps out of the Rigby is VERY effective on cats, and, a great round for near anything.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when I look at the 35 Whelan, 338 Win Mag, 9.3X6.2, 9.3X74R, and 375 H&H, I just don't see much difference. They all get 250's going fast enough to be effective, and, the caliber is about the same. So, you picked one, next step up is the 416.
Always fun learning about new calibers, and guns.
I've heard Jack Huntington is chambering the long cylinder BFR's for the 50 Alaskan, and getting 525's going 1650 fps. Now THAT's a handful.

Currently this gun



will get 525's going 1550 fps, .500 Linebaugh Maximum, but, what I've got it loaded with is going 1350 fps.
Bullets are empty 500 NE case, 440 grain 500 JRH bullet, another one taken from an Asian Buffalo, off side, after going through the animal, and hitting bone, a 525 grain
.510 caliber bullet for the Max, and, a ready to go 570 grain soft point, for the 500 NE.

Look forward to hearing about your trip-)

S

[FrontSight]

Definitely post pics!! And let us know how hippo tastes if you manage to seal that deal - Capstick raved about how delicious hippo meat is supposed to be...been dying to taste some!!

[Dave R]

The Buff/Hippo gun is an iron sighted 50 Alaskan:Marlin Lever Action,

Just curious--what's the barrel length on your .50 levergun? Is it another short-barrelled "thumper" like your .45-70?

[Pointer]

Absolutely

Yes give us all the info! DO NOT adjust camera while buff is charging !!!

Better yet, you hold the gun...

Let somebody else hold the camera...

That way you can come home with the camera...

Get a trophy!

[Rich Lucibella]

I've got an early wake up for the flight to NY.
Will try to answer some questions here:

Barrel length of the 50 Alaskan. Against my "better" judgment, Ashley did this one in the same octagonal barrel configuration as the 45-70, but with a few extra inches for weight. I'd say it's 22 inches. Ashley was right, and from field positions, I've yet to feel the recoil.

Bullet choice:
I normally shoot Buffalo Bore 450 grain LFN's (nominal 2050 fps) for hog and the like; though, I have used their 45-70's with good result on Cape Buff. Fr this trip, we've opted for the Belt Mountain 460 gr bonded "Punch" backed up by Belt Mountain Solids: http://www.beltmountain.com/

Nominal speed is 2000 fps and 1850 fps respectively. However, if I've learned anything from Randy Garret, it's that velocity has diddly to do with penetration of hard casts. In fact, some can cast bullets so hard that velocity risks shattering them like glass on hard bone. Randy know the art of cast and ogive and can push his heavy "Hammerhead" 45-70's lengthwise thru a North American Bison at barely over 1600 FPS!

Personally, I'm more comfortable with speed in excess of 2,000 - 2,200 fps to give a higher probability of "hydrostatic damage" to soft tissue; but that didn't seem to matter to the last 3 Buff I shot with the 45-70. They died.

The 45-70:
That, too, was born a Marlin Lever gun. Turned into a satin nickel plated, octo barrelled (18.5"), breakdown rifle by David Clay with a lot of demands from Ashley Emerson.

The safari barrel and forend to the Blaser is a 416 RemMag. It remains home....it'd be redundant given the 50 AK.

I'm off.
Rich

[Eghad]

this thread is useless without pics.....