African Outfitter is an independent international bimonthly publication promoting
fair hunting and ethical business practices within the hunting industry.
From a hunting perspective, the preservation of biodiversity on the
African continent is the first and foremost priority. The emphasis
is however also on the sustainable utilisation of wildlife.

African Outfitter Back Issues: CONTENTS - April / May 2007 - (Vol 2/3)

Preparing for Africa... - Rod Cockerill

"What rifle calibre should I bring?" is still the most frequently asked question from hunters coming to Africa for the first time.

The answer really needs to be qualified beyond just firing back a suitable number. As long as there are hunters around the campfire there will be heated debate about what constitutes the best rifle calibre and yet the same enthusiasm does not seem to extend to bullets, sighting devices and anything else that will influence and ultimately determine the success or failure of the shot.

Like a team, the combination is only as good as the weakest member and this even extends to the rifle case entrusted with protecting the integrity of the now carefully chosen combination. Personal preference will ultimately sway your final selection, but the following guidelines are offered to simplify the decision process for a typical plains game safari and hopefully improve your chances of success.

Plains game hunting refers to all our non-dangerous game species and covers animals from the tiny 4 kg blue duiker up to eland, which can weigh in at over 800 kg. These species cover diverse terrains and habitats, from dense jungle type undergrowth to deserts that appear to be devoid of life, gentle rolling hills, energy sapping mountains and plains so flat that you can see the curvature of the earth. Unless you are hunting all of these on an extended or specialised safari, there is no reason to bring more than one rifle/calibre combination. With the security restrictions of modern day travelling plus the fact that you can only use one rifle at a time, it is just simple common sense.

Apart from the type of terrain and the hunting conditions, your choice will also be guided by what animals you have booked to hunt as well as the laws of the country pertaining to rifle types and minimum calibres for certain species. Within the recommendations offered by your outfitter, it is really important to choose the rifle that you are most confident with, that is both comfortable to carry and shoot, and then optimise it to best meet the specific conditions of your hunt.

Rifle types for hunting in South Africa are restricted to bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action, single shot and double rifles. Any action that feeds another round automatically after discharging the one in the chamber (auto-loader / semi-automatic) is against the law, and may not be used for hunting.

The most common and sensible choice is a strong and reliable bolt action of which there are many fine examples available off the shelf. If you are purchasing a new rifle that will eventually lead you on to dangerous game, controlled feed and large magazine capacity are essential features.

Although some may appear to be suitable, it could just let you down in the field, and an example of this is my own Mauser 66 in 9.3x64. The M 66 is a 2-tier telescopic push feed action, designed to accommodate relatively long cartridges in a short action. Flawlessly engineered with a crisp and precise trigger, it is just the job for picking off pigs out of a high seat in a European forest. Spotlessly clean, it functions with unerring German efficiency, but it can fail horribly when exposed to the dusty conditions of the African bush. This is not the type of information you need to discover when something large is coming at you with serious intent. Although you may question what relevance this has for a plains game rifle, never underestimate anything that has been wounded, nor suffer the "curse of the click" on a trophy of a lifetime.

Although my personal preference is for a sexy stick of walnut, synthetic and laminated stocks are undoubtedly more practical, require less maintenance and are more forgiving and tolerant of abuse in rough conditions. They are also unaffected by climatic changes which is an important consideration when travelling from the cold and damp northern conditions to our dry warm climate.

If you prefer a wooden stock, then have it glass bedded and the barrel free floated as accuracy could be affected by a tight metal to wood fit and climatic change. Our glorious sunshine dictates that blued or dull barrel coatings are better than the now more popular stainless steel. Reflection from these shiny surfaces could give away your position and ruin a great trophy opportunity. I am always amused to see hunters covered from head to toe in the latest "3D supreme hardwood" camouflage kit waving a polished mirror shiny barrel and scope. You may as well announce your arrival in the bush with a brass band. If you have the perfect combination with a stainless barrel and scope, use burlap sacking and/or cammo tape to temporarily cover the shine.

Personally I am no fan of muzzle brakes, my hearing is damaged enough, and they add unwieldy length to already over-long barrels. Bushveld hunting requires a lot of stepping around bushes, stooping under thorn trees and stalking may even require a leopard crawl. Shorter barrels are just much more practical and a barrel length of between 20 and 22 inches will have very little effect on muzzle velocities and/or accuracy. My own .375 Winchester 70 became more accurate after reducing the barrel length from 26 to 21 inches. This is a simple job for a competent gunsmith but re-crowning the barrel is essential.

Sights are often a commonly neglected element. If you use a scope, don't go cheap on the scope or the mounts. Buy the best, even if it hurts. I have found variable power scopes to be the most troublesome, and in bushveld hunting too much magnification is more of a hindrance than a help. The best recommendation I can make for these conditions is a fixed 4 x (6 x at most). If you must have a variable, a very practical setup is a 1.5 to 4 x 20. Messing with scopes and mounts whilst on safari will not only undermine your confidence, but will take away valuable hunting time. I have had more than a few clients pack away their rifles and continue hunting with my 30-06 due to scope and mount problems. Most return on their second safari with a more practical setup.

Scope mounts should be as low as possible to enable the eye to align perfectly down the scope tube with the cheekbone resting on the comb of the stock. Test this by shouldering the rifle with eyes closed. When you open your sighting eye, you should see the crosshairs without any adjustment to either the rifle or your head position.

You may get away with it off the bench, but you will never be consistently accurate in the field if you have to crane your neck to get a sight picture.

If you want a recommendation on iron sights, there is none better than the excellent wide V express which come standard on the CZ/Brno rifles, and for a front bead I use a fibre optic Williams Firesight.

Bullet failure beats shot placement 2:1 on reasons why we have to track down wounded game. As the primary responsibility of the hunter is to kill as quickly and cleanly as possible, bullet selection is vital. Not only do follow-ups waste valuable hunting time, but you risk losing your trophy to scavengers or just good old fashioned hair-slip when not recovered in good time.

I am always astounded as to how much research and technical mumbo jumbo the average hunter goes into when choosing a new rifle and calibre, and how little consideration is given to the choice of the actual bullet. Thankfully there does appear to be an upsurge of awareness on this very important factor.

In choosing the best and strongest bullets available, it is also important to choose one with a consistent history of reliable expansion. Too strong a bullet is as much of a problem as one that breaks up and does not penetrate through to the vitals. There are so many top quality premium bullets available to us today that I would go so far as to say that we are really spoilt for choice.

For expanding bullets I have nothing but high praise for Rhino Solid Shank, Stewart Hi-Performer, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Swift A-Frame and Barnes X, which have all performed consistently for me and my clients in various calibres and bullet weights launched between 2150 and 2900 fps, and if recovered, consistently over 80% weight retention.

At muzzle velocities below 2500 fps, Nosler Partition, Woodleigh Weldcore and Claw have all proved to be consistent and reliable performers.

With today's choice of factory loads and specialist reloaded ammunition, there is no reason not to bring out different loads for one rifle even if you do not reload yourself. At 100 metres, my 30-06 prints a 140gr Barnes X bullet leaving the barrel at 2940 fps 3" directly above a 200 gr Rhino Solid Shank bullet doing 2380 fps.

Admittedly not all rifles are as forgiving as my Krico, but the point is that this rifle, with these two loads, can account for all our plains game in diverse conditions without any scope or sight adjustments.

Calibre choice in the context of plains game is more important because of trajectories than actual killing power, and your choice is simply a matter of suitability for the species hunted and expected shooting distances. I study the wound channels and bullet performance of almost everything our clients shoot. Accurate shot placement and optimum bullet performance are far more important than the calibre used. Consider the .270 Win as the lightest calibre to bring on a general plains game hunt. Loaded with 160 gr premium bullets, the .270 is adequate for everything up to kudu. If toughies like blue wildebeest and zebra are on your list, 7 mm should be considered your lightest calibre choice and for close encounters in the bushveld, the 7x57 (7 mm Mauser) loaded with 175 gr bullets is a great combination.

Close range bushveld hunting requires heavy, slow bullets and in standard factory loads, legends were made of such calibres as the 7x57, 8x57, .308 Win, .303 British and the 9.3x62 Mauser. What they all have in common is their heavy and long for calibre bullets at moderate velocities. They punch through the cabbage and provide sufficient momentum to maintain straight-line penetration and optimum bullet performance. I recently hunted with a client and his .375 JDJ. This short-barreled single shot with low scope mount proved to be a deadly combination in his hands with 8/8 one shot kills including gold medals for his red hartebeest, kudu and nyala.

Although not well known in Africa, I was also very impressed with a client's .35 Whelen, which proved more than powerful enough for our biggest and toughest plains game.

Only if you are hunting in open terrain where long shots are required, would any of the 7 mm Magnums be required and if you are predominantly after larger antelope such as eland, move up to the heavier bullets offered by the .30 calibres. If you own an 8x68 or .338 "anything", you unfortunately need not go shopping for a new rifle, and the.375 H&H loaded with 235 gr bullets at around 2900 fps also makes it an excellent and versatile choice for long-range plains game.

If you want to see a PH shudder and turn pale, try turning up for a bushveld hunt with any of the ultra-fast Magnums. As average shooting distances are very much shorter than these cartridges and bullets are designed for, results are definitely less than satisfactory, and I can cite many instances of ruined and lost trophies. If there is absolutely no other option for you, have a reloading specialist cook up some reduced loads with heavier premium grade bullets.

I have had clients hunt with calibres from 270 to 470, and when used sensibly and within their design limits, there are no bad calibres. If you are planning an African safari or just looking for an excuse to buy a new rifle, you will not go wrong with any of the following or those that offer similar ballistics.