Large Bore For Africa Hunt

[Zoar]

I hear ya guys. I couldn't agree more with you!

Indeed, back up guns (and usually gunner) are sage advice and common for any dangerous game hunt, even if you have a 500 Nitro Express double rifle costing $32,000 with 20 dollar and fifty cent rounds (each) delivering 5000 foot pounds of energy per barrel.

My friend has hunted grizzly, polar, brown bear, mountain lion with a bow. And the trophies in his house prove he was successful for all. He always had a back up gun (and gunner). Any hunter who hunts things that will bite back or stomp you to a fairly flat state are wise to have a backup gunner. And yes if a guy can hunt all of these dangerous critters with a bow and arrow and succeed I think that directly support the concept that a flintlock can also be used. Would I go with just a flintlock? Heck no. Who would?

 

[graybeard]

Who would? Not me. I drew a MI bear license last fall and hunted with a .50 flintlock, round ball and 90 grains of fffg. I carried an Army 1860 Colt replica. I decided I was very undergunned and this was black bear. Rest of the time I carried a heavy centerfire pistol backup. Never saw a bear and don't know whether I was disappointed or relieved. graybeard

 

[Dphar]

Who would? Not me. I drew a MI bear license last fall and hunted with a .50 flintlock, round ball and 90 grains of fffg. I carried an Army 1860 Colt replica. I decided I was very undergunned and this was black bear. Rest of the time I carried a heavy centerfire pistol backup. Never saw a bear and don't know whether I was disappointed or relieved. graybeard

I used to guide hunters just north of Yellowstone with the same firearms.
BP are not that tough if well hit with the first shot.
I have a 5" 629 Smith now I pack when hunting. With a ML. We have some "problem" griz in the area I sometimes hunt now, and wolves.
Hunters in the east should beware, there is talk of introducing them in the east. This is anti-hunting in the long term no matter what the animal lovers and environmental types say and is having a serious impact in Montana right now. It WILL reduce hunting opportunities and people really need to keep and eye on this a fight any reintroduction HARD.

Dan

 

[bingo1952]

We have already had "Red Wolves" and coyotes introduced here in NC and they do have an impact. In my mind the red wolf is nothing more than a coyote and should be shot on sight. Rumor has it that NCDNR turned the coyotes out 15-20 years ago but they refuse to make comment on it. We also get cougar sightings from time to time. These animals were not trapped and shot to the point of extinction over 100 years for no good reason. :thumbsup:

 

[Larry Pletcher]

Thinking of going to Africa and hunting leopard and Cape Buffalo. I want to do it with a roundball flint rifle. My question is I have a good rifle for the Leopard, but not sure what caliber would be good to go after Cape Buffalo. Second I'm thinking if I go after Cape Buffalo it's going to have to be a HUGE caliber where can one buy a LARGE CALIBER BARREL bigger than .62 to make my flinter? Any advice would be great.
Chris

Went back to the beginning to get your original quote. I just got my April MuzzleBlasts issue. There is a nice article about huge round ball guns for African game. Thought you might like it.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[Zoar]

I am more and more convinced that you could take your Cape Buffalo with a flintlock and it does not need to be a huge boulder thrower. It seems a 62 caliber or even 58 caliber loaded up stoutly would do the job.

I haven't hunted cape buffs myself but I have talked with several guys who have, and with guys who have used less usual guns, like 12 gauge and 10 gauge shotguns and even compound bow, 86 pound draw 700 grain arrow and broadhead combo.

The main thing the guys with the guns all said was they had to use hardened round balls, pure lead would not give the penetration. But if you hardened the round balls and had enough powder behind it it does not matter if the ignition system is a flint, a percussion cap, a shotgun primer, or a big magnum primer... the charge will drive a hardened projectile through the bones and do the damage needed to take the beast down and it is not a matter of needing more (ie bigger bore diameter) gun. A 470 Nitro or 500 Nitro Express is a common Cape gun. That is 47 caliber and 50 caliber, yes with heavy powder charges. Big Woodleigh bullets. But from what these Cape Buff hunters tell me, you don't need a bigger bore to take cape buffalo as much as you need penetration through foot pounds of energy and the proper design and hardness of the projectile. Thus, a .615 or .610 diameter round ball could be made hardened, much hadrer than pure lead, thus resulting in quite the cape buff killer, it would seem.

 

[sharps54]

Zoar,
You are on the right track, any animal can be killed with enough penetration and accuracy, that's why Bell did so well with the .275 Rigby (7X57) round. But Bell knew elephant anatomy backwards and forwards. With dangerous game it isn't a matter of a bigger bullet, it is putting the bullet in the right spot and having it penetrate in a straight line far enough to do the job. The "slight" advantage to a bigger bore is it gives you just a bit of leeway, plus it might stagger the game for a moment on a not so perfect shot. If larger was better then so many professional ivory hunters wouldn't have switched to the .375 when it came out.
I don't see any issue with using a .58 or .62 as long as it has good straight line penetration.
Sharps54

 

[faw3]

Just tacking this on to your post, I looked thru Rifle mag today has a great story about it's the bullet not this or that, guy used a tank killer on one of these things chriskletke wants a high power job and 5 shots I think, it started at 70 yards and was dropped at 15 feet. You'll have to read it Im just trying to remember by zooming thru it. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[sharps54]

That is another great point. It all comes down to hitting them good the first time before they "get their blood up"! Unlike humans animals don't know they are dead and from what I have read and heard if you don't kill a cape buff with the first shot it really doesn't matter what you are shooting. Once their adrenaline is up only a brain or CNS shot will save you.