My Elephant Gun

Fotis the big thump never bother me when I was tipping the Toledos at 300lbs :shock: but now that I am 100 lbs lighter it touches things that seem to hurt :(!
I always liked my weight around 300lbs but my Doctor told me the weight would have been fine if I had not be born vertically challenged :lol:.

Blessings,
Dan
 
My .375 pales in comparison, with only a 300 gr bullet at 2550 fps... Still, I'd hunt elephant with it if I could afford the hunt!

Beautiful rifles guys. It's funny that so many of us have some big bore & medium bore rifles... That we simply enjoy. May or may not ever get to use them for their intended purpose, but they are fun to own and shoot.

Guy
 
It has been my observation that most real rifle loonies will always own at least a medium and usually a big bore thumper as well, even if they never go to Alaska or Africa.
 
This is my .375 H&H Mag, it's my favourite rifle, I really love shoot'n this thing!



 
BTW, EuroOptic has a bunch of Model 85 Classic's on sale for $1995. For you Sako lovers. Listed in Guns America.
 
WOW ! I feel under gunned and vulnerable and congrats on that CZ 404 Jeffery! This is the kinda thread that gets those Benjamin's flowing really quick but The Dark Continent is about the only place I may be actually vulnerable in but you guys sure have some pretty Thumpers!! Now it's time for Pat to show some Model 70 Big Bore action!!
 
Beautiful Gun.
CZ still builds things in the Classic Fashion.
That gun will still be awesome a long time after today's trendy PlayStation gas guns are so "yesterday".
 
Oldtrader3":bjt9dzl7 said:
Whoa, nice group for such a large caliber!
I agree. [emoji106]
Outstanding!
These are some smashing rifles. Thank you all for giving me something pleasant, these rifles, to dream about tonight.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
I have had several Big Bores through the years, but only had one .404 built. I had my smith open up a Mauser 98 military action, refined original trigger, Krieger barrel, NECG bottom metal/sights, right now I forget what make synthetic stock ( but it was medium weight). I researched the .404 and most observers said it recoiled like a .375 H&H but hit like a .458 ( this was using 400gr bullets.) I was going to use it on a cull cape buffalo hunt in Zimbabwe. Well, that year (2002) for a reason all of its own, my left retina tore ( no, not from shooting the big bores I had! ha) it took four procedures in the course of a year. After that, I didn't want to chance it for a few years, so gave the .404 to a Missionary friend of mine. The rest I sold/traded. I later bought a custom .458 Lott from a friend, but I never shot it, sold it off too! I would be fine now, all gristled up, ha, but my .35 Whelen AI is my biggest now, a real sweetheart. My African connection friend went batcrap crazy, got divorced from a fine woman and fancied himself as a self anointed Prophet...so I twisted off with him :evil: I nener wanted to be associated with that! So I'm done with Africa now ( I made three trips in all, with one side trip to Namibia). I never killed anything with any rifle bigger than the .375 ( elk, plains game) but I did get to see a cape buffalo on my last trip to South Africa ( late 2002, I took the Whelen with my left eye full of silicon oil to heal/allow me to fly) OMG! That bull's size made my Whelen feel like a pop-gun in my hands, ha. The three rhinos that trotted by 30yds from our Toyota p/u did too! My 'former friend" said they culled buffalo with .308s all the time. Not me buddy! ha. I traded a .404 mold to Marshall Stanton at Beartooth and he made me some 400gr hardcast, they are the ticket for lower recoil ( although I shot them at 2400!) loads that will work swell on deer/hogs,etc. That way you get to hunt with your rifle while you dream! Give him a call, he's a great guy. Remember, we do what we want to do in this life, so don't talk yourself out of a dangerous game hunt! Good luck Pard and great rifle you have! Jim
 
For some reason that I can't recall, I was compelled to buy a LH Weatherby Custom Shop 460WBY. The rifle was beautiful but kicked like all get-out. After several years of self abuse I decided to sell the rifle along with all the dies, bullets etc.
Just recently got the bug for something "big" again and bought a Ruger Guide rifle in 375Ruger. While the rifle shoots great with a 260 NPT bullet it has to be the ugliest rifle I've ever owned. Handsome as an Abrams tank!
 
If I today should choose to have a .400cal boltgun the .404Jeffery would the one. It´s a cartridge from 1905 and have been battleproven. It can be chambered in a standardlength Mauser 98 action. The sloping shoulders insures easy feeding when the bolt is worked fast.

Another vintage cartridge I can think of which has the same qualities of the .404Jeffery is the .425 Westley Richards. It is basically a .404Jeffery where the extractorrim has been lathed down to 8x57 specs and a .435cal bullet has added instead of a .423" cal.

Give me a Mauser98 .404cal at any time anywhere.
 
Closest thing I've got to this class of rifle is a .375 H&H, Winchester Model 70 with good iron sights and a 2.5x Leupold in QD rings. Might be a little light for elephant, but I don't think I'm ever hunting them anyway!

 
My gun is a Ruger 77lh that started life as a 300 WM and will end it life as a 458 AccRel. My brother and I turned the barrel with the rear sight base,2nd recoil lug, sling swivel stud and the front sight base all out of the blank. The stock is a great piece of quilted maple that a good friend gave me. I did most of the machine work and all the hand work. It not perfect but a very fine rifle. Still need to get the barrel blued but the black spray paint looks ok and get the stock checkered. I use it for a heavy duty lead bullet gun and have shot 1whitetail buck and a meat pig. When I shot the pig the game ranch guide said (I have never seen the ground hit a animal so hard!!). It is my go to gun for taking to the club open houses people just are in awe of the power as it hits steel and the damage it will do. Some day I hope to find a target where I need all of its power! Clint
 
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