[MacD37]

KShntr, leave the deer rifle at home if you are thinking of hunting dangerous game! The 45-70 is not legal in Africa for 3 of the big 5 in all places, and all but the leopard in others. It simply doesn't come up to the energy needed to qualify! A good CRF bolt action rifle chambered for 375 H&H, or 416 Rem mag will serve you well as a client hunter, and the 375H&H makes a fine plains game rifle as well. TAke your 30-06 along for the small stuff! Almost any bolt rifle you buy off the shelf will have sticky spots in it's action, so it needs to be slicked up before you depend on it for your life! The CZ 550 is a fine CRF rifle, and comes in appropriate chamberings. The early, and late Mod 70s are CRF as well, and can be had in the right chamberings as well. The Ruger RSMs are also CRF, and come in some of the best chamberings, also a used Whitworth 375H&H, or 458 Win Mag is also a CRF rifle. Weatherby, SAKO, Browning, Steyr, and the like have the right chambers but lack CRF, (control round feeding) And do not qualify IMO as DGRs (dangerous game rifles)

If you intend hunting dangerous game next year you should have already booked. Most guys with good concessions are booked two years in advance! You can do a RSA plains game hunt on short notice, but that is mostly game ranch hunting, and Dangerous game hunting there is questionable as to legitimacy, and very heavy for trophy fees!

Of course I'm in no possition to tell you what to do, but the above is my advice, based on a long history of hunting DG in Africa, and other places around the world. That advice is only worth what you are paying for it, but it is cheap at twice the price!