Plainsgame rifle for a lady's 1st safari

[Razorback]

I will going on Safari with a lady friend in May. She is lefthanded and cannot use my rifles. She does not have a rifle with enough caliber to use on African plainsgame. My PH suggest a 30.06.

Informs me that most shots will not be "long". She plans to take a Kudu and wildebeast and smaller game. Will a 30.06 be enough gun ? Any other suggestions ? What barrel lenght would be best? I think weight will be important for her. She likes the lighter shotguns and is more accurate with them. She is a strong lady for her small size. Suggested makes with least recoil ?

Also I am going to purchase a big bore rifle for myself as I plan to go back next year for buffalo and lion. I think I will go with a .416 over a .375 but have not made a final decision. Can I use a .416 on plainsgame as I would like to field test the rifle this year ? Any suggestions on barrel length and the Rigby verses Rem Mag ?

Thanbks for your help

[Skyline]

The .30-06 would be fine for kudu and other plains game. As for the rifle......you are pretty limited since you need a left hand bolt-action. Take her to a gun store and let her try them and see which one she feels most comfortable with. Barrel length - 22 or 24 inches. It won't make any practical difference in the field one way or the other. Select a good 180 grain bullet, ie. Nosler Partition or Accubond, Swift A-frame, Speer Grand Slam, Barnes X, and let her use it for everything.

As for a .416............I prefer the Rigby, but for all practical purposes, if you are content with about 2400 fps with a 400 grain bullet, go with the Remington version. It is way cheaper to shoot than a Rigby. If you decide on a Rigby, you might consider a CZ550 magnum............very good bang for the buck! Regardless of what you get it will have a 24 inch barrel or there abouts.

You can use it for plains game with a good soft-point. You might consider handloading some 300 grain X bullets or other such offering for a bit more velocity over the standard 400 grain loads.

[pomoxis]

What county are you hunting?

The .30-06 will do well on plains game up to and including the Kudu. It is a bit on the light side for eland and giraffe. You should step up to a high quality bullet in any case.

I would agree with Skyline on picking the rifle and having her go to the store and gets one that feel right. Have her pick a target on the wall across the room and put the gun up to her shoulder with her eyes closed. If the iron sights are on target then you have a good fit.

One thing about a rifle when compared with a shotgun is that you are not swinging the barrel to catch up with your target. You want to settle the cross hairs on the target and hold still. A little extra weight will also reduce the felt recoil. My mountian weight 30-06 kicks as much as my .375 H&H.

If she has not spent much time shooting a rifle you may want to pick up a .22LR and put a better scope on it. If you have a lighter rifle have her shot it like a single shot just to step up the rifle caliber over time.

I would have both of you pratice shooting off of the sticks. I think it would be fun to have your partner set up the shootings sticks quickly an picking one of three targets.


Both the .375 and the .416 will do well on buffalo. If I had to start from scratch and knowing a little more after 1 safari I would pick up .416 Remmington. The only reason for stepping up to the .416 is a close encounter with an elephant and the .375 seemed a little light to me. I have seen .375 take down elephants on video. Either Rigby or Remmington will work but the Rigby is more expensive to shoot and in Zimbabwe it was difficult for my PH to find ammo for his rifle. So if your ammo gets lost it is more difficut to replace.

I handled a CZ .458 Lott in a store and was dissapointed in action of the bolt when worked from the shoulder positon. I felt it stuck too much. I have read on other forums of people having to get a lot of work done on it to get it in Safari shape. So the bargin rifle will cost a little more than the retail value. Pick up a Winchester and you may have an instant collectable.

[Skyline]

Pomoxis is right about the CZ being a little rough. I mentioned it only because, if you picked the Rigby cartridge, which requires a true magnum length action, these rifles are by far the cheapest way to go. Even with a few hundred spent at the local gunsmith to smooth up the action (Oh, and I would also have the bolt handle shape altered, it lays a little too close to the stock.) you will still save a considerable amount of money over the other makes that are available in .416 Rigby. I have owned several of the CZ's in .375, .416 Rigby and .458. They all needed some work, but they were dependable and shot well. If you opt for the Remington or you want the Rigby and money is no object, there are a lot of fine choices out there.

I have shot buffalo with a .375, a .416 and a .458. As pomoxis stated the .375 will do the job. If you do run into some problems then a bigger bullet and larger frontal area is a good thing. More importantly though, is your ability to shoot your rifle well.

I have regressed from the .416's back to a .375. Why? Because I have one that I have been packing for years while guiding. It is a trusted friend and whatever I point it at goes down. I will use it the next time I go for buffalo and if the day ever comes that I can afford an elephant hunt (like winning a lottery............that's the only time my wife would let me drop $50,000 on a hunt) I will be looking towards something like a .458 Lott or .470 Nitro.

[grayghost]

What ever she buys, make sure it fits her, even if the stock requires adjustment. I like the newer Limb Saver recoil pads. This can help with felt recoil. I'm not a fan of porting; the tremendous noise and hearing damage doesn't warrant this for most hunters. I'm a BIG fan of Speer's Grand Slam, but they no longer manufacture their Nitrex cartridge. Federal made their "Classic" ammo w/GS's, but have dropped this as well. Yesterday, while browsing reloading sites, I could not find the Grand Slam bullet on any site. I hope Speer hasn't discontinued this super bullet as I want to reload it for Africa. I have taken a number of Elk and Bear and long range and had no problem with full penetration and breaking heavy shoulders with the 160 grain GS in my .280. I will be taking one of my .280's to SA this summer. I have no concerns using it on larger plains game. Most importantly, I am confident with this caliber and I shoot it very well. This is the number one consideration in most PH's book: use a rifle that you shoot well and comfortably. Shot placement is the key to taking any animal on the planet. Look what Bell did to Elephants with his "pea shooter." Don't misread me, I'm in no way advocating going under loaded. Just making a point, accuracy counts.