29 vs. S. Redhawk to Africa

A

almtiba

New member
Hi, guys

Please, help me decide on wich revolver I'm taking to a hunt in Africa.

It's my first Safari to Africa, and, besides the rifles, I want to bring a revolver, just as a backup.

I need to choose between the Super Redhawk, with a 7,5" barrel or a 4" M-29.

Does the extra weight and size of the SRH will make a real difference or should I vote for the light and compact SW ? I'll be using mainly, some shotshells (against snakes) and some reloads, 240gr Keith Bullets, 1270fps on the 29 or 1550fps on the Redhawk.

Who knows, I may use the handgun to hunt a Warthog, if I get the chance. :)

Thanks in advance,

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
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I believe in your shoes...

I'd find me a load that split the difference, velocity-wise, and carry the 4" 29. A better compromose for me is the 5 1/2" standard Redhawk; still very portable and handy, but capable of handling 300 grain bullets at over 1300 fps, on demand and in unlimited amounts.

I DO love my old 4" 29, though.
 
Since it's just a backup piece, I'd take the 29. Carrying a rifle around all day won't be helped by having another three and a half pound chunk of steel banging against your hip as you walk.
 
If your main concern is snakes, you might want to pattern those shotshells in both. I don't know if 3.5 inches will make the difference, but if the pattern is too tight at snake shooting distance, you've negated the point of the loading. Also, the Ruger might come to bear a bit slowly for anti-snake duty.
 
Thanks guys !

I have decided for the Smith 29.

One more question: for the shotshell capsules, do you think I should load #9 or #7,5 lead pellets ?

Wich size do snakes like the most ? :)

Thanks !

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
If you can get them, I think Speer/CCI still makes commercial shot loads.

A fast-moving snake like a mamba or an enraged cobra may be a little hard to hit with anything but a shotgun...if it gets in motion before you shoot it. A puff adder or Gaboon viper lurking on the side of the trail is an easier mark.

Don't forget to see if your hunter has a snake bite kit with polyvalent dendroaspid (mamba) antivenin and one for the cobras (genus Naja, of which the Yellow or Cape cobra is the most venomous.) The boomslang (D. typus) is also deadly, but usually less aggressive, unless you chase it in a tree, as Aussie reptile showman Steve Irwin has done. He made a video of an African trip in which he molested a boomslang, an Egyptian cobra, and a black mamba, among others. He was "sweating bullets" by the time he got the mamba in a bag, and this guy takes ridiculous chances with his local snakes, some of which are very deadly. But the one that's scared him the most was that mamba. He did note that African snakes in general are more aggressive than Australian equivalents. He thinks it may be due to their being nervous from worrying about being stepped on by big game. But most African animals are more aggressive than on most other continents, not just snakes.

Lone Star
 
Hello guys,

I've just returned from South Africa.

Everything went great, cought my Kudu, my Impala and warthog. :)

But I've been hunted by a Snake. :mad: I was chasing a warthog, in a very close and high bush, when I heard a sound, kind like a whistle, and felt a little bite on my left leg. I looked down and saw the two blood marks on my trouser...

I didn't see which snake was that, but we ran to the car and went to the city, where they got me to a hospital, near the border of Swaziland.

The bite itself didn't hurt, but after 15 minutes, it started to hurt. The pain was not umberable, but it was quite strong.

Here's the bite:
 

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Of course nobody can be sure, but the doctor thought I've been bitten by a puff ader.

First because it's the most common snake at that place, and also, because the puff ader is a lazy snake, that usually rather run than atack, but when it got threatened, it atacks, the first time, without having time to inoculate it's venon. That's why I haven't had any more serious problem.

Now, the part of my leg next to the bite is very "blued", the leg is swelled, but it doesn't hurt anymore.

Well, I can say I've got my "scar from Africa". :p

Regards,

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
Almtiba-

Many snakes strike without injecting venom. It's sometimes called a "dry bite".
The reason is not that the snake didn't have time to inject venom, but that it may choose to not use its supply (the primary purpose of which is to kill animals for food). Think of this as sort of a warning bite.

If you haven't had numbness and tingling around trhe lips and trouble breathing, it's probably safe to assume that you probably weren't hit by an elapid snake, like a mamba or cobra. Mamba bites also tend to accelerate heart action:the organ may just "go wild" with heavy beating. Some vipers, such as the River Jack and the Gaboon Viper, also have neurotoxic elements to their venom, as well as haemolytic components that attack the blood cells.

If you were hit by a small puff adder (the fang marks are pretty close together), you can be glad that it didn't inject much venom. The consequences of a severe puff adder bite are very grave and grimly painful.

The saw-scaled viper is small, but it takes extremely large amounts of antivenin to counteract the serious bite, and the death rate is high. The boomslang bite may take several days to kill, but the blood cells are badly ruptured, and you'd probably notice the effects by now. Also, the boomslang is much more likely to be up in a tree; the Afrikaans name means, "tree snake".

Please keep us posted. Sounds as if you'll be alright, though. Send up a prayer of thanks. You were really lucky, or received Divine intervention!

Lone Star
 
Thanks, Lone Star...

I'll surely will !!!

You know a lot about snakes ! Have you ever been to Africa ?

Regards,

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
Altmiba-

No, never could afford to go to Africa. But I'm a fairly serious amateur naturalist, and have done extensive research into dangerous animals, including snakes. I have an extensive home library, which helps. It includes a number of books on hunting and nature in Africa. One of my books is the US Naval manual pertaining to venomous snakes, which is very detailed. It was written for doctors treating snakebites all over the world.

Lone Star
 
Hi, Lone Star

just for you to know... I've been bitten not only by the snake.

I've got the Tick Bite Fever... :mad: Do you know it ?

Regards,

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
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