Affordable Elephant Gun?

Centuriator,

I'll suggest an answer for the OP on why an elephant gun. I have mine because I can and I think it is cool.

Although the rifle was relatively cheap, shooting it will not be. Even though I can reload for it, it still won't be cheap. Practical? Nope. Fun to shoot? Probably not (haven't shot mine yet). But I'll shoot it and see if I can get a group out of it. It might take three range trips to get a single 10 shot group. And I'm looking at 350 grain projectiles that I could download for elk possibly.

In the end it will just be another rifle in my collection that the wife will have to sell after I'm dead. Along with a pump action 32-20, .351 Semi Auto Rifle, a bicycle gun (revolver) in 22 centerfire, and obsolete French service pistol with unobtainium ammunition, and a bunch of odd military rifles and pistols. At least there will be a conversation asking 'why in the heck did he have this' after I'm dead and buried.

Mine is a Mark X .458 Win Mag. And I never plan to hunt Africa.
 
Here's my take on the op's post. He want's an impulse mega caliber purchase with no real practical need, but a "want". Op will purchase a used mega caliber, spend a LOT of money on ammo , shoot said rifle 5 times, go to ER and have shoulder re-located and promptly attempt to sell mega caliber rifle. Option B which serves a bit more flexibility is to buy a 45-70 in a Trapdoor or a single shot config. Shoot it, still have somewhat the same levels of harsh recoil and throwing a 400+ gr bullet but IF the op just is not happy with the rifle after some time the 45-70 will still have good resale value. Probably can't be said about the resale of a .400+ cal big game caliber. As always this is strictly just my opinion, it's your money and your want's. I shot a .458 Win mag at my gun club, and loved it for ONE shot. Loved it just as much giving it back to the owner. I had a firm shouldering, and still firing one shot felt like it dislocated my spine. I have a 1874 Sharps in 45-70 and shooting a 535 gr pp bullet with 82 gr of BP at 1360 fps is the max I can tolerate and still shoot proficiently over a string of say 10 shots.
 
Like the 45 70 the 375 ruger can be "down-loaded" to relatively mild deer-droppers. The reload components are not exotically expensive. The case design is great IMO.
 
I'm thinking that a 12 gauge with rifled barrel would be quite lethal at distances out to about 75 yards or so. But instead of a lead bullet, a bronze bullet could be spun down on a lathe from bench stock and tempered to maximum hardness using a torch and quench tank.

Jack
 
About wanting a heavy rifle for which one has no “need”. Need is a dangerous word in the wrong hands.
I purchased an “African” rifle some years ago - Ruger #1 Tropical in .416 Rigby. I still have it. I still shoot it and have yet to need a trip to the Emergency Room.
I saw the gun. Six hundred bucks. Harry Selby’s cartridge. I had to have it.
There is a learning curve for these guns, mostly involving how to hold the thing so that it doesn’t hurt you. There is an optimal way to hold heavy kickers.
The other significant issue has already been mentioned....factory ammo is VERY expensive. Factory loads run from five dollars per shot to more than $10.
 
The other significant issue has already been mentioned....factory ammo is VERY expensive. Factory loads run from five dollars per shot to more than $10.
Click to expand...

That's why I've decided if I ever wanna get a huge boomer to play with, I'm gonna skip past these exotic calibers and just get a .50 BMG. Heck, I've bought surplus .50 BMG for $1.30 per round (right at $1.50 delivered to my door.)
 
Road_Clam said:
Option B which serves a bit more flexibility is to buy a 45-70 in a Trapdoor or a single shot config.
Click to expand...

Or option C...I inherited a Gibbs Lee Enfield rechambered for 45-70 from my Dad. It is a little jinky in the magazine department, but I haven't shot it in a few years. Not sure I would want to put my life on it just yet, but I do know it doesn't kick that bad.

Jerry
 
6.5 Mannlicher, not Swede, I believe. I don't know if it were a 6.5 rimmed (.256 in British catalogues, same as Dutch issue) or rimless in the Schoenauer magazine. Reportedly dropped it because of cheap Austrian ammo.

.275 Rigby, British manufacture 7x57, shot the most elephants with six or so of these.

.318 Westley Richards in later years.

He made some use of an express rifle, although not a huge one; maybe a .450-400.

Late in life he said that the then-new .308 Winchester would do very well on elephants with a good bullet.
 
Yes the .275 was his main rifle.
I once saw one of his several Rigbys - one source said he had six - at a gun show.
It was accompanied by a letter from Bell, concerned that Rigby's adoption of the 140 gr semi-spitzer might be accompanied by a change in rifling twist preventing the use of the old reliable 175 gr roundnose. (I don't think it was.)
 
Digress

A digression....
There is a story about Bell and his .275 and his marksmanship. Evidently, he had purchased at one point a lot of ammo with which he was dissatisfied. He was using it up by wingshooting water birds on a river. He was approached by a local business man who had been watching him shoot. The fellow wanted to buy Bell’s very accurate shotgun.
 
Another story, he had taken delivery of a new rifle at his hotel just before departing to hunt. Unwilling to take out an untried gun, he opened the window and smashed selected bricks out of a chimney down the street. Satisfied the sights were properly regulated from the maker, he cased the rifle and checked out.
 
But if what I've read is correct, the 7X57 killed the most.
Click to expand...

I think saying it that way leaves out the most important part of the fact. It wasn't the 7x57 that killed the most, it was Bell, using a 7x57.

Give you, me, or the guy down street the finest 7x57 rifle and ammo, drop us in Africa, during Bell's era, and see how many elephants we can down, at the virtual point blank ranges Bell often shot from, before one of the elephants turns us into goo...

You don't win a foot race because you wear the best running shoes, you win (if you do) because you are the fastest runner.
 
I had two 458 Wins when I was young and dumb. Both were used and one was a
Herters that I paid $100 1970 for, the other a post 64 m70. I didn't realize that a
458 Win was a relatively short range rifle. I wasn't impressed with anything but the recoil. One of worst kicking guns I ever owned was the Herters 458. I was
lucky and got rid of them due to Dirty Harry hype. The 375H&H was just the opposite. I was looking for a 300mg at a LGS that was going out of business. He
didn't have one but had a Sako 375 H&H. I had no interest in it but he made me
a price so low I couldnt refuse. I took it to my Gunsmith to get a 300 barrel. He
convinced me to shoot it before rebarreling. Best move I ever made. 375H&H is
a fine cartridge. Ballistics compair to 30/06 for range. The Sako wasn't bad to shoot. About 9lbs loaded with scope. I had a Rem 700/375H&H it was nasty kicker. I liked the rifle so well that I used it on deer with 235gr bullets and used
270gr for black bear & moose in Canada. Never shot a bear with it but got a
moose. It killed it dead period, DOA. In last 3 yrs I have sold off about half my
rifles. All the magnums and most of my Varmit guns. A lot of these rifles I've had for 50+ years and they are hard to part with. The only one I regret selling was
that Sako 375H&H. I don't know why I have no use for it anymore, just feel naked without it.
 
Sometimes you can find Safari 77 win in 458 win for around $750. You do know the word "affordable" does not even belong in the same sentence with the word "elephant".
 
Just for grins,,,

ElephantGun.jpg


Aarond

.
 
WDM Bell used a 7 x 57 Mauser to take 1011 ( that's one thousand and eleven) African Elephants.
He also took 300 with a 6.5 x 54 MS and 200 with a 303 British.
The 7 x 57 Mauser was his favorite.
 
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