canguk,

I'm not sure if your statement was addressed to me or if you were just making a statement in general. Regardless, I thought I would just state my experience "for the record" so to speak. I have never hunted dangerous game (Big 5) in Africa. I have only hunted plains game on three trips to South Africa (in 2000, 2002, 2005).

I will say that I have been close to Elephant and Buff on a photo trip to Botswana in 1998. And, I've been up close, on foot, to White Rhino on my trips to South Africa. So, I have not hunted them but I do have some appreciation for their size. Watching a Rhino plow through thick bush like it wasn't there is an eye opener.

That said, I feel the excerpts from the article I posted by Ganyana are informative. Gayana is a professional in Zimbabawe with a lot of experience. He frequently writes for African Hunter magazine which is based in Zimbabwe. He knows what he's talking about.

As I stated, I have not hunted dangerous game. However, I try to learn from those that have extensive experience hunting DG. Through the years, these poeple have stated what works and what doesn't. If I ever get a chance to hunt Cape Buffalo, then I will take their advice as to what cartridges and rifles are appropriate and which ones aren't.

If I ever do hunt Cape Buff I will use either my Ruger M77 RSM in .416 Rigby or my Merkel 140 double rifle in .470 Nitro Express. Either should get the job done quite handily. I'll leave it to others to experiment with the .45-70 on dangerous game.

Cheers,
-Bob F.