Having a DR made for Africa? What a delightful quandry to be in.

We can look to what was used by the successful hunters - S. Baker in Africa and India, Lt. J. Forsyth in India and see what they suggested.

Indian game gave the hunter slightly smaller or less dangerous, dangerous game, wherein the Elephant is smaller than the African variety, Water buffalo instead of Cape buffalo - jury might be out on them, bear, although tiger might be less dangerous as they are usually singly hunted. hoWhatever the reason, we do find a normally smaller bore size being the norm or 'best' all round.

Note in India as in Africa, there is a difference in size between a stopping ball gun and a killing ball gun - rifle or smoothbore.

Even in India, the .577 calibre shoots too small a round ball for serious game shooting - bear and deer being about it's limit. The 280gr. round ball is just too light.

The problem with shooting slugs in double guns, is the 'other' bullet moving forward upon the discharge of the first - it then becomes an obstruction. Slugs did not become quite popular until the advent of ctgs., which held them back against recoil.

The question was about round balls. Forsyth maintained a 16 bore was about the lower limit, shooting a 1oz ball.

Baker maintained a 14 bore ball, if hardened, would shoot through both sides of an Elephant's head. Surely this would be enough for buffalo.

The problem comes from hardening balls. With the addition of tin, the alloys become harder, slightly, to about 10;1 being the hardest, and still quite maelable, however 10% tin greatly reduces the weight. Weight can be better maintained through the addition of antimony, as in old style Wheel Weights.

A straight WW ball of 14 or 12 bore needs no further hardening at it's peak of about 1,550fps. Further hardening as in water quenching, or oven hardening is not necessary wit them.

My only experience in this is the shoulder bones of a moose. Both of them are no match for either a 14 bore WW ball of 466gr. nor a 12 bore WW ball of 575gr. Either will smash both shoulders. The 12 bore ball will also usually exit.

I would rely on a 14 bore for all-round African shooting however if strickly having a buffalo rifle made up, it would be a 12. An 8 would not be out of line for buffalo, and is the smallest of the "smashers".

I own a .58 Kodiak which regulates to one sight, perfectly, but with what I consider to be only a NA hunting load of 110gr.- and a bare minimum for me in this area. Addition of any more powder separates the barrel's impacts vertically and makes them cross badly as well. It's normal 110gr. 2F max. load, (100gr. 2F minimum) is sufficient power and trajectory for hunting here, in N. America - deer, elk, moose, black bear, goats, sheep - will certainly kill a grizzly, but if hunting them I'd pack my 14 bore single, not the little pipsqueak .58. Mine is the only Kodiak I've seen that actually regulates with any projectile - out of only 4 rifles. Perhaps I did more testing/experimenting than others? The other rifles were more than 1 foot apart with any load - at only 50 yards. Of guns like that, Forsyth suggested smashing them or giving them to a friend.

Seems to me the barrels of about all Italian DB ML's are brazed, just like Belgium double smoothbores around the turn of the 19th/20th centuries.