Bill- I've not had the desire to build one that big. The 14 bore did everything I need in a rifle and more. My buddies .75 is a bit of a chore to shoot, having deep round bottomed grooves, is difficult to shoot cleanly. It will go some 20 rounds before wiping seems to be necessary, or a squib load of 70gr. or 80gr. with spit lubed patch can be fired, which does the same job.
: With proper shallow, 100' rilfing twist, patched balls can be shot in the 14 bore cast of straight WW quite easily. My ctg. worked with them, but not patches with greater than 100gr. 2F. the thicker patches required for heavier loads, wouldn't permit using harder balls. Shallower, slower rifling would have.
: S.Baker once wrote in the F&H of Ceylon, that a 14 bore would go through and through an elephant's head. He was probably talking about an Indian Elephant at that, but kinda proves penetration.
: I once disintegrated an old concrete slab 2 1/2" X 8" X 12" long with one shot of a WW ctg. load of 165gr. 2F. The ball expanded to 1" in ida. yet retained 90% weight. the largest piece of that block was 3" across. The block was 80yd form the shooting line. I was impressed.
; The 14 works here, in North America and is somewhat overbore, but it's nice to see an 1,100lb Bull Moose shudder and colapse at the impact. A .54 rifle only gets an immediate, panic stricken run-off without sign of it being hit at all.
: I-too would love to hunt Africa, but would probably opt for a 10 or 12 bore double rifle.