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Ben,
With the .500 I shot 2 Giraffe's !!! I remember both of them like they were yesterday. We were hunting in the Southwest corner of Zimbabwe just north of Bietbridge . I was hunting with my best friend and PH John Hunt. We had been looking for an old "stink bull" to try the .500 on. We were tracking an old bull when we came around a "kjope" and he was feeding under an acacia tree. We made a stalk on him and got up about 50 yards away , I got on the "sticks" and settled the cross hairs square on shoulder . At the shot he took one step forward and fell over ( broke both shoulders and exited ). I've killed a dozen or so Giraffes and that is the only one that fell over !!!!! ( I have used everything from 9.3X74R to a .600 on Giraffe , I call them the "poor man's elephant") Even properly shot they seem to run a long ways . I have never killed a Camel , but I am sure they are very similar. In fact the early explorers called the Giraffe the "Leopard Camel".
The other Giraffe was a special one as well. My friend's son Brendon Hunt was with us , I have seen him grow up in the "African Bush" and a finer young man does not exist !!!!! I told him I would buy him a giraffe if his Dad had another one on quota ? I talked to John about it and he reluctantly agreed to let Brendon shoot a Giraffe . The next morning we got up early in search of Giraffe . We were doing a bit of "Diesel Stalking" when we came around a corner and a mature bull was standing in the road. John tried to get me to shoot the bull , but I told him I had promised Brendon he could shoot it. So out the door went Father and Son , I watched from "cruiser" . John got Brendon on the "sticks" and he made what looked like a perfect shot . However, he pulled it a little (give him a break he was 14 and shooting a very light .500 NE with full house 570 grain loads !!!!) and just clipped one lung . The chase was on , John took the gun from Brendon and chased the Giraffe down and took a "Texas Heart" shot at it running away. The 570 grain Woodleigh went in just above the tail and exited out the front of chest !!!! Full penetration !!!! What a great caliber. Brendon and I sat on the Giraffe while Dad walked back to the cruiser to get the trackers and collect the meat. Brendon looked over at me and said " I'll remember this day the rest of my life..." Through very misty eyes I told him "I would too...". I have shot a lot of game over there , but not until my own son shot his first Wildebeast was I more excited !!!!! Truly great memories with the Ruger #1 in .500NE.
Hope I have not bored everyone with my tail ?
Robert

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