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John don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against doubles and am not 'for' bolt actions, my concerns where I see posts promoting one over the other or in the case of this video, where seemingly the double is being promoted as the only gun suitable for facing DG charges which will guarantee success and will protect you and all around you, is that this is just not reality and no matter what weapon anyone chooses it will always come back to the state of mind and skill of the person using the weapon that will have the most effect on the outcome.

I think a video such as the one starting this thread, while not untrue in terms of what a well handled double is capable of, can still be dangerous in creating something for the impressionable that is not the full story.
Like photos these days, videos are also easily created or compiled to show any point of view you like but that does not mean it is all true and will work for everyone. Maybe all the modern PHs are wanting doubles. Maybe they have lost or never gained what many of the early hunters and PHs had and are showing a little ’modern’ impressionability. Many of those PHs/hunters that have passed (through old age) and some still living were great exponents of the bolt gun.

(Quote: I don't know your BG hunting experience (no offence meant) but my experience and certainly what I have witnessed is the larger the game on the upper side, they don't die quickly. Unless brain or spine shot.Edited: I see on your profile hunting water buff. What was your experiences of these? Please include where the bullet was placed too? Calibre etc?)

In answer to your question, and certainly no offence taken, my DG experience as yet is still in its infancy although I hope to improve on that in the coming years with a trip to Africa. I will only be able to afford one so even then it will possibly be only one DG animal, buffalo being my real interest.
As to the infancy part I was fortunate to have kindled my interest in your top end DG and head off up there in my younger years with not really a clue about much other than I had been hunting for most of the previous twenty years shooting hundreds of our game animals under all sorts of conditions. Buffalo were not going to present a problem to me as I had the venerable 404 to take care of that. My mate only had his 7mm with Noslers. We did not have a PH but had a pet meat shooter who carted us round and mostly remained out of trouble back at the 4WD while we high tailed it off after these great animals. He would take a load of buff meat back to his base every night so we did lay low quite a few buffs during the week we were there. We did pick out some big bulls and shot some animals close up in the scrub. One or two charged or ran towards us at times, maybe confused or frightened with the shooting but I wasn’t waiting to ask. The 7mm was okay on head or neck but hopeless on body shots so the 404 had to speak a few times on his animals too.

I can’t recall how many we shot all up, wasn’t really a counting game for me back then. The pet meat shooter sconed one or two with his 338WM from the vehicle but all others were on foot with the 7mm and 404. We only shot large animals, bulls and cows.
I used solids and planted them where I always plant any animal, high through the shoulders or high into the chest. The Mauser 404 was in its element, as was I, and I don’t recall having any fear or concerns that I would not drop what ever appeared in front, or on occasion running in from behind. My mate and I were mostly shoulder to shoulder and I recall a couple of annoyed buffs were only a matter of 2 or 3 metres away when the 404 bellowed.
I suppose all I can say is my experience was pretty rough and ready and probably closer to the old days of Aussie or African hunting than the modern hunter has today. Certainly there was no-one handy to get us out of trouble if there had been any.

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