Forums.NitroExpress.com

Marrakai:
If you will re-read my first post, you'll clearly see that i'm not reccomending one over the other. Just offering practical advice on the varieties of guns in which such a consideration could be made.

Nonetheless I see your point regarding a PH, but would argue that it is well founded and that you are the exception rather the rule for today's double rifle owner. Most hunters are visiting a foreign country for dangerous game and don't have the legal ability, practical training or expertise to hunt dangerous game on their own.

I wasn't intending to make my reply back to chrispie look like a disclaimer for a Life Insurance Ad at a Phillip Morris factory, but here goes...

*******************************

If you're a resident of Australia and have the ability to hunt legally and unguided, then you may not choose to have the luxury of a backup. However, if the Asiatic Water Buffalo (I've never hunted) is really that dangerous, then I strongly recommend that you not hunt him alone. Nor would I suggest that you scuba dive, mountain climb or sky-dive alone. In case of injury or if things go terribly wrong you have no assistance available in either killing the animal or obtaining help for your injured self.

Now, as to the majority of double rifle owners, who hunt as a guest in a foreign country (particularly Africa) and go an average of once or at most twice a year - you will be required to hunt with a PH (that has hunted the animals and terrain daily for years prior to your arrival) and that PH is there for your hunting success. Furthermore, he's the one that will most likely take the wheel if you really screw things up. Why? #1-His safety and the safety of his trackers. #2-Your safety.

As for the situation in which you'll most likely find yourself hunting dangerous game ((Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, etc... (I've only hunted buff & elephant, and yes I actually own three DRs from .375-.470))- these animals are rarely found in the middle of a field at 50-yards broadsided waiting on your approach.

Most of the time you will get close to them in cover, and that cover necessitates that you get close (inside of 50-60 yards) and that's the perfect situation for your double rifle. If you're Hail Mary-ing shots at distant animals with your open sighted double, then someone that better appreciates the qualities for which the gun was designed should take it away from you. That's simply irresponsible, and should be undertaken with a scoped rifle inherently more accurate than any open-sighted gun, particularly the double.

When you get the chance at a shot, most animals will run away from you when place your first shot, given their location in the cover and the subsequent obstacles (specifically trees & brush) typically not much time is available for a re-load in a bolt gun and most guys get off one accurately placed shot - or rather one shot placed with confidence. The double rifle will enable you to get off a second shot more quickly than the bolt gun, and therefore you stand a better chance of placing a more accurate second shot.

After the animal has run out of sight, you'll have plenty of time to compose yourself and reload your double (with either extractors or ejectors).

In the following up and finding the animal still alive and at close quarters, or in the event that the animal charges after the first shot, you're probably not going to have time to reload your double. However if you find yourself in the <1% of hunters that actually get charged and feel that ejectors will help you reload faster, then by all means get them. If you feel that the "ping" of ejectors will give away your location to the animal, the I suggest you prepare for hunting in the 21st Century while retaining an appreciation for the style and nuances of the 19th.

In reality, you will either have one shot left in the second barrel (assuming the animal charges after the first shot) and most hunters try to put that bullet in the biggest part of the charging animal they see (which typically fails to stop the charge...)

or they will aim for a frontal brain shot, and may put his lights out. Again, most likely however, the yearly hunter will not have the skills to pull this off.

But the even more likely event is that the PH will judge the distance from the charging danger to you and make a split-second decision as to whether or not he has time to get off two shots. If he does he'll aim for a "stopping point" on the animal and pop off the first shot and if it's ineffective, he'll wait until the animal gets to "can't miss” distance and put his lights out with a second shot. He has more experience than you do. He's a Professional hunter. This is one of the many tasks he's been trained to deal with.

So, in the average double rifle, dangerous game, visiting a foreign country hunter’s scenario – this is what can be expected... certainly not guaranteed, but expected. From there, if you feel strongly about ejectors vs. extractors, then by all means get what it is you feel comfortable with.

--------------------
www.heymUSA.com

Post Extras