WB
I have always admired them.
Saturday, February 13, 2021, 17:58

When I go hunting I take note of what the Guide uses as to where his head's at. The Y-O guides had atrocious beat up bread and butter bolt actions in .270 or .30-06 but good glass on them and you could tell they were well used. In AK one goober had a sheep rifle with a 28" barrel in .300 UM and a huge scope on it. For back up in the Alders? His Grizzly shooter handgun was one of those ultra light S&W .44 Magnums loaded with Buffalo Bore hard cast. Not exactly inspiring but the guy was old and I knew I could outpace him in a foot race. The bear was going to get HIM. Another guide was a smaller quiet fellow about my size. He carried a Whitworth Express in .375 H&H with the barrel cut back to 22" or so and a brake on it, the front sight remounted. You could tell he had the rifle many years. His Ruger Redhawk was a Mag-na-port custom by Larry Kelly's boy in .454. That's more like it. He's the one that was thoughtful enough to tell me of the Devil's club plant. Just before I walked smack dab into one with my shooting hand! One of those things, like chiggers, you wonder why in the world God made them!

They do tend to be longer rifles and a bit unhandy in tight spots. They have always pushed all my buttons for a classic African rifle. I do not consider the .375 H&H a "stopping rifle" but to invoke ownership romantic pleasure it makes sense. Very versatile, shoots just like a .30-06 in trajectory. Stopping rifles start with the .458 Win. (almost mimic's the .450 Nitro) and go up from there. The .416's are in the class but the bullets are 20% lighter (and more expensive) compared to the big stoppers. Another hat tip to add some versatility. Both kick notably harder than a .375 H&H! A strong .45-70 can be pressed into service (basically almost the .458) but just does not exactly have the romantic panache.

Fit is often overlooked and some of the prettiest rifles mitigate recoil horrifically! I had a Ruger MKII .416 that was classic and beautiful but I HATED shooting it. The BRNO shooting the same ammo was a peach. Ditto a synthetic stocked Remington Custom shop .416 Remington Mag. Fit and stock design makes a big difference.

Occasionally Gary has some big bore Encore barrels for sale and they are a fantastic value. I cannot stress that enough. I have a .500 Nitro tube I need to put together right now. Keep an eye out as they move fast when they come available, like gone in minutes!