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.500 Jeffery African Safari Rifle! Elephant Headache Medicine!!

I've shot alot of guns and own several big bores.. nothing kicks me as hard as my 870 with a 21" slug barrel and a 600gr. Lightfield slug at 1750 fps.

This gun is not bad at all, weighs 10.2 lbs as most safari rifles do.

I killed a hippo with my .500NE double and never felt anything.

The .458 lott has a more than unusual recoil for some reason, snappy. I have heard alot of people complain about the Lott
Recoil velocity for something like that and a lot of really high-speed calibers to me is really sharp and more 'painful' than calibers with more ft-lbs of recoil energy that is more of a 'shove' and not 'whack'.
 
How do your 375 H&H perform
They do good, but after chasing buffalo in Tanzania and Zimbabwe.. I would not carry anything myself smaller than my .416 Rigby... and most likely my double .500 NE Heym or this .500 Jeffery.... With all the other animals that want to kill you and the hippos and the elephants... I want big!!
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When hunting you need to shoot the biggest caliber you can shoot accurately and fast follow up.. I killed this buffalo with my .416 Rigby and he never left the spot where he squared off with me... I was 40yrds away and we were seconds from a full out charge..

I had 4 shots into him in less than 20 seconds... and all the shots were perfect lethal hits.. The PH was very impressed with how fast I shot and the accuracy.. The Rigby is a much longer action, and requires authority when cycling.. I can shoot this .500 just as fast.. The .500 Jeffery was developed in 1920 and was designed to fit into a shorter action than the Rigby so cycling the bolt would be much faster.

So to answer your question.. how does the .375 H&H shoot, like a puppy compared to a true big bore... The .375 is not considered a "Big Bore" outside the United States.. and when hunting in "real dangerous game areas in Africa, (not S. Africa) unless it is free range... The PH like something bigger than the .375, however they want you to shoot accurately...

An effective gun is one you are proficient with!! Practice, Practice, Practice!
 
For anyone wanting a big bore bolt action, this one is a good option. The maker may have some bad press on the internet for business practices but, their rifles, especially the early ones are certainly solid options for a real Safari.

With a 470NE double, I'm not really in the market for something like this but, it is certainly tempting.

If it was in a .425 Westley Richards, I'd be searching couch cushions for spare change!
 
I had the exact rifle in 505 Empire, which was a 460 Wby round necked up to .510 or .505...I forget. I firmly ascribe to the old adage "Use enough gun" :)
 
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I've shot alot of guns and own several big bores.. nothing kicks me as hard as my 870 with a 21" slug barrel and a 600gr. Lightfield slug at 1750 fps.

This gun is not bad at all, weighs 10.2 lbs as most safari rifles do.

I killed a hippo with my .500NE double and never felt anything.

The .458 lott has a more than unusual recoil for some reason, snappy. I have heard alot of people complain about the Lott
I have shot 2 458 Lotts in bolt action Brunos that felt recoil was not much more than my CZ 375 HH. I shot both while checking zero on my rifles after in camp. Both rifles were my PH,s. Worst felt recoil bolt rifle I have ever shot was a Weatherby 30-78 that I was working loads up for a hunting buddy. As far as doubles go 500 NE booted me pretty good, however there is a bit of a learning curve in shooting the big doubles in my opinion. Once I learned to roll my thumb slightly to the right, [ right handed shooter ] the recoil didn't drive my thumb knuckle into my nose, also allowing my whole body to rock back with the recoil seemed to help. Having said that I shot a 600 NE, AND NOTHING HELPED !!! There was a round in each barrel and I declined to fire the second barrel. I never want to shoot a 600 NE again.
 
Back in my big-bore days, I had a Verney Carron double in 577NE, another one in 600 NE, and a custom AHR in their 700 AHR, usind a 1,250gr bullet at about 1,850 fps. It does take some technique to handle them. I would grip the rifle firmly, pull tightly to the shoulder so it couldn't get a running start at you, then put your weight on your front foot. When the rifle discharges, let it roll you back onto your rear foot, letting the weight of your body absorb the recoil. The real negative about such rifles is that they're too heavy to track Elephant of Buffalo all day. A good old 458 Win is all your really need.
 
An double that doesn't fit you can and will be very uncomfortable to shoot.
Yea, that is true, in this case though they fit me well. The owner of the guns was very similar in size and length of pull. I was amazed at the balance, how my eye was right on the rear V sight and the bead where it should be when I shoulder the rifle. The pointability for a heavy rifle was better than any shotgun I have. I would compare it to a Model 99 savage that I have in terms of immediate target acquisition. I loved the feel of the rifles in my hands and when shouldered. It was when I squeezed the back trigger of that 600 NE was when I realized that I wasn't in the market for one. I honestly think that if you were in a situation where if your first shot didn't hit the sweet spot it would be difficult to acquire your target after the recoil due to muzzle rise and felt recoil with the 600 NE. I have read stories of the ivory hunters back in the day when ivory poaching was at its best in the Lado Enclave and a lot of those guys bought the 577's and 600's only to sell them because of that reason and buy something that was more manageable and lighter to carry for months on end. I looked up the felt recoil on the 600 a few years back and if I am not mistaken it was in the 160 ft. lbs of recoil range. HOLY MOLY !!! At the time I shot the one I did it was about $120.00 U.S. per round. I didn't want to spend another $120.00 of my PH's hard earned money only to risk a detached retina. I think if I were to go back to Africa and hunt dangerous game again I would buy a 450/400 NE in a Krieghoff.
 
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