Choosing your rifle
Rifle and cartridge are a matter of personal choice. The most important thing is that you have practised enough to be comfortable with your rifle; your deer rifle may be a better choice than one bought for the hunt.
A suggested marksmanship standard is eight-inch groups at 200 yards from a rest, and eight-inch groups at 50 yards when snap-shooting offhand.
- Plains game such as springbok, mountain reedbuck and greater kudu: a .270 Winchester, .30-06, 7 mm or .300 Magnum, with premium ammunition and a bullet that is heavy for its calibre.
- Bigger game such as Cape eland: a .375 H&H Magnum is a good choice; a .300 Magnum is the suggested minimum for eland.
- Big game in Tanzania: a .375 H&H Magnum is a good option. For Cape buffalo, hippo and elephant, a bigger calibre is a good idea if you are comfortable with it.
Fit your rifle with a good-quality variable scope such as 1.5–6×42 or 3–9×36. Consider bringing an inexpensive 4-power scope as a backup, and enough ammunition to re-zero if your scope is knocked.
Flying with firearms
Protect your firearm in a good-quality, LOCKED case. An UNLOADED firearm and its ammunition must be declared to an airline representative at check-in. Well before you leave, obtain a US Customs Form 4457 recording the serial number of your firearm: you will need it on re-entry to the United States, and it serves as a “US firearm licence” for some countries, such as France and Namibia.
For air travel it is best to remove the bolt from your rifle (or the barrel from your shotgun) and place both inside your locked case so that both are separately visible to a TSA X-ray machine. Factory ammunition boxes in a metal ammo case, stored in a checked bag other than the firearm case, will comply with all known airline regulations.
- Airlines prohibit tracer, incendiary and explosive ammunition.
- Regulations allow a maximum of 10 lb (5 kg) of ammunition in factory boxes in checked baggage; 100 rounds (five boxes of 20) is a typical limit.
For firearm and ammunition importation, contact us and we will advise you according to your destination. We take care of all import permits on your behalf, as this must be done well in advance.
The hunter’s reading list
- African Hunter II — Boddington and Flack
- Safari Guide — Conrad
- Death in the Long Grass — Capstick
- The Perfect Shot — Robertson
- Horn of the Hunter — Ruark
- Green Hills of Africa — Hemingway
- African Game Trails — Theodore Roosevelt
- SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals, Africa Field Edition