Rifles for hunting dangerous game differ from rifles for protection from dangerous game. In the latter case we are talking about a short range, powerful weapon that will stop an attacking animal yet is compact enough to have with you on hikes or fishing trips. A rifle for hunting dangerous game has to also be powerful but in also has to have longer range capabilities. Rifles for hunting dangerous game do not necessarily have to be as light weight as protection weapons.

Just as with protection rifles the best stoppers are big bore rifles. For the purpose of this discussion we will define “big bore” as calibers of at least .338. So this will include calibers like the .338 Winchester Magnum, the classic .375 Holland and Holland and the .458 Lott. Although we have classified all of these as big bore rifles they may not all be appropriate to the hunting being done. After all what is a perfect rifle for an elephant hunt in Africa is seriously overpowered for hunting black bear in the USA.

For hunting any dangerous game the bolt action rifle is the top choice. However, within their range limits, the lever action rifles recommended for protection against dangerous game also work well. Bolt action rifles are chambered in very powerful calibers, are very accurate and easily allow the mounting of scopes. However all bolt action rifles are not designed the same. There are two typical styles of bolt actions available. One has what is known as "controlled feed" of the cartridge and are patterned after the German Mauser design. The other has what is known as a "push feed" for moving the cartridge into the chamber. A controlled feed rifle captures the cartridge from the magazine with the wide extractor (see photo) and eliminates any possibility that the cartridge could fall out of place during loading. Such rifles can be cycled upside down and still feed properly. Push feed rifles do not hold on to the cartridge but simply push it into the chamber. When there is a possibility that an animal will charge you and you may have to load or reload your rifle while falling or from other than a perfectly upright position the advantage of the controlled feed is obvious. Watching your cartridge fall out of the ejection port, trying to reload while a large animal is closing in, is not a position to be in.

The rest of this article will be divided into two parts. The first being rifles for African game and the second for smaller predators such as the great bears, bison and cats as seen in North America and other parts of the world.

 

Africa:

The big five of African hunting are the elephant, rhino, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard. While all of these animals are very dangerous their sizes vary dramatically. African elephants weigh in at 10,000 to 14,000 pounds while the leopard is a 100-200 pound animal. African hunting rifles can be separated into two categories, rifles for the large animals and rifles for the cats. There are many fine calibers available today that fit into the elephant gun category. However from our perspective there is only one choice and that is the .458 Lott. The .458 Lott is a longer version of the .458 Winchester magnum and can fire the Winchester cartridge as well as the Lott. While the .458 Winchester has had it’s share of problems over the years because it is on the edge of being powerful enough for the largest of game, it is also the most popular and widely available elephant-capable cartridge in Africa. The Lott being more powerful can easily take any animal on earth. The reason we recommend the Lott is that going hunting in Africa is not the same as going hunting in the woods outside your home town. There are no department stores or mega gun shops to go to and find the latest greatest esoteric cartridge. While many cartridges may be available in different places in Africa the one you can always count on being available is the .458 Winchester magnum. Having a source of ammunition in a place where the animals will hunt you is of paramount importance.

The .458 Lott will also perform well on the lion and leopard. However, its extreme power is not needed. If you are going to be strictly hunting the cats our recommendation is the .375 H&H. Again there are many cartridges that are the equivalent of this cartridge. However, the .375 H&H has been on the African continent for almost 100 years and is likely to be available in a pinch. New cartridges like the .375 Ruger while available in the USA are not likely to be found in a remote African town. The .375 H&H has the power to stop a charging lion but also has the range to shoot across the African plains.

Everywhere else:

In the rest of the world the dangerous game that is hunted includes bears, various smaller cats like mountain lions and various species of buffalo. Again, there is a tremendous difference in size between these animals with a large Polar bear weighing in at 1500 pounds while a large mountain lion will not likely exceed 200 pounds. An interesting anomaly here is that the North American Buffalo (Bison) can exceed 2000 pounds and can be very dangerous.

Cartridges like the .338 and .375 magnums will handle any of these animals. The various cats can be easily handled by many common cartridges like the .270, 30-06 and similar class rounds. In addition, the lever action rifles discussed for protection will work well here also, at moderate ranges.

Scopes:

Many people argue that there is no place for a optical sight on a dangerous game rifle. Reasoning that quick to acquire iron sights will always get the job done. In addition, they claim there is a chance of failure form any optical sight and that excessive magnification can be deadly when a large animal is up close. If you are going to use a scope on a rifle for dangerous game always select a very low magnification scope. The Leupold VX-II 1-4x shown on the left is an excellent example of such a scope. This setup mounted on a Winchester Model 70 also uses quick detach rings. A flip of each lever allows the scope to be instantly removed and the iron sights to be utilized. Finally, quick flip lens covers are employed to provide instant access to the scope yet keep the glass clean.