Alan Bunn

I have been contacted by Irwin Greenstein, publisher of the 15-year-old online magazine Shotgun Life (www.shotgunlife.com) to write an article about a young American hunter’s African safari. Irwin is launching an online magazine called Young Awesome Hunter. It’s the first comprehensive marketing platform leveraging social media, youth programs, and advocacy to promote hunting, fishing, and shooting competitions for young people and their families, and is looking for writers proficient in those categories. The focus will be on young hunters, shooters, and anglers and how their participation has transformed their lives, either as individuals or with their families. It would be…

African Expedition has started a YouTube channel. I would appreciate it if you all subscribe, watch a few videos, and ring that jolly old bell!

I am often asked what caliber rifle to take on an African plains game hunt. My response is usually, “What do you have in your gun case now”? The reason I ask that is because almost everyone already has a .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, etc.

The basic design for a Dangerous Game Rifle (DGR) was finalized by English gun makers such as Holland and Holland, Rigby, Jeffrey, et al. before the start of WWI. Drawing on the experiences of big game hunters in their African colonies and using the new smokeless propellant, Cordite, these custom gun smiths could now build relatively light weight rifles that surpassed the stopping power of the earlier 4 to 10 gauge black powder rifles.

In part one of this article, several issues associated with barrels and iron front sights were discussed at length.  Now let’s look at one of the other two traditional parts of a firearm; the lock or, in modern terms, the receiver.  I will talk about some ideas for their possible refinement, and try to examine every feature in detail.  If there is anything I have overlooked or if you know of any new products or ideas we should know about I would love to hear additional thoughts from our readers After years of research and worldwide combat experience, Paul Mauser…

In Part I of this article I talked about new ideas and advanced concepts relating to barrels and iron sights. In Part II the receiver was looked at in detail and I delved into the parts of the traditional lock: receiver, magazine and trigger, with some aside comments on ‘minor’ points such as lubrication, rear sights, and bolt handle knob, etc., although it may be argued that there are no points concerning a dangerous game rifle that could be termed as minor. Here, in Part III, I will look at several factors in building a stock for a dangerous game…

The discussion regarding the best cartridge for use on African plains game has been a century-old affair; a heated debate that certainly has no end in sight, nor a definitive correct answer. Its only competition is the evolving argument about dangerous game cartridges.

Bore diameters between 6.5mm and .375″ all have their champions, and all can be used on plains game with good effect. However, when it comes to a cartridge that is effective across a broad spectrum of game – from duikers to eland – the .30-’06 Springfield continues to hold one of the top positions.