What Defines a Dangerous Game Rifle?

[Javaman]

In the spirit of “use enough gun” and having run 375 H&H and larger … I’d say a CRF Model 70 in .416RM is a pretty good definition of a DG rifle.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

troll post for sure. It's the min calibre listed for dg animals as defined by the game/parks/wildlife authority per country. Most places 375 is min

Agreed: Per the OP’s question.

Of course there are hunters out there that aren’t practiced, ego driven, and don’t shoot their larger caliber “DG” rifles well. Animals get injured and PH’s get hurt or killed during the recovery effort. Which is tragic…

 

[BJH65]

I always kind of laugh to myself when such a big deal is made about caliber. My preference is to use enough gun to take an animal down quickly and not put the PH or myself at risk.

However, here is why I think it's funny. People see no problem with someone wanting to bow hunt every animal on the planet. They will even exalt that person like some kind of hero for such a big accomplishment as taking a buffalo with a bow. Yet, someone says, I want to shoot a buffalo with a 30-06, or god forbid a .308, and they are the dumbest most irresponsible person that has ever lived.

You can't have it both ways. If a 30-06 or a .308 isn't strong enough to kill a buffalo and is dumb, irresponsible, and reprehensible, well, then so is a bow. And some will readily say both are bad. But there are more that will say that a bow is ok and a medium caliber makes you a trash human.

Interesting and thought provoking points.

Bullets kill by high-energy impact that crushes tissue and bone. Bullets may knock down an animal or incapacitate it by breaking major bones.

Broadhead-tipped arrows deliver a low-energy impact that kills by cutting vital tissues. Arrow wounds are believed to be generally less painful and generate less fear and panic than a comparable bullet wound.

With the correct equipment and skill, I have no issue with archery hunting DG, which can be accomplished effectively and humanely. The differences between archery and rifle are really a topic for a different thread.

Regarding the 30-06, AH member Rural Doc previously posted this:

“Kevin Thomas (PH) is the name I was looking for. According to John Barsness, he killed more than 500 Cape Buffalo,all sizes in a culling operation with a 30-06. Mostly with 180 grain Partition handloads.

Sam Fadala took a Cape Buffalo bull using a 30-06 with a Barnes 220 grain solid in a handload as well.”

I have myself used a 300 Win Mag with factory 180 grain Winchester Fail Safe back in the mid 90’s on plains game from springbok to eland. No recovered bullets and all decisive one shot kills except for a gemsbok that I made a bad shot and 2nd shot dropped him immediately.

My PH on that hunt, Dion Cilliers was extremely impressed with the performance of my 300 Win Mag and felt it would work fine on Cape buffalo. Too bad the Winchester Fail Safe’s are no longer made, I felt it a great bullet for African hunting.

Still, I’m fine with the 375 as minimum or 9.3x62 where legal. Most can learn to shoot one effectively and with the correct bullet and shot placement are effective on DG.

It always falls back on using the correct bullet with good shot placement over caliber.

 

[bowjijohn]

It is a combination of calibre, ease of use, reliability, availability and cost

Different for hunters compared with guides/PH ‘ s

 

[Sabre]

Interesting and thought provoking points.

Bullets kill by high-energy impact that crushes tissue and bone. Bullets may knock down an animal or incapacitate it by breaking major bones.

Broadhead-tipped arrows deliver a low-energy impact that kills by cutting vital tissues. Arrow wounds are believed to be generally less painful and generate less fear and panic than a comparable bullet wound.

With the correct equipment and skill, I have no issue with archery hunting DG, which can be accomplished effectively and humanely. The differences between archery and rifle are really a topic for a different thread.

Regarding the 30-06, AH member Rural Doc previously posted this:

“Kevin Thomas (PH) is the name I was looking for. According to John Barsness, he killed more than 500 Cape Buffalo,all sizes in a culling operation with a 30-06. Mostly with 180 grain Partition handloads.

Sam Fadala took a Cape Buffalo bull using a 30-06 with a Barnes 220 grain solid in a handload as well.”

I have myself used a 300 Win Mag with factory 180 grain Winchester Fail Safe back in the mid 90’s on plains game from springbok to eland. No recovered bullets and all decisive one shot kills except for a gemsbok that I made a bad shot and 2nd shot dropped him immediately.

My PH on that hunt, Dion Cilliers was extremely impressed with the performance of my 300 Win Mag and felt it would work fine on Cape buffalo. Too bad the Winchester Fail Safe’s are no longer made, I felt it a great bullet for African hunting.

Still, I’m fine with the 375 as minimum or 9.3x62 where legal. Most can learn to shoot one effectively and with the correct bullet and shot placement are effective on DG.

It always falls back on using the correct bullet with good shot placement over caliber.

I agree with the vast majority of what you said, although I don't think it disagrees with anything I had said from what I can tell.

The only area where I somewhat disagree, or would elaborate is your statement, "Bullets kill by high-energy impact that crushes tissue and bone. Bullets may knock down an animal or incapacitate it by breaking major bones."

Bullets certainly will crush bone and tissue, and they can knock the animal down from impact or breaking bones. But the most deadly part of using a rifle is the cavitation. It creates a temporary cavity and a permanent wound cavity. The temporary cavitation is incredibly violent and destructive. On a .22LR it is over 2 inches, a .308 over 6 inches, and a 30-06 is 8 inches wide. That cavitation is violently ripping and damaging all the tissue it has displaced. Most importantly would be heart tissue, lung tissue, and major arteries.

The simple cuts from a broadhead are not as effective at killing as a bullet. They just aren't.

I don't have a problem with bow hunting. I also bow hunt because it lets me hunt more days and more seasons. I just have a problem with people who are inconsistent in who they exalt and chastise.

A great example just recently came up on here actually. A guy was very excited to get an opportunity to book a hunt to go bow hunt elephant. And I am happy for him, I am not knocking him for it. And all commenters thought it was super cool. But if a person said they were excited to go hunt a buffalo or an elephant with a .243, most of those same commenters would have been irate and spouting off about not enough gun, dangerous, unethical, etc.

 

[fourfive8]

Knock down? If a bullet “knocks down” an animal, then the laws of physics would dictate that the shooter of that bullet would, likewise, be “knocked down”.

 

[BJH65]

Knock down? If a bullet “knocks down” an animal, then the laws of physics would dictate that the shooter of that bullet would, likewise, be “knocked down”.

Well you left out “by breaking major bone.” I understand the laws of physics but how are animals immediately “downed” from a shot that doesn’t hit bone either? It’s been my experience it’s pretty easy to immediately drop a bear (brown, grizzly or black bear) from a lung shot but they get back up and I continue shooting, exactly what happened when I killed a grizzly.

Same with a variety of other animals: African plains game of all types, deer, wild pigs, all sometimes dropped immediately to a lung shot and sometimes shoulder shots? I’ve not seen this archery hunting.

 

[Tanks]

Knock down? If a bullet “knocks down” an animal, then the laws of physics would dictate that the shooter of that bullet would, likewise, be “knocked down”.

Near miss on a brain shot at an elephant. I know PHs that will not let clients using .375s take frontal brain shots on big elephants for that reason.

 

[matt85]

Simple answer:

Dangerous game rifle: a rifle specifically designed for taking dangerous game.

A rifle does not need to be a "dangerous game rifle" to kill dangerous game. A perfectly placed 243 will quickly take any game on the planet.