OUT OF AFRICA

[sixshot]

messybear, I wish I had read this 10 minutes ago, Larry just walked out the door, dang it! I do know that he used my 272 gr mold in his FA 41 magnum but I don't know the charge, etc. It was shooting very well for him & Riley, they shot 4-5 animals with that bullet. I'll have to get back to you after I talk to him about his 454 load but I think it was my 308 gr LBT bullet but he was casting them at 306 grs. He's a very fine shot!

Dick

[jwp475]

CONGRATULATIONS!🎈🎊🎉🧨💯

[reflex264]

I just saw this. Awesome. Simply Awesome. I have dreamed of hunting Africa nearly my entire life. At one time I thought I would take one of my .416s or my .458 but I can't see me doing it with anything other than one of my handguns. Planned 3 trips and had life threatening medical problems pop up before I got to go. My wife and son believe that it is not meant for me to go. So for the present I will live Africa vicariously through those that do. Awesome pics and write up. My hat is off to you Sir.

[MackaySagebrush]

Yet another chapter in the epic adventure of a life so well lived! Few will ever do a fraction of what you have. You have certainly lived well my Friend!

[Stump Buster]

Excellent Adventure, Performance and Writing Dick! I enjoyed that immensely.

Congratulations on a successful (on all levels) trip.


Mike

[sixshot]

Thanks Mackay, appreciated! Coming from you that means a lot because I know you have lived many of the same adventures in your life & line of work, people just don't know it. For those that don't know, Mackay is one tough Idaho Cowboy, take it to the bank, & he knows his way around a S&W.
Also Mike, working with Fish & Wildlife has had some pretty "hairy" adventures over his career & we've met & shot together & he's a very fine shooter.

Dick

[bearskinner]

A lotta great SIXGUNNER’s in Idaho!

[sixshot]

That's true Mike, and there's one hanging out up around Athol, Idaho where my Uncle & Aunt used to live & visited them when I was a kid! Good luck in the upcoming days buddy!! I know you are ready!

Dick

[bearskinner]

Sir, you are too kind. “ I’m just a peckerwood who lives in the hills with too many guns”. 7 days to go.

[weiler]

great writeup Dick! my father in law did a plains game hunt in the Northern tip of the Limpopo province in 2014, that was about a year before I came on the scene (too late!), planning to do a hunt in the next few years.

His Gemsbok hangs in our living room, although Ive made sure he knows we have room for the Zebra!

[sixshot]

messybear, sorry for the long delay, I forgot! Larry & Riley shot Wildebeest, 2 Impala, Nyala, Zebra, Blesbok, & Springbok with the FA 41 magnum using a 270 gr cast bullet made from a mold that Todd Corder gave me. It's a gas check mold & it's a dandy, they never recovered a single bullet. The load was 18.0 grs of H110 fo 1350 fps. This was is a 10" FA so don't use this load in any other gun without working up very slowly, it's probably too warm for most guns.
His FA 454 load was 26.5 grs of H110 & the same 306 gr bullet I used in my bisley 45. My bullets were weighing 308 grs, Larry's were dropping at 306 grs from his alloy. Both our bullets were water quenched after powder coating. His were running 1450 fps out of the 10" barrel. Not full speed but very accurate & almost complete penetration on his Kudu at this velocity.
Matching the velocity to the bullet hardness is the key to success with any cast bullet, over drive them & they can fail, whether it's an Impala or a Cape Buffalo. Below is the recovered 306 gr bullet from Larry's Kudu, taken at 70 yds, almost facing him. One shot & down, recovered just in front of the left hip.


Dick

[messybear]

Thanks Dock! Interesting stuff. What mold is that 306 or 308?

[leftysixgun]

Oct 13, 2021 20:37:20 GMT -5 messybear said:

Thanks Dock! Interesting stuff. What mold is that 306 or 308?

Hahaha, great question!!

[sixshot]

messybear, I couldn't find the mold, I have a lot of molds! And, it's possible that Larry might have it, not sure. Anyway, depending on your alloy it weighs about 306 grs & is an LBT LFN style with a gas check. We both water quenched for this hunt. I don't usually water quench but I don't usually hunt in Africa.

Dick

[sixshot]

Found the mold, it's actually an 4 cavity LBT 300 gr LFN GC by Verl Smith. I got this mold courtesy of the original "45" man, Rey Garza. It's mainly because of Rey that I decided to take the 45 Colt & heavy loads back to Africa.
Dick