doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Wrong gun for the wrong job at the wrong time

I spend much of my life in Kenya, and most evenings I take my old Brno 49ZP for a walk, looking for francolin and guinea fowl to frighten. Brno has 2¾” chambers, and is equipped with Briley thin wall tubes (yes, they cost more than the gun). Because these birds get up way out in front, I usually have it choked full and XF. Here’s the issue: there are more buffalo than gamebirds on my few acres, and one of these days I will have an encounter of the underwear-soiling kind. My walks are a solitary vice, so there is no one else to carry an appropriate rifle. I have Rottweil Brenneke 3” slugs, hardly appropriate for a crabby buffalo, but better than screaming at it. I was able to import the slugs for another gun when the authorities were friendlier; it would be very tough to get a permit to import 2¾” slugs today (they are illegal here).

So here is the question: what is likely to happen if I fire a hard slug, in a chamber too short for the cartridge, through a tight choke? I am not too concerned with accuracy, as this would happen at close range.

What about buckshot?

Crocodiles are amphibious
You would possibly be (a) An amputee (b)A meal

LGF

I've seen 1 7/8 oz (lead shot) magnum 3" shells accidently fired out of modern 2 3/4" guns with no damage and think it would be ok if your life was at risk. But a slug is not going to be as forgiving as a shot column.

The case mouth is going to be up in the bore and a slug isnt going to flow through the tight spot, it's going to be more like a wedge and though it will not stop it will surely trigger a pressure spike that I'd rather read about than witness.....

But as an eternal optomist I'd hope that the breech blowing out will scare off the buffalo and allow for an open casket funeral.

Jeff

The difference between 31,5gm 70mm and 39gm 76mm Rottweil offerings is approx. 250bar. Oh yes, you will have to lump on extra pressure generated when 76mm cartrige is fired from 70mm chamber, but I don't know what that value is.
PS. H&H just reincarnated that thingy lobbing 48gm bullet at 320m/s and 8lb 76mm version will be available soon, but that seems woefully inadequate for Mr. Buffed.

If these are interchangeable choke tubes, simply hold up a finger to pause the buffalo, change the tube to an open choke, then fire upon the beast.

You will have the foundation for an excellent pith helmet joke as well.

Carry one of these on your hip

CJ


http://www.fishandhunttexas.com/454casull.htm

I have no personal experience with buffalo, but I have heard they are dangerous. I would rethink your position on accuracy unless your main fear is making it mad! I understand very healthy ones can kill you better than wounded ones?

Anyway, I also read, years ago, that if you spit in their mouths they will run away. All you got to do as they charge is work up some spit! ref. Bill Herter- how to get out of the rat race and live on ten dollars a month -I think?

Maybe load one for birds and the other for buff?

Kurt

A) Place slug loaded gun in forked stick, on gorund, up against tree, cushioned by many pillows. Run string from trigger to another tree about 50 feet to the rear. Using string, pull trigger. If the gun is okay after this test, then it is okay for you to shoot those slugs out of it when you have to.
Plan B) Cut open a slug and mike the slug and add the hull thickness times two and figure out if it comes out to much over .729 (the hull is a little compressible). Actually this is rather conservative, because even short forcing cones are more than 1/4" long.
C) Do nothing different than you have been; just figure if it doesn't work you would rather be killed by a gun explosion than a buffalo.
D) Buy a hell of a drilling.
E) Buy a PACK of wolfhounds and train them to point, or heel, or both.

It is not MY LIFE, but I would bet a little of my money it will work fine, because slugs are a little undersized and forcing cones do exist. They figure some folks have full chokes you know.

Strange, you are allowed to carry a rifle but shotgun slug loads are somehow restricted. Doesn't make much sense to me. If I were determined to carry a shotgun I guess I would start reloading slug loads. You can pour the slugs from wheel weights or other lead sources and would not need to import them. Make sure they have enough antimony in them to limit expansion. Hopefully you are permitted to have shotgun reloading powder and equipment. I might also consider a pump or semi auto shotgun with magazine capable of 5 shots or more. Load the slug loads first, then a couple of birdshot loads for the Francolin. In the event of a buffalo, fire the birdshot in the air hopefully warning the buffalo off, and reserve the remaining slug loads for the serious work at hand. At close range even a buffalo ought to notice 3 to 7 well placed 12ga slugs