Gentlemen,

Many thanks for all the thoughtful answers to my question. Unless someone has a suggestion for carrying a .470 and a shotgun, I guess I better try and bring over some 2¾” slugs, and keep one barrel choked more open. Yogi - many thanks for the kind offer to roll some up. I will get in touch when I am back in the US. Don’t those Russian slugs sound cool?

To answer some of the points raised:

Reloading is illegal here. Years ago I would have happily put components and a small press in my luggage anyway, but these days TSA might have issues.

Handgun: I have a high capacity .460 Rowland (a glorified .45 that thinks it’s a .44 magnum), but I would much rather trust in something big coming out the end of a shotgun. I could never get a permit to bring in a second handgun, even if I could hit anything with a revolver. Anyway, a buffalo with a handgun??? No way.

Buckshot: That’s for bucks. I autopsied a lion (dear old Number 4) who had been killed by a herder with buckshot – she was ancient and starving, and had two tries at his cows. He shot her when she went for him for pestering her. He was immensely lucky because a flier went through her brain. The other pellets were flattened under the skin of her foreleg.

H and H Paradox: I wish. Brno cost less than .5% the price of a Paradox. About my financial league.

Why are slugs illegal here? Lots of herders are armed with ancient shotguns (see above), and they would all be poaching even more than they already do if they had slugs. Most of those guns will probably blow up the first time anything is fired through them, but there are a lot of interesting old single shots around.

Pump or semiauto: Blasphemy! You should have seen how I was received on a pukka shoot when I showed up with my 1187 that wears black plastic, a pistol grip and an extended mag. Never invited back.

Bear spray: Often does not even deter bears; they like their lunch spicy. I have tried to break up fighting hyenas (in captivity) using bear spray, and they never even noticed it. There is always wind here.

Safety - the suggestion that I just stay home is really not on. I am certainly not brave, possibly foolish, but staying at home is not an option. I could sit at home in Berkeley and be less safe than out here. The African bush is not remotely as dangerous as one is led to believe – the hairy-chested hunters’ tales of charging this and attacking that nearly always refer to wounded animals; unprovoked attacks by anything are very rare. A certain famous ‘hunter’ who seems able to provoke a buffalo charge whenever a camera is present almost certainly does it by gut-shooting the animal first; it just don’t happen that regularly any other way. Having said than, however, a friend was killed by a buffalo last year on top of a rocky hill where no buffalo should have been, so it does happen occasionally. And someone else was killed by a hippo while duck hunting a couple of years ago. So a buffalo problem is not highly likely, but can happen.

I avoid the areas best beloved by buffalo, stay in relatively open country, and keep my eyes, ears and nose open. No surprises so far (36 years). Just some detours.