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                  Bullberry
Barrel Works |
Marla's African Safari 27 August 2007 Dear Bullberry Crew, While preparing for our Namibian Safari (July 2007), there was some question about what gun I’d take for the tough African game. I already have a Bullberry-made Encore in .260 Remington, but we wanted to take something in a larger caliber. My husband was already planning on taking his 9,3x62 and we’d originally thought that I’d take one of his 30 caliber rifles – however, their stocks were too long for me. So he asked me what gun I’d prefer to shoot with a trophy fee on the line. I immediately replied, “My Encore.” So we decided that a new barrel was in order, and we chose the caliber to be in .358 Winchester. I don’t know that much about calibers, but my husband assured me that it would deliver a solid punch without too much fuss (i.e. recoil). We received the barrel about a month before we left, and found it to be as accurate as our other Bullberry barrels – just as expected. We handloaded it with 225 gr Barnes TSX bullets and sighted it in 2” high at 100 yards. Upon arriving in Namibia, I actually missed my first shot at a trophy Hartebeast, but that was all me – excitement, nerves, or whatever. My second opportunity on a second bull surely served to dispel the notion that the .358 Win is “just a short range brush gun”. My PH said “Just aim for the top of the hump”, and I dropped the bullet right into to top of his heart/lungs at 300 yards. One shot, and about 20 steps later, he fell over, and I had my first African trophy. Gold Medal 13 year old Red Hartebeest
We hunted hard for the next several days for post-rut Kudu (which lived up to their nickname, “the Grey Ghost of Africa”) when my next opportunity came – a 250 yarder on a trophy Warthog. While this one ran off into the brush with a lung shot, after a short trail, we found him and I had my second African trophy.
My next animal also was one to prove the worth of the Bullberry Encore in .358 Win – a 200 yard neck shot on a 15 ½” Springbok . . . but the battery in my PH’s camera had run out of juice. My last trophy came in the closing minutes of our last day in Africa. At last light, I had a final opportunity on a chance at a trophy Blesbok. The herd was milling around about 200 yards away. My PH was able to sort out the best bull in the herd, and said, “Fourth one from the left, shoot as soon as the little one clears.” I fired my shot as instructed and hit him cleanly in the heart/lungs. He disappeared into the fleeing herd, but we found him only a few meters from the spot where he was standing when shot. At 17”, with very thick bases, he was a fine trophy. The most spectacular sunset of the trip provided a backdrop to a wonderful set of trophy photos, as well!
Thanks for building me a terrific barrel. The same barrel will go back with us to Namibia when we return in 2010! Sincerely,
** Just a note that Marla's family has once before been featured on our website as "Bull's Eye" winners. See their entry here. |
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