Young, Armchair Hunter would like to know what's out there

[BattleRifleG3]

I come with little knowledge and no presumptions.

I was wondering where in Africa people go for hunting (ie what governments allow it and what countries are receptive), what animals are generally hunted, how you go about bringing them home (or donating them to the hungry), and what the various countries' laws are regarding bringing in weapons and other firearm and hunting laws.

All I really know is that some countries have a 375 caliber minimum, some have pistol restrictions, and generally non-US countries aren't as supportive of self defense and military weapons as the US, though those aren't likely to be used for African hunting anyway.

The only two I've heard of hunting in are Tanzania and South Africa.  My assumption is that bolt actions and single or double shot rifles would be the most accepted and most widely used.  What about leverguns and slide action rifles like the Rem 7600?  Are hunting semi-autos like the BAR accepted anywhere?

[PeterV]

Hi there,

You raise a bunch of questions in your post that could take a lot of space to answer...which is probally why no-one has rushed in with replies just yet, however here goes with a short version:

The most common hunting destinations include South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Each of the above countries apply a different set of hunting regulations according to species available and current game population levels. This may change annually. Game is categorised as either "Plains Game" which includes most antelope species, zebra and giraffe or as "Dangerous Game" which would as the name suggests traditionally include dangerous species like lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant.

As to importation of firearms and limitations, each country has it's own set of rules by example South Africa allows handgun hunting while Botswana does not allow the importation of any handguns.

You are correct in your view that bolt actions are most common, I've seen a few lever actions and even a slide action in use in South Africa, however blot actions are by far the most used.

Our African Hunters Guild's website (members section) contains the answers to just about all the questions you ask ...you can opt to join up as an associate members for free and find some real useful info.

Hope this helps some.