SKS on Safari Africa

[B.B. Babington]

G&A April 2018 page 56 has a pic of trackers and guides for a hunt.  The beefiest guy holds an SKS. Which shows different philosophies and using what's available. Grizzly guides carry 45-70 or 50 S&W for guide gun.  But Kodiak bear guides carry AK's.  AK is available and 10 shots should stop it.  Not sure if 10 rounds 7.62x39 would drop hippo, rhino, or water buffalo, but it would stop hyena or big cat which is what a tracker or guide might be more worried about.

[Lafayettegregory]

I hear ya- There is something about that here  http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?board=72.0

[Kano383]

FWIW...

When we are on a hunting safari in the bush, we always carry at least a couple of AKs. Sometimes more than a couple. At times a PK machine gun too, depending on the neighborhood... 

These are not for four-legged predators, but for two-legged ones: poachers, shuftas, tribal warriors, and other ill-tempered critters. A SKS would be used for exactly the same purpose, in places where semi-auto AKs are not available.

Very, very few animals may attack unprovoked, out of the blue (or rather, out of the bush) when you're walking around, and these are mostly wounded or cantakerous old cape buffalo, and elephant. For both of these, a 7.62x39 is a really poor choice, due to bullet construction and shape: the trajectory of a mil-specs 7.62x39 round in an animal is totally unpredictable, it is deflected by bones and even hide, and cannot be relied upon to reach a vital organ in time to stop a charge.