Sometimes you can't use your own rifle on a hunt. What then?

By Craig Boddington

Many hunters are also serious rifle nuts. I guess I’m one of them, because one of the great pleasures in planning any hunting trip is figuring out the exactly perfect rifle, scope, cartridge, and bullet for the upcoming event. Some of us agonize over this endlessly, and it’s truly not only part of the fun, but part of the satisfaction to take that perfect combination and use it effectively on game animals we have long dreamed about.

On the other hand, there are many extremely successful hunters who are not “gun guys” at all. To them the hunting firearm is simply a tool, only slightly more complex and interesting than a shovel. Sometimes I envy them, because it’s easy to get caught up in the nuances when all that really matters, within very broad parameters, is to “hold ‘em and squeeze ‘em.”

One of the problems with being a “gun guy” is that, as I’ve written previously in this column, it is getting increasingly difficult to travel with firearms. And, as much as I wish it were otherwise, I tend to think this is going to get worse long before it gets better. I talk to a lot of hunters who are unwilling to go on a hunt unless they can take their own firearms. I understand this, but, deep down, I guess I’m more of a hunter than a gun guy, because I’m perfectly willing to go on at least some hunts without my own guns. Honestly, though I hate to admit it, traveling without a firearm is darn near a pleasure because of the simplicity!

I borrorwed my buddy Bill Jones's .300 RUM to take this Uganda kob. The rifle was right-handed and I'm left-handed, but I made do!

The only alternative to taking firearms on a hunt is to borrow them on site. In this case “borrow” is a broad term. Some outfits rent firearms, others provide them as a matter of course. There are also more exotic solutions, such as borrowing from a friend or acquaintance residing near the destination, or sharing with a buddy who may be coming in from somewhere else.

And never forget, we pampered Americans have it better than most! There is great hunting in North America, and many hunters from elsewhere come here to hunt our numerous and varied species. Guess what? Since 9-11, it has been almost impossible for a foreigner to bring a firearm into the United States. In theory, a permit can be issued; in practice it almost never is. So hunters from Europe, Africa, or anywhere else must borrow firearms when they hunt in the United States. My Macedonian buddy, Saso Ivanov, is joining Donna and me on a Rocky Mountain goat hunt in British Columbia next month. We will share my Kimber .270 WSM. Come to think of it, although it is theoretically possible to bring rifles into Macedonia, when I’ve hunted in his country I have used his rifles, so turnabout is fair play!

The nuances can seem crazy. Canadian and Mexican citizens transiting through U.S. airports en route to, say, Africa, can find it almost impossible to bring firearms through the USA. So, by default, they have to borrow guns. And then there are destinations where, although hunting is perfectly legal, firearms importation is not. So, if you want to experience that hunt, you must use what is available.

This can vary tremendously. Earlier this year I hunted in Ghana. The hunting there is in the forest for royal antelope and other small forest animals. Ghana has only recently been opened for the first time (ever!). The hunting permit is actually quite elaborate, and very specific as to the animals that might be taken--kudos to their game department. It is, however, virtually impossible for an outsider to bring firearms into Ghana. So you use what is there. For gun purists, it doesn’t matter. Forest hunting for small antelopes is shotgun stuff! Outfitter Steve Kobrine had both single-shot and over/under Turkish shotguns fitted with exceptionally good fiber optic sights, and although these guns wouldn’t interest a gun purist, they were perfect for the conditions.

My situation in Ghana was complicated by the fact that I went from there straight to Uganda. I couldn’t take guns through Ghana, so in Uganda I shared hunting partner Bill Jones’ battery of a Bill Wiseman .300 RUM and a vintage John Rigby .416. No matter that he and his guns are right-handed and I’m left-handed; we did just fine.

Just a few weeks ago I went whitetail hunting in Peru. Peru is another country that has only recently been opened to foreign sportsmen. Theoretically you can bring guns into Peru, but this remains untried. At the time that I went, national elections had just been held and bureaucratic processes were at a standstill. The better part of valor was to borrow a rifle. My outfitter, Marcelo Sodiro, himself an Argentinean, had in turn borrowed a couple of rifles from Peruvian hunting friends. Note, please, that in out-of-the-way places available firearms are a grab-bag. So I was delighted when I was “issued” a Winchester M70 .270 with a good Leupold scope. Ammunition is also a grab-bag. The ammo we had was Remington Core-Lokt, which was fine…but the bullets were round-nosed 150-grainers.

This is where being a “gun guy” can cause problems. I understood that the hard-hitting, heavy-for-caliber roundnose would be ideal in the forest…but I wasn’t so sure about small-bodied whitetails in open country. Get over it, I thought. You have what you have! My concerns were groundless. The rifle was deadly accurate with that load, and after a brilliant stalk I got a 130-yard shot.

Peru offers great hunting, but firearm importation is problematic. Outfitter Marcelo Sodiro provided me with an exceptionally accurate Winchester Model 70 in .270, and it performed perfectly on this tropical whitetail.

Whether from simplicity or necessity, borrowing firearms is always an option. As a gun guy, there are circumstances where I don’t recommend it. Specifically: Any sheep or goat hunt, anywhere in the world! Whenever you might have to push a shot beyond 250 or 300 yards, you really should have your own rifle that you have perfect knowledge of and confidence in. That said, suppose you’re a European hunting in Alaska…or anyone whose baggage goes astray. Get over it, and do the best you can with the equipment available.

In Africa, don’t worry about it. Long shooting is rare, and most outfitters have very suitable rifles available. The time-worn .375 they proffer might not be your idea of the perfect solution, but it will do the job.

Although I’ve waited a day or so in strange places for my baggage to appear, I can honestly say that I have never had to borrow guns because my own went astray. Even so, this can happen, and the only choice is to make the best of it. Now, if you make a conscious decision not to bring your own firearms, you can and should ask what might be available for you to use. Ask in detail…perhaps you can bring the ammunition (always scarce in strange places) if not the rifle. Perhaps you can’t. Whether by choice or requirement, when you borrow firearms, you have just changed from a “gun guy” to a pure hunter, so make the best of it: Be prepared to hold ‘em and squeeze ‘em, and most of the time you’ll do just fine.