Lipsey's and Ruger have teamed up to release a couple of new Hawkeye and No. 1 rifles in 35 Whelen and 9.3×62. Those are outstanding rifles (especially in 9.3x62mm) for hunting the whole spectrum of game ranging from whitetail adeer and feral hogs up to cape buffalo and elephant in Africa. Jason Cloessner from Lipsey's joins me on the show today to discuss these new rifles in detail.

Sponsor: Get in touch with me to make your Africa hunting dreams come true on a hunt in South Africa. We offer outstanding hunting safaris, simplified hunt logistics, assistance with many of the pain points associated with a hunt, and up front pricing with no extra fees. We just opened bookings for 2027 and still have a few spots remaining for May, October, and November 2026. Visit bestsafarihunt.com or email me at john@thebiggamehuntingblog.com to learn more. Make sure to state that you're a podcast listener and I'll give you a special bonus!

I'll be at the Safari Club International convention in Nashville 18-21 February with 2 of my African PHs (Johan and Kobus) and we'd love to meet you if you'll be attending the show. We're hosting a get together for podcast listeners and past/future clients 6-10pm on Friday, 20 February 2026 at the house we're staying at. Pizza and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) will be provided.

Address is: 1116 Spurgeon Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee, 37207

Space is limited, so please RSVP at john@thebiggamehuntingblog.com if you plan on attending!

Resources

Learn more about what's new from Lipsey's at their web site and their YouTube channel.

We're talking about the 405 Winchester today, which is President Theodore Roosevelt's legendary medicine gun for lions. To this day, that statement remains one of the most effective presidential endorsements of any product ever. We will discuss more details of how that cartridge performed for Theodore Roosevelt in Africa, plus I'll also cover the history and performance specs of the cartridge, it's strengths and limitations, some other hunting stories involving it, and some recommendations on the best use cases for the round.

Sponsor: Get in touch with me to make your Africa hunting dreams come true on a hunt in South Africa. We offer outstanding hunting safaris, simplified hunt logistics, assistance with many of the pain points associated with a hunt, and up front pricing with no extra fees. We just opened bookings for 2027 and still have a few spots remaining for May, October, and November 2026. Visit bestsafarihunt.com or email me at john@thebiggamehuntingblog.com to learn more. Make sure to state that you're a podcast listener and I'll give you a special bonus!

North Fork produces several projectiles that are outstanding choices for the 405 Winchester that take the performance of the cartridge to the next level. You can purchase North Fork bullets in the .411 and .413 bore diameters (as well as many others: .308, .338, .375 caliber, etc.) directly from the North Fork web site, from MidwayUSA, or from our network of other distributors all over the world.

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