To be on the game-rich plains of Africa never joy, especially when with family, a fine rifle, and the opportunity to put said rifle to the test. This would be my third trip to Africa, and this safari was made all more special by the fact my daughter would not only be part of the journey but be hunting as well.
Just over a year ago, when I returned from the Northern Cape of South Africa, I began planning yet another African excursion for July and August of 2024. The plan was to meet up with my daughter in Atlanta and then fly together to Johannesburg and then on to Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. From there we would be met by a representative of the well-known company, John X Safaris, and then on to their main lodge known as the Woodlands, near Grahamstown, South Africa.
Guns, Ammo and Optics
There was much to plan in the months between making hunt reservations and setting off for the airport. Although many safari companies now offer rifles and ammo for clients’ use, I enjoy testing rifles and calibers that may be of interest to other hunters and, therefore, took my own. So before discussing the hunt proper, here is a brief overview of the tools I selected. I feel it’s worthwhile to cover, as it may give readers who are planning their first African hunt ideas as to selection of rifles, ammunition, and other gear.
Although I took a Mossberg Patriot in .375 Ruger for a buffalo excursion in the Northern Cape after leaving John X Safari territory, a story in and of itself, my rifle for all plains game was the Christensen Ridgeline FFT in 7mm PRC.
Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT
Christensen Arms is based in Gunnison Utah and has been around since in 1995. The company stands on its claim of always being made in America.
My first experience with Christensen Arms began in May of 2023 when I traveled to South Africa and put the Mesa FFT to the test in the Northern Cape with the well-proven .300 Win Mag cartridge. That rifle performed wonderfully as did the cartridge.
Electing this year to try out the Christensen Ridgeline FFT in 7mm PRC, I soon had the rifle in hand to begin prepping for our African plains game hunt in July of this year. FFT or “Flash Forged Technology” eliminates up to a full pound of unnecessary internal weight compared to traditionally manufactured carbon fiber composite rifle stocks. The Ridgeline FFT in 7mm PRC weighs just 5.5 pounds out of the box.
The Ridgeline FFT in 7mm PRC features a Christensen Arms 416R stainless 22-inch barrel with carbon-fiber wrap, threaded muzzle, side-baffle brake, and 1:8 twist. Accuracy is backed by a sub-MOA guarantee.
An enlarged ejection port allows for easy loading, and, unlike many of its competitors, the Ridgeline FFT comes with an internal box magazine that holds three rounds of 7mm PRC and has an FFT hinged floorplate. The bottom metal is made from billet aluminum, and the floorplate release lever is located within the trigger guard.
All Ridgeline FFT rifles use a flattened, skeletonized bolt handle and interchangeable FFT bolt knob along with dual lug spiral-fluted bolt. TriggerTech triggers are standard, and they offer a smooth, crisp break that complements accuracy. The 7mm PRC trigger broke at 3.2 pounds for an average of 10 presses as measured with a Lyman digital trigger gauge.
In a nutshell, Flash Forged Technology (FFT) allows Christensen Arms to build rifles that are significantly lighter than those made using traditional construction techniques. This rifle was a pleasure to carry in the field.
The Ammo
All of the pre-hunt range work with rifle and ammo was completed on my home range in New Mexico. This included a specific barrel break-in procedure consisting of a series of shooting and cleaning sequences that Christensen recommends. Accuracy improved with each series of shooting and cleaning until the process was complete.
Hornady ammunition company provided two variations of the 7mm PRC cartridge. Both of Hornady’s primary hunting loads for the 7mm PRC, the 160gr CX in the Hornady Outfitter line of ammo, and the 175gr ELD-X in the Hornady Precision Hunter line were put to the test.
While both Hornady loads performed wonderfully grouping in the 1MOA range or less, the most consistently accurate load proved to be the Hornady 175gr ELD-X bullet. The Hornady 175gr ELD-X consistently fired sub-MOA at 200 yards (under 2 inches at 200 yards). I had my range card built for out to 600 yards where I could consistently make hits on steel with the 175gr ELD-X.
Recoil experienced with the 7mm PRC cartridge in the Ridgeline was minimal despite the gun being so lightweight. All Christensen’s Ridgeline FFT rifles come standard with a removable stainless-steel side-baffle muzzle brake. Felt recoil, I would say, is no more than the .270 Winchester.
While there is an increased decibel level with the muzzle brake, while hunting I simply inserted quick ear plugs when about to shoot. Of course, the brake can be replaced with a suppressor if desired.
The Optics
In the challenge of pursuing game, a high-quality rifle can only perform as well as the optic it wears. Both this year and in 2023 I utilized the Lucid Optics model L5 4x-16x scope. It’s the exact same Lucid scope I made use of on the Christensen Arms Mesa FFT in .300 Win Mag when hunting the Kalahari Region of northern S outh Africa, and experienced excellent results. When something works, I tend to stick with it.
Binoculars I utilized for this safari also came from Lucid Optics. Their model B-8, with 8×42 magnification, allows for a wider field of view and weighs only 24 ounces. These are also the same binos utilized on last year’s safari as they continue to serve me well.
Hunting with John X Safaris
Plans for this safari really began in January of 2023 when I met with Carl Van Zyl of John X Safaris at the Houston Safari Club Convention in Houston, Texas. The company is owned and operated by Carl and Trish Van Zyl who have been running safaris in the Eastern Cape of South Africa for many years. The company was started by Carl’s father, Rick Van Zyl, whom we also had the pleasure of meeting at the Woodlands Lodge, the main camp for all their hunts.
Although plans and dates were amended a time or two, in the end it worked out perfectly for my daughter to accompany me and get to do some hunting herself…all the better.
John X Safaris enjoys an excellent reputation for providing a first-rate safari experience. Hunting with this company in late July of this year, the John X company actually exceeded my already high expectations. Though they serve clients from around the world, John X Safaris demonstrates a deep commitment to locals too. This is evident in their support of an area school by essentially remodeling an old police barracks and installing playground equipment, as well as providing a steady supply of hunter-provided meat used for students’ nourishment.
Their main camp, the Woodlands Lodge (and all their lodges for that matter) are run in a manner that would defy anyone’s expectations for comfort, cuisine, and atmosphere, combined with feeling at home away from home. The fire was going every evening when we arrived after a long day in the field, not just at the outside fire pit, but in the lodge, in the old-style safari bar and even in hunters’ personal rooms.
In the field, care was taken in finding not just quality game to hunt, but in selecting animals that were past their prime, animals that are on the downhill side of life, allowing other mature animals to carry on the cycle.
Our professional hunter (PH), Clayton Fletcher was methodical in observing hundreds of head of game via a quality spotting scope. He expertly put my daughter and me on just the right animals. I was impressed.
Over six to seven days afield, we made several moves between different hunting locations including one of their newer camps, Bankfontein. At this location my daughter was able to take two outstanding springbok, a common and a white. At least two of these areas were low fence, or free-range ranches, which made our hunt all the more interesting and enjoyable. An interesting sidenote: the view of the Milky Way Galaxy from this location was phenomenal.
The variety of terrain we were exposed to was impressive. We hunted open plains where one could see for miles, thick woodlands, higher mountains, and locations that combined all the above.
Our safari started each day with an early breakfast and then out to the field with our PH Clayton. Always accompanying us was Bull, our native tracker, and two friendly terriers, Scamp and Bean, in case the need arose to find a wounded animal. All hunting was done on foot after leaving the safari truck behind. Every animal taken was usually the result of lots of glassing and use of a spotting scope and the resulting stalk or wait for the animal to move into a position for a good shot. All shots were taken from a prone or kneeling/sitting/standing position with the use of provided shooting sticks or a mechanical tripod that was a real asset for longer shots.
My toughest shot was just over 300 yards, in an uphill sitting position, at a mountain reedbuck. The Christensen Ridgeline was spot-on and the 7mm PRC Precision Hunter ammo performed wonderfully. The reedbuck went down with a single shot. My daughter took her common springbok at nearly the same distance.
All told, we hunted five different areas in the Eastern Cape and took excellent animals. My daughter took blesbok, common springbok, white springbok, impala and, blue wildebeest. My list included Kalahari springbok, mountain reedbuck, common duiker, black wildebeest, impala, nyala and bushbuck.
Well done, John X Safaris!
Final Thoughts
The Christensen Ridgeline FFT performed beyond my expectations. The rifle is lightweight (a fact commented on many times by PHs and hunters alike), accurate, built tough, and just plain handsome with flawless performance.
Likewise, the Hornady 7mm PRC Precision Hunter, 175gr ELD-X performance was nothing short of outstanding. The 7MM PRC is one flat-shooting cartridge and one that I will continue to utilize for, hopefully, many hunts to come.
As was the case in the previous year’s safari in the Northern Cape, all Lucid Optics gear exceeded expectations and will continue to be integral to my hunting endeavors.
On the second half of my journey, to the Northern Cape, I also took red hartebeest, warthog, kudu, and steenbok with the Christensen, where again its performance was stellar.
My daughter and I shared a marvelous adventure in Africa and with John X Safaris. It was an experience that can never be replaced or forgotten. One cannot wish for more than that.
