“maximum point-blank range”

All in all, a pragmatic hunter should find the Elite 3500 more than good enough to “ride the river with.” At typical street prices, and with Bushnell’s limited lifetime warranty and one-year money-back guarantee, the Elite 3500 could be considered a best buy, too.

Eland are the largest antelope in the world, and they can walk for miles. Hunters who have missed a bull learn that soon enough; most give up the track eventually. Too bad most of them don’t hunt behind the white bushman.

Weighing in at just 14.2 ounces, the CRS.1 offers a clear, sharp, high contrast image and promises to do just what hunters need—put bullets on target.

Before fall big-game seasons begin, it’s important to build confidence in your rifle, ammo and optics—and how you perform with them in hand. To do so, it pays to put in practical range time, shooting not only from field positions but also building skill at quick, accurate follow-up shots.

While it may lack the speed and shapely beauty of modern contenders, this nearly 150-year-old cartridge continues to prove itself in the field. Whoever said nothing lasts forever obviously never met the .45-70 Gov’t.

On safari in South Africa, the author’s plan for plains game—to have no plan at all—couldn’t have worked better. The plan for Cape buffalo, well, that’s another story.