Rifle calibers for African game

[MachIVshooter]

I personally chose a .375 Ultra for the day I make it to africa, if ever. It won't be the only gun that goes, though. If I find myself in a country with a .40 cal minimum, I'll have my Marlin 1895 with some 500 gr. solids or hard casts. And I'll have my .25-06 for the little plains critters.

But I agree with others that the .338 WM is not gonna cut it for DG, mostly because of the minimum caliber requirements, but also because it is a little on the weak side.

 

[Al LaVodka]

to small and i would never trust my life on a dangerous game hunt to a semi auto rifle. It can get real hot and real dirty and those are two things semi autos dont like. A good bolt gun in 375 on up would be my choise and if i had to nail it down to one it would be a 416 rem or rigby

+1. I particularly like the 416 Rigby as a "one-gun" which is actually much more versatile, as is the .375 H&H in many respects, than most shooters realize.
Al

 

[saturno_v]

For plains game your regular high intensity 7mm-.30 cal. chamberings (30-06, 270, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 WM, etc...) are fine as well as for the big cats...unfortunately in some countries they have a ridiculous .375 minimum caliber requirements for lions....serious overkill.

So the 338 WM is more than plenty for Simba & Co. (using appropriate bullets) where legally allowed to use it.

For the Big 4 (Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Hippo, Elephant) the .375 cal and up (and in some places .400 cal and up) minimum requirements is fully justified (VERY big animals, VERY thick skin and bones).

However, the 338 Win Mag with heavy for caliber solids (for example the Woodleigh 300 gr.) is adequate (where legal) for Cape Buffalo...many people used them very effectively for the task...they are serious skull and bones drillers....

 

[oneounceload]

The friends I have who belong to SCI (http://www.scifirstforhunters.org/index.cfm?), tend to use .416's for large game, 270/7mag/'06 for medium, and .243 for small.

One friend's last elephant hunt went south AFTER the hunt. He and another friend spent 6 weeks in Africa. His elephant hunt was $50k by itself, and while he got his ivory home, the head never made it - and it doesn't look like he'll be getting it. This was his 13th safari, and he said probably his last as age and costs keep going up.

If you really want to hunt African plains game, you might look at one of the ranches in Tx - the cost should be a little less, and the political climate a little less volatile.

The SCI convention in Reno every January is where the African PHs come to get hunts booked - if you're serious about hunting Africa, that is the group and the place to be

 

[Tom Held]

Namibia Hunts

A few thoughts:

375 H and H is the minimum caliber you can use for dangerous game in Africa (the big five)

You can easily get ammo for the 375 H and H if yours does not arrive - BUT not for the Ruger 375

375 is often the choice for someone shooting dangerous game and plains game using solids (just makes a small hole in antelop-type game and doesn't tear up the hides and capes

You can hunt Namibia and take 4-5 quality plains game animals for the cost of a elk hunt out west including airfare.

Any of the basic 30 caliber rifles are enough for plains game.

Forget using small 1x4x20 scopes even on large caliber rifles. You want something with light gathering power. Most PHs will recommend 3x9x40 or even 50s.

 

[Maverick223]

Forget using small 1x4x20 scopes even on large caliber rifles.

I don't profess to be an expert, but I would (and do) prefer a smaller magnification range because of the probability for short range encounters (and greater FOV) for dangerous game hunting; furthermore the light gathering ability of the small objective is adequate due to the limited magnification range.