Africa perfect rifle for elephant,buffalo,plains game?

[LR3]

With so many readers going to Africa and international members what is the perfect rifle for elephant, buffalo, big plains game (eland or giraffe) and other plains? What about for both elephant and buffalo? Single rifle for all? Big cats? Should be interesting discussion with so many opinions and variables.

 

[J E Custom]

With so many readers going to Africa and international members what is the perfect rifle for elephant, buffalo, big plains game (eland or giraffe) and other plains? What about for both elephant and buffalo? Single rifle for all? Big cats? Should be interesting discussion with so many opinions and variables.

If I could carry only one rifle It would be one of the 416s.

Very flat trajectory for a big bore, and plenty of stopping power with the right bullets.

The minimum would be one of the 375s.

Just my opinion.

J E CUSTOM

 

[rscott5028]

If I could only pick one cartridge to cover all the bases, it would be the 375 H&H Mag based on a lot of reading and a little hunting in Africa.

-- richard

 

[captacademy]

For Elephant and Buffalo I would use the 416 Rem mag with a 400 grain bullet . I have had great luck with the Barnes TSX. For the large plains game a 375 or 338 will be fine. I use a 338 RUM with 250 grn SMK's. It really smokes the baboons at long range.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

The 378 Weatherby is one of the best all around rifles for Africa. It has tremendous power to kill anything dead. You got to be prepared for the big stuff and that rifle will kill anything else. With the high BC 375 bullets coming available now the 378 wby is about the best out there.

 

[jmd025]

The 378 Weatherby is one of the best all around rifles for Africa. It has tremendous power to kill anything dead. You got to be prepared for the big stuff and that rifle will kill anything else. With the high BC 375 bullets coming available now the 378 wby is about the best out there.

I believe you can also run 375 h&h through the 378 in a pinch.

 

[dig]

Six African Hunts, Zim, Moz, South Africa. Three buff, 1 cow elephant, 1 hippo.

Winchester Model 70
375 H&H
S&B 1.25x6 tips off with back up sights (ivory bead)
Timney at 2.5 lbs
Exibition English Walnut Stock
270 grn Barnes X and Barnes solids
Sighted at 200 (shot a baboon at 330, long ways on the Dark Continant!)

I had a similar set up in .416 rem but the .375 shot better and more comfortable.

One of my next projects!

500 jeffery's
Granit Mountain action
Scout configeration
Exibition walnut

 

[backwoods83]

I vote the same as long time long ranger, you will find in a lot of cases the 378wby out muscles most 416s at the muzzle and in retained energy due to higher speeds and higher BC bullets and will drop anything mentioned above and has a pretty respectable range compared to others, unless you want a lazzeroni 10.59 meteor!

 

[Stormrider]

I believe you can also run 375 h&h through the 378 in a pinch.

I wouldn't want to do that... Considering that the H&H is so much smaller than the 378 There is going to be a LOT of case expansion. I also wonder how it would headspace since you couldn't use the belt. I would bet on getting case head separations, too.

There isn't any free lunch... All that power comes with a very healthy (some say vicious) amount of recoil...

My personal favorites are my (2) 375 H&H and my 416 Rigby.

 

[streetglideok]

I believe you can also run 375 h&h through the 378 in a pinch.

Actually its the 375 weatherby that you can run the H&H in as needed. The big 378 is built off the rigby case, just with a belt added.

 

[HARPERC]

One rifle the .375 H&H in my safe. Two loads. Barnes 235 grain TSX, and 350 grain TSX. The rifle is an old trusted companion, but I've never used either bullet. I'd hope the big one opened a little, and the light one held together a lot. Just in case the magazine was loaded for something other than what was standing in front of me.The folding leaf express sights would stay, the QD mounts I'd keep. The 1x4 Leupold 30mm European scope on the rifle might get exchanged for a bit more magnification, and a lighted reticle.

 

[jmd025]

Actually its the 375 weatherby that you can run the H&H in as needed. The big 378 is built off the rigby case, just with a belt added.

Thanks.

 

[Code4]

Talk to a resident hunter of the Dark Continent and they will tell you that high velocity is not necessarily a good thing. Reliability, Penentration and Accuracy are the three criteria for an African BG rifle.

The .416Rem Magnum does not have a particularly good reputation in Africa due to its higher operating pressures.

The .375H&H was designed to take large soft skinned game and does that task very well, but it is a medium bore.

Doubles are fine untill the going gets really dirty. You only need a small amount of crud on the face and you only had two shots. (something that doesn't get much airplay in current publications).

Large bores start at .450+ and as Elephant have been mentioned that is where you need to look if you can handle one comfortably.

Cats aren't that tough and an accurate anything 7mm/.30 cal+ will do.

 

[SLOAN]

Seems to me Boddington has been knocking down all the big 5 with a ruger? Enough gun rules the day, be safe...