I was at our club's Christmas party last night talking with all the seasoned hunters there about their opinion on calibers for plains game. I was looking at a 300 win mag, but pretty much everyone I talked to agreed that a 338 win mag would be better. So my question to you all here is what caliber between the two would you pick assuming you could only have one and you don't have the other? (I've got a 30-06 just incase this may sway your vote). Also, I'd be interested to hear what brand of rifle you'ld buy as well.



Sevens

Sevens,

Its almost a toss up if premium bullets are used but for me the 338 gets the nod. Garry Kelly who I hunted with this year believes the 338 is the very best for all plains game.

Regards,

Mark

Sevens,

I have to vote for the .338 as well. Mine has served well on two plains game hunts so far.

It is a Win. Model 70 Classic and the rifle is capable of more than I am.

It appeared to me that the .300 WinMag is a more common plains game rifle but since I do not own one I can not make any real comparisons.

My choice was for a slightly larger caliber, with a heavier bullet availability.

I have several other rifles but will have a hard time picking anything other than my .338 for my next plains game hunt - it works very well.

Les

HI,


Sevens, I have never hunted Africa, but I would get the 338 and in fact that will be my next custom rifle. I live in Alaska and the 338 ,I feel , is over-all a better round for larger game,Kev

Sevens,

I've used each cartridge on multiple safaris. I like the idea of a 338 as being more effective on dangerous game in a pinch. That may well be the case, but I've never tried out the theory.

Field experience is such that I can't tell much difference between them. I haven't killed hundreds of animals with each cartridge, but I have killed a few dozen. I generally shoot 200 grain Swifts in the 300 and 250 grain Swifts in the 338. Penetration is about the same, "knockdown" punch is about the same.

If I were going to RSA or Namibia for a plains game hunt, I definitely carry a 300. If I were going to Masailand I'd carry a 300 (though I took a 338 when I went). I'd prefer a 300 in the Kalahari, but a 338 in the Chobe or Okavango.

If the odds are you WILL be in close proximity to lions I'd carry a 338. Realistically though, you won't stop a lion or buffalo charge with a 338 with any bullet placement that wouldn't just as effective using a 300. The fact of the matter is that you had better brain them.

If the odds are that most of your shots will be 200 yards or more, I'd carry a 300. I know I'm more confident shooting my 300's at longer ranges.

The only animal I've ever hit and lost in Africa was an impala I shot with a 338. It was a longish shot and I don't know where exactly I hit him.

If you have a 30-06 that you like and are determined to keep, you might want to step up to the 338 just because it is a bigger step. I find the 338 a little too heavy in the recoil department to be considered as flexible as a 300.

All in all, a long-winded way of saying find rifle you're confident in and it won't make much difference if it is a 300 or a 338.

As to makes and models: in factory offerings, I like Winchesters or, if you want something a little fancier, the Dakotas are nice.

Since you have a 30-06 already,there is a formula here... Keep the 30-06 and buy a 338, or sell the 30-06 and buy a 300.

sevens,

I have a 300win mag and a 375H&H mag and i feel with these two calibers are ok for me.
If you already have a 30-06 then i think you should go for a 375 H&H mag that way you will have a complete setup to hunt the whole world.



Hamdeni :

I've used the .300 Winchester and .300Weatherby on three plains game hunts and liked them both. While I haven't used the .338Winchester it should work fine. The animals taken ranged from eland to springbok. Pick the rifle your most comfortable with. The Weatherby was a MarkV stainless. and the Winchester was the M70 Stainless Classic.

I�m with hamdeni: Buy a .375 H&H, you won�t regret it.

I took both a .30-06 and a .338 Win. Mag. on my plainsgame hunts and both performed fine.

When I bought my .338 Win. Mag. I was thinking moose, elk and bear. Since hunting plainsgame in Africa I believe the better selection would have been to buy a .375 H&H Mag. Further, I don't want to own nor do I own many rifles so I do believe it better to make "upgrades" when purchasing rifles i.e. you don't need two .30 cal rifles.

All IMHO FWIW

For a comprimise, why not try the new Winchester 325WSM? (Please excuse me while I duck into cover, I can feel a barrage of sticks and stones coming my way...)

On my only trip over, the PH's keep saying the same thing - shoot what you shoot well. They each carried .300 Win Mag, did not like the WSM. This was PG only with no chance of seeing DG. I like the .300 personnally.

Another vote for adding a 375 H&H. I took a 300WSM (which I love) and my 375 to RSA in May. Only used the 300 twice (350 yard shot on springbok and on my kudu). The 375 H&H is great.

First, a .30-06 is fine for most plains game inside of 300yds.; I would want something larger for eland, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, roan, and sable (like a .338 or .375H&H).

A .300Wby. with premium 180gr. bullets would be very nice for open terrain, such as the Free State or Eastern Cape of RSA, and Namibia. In thick riverine bush, I'd use a .338 with 250gr. super-premiums.

I have both and the killing power is not that far ove, but since you already have a 30-06 I will go 338 Win

Any really experienced hunter would tell you it makes not one iota or difference which of the two calibers you pick or the 30-06 for that matter...All are pretty much equal plainsgame rifles, I'd pick the one that felt best to me and one that I liked the looks of and let caliber be secondary....

I choose the 338 Win, 30-06 and 300 H&H, but for no particular reason, a 270, 300 Wby, 280, 7 mag, 284, 264, and a host of others would also work just as well.....

Sevens,



I do not know the typical game you hunt on a regular basis. The question is based on African PG, so I will respond to only that question. Your 30-06 is plenty capable of taking the majority of African PG up to a plus or minus of 1000lbs. In fact, the 300 Win Mag will show no real difference over the 30-06 for game hit in the vitals. The only real difference in capabilities is when proceeding to shoot at game 325 yards away and greater. It has always been my understanding that most PHs will get you closer rather than allow that distance to be taken. So the use of a standard .30 and a magnum .30 is typically mute.



The 338 Win is a fine cartridge to be sure and can plant the largest of African PG, and has. Trouble is, both the .30 and .33 are not legal for DG. If you do hunt Africa for a combination of PG & DG, you must decide on a 1 or 2 rifle battery. The logical and most practiced 1 rifle battery is the 375 H&H. 2 rifles typically leads to a fast 7mm with a 375 of some sort in tow.



If only PG is on the menu and eland, bongo and such are not, your 30-06 will do a bang up job.

In reality Ray pretty much has said it all... Pick a premium bullet for the '06 you've got (I'd pick a 180 or 200gr Swift A-Frame myself) and practice, practice, practice with it. Use the money you save to upgrade your scope and/or binos if necessary or just use it to shoot more!

A master rifleman can do nearly anything with a good 30-06...

But if you simply feel compelled to get another rifle, make it the .338 Win or a .375 as both are tremendously versatile and do add some performance to your existing battery. The recoil on my Ruger M77 RSM .375 is surprisingly mild even with 300gr bullets at 2500fps.

I think everybody's pretty well covered all the bases. Suffice to say, I feel totally comfortable with my 300 Weatherby and 180gr Partitions. If it was good enough for Elgin Gates, it's good enough for me. Having said that, I do offer this anectdote from Craig Boddington; He missed out on the greatest Kudu of his life because he was shooting his 30,06. Basically, this particular animal had been giving them the slip all day. Finally, at last light, he offered a fleeting shot as he was quartering away. According to Craig, he passed up the shot because in his view (and I concur) the 180gr slug would have to travel at a bad angle to reach the vitals. Had he been carrying a 375 he says, the shot would have been a "no brainer." That story is indeed a well-reasoned argument for toting a bigger caliber. Maybe a 33 IS better. jorge

It's my view that it certainly can make a difference which caliber you chose. Slowly, almost grudgingly, the .338 has earned it's ranking as a premier elk, moose and large bear cartridge and there are sound reasons for it. As George S. says, a point is reached, with all game, where an increase in diameter and bullet weight, pay dividends. Are these dividends discernable each and every time out? NO. Will these dividends manifest themselves sooner or later? YES, and they are constants. I've few favorite calibers. I like most all. But I do know I've broken down large animals more reliably and taken more of them, through the selection of those cartridges which offer the exploitation of more shot presentations, without the wasting of precious seconds, mulling things over.

Sevens,

Much more experienced hunters than I have passed along some excellent advice in this thread. I just had one thought about the .338 Win Mag that I'd like to pass along. Don't forget that you can handload some 300gr Woodleigh soft points in the .338 Win Mag. A .338" 300gr bullet has a sectional density of .375. Winchester originally came out with a 300 gr bullet for the .338 years ago. The factory load was dropped. I believe the original factory specs were somewhere around 2400 fps.

Now, that still doesn't make the .338 "legal" for African dangerous game. (In most African countries that I'm aware of.) However, it should be a real hammer on the very large plains game like Eland. Should make one hell of a load for plains game hunting in the bushveld. I believe Ray Atkinson has some experience using the 300gr Woodleigh in his .338 Win Mag. Maybe he'll comment on it.

Now, is the 300gr bullet really needed? Probably not. The 250 gr bullets would probably handle everything just fine. Still, there's something about that 300gr bullet in the .338 that really intrigues me. Maybe I've got a little "Elmer Keith" blood in me. Now, I've never hunted anything with a .338, at least not yet. So, maybe I'm just full of hot air. I do have a new Ruger M77 in .338 Win Mag at my gunsmith's being tuned up. I haven't fired it yet, though. I am going to work up some loads for the 300gr Woodleighs when the rifle is ready.

Of course, the .300 mags will handle the same game also so the choice is up to you. I just wanted to mention that you can go up to a 300gr bullet in the .338 Win Mag.

-Bob F.

My only centerfire rifle days is a .300 Win Mag. If I were to decide I needed a larger caliber, I would probably choose a .416 Rem Mag and call it a day.



If I already had a .30-06, I might choose a .375 H&H as a companion gun. Adding a .300 Win Mag is too close to make a practical difference, as others have pointed out, unless long distance shooting is on the menu. Then I'd sell the .30-06.

I would find the rifle I liked and worry about the caliber later. None of the rifles I like come chambered in 300 Weatherby, but the cartridge is undoubtedly a great killer. I know that super premium ammo is the rage now but there isn't much in the way of plains game that can't be bowled over with a well directed 225 grain Core Loct or Federal slug from a 338. I haven't seen the 300 Weatherby used in Africa but it's effect on moose is pretty dramatic, to all appearances the same as the 338.