Getting things in shape for next may/june hunt in Africa. Taking my .375 H&H for sure.

Question is, whats a good 2nd choice/backup, can choose from either a .338 Win Mag or a standard .30-06.

Most importantly is to take the gun that you are most comfortable and accurate shooting.

I just returned from the RSA and took 5 animals with my 30-06 shooting 180gr Swift A-Frames.

See my hunt report RSA- Limcroma Safaris https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6321043/m/716100796

4 one shot kills and one 2 shot kill. Shots were between 70 and 250 yards. The A-Frames performed perfectly and my PH says that he prefers the 06 over the mags. Good Luck!

samwise, is taking a 375 H&H and the 30-06. Just practice, practice & practice. He shoots quite a bit at various ranges.

Either one will do the job on PG out to 250-300 yards or thereabouts.

I think the .338 Win. Mag. is the best thing ever invented for PG, but I like more every time rather than less. So, if it were me, I would go with the .338.

Still, the '06 with good 180 grain bullets is a real killer, so I would say that with the choices you pose you can't go wrong.

What are you going for? I've used both the .338 and the '06. I wasn't happy with the '06. No real horror stories, but a few weird things. When I got back and was fooling around getting ready for a muley hunt, I spent some bench and paper time and decided I think it had more to do with the Winchester fail-safes than the caliber. Still, next time I'm taking the .338. Fire that .375 as much as you can. There's nothing better.

With the .375 for sure, I'd opt for the .30-06 Springfield.

Definately a 375 and a 338 both will work great and that 338 with a North Fork or Barnes will also work well in buf...

Mike

...hunting for what?? Plains game, DG? Plains game, take the '06 with heavy for caliber bullets, and kill 'em all.
If DG is on the list, then 375H&H with 300, or 350gr bullets. No need to "run 'em" fast.

Good hunting

This is mostly a PG hunt, except for the leopard and I know the .375 will work for all as will either of the other two, tho some of the larger PG (Eland, giraffe maybe, gemsbok) are gonna be targeted by the .375 too. I normally use heavy for caliber bullets in most things I shoot ( well may be not so much in the .25-06 I use for deer and antelope here in the west). Thanks for all the replies so far.

30ott6!

John

30-06
375 an 30-06 is an awesome combination.
I've used it twice and can't think of a better combo.
my 2 cents
TerryR

375 and 30-06 the .30 caliber can come in handy for the samller animals like steenbuck, duiker and then long distance for baboons and monkeys.

06 - if your ammo doesn't make it you will be able to find 375 and 06, but probably not 338

The 375h&h & an 06 are a classic African combo. I'm a 34bore guy but either will do fine for all of your PG. Good luck on your trip.

375 H & H and most any 30 cal offering (no 30/30's please). I like the 300WSM, just because I have one that's a tack driver and just took 2 kudu, mountain zebra, brown hyena and sprinbok with it in Namibia. Only drawback with the 300 WSM would be getting ammunition on site as someone else mentioned. Split up your ammo with your hunting buddies and you should have at least "some" when you get there. Just remember to sort out the ammo when you are clearing Customs to avoid any hassel. Have a great trip!

Larry Sellers

I use 416 rigby and 30-06 that way i have enough gun and historical evidence for peace of mind.

Any 30 cal bullet is great for PG hunts. If the area has the big ones then 375 and up is necessary and must be carried especially as a last resort stopper.

My compadres use 300 win mag, 300wsm and 375.... that way we'll never be short of having at least 2 or 3 bang sticks that can do the job.

375 and 30-06 ammo is the easiest to find in the smaller towns and villages in case you misplace or run out of animal medicine.

cheers

ps we tried finding 338 lapua and weatherby ammo once. It was an excercise in futulity.

I shot my Gemsbuck with my 300 RUM shooting 200 partitions at 3065 FPS and also my Zerba I killed with this load. And Zerba are tough animals.

Which is easier to find, 9.3 or 30-06?
Dr G

In South Africa 06

quote:

Originally posted by bisonhunter1:
Getting things in shape for next may/june hunt in Africa. Taking my .375 H&H for sure.

Question is, whats a good 2nd choice/backup, can choose from either a .338 Win Mag or a standard .30-06.

Bisonhunter1,either will do the trick, so the one you shoot the best is the one to take, as far as it's effectiveness. Ammo avilability is a little better for the 30-06 and 375 H&H, if lost, which is unlikely.

Below are the numbers:


375H&H....30gr @ 2550fps
yds...25....50...100...150...200...250...300 .............................................
Drop +1/4..+1.5. +3..+1.75...0...-4.25..-12.5 ...........................................

...........................................................................................
30-06...180gr @2700fps....................................................................

yds 25...50...100...150...200...250...300...350........................................

Drop 0...+1...+2.25..2.25..-0.75..-2.5..-8..-16.25......................................

...........................................................................................
338Win Mag 250gr @ 2700fps...............................................................

Yds 25...50...100...150...200...250...300...350.........................................

Drop 0...+.75..+2... +2... 0 ...-3.25..-9..-18.5.........................................

As you can see there isn't much difference, between them for hold over, so the choice is simply whic ever you shoot the best with, IMO!

Good luck on your safari!

Take the .375 H&H and the .30-06 !!!! I know the .30-06 works well in RSA, especially with 220 grain Noslers, and I'd use a .375 H&H, except that I have arthritis and the .375 is just past my recoil tolerance, so I use a 9.3x62mm instead. I wouldn't consider myself under gunned with the H&H and an 06 at all, not for the RSA and plains game.

LLS

the answers of the following questions will give you your answer.

where in the RSA are you hunting ?
what do you want to shoot ?
what rifles do you own ?

i have a 243 308 and a 375 and the funny thing is when i wake up and just take a gun its the 375 with 300gr hornady interbonds with a mv of 2350f/sec we succesfully shot blue wildebeest(poor mans buf) at 230m. i am currently developing a load with GS customs 200gr hv bullets for the 375 and we have gone over the 3000f/sec mark wich makes it a nice flat shooter the only problem is rezeroing the scope the whole time.

so it all depends what you want to do and where you hunt if it is in the bushveld you very seldom go over 150m.

know your gun's trajectory and you will be fine.


THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IS THE BOER WITH JUST ONE GUN

I always advocate the .338 win mag over any other rifle for plains game. It clearly stomps the -06 in performance with regards to bullet size (hole size) and bullet weight which equates to fairly vast advantages in energy and penetration at both long and short distances. In fact, the 338 winny out performs the 375 H&H, in terms of energy, after the 150 yard marker. This aint no lie. All this said, the 375 H&H is in itself a great PG rifle, so why not take a 416 remy or a 458 lott and hope to catch a caper or an ele. You'd also feel more comfortable facing down a lion or leopard with the extra heat of the 416 remy or rigby. This is especially true when hunting cape buffalo. But, if your only objectives are plains game trophies, do yourself a favor and go with the 338 win mag.

I have taken twice to africa the 375 H & H – 30-06 combination with excellent results. Last time in RSA with the following figures:

Between 20 y 100 yards 10 trophies 34.48 %

Between 100 y 200 yards 12 trophies 41.38 %

Between 200 y 300 yards 3 trophies 10.34 %

Between 300 y 400 yards 4 trophies 13.74 %

All of them were PG, and I used the 375’s for Eland, Zebra with 300’s grains nosler partitions and a couple of the small duikers with 300’s solids.
The rest of the trophies were taken with the 30-06 including both types of Kudus, Red Heartbeest, Black and Blue Wildebest, Gemsbok, Waterbuck, Tsetseebe, Nyala, both types of Reedbucks, etc.,.
I used 180 grns. High energy trophy bondeds from Federal.

I hope this information can help you

LMCH

Maddenwh, I would like to know the loads you are using in the .338 Winchester magnum that outclass the .375 H&H magnum after 150 yards. What are the bullet weights, powder measurements, powder types, and atmospheric conditions? I have a hard time believing that the .338 Winchester magnum will beat out the .375 H&H magnum in kinetic energy after 150 yards. Are you looking at published velocity / energy figures from some magazine? I show quite a difference in energy between the 250 grain and 270 grain TSX bullets in the .338 Winchester magnum and .375 H&H magnum. It appears to me that you are quoting traditional statistics from some aged publishing. You need to take a look at some more conventional publishings or do as I do and look at the mathematics a chronograph will show you. Only then should you quote your findings.

Thanks,

jfm

Bisonhunter, The venerable .375 H&H can and will do it all for you, but the second choice is a toss up. I choose the .30-06 behind the .375, and carried the .375 all the time. No regrets at all on that.

Good hunting.

You can never go wrong with a .30-06.
That combined with the .375 H&H = two classics.

Rich Elliott

First, I love the 06 and the 375. I think they
are the best combo bar none.Just MHO.

What rifles/actions? If possible, take whichever smaller bore is identical to your 375. If they are all the same, take whichever smaller rifle you shoot best. Personnally, I only take the 375 and don't hassle with a second rifle. I've either been lucky or God protects the innocents because I've never had a failure with my 375.

JFM- I don't own a 375HH, so I can't provide you with my personal handloading info. I do own a 338 win mag, that I am currently working with to find the perfect load with both 225 and 250 grain bullets. I am in the process of moving houses, so I have no idea where my reloading sheets are (most info. in chronograph). However, I will provide you with two websites (both generalizations and involve factory loads) that will demonstrate the validity of my statement. I may not have been right on the number with the "150 yards",but it's generally around 250 to 300 yards that most charts will show that the 338 has more energy than the 375. I know this doesn't sound right, as I myself did not believe it, but it is the truth according to these sights. When I find my reload info for my 338 (hopefully I will be moved in by the end of next week), I will be more than happy to provide my stats. I am a reloader , and I do own a PACT proffessional chronogaph (where I actually store most of my data... aa very cool and rather inexpensive chronograph). Don't mistake me as a charlotten please. You may be right, but I'm not making outrageous claims. Sorry if I misinterpreted your intentions as being offensive, but I don't want to be dubbed a local idiot. Also, I will post my info. and opinions (within the rules) whenever I dang well please, "You need to take a look at some more conventional publishings or do as I do and look at the mathematics a chronograph will show you. Only then should you quote your findings.".

web site ont for 338
http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ballistics/338_win_mag.html
website for 375
http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ballistics/375_h_h.html

Just compare. I'll also show you the remington ballistics comparisons, but I'll admit that who knows if these are right and remington doesn't produce good 375 H&H cartridges, but they don't make good winnie's either. (bottom two are H&H, others are 338)
http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics...338W2*R375M1*RS375MA

P.S. Now that I'm looking at this, it's more like 300 yards. You were right in that respect, and I concede that point, but I still believe that past 300 yards the 338 actualy has more energy. By no means am I arguing that the 338 winnie hits harder than the 375 H&H, I was simply trying to make a point that the win mag hits like a ton of bricks at long distances.