I have been trolling this forum the last few days and decided to join. It looks like lots of good info can be found here. Hopefully, with my 40+ years of hunting/handloading I might be able to add something but from what I read here it might be a tough row to hoe.

Also, i will be making my first trip to Africa this summer, another reason for coming here. For this trip I am taking a 30/06 with 180 gr. Nosler partitions in Fed. hi-energy wrapper. I am also taking a 7mm mag with 160 gr. Nosler partitions. It is a plains game hunt.

Now, after reading this forum the last few days I got a little weak kneed so I went out and ordered a Win Mod. 70 safari in .375 today . I have never owned a big bore rifle with the exception of a 45/70 loaded with 405 gr. bullets at 1830fps. That kind of gets my attention but I was wondering how that will compare with my .375. All the rifles I have owned to date have been 30/06 7mm class and I had no problem dropping moose with my 06s with single shots but from what I understand African game is tougher.

Anyway--great forum
Axter

Welcome and I know you will enjoy. Tell us about your safari plans.

Frank



With a little practice you will do fine with the 375. It will easily replace either the '06 or the 7 if you get comfortable with it quickly. They aren't as mean as some people think and you will be surprised at how they reach way out there when you need them to.

I have not yet been to Africa so am basing my use on Mulies and Elk from a long while back. I try to shoot my 375 a couple of times a month and rotate it in when shooting my heavier rifles just to relax a bit.

The Winchester is certainly a fine choice.

You are right about this being the place to get information and of course a multitude of opinions. Enjoy.

Frank

Axter,

Welcome to the forum. The .375 H&H will kill anything and everything in Africa assuming you use the right bullet and put it in the right place......and it's probably killed more animals in Africa than all the other calibres combined. I reckon you've made a good choice.

im heading on my first trip for plains game next month and also went up a bit in gun from 30-06 to 338 win mag. i bought a model 70 classic with the pre-64 action. first thing i had to do is replace the recoil pad. the stock pad did nothing! i bought a simms which is a new type on the market but works very well. the other thing i learned is not to shoot it too much when its 85 plus degrees.different ammo and bigger bullets will kick more also. you also should learn to shoot it square off your shoulder and not the typical lean foward into the rest position. your body to the gun needs to be 90 degrees to allow your body to take the recoil and not just the shoulder. this was recommended to me on another forum and i think it helpd alot also. GOOD SHOOTING!

Welcome, Axter!

The M70 in 375 is a very good rifle for Africa.

Be sure to use it from the magazine in every practice session. (Load the magazine full and then shoot until empty.) Do this even in slow fire, leaving the bolt open between rounds to cool. This checks the reliability of magazine feeding, which can change with number of rounds in the mag.

Also check for accuracy (zero and group size) with a 3 shot string from cold/clean. This is the typical hunting situation (except there you only need one shot, of course!).

The 06 would have been plenty for plains game, but hey, it's a good excuse to get a great rifle!

Axter,

Welcome aboard and your battery to Africa will be complete with the 375..Any of the other ones...I took the 375 as my primary in 02 to RSA..She barked six times and six animals fell to a 300gr boattail softpoint..
As to recoil a 12ga with turkey loads is more even a 3in mag in #6's is about the same...Put a Pachmayr decelerator 990 pad and you will have a blast...Check out Cabelas nitrex ammo 285gr premium ammo $20.00a box can't beat it...
You will enjoy the 375...
Mike

Axter: Welcome aboard. My normal plains game rifle is 375 H&H, not because it's necessary. African game die from good shot placement, just like American game does. I use the 375 because there's usually some dangerous game where I'm hunting and you never know what's around the next turn. My wife has used 30-06 on all but one of her African animals, including Zebra which is a very tough animal to bring down.

Axter,

I have never used less than a .375 H&H in Africa, but only because is it so Africa, not that I really needed one. But the .375 will kill most anything, according to Saeed anyway.

Just one bit of advise:

Follow my posts closely, as I am the only one on this forum that knows everything about everything.

"...Follow my posts closely, as I am the only one on this forum that knows everything about everything..."

I woulld not have believed you before, Will, but since you are going to use the 375 as your backup, I have become a believer in you

Good one, Saeed.

Hello Axter,

I am probably never going to hunt in Africa and I find this a fantastic forums thanks to a great host and wonderful members here. Since you will be going to Africa soon, you will enjoy it much more!

Good hunting!

On my last safari my PH described the blue wildebeest as a "poor man's" cape buffalo. The horns bear a resemblence they are very tough and they have been known to charge more than all the other plains game put together. After seeing the Eland...(they're really big) I'd definitely be using more than a .30-06 on them as well as the blue wildebeest.

My next safari will include cape buffalo, zebra, blue wildebeest and Sable if I can wrangle it!! I'll be taking a .404 Jeffery for the cape buffalo and a .375 H&H for everything else.

Your .375 H&H and .30-06 combo will be a fabulous pair of rifles. Nosler Particians work even though I'm a big fan of Swift's A-frame

Axter,
I have also recently signed on, 1st Time Africa Hunter. Going in June for Buffalo, Leopard and Plains game. From reading this forum and all the experienced hunters, I found that I needed a bigger rifle; chose a Winchester Model 70 in 375 H&H. Using the same bullets for practice that I am taking, which are Federal Trophy Bonded. At first, I was nervous about recoil, but after approximately 100 rounds, I feel comfortable with this gun. Mounted a Leupold 4-1/2 x 10 scope. Plains game, I am using my Western game rifle; a Weatherby 300 Mag - 180 grain trophy bonded bullet. Have just added a Leupold with an illuminated reticle scope. Practicing every chance I get - using different positions and shooting sticks. Good luck to you and welcome aboard!!

Thanks to all for that warm welcome. I feel at home already . Yes it is a 10 day hunt in rsa. I will be taking Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Kudu, Warthog, Springbok, and Blesbok. I can also pay as I go for more and I am thinking about a Zebra for the wife and, well, who knows what might cross my path.

We have had all our shots and the only thing left is malaria meds. Not sure if I need that thou and any imput here would be of help to me.

Lastly---bad news. I called my dealer today and he said he called all of his contacts and nobody has the Winchester. I have looked at other guns but see nothing I like as much as the Mod. 70. I really want something with open sights also and it seems like lots of guns today dont come with them, although most of the .375s do. I dont have any really good smiths in my area to put them on either . I suppose if I got enough ambition I could probably do it but I dont have the drills, taps or press.

Anyway, thanks again all and hopefully I will have some good pics to post here soon....

Axter

Saeed, did you clear that with Ray?

Welcome Axter, I have not been yet but this group will have the answers you need