"If you could have one rifle to hunt the entire world with, small to dangerous animals, close to far away, what would that rifle be chambered for?"

I see nothing at all wrong in the question. It's a fun question, presuming only that it be one rifle and an interest in hunting everything. Why must we always interject "the man behind the gun" and "if one had the money to hunt the world, one could afford more than one gun" stuff?

It's just a simple question ... is it not?

The .375 H&H Magnum - It's the legal minimum for dangerous game for good reason and offers a spectrum of bullet weights and loading flexibility to cover the rest, at recoil levels quite conducive to doing good work at distance. Ammunition is likely to be available, worldwide.

If it is considered a dumb question by some then,they must also consider Elgin Gates dumb for actually doing it all with one rifle....He seem pretty happy with the results,despite what others may think of it.

Elgin Gates did hunt a lot of the world's game with his 300Wby, and on one hunt or another I believe he did kill every single member of the Big 5 with it. But he also used a 458 and borrowed Jackie Blacklaw's spare 470 on numerous occasions when they were hunting in tight cover. So to say he went armed with nothing but his trusty 300Wby is not altogether true.

Nick-
It is a simple question, I'll leave it at that.

Thanks for the Clarification....do you know if at anytime he borrowed a .375H*H?

From what I've read of Elgin, I suspect the propsect of winning a "Weatherby Award" may have factored in some.

I don't know and for sure couldn't care less.

Same song for me, 100 and 43rd. verse. 375 H&H. In a properly stocked rifle, recoil is manageable. Tends to group different weight bullets reasonably well with out a lot of sight adjustment, or at least mine does. One of the few shells in the known world that can be found nearly anywhere, 30-06, 30-30, and 22 Rim-fire in America, I have never been to Africa, but probably you could add the 9.3x62, and possibly the 9.3x74 to that list. JMO

World-wide hunters are not after small game. I can shoot a 375 H&H for twenty rounds without flinching. With a 416 Rem or a 458 WimMag, flinching starts after just a few rounds. My vote goes to the 375 H&H. Steve

In case anyone didn't know it because I failed to use the right winking or blinking little emoticon, my last post was tongue-in-cheek, smart-assed, sarcastic, whatever, but you get the drift.

This question reminds me of the one the priest used to ask: "You have only one woman to spend the rest of your life with. Is this woman the one?" Ahh, the old days . . .

Put another way, and to paraphrase TR, the choice of a rifle is as idiosycratic as the choice of a friend . . .

To each his own, in this as in many other things in our blessedly yet barely free spot(s) on the globe.

practical...lott
cooler......capstick
wildcat.....470 a.r.
nostalgia...404 jeffery

As Nickudu says, it's a fun question, so I'll jump in with an opinion based soley on my readings -- I've never hunted DG.

Since you have to be ready for $hit hitting the fan, I'd go with a big bore, the .458 Win loaded with the 480 gn Woodleighs. At reasonable pressures, that should equal the old and respected .450 NE class.

For lesser game to 200 yd, I'd want a 250 gn .358 in a sabot loaded to about 2300 fps. Since I'd be rich enough to hunt the world, I'd be rich enough to get a sabot maker to make me the needed sabot.

I will, in the future, try to refrain from posting any further stupid questions. I was always taught that the only stupid question is the one that is not asked. I stand corrected.
Mea culpa.
jfm

uh oh, a newbie has been scared off... usualy basic questions can be answered with the search function

welcome aboard

jfm - Lighten up a touch. Your question received much positive response and made us put on our thinking caps. Keep in mind please, we at "AR" are accustomed to speaking our minds and the same posters who annoy, one day, may educate you the next. Welcome to "AR"!

JFM,

At three pages you may have the record for the longest thread where no one mentioned that hoary old US millitary cartridge with the .458 bore and 70gr of black powder.

You actually got people thinking.

My hat's off to you...

It would be a Valmet 412 9.3x74R barrel over 12 ga with their excellent QD scope mount.