Several friends are planing to hunt Namibia next year for kudu,gemsbok, zebra etc. Shots are said to be long, 300-400+ yards. Possible rifles in my armory now are 300 winmag, 375 H&H, 416 Rigby. I like the big holes the 375 and 416 punch but the trajectory is a bit of a rainbow out at 400 or beyond. I am considering using light for caliber bullets in the 375 and 416 (235gr and 325gr respectively) loaded to high velocity. Should I follow that line of thinking, or use 300 or 400 grainers and memorize long range trajectories, or just use the smaller 300 winmag 180 gr bullets and accept the smaller holes? All opinions please. "D"

You really do not need either a 375 or a 416 for these animals.

Your 300 WM is more than enough for them.

I have used 300 grain bullets exclusively in my 375/404, both the Barnes X and our own lathe turned, copper HP Walterhog bullets, on all game animals. From buffalo to klipspringers.

The furthest measured animal was an impala at 420 yards.

I have also shot an eland bull at over 500 yards, using a 270/7mm Dakota wildcat we built ourselves.

I used a Jensen 150 grain bullet. He ran a few yards after being hit with the first bullet and stopped. A second hit him and he ran a few more yards and dropped. One bullet went through both his shoulders.

And one we found under the skin on the opposite side. The two entrance holes were less than 6 inches apart.


I have also used a wildcat 30/404, with 180 grain bullets of different make, to shoot all the plains game you intend to shoot.

I think the furthest animal shot was a blue wildebeest at around 450 yards.

I highly recommend you use premium bullets in your 300, in you choose to use it. And I bet you won't regret it.

D hunter,

I believe you will be much happier with your 300 and 180 or 200gr. premium bullets. As Saeed said you don't need the bigger calibers and making them shoot bullets that are very light for caliber could be a nightmare with the bullets not performing well. If your 375 will shoot a premium 270gr. at 2700fps you could have '06 trajectory and good bullet performance. This might be a good back up rifle for you.

Regards,

Mark

If you load a 270 Aframe or Hornady with 75 grains of RL-15 and use a large rifle primer( not a magnum primer) you will get about 2800 plus FPS from a 24" barrel. This data is based on about a dozen different 375HH rifles I have used these loads in. With this load you can take any plains animal easily and get exit holes on 90% of them.

With a 250 yard zero you will be 5" low at 300 and 11" low at 350. With a laser rangefinder you can hold on the spine at 350 yards and drop the bullet right into the "good stuff" out to 350 yards with out any problem. These also have a good bit of wind bucking ability using that big bullet. At 400 yards you're on your own I have never taken a shot with a 375HH over 350 yards. I would guess it's just a matter of a bit more holdover but I'm not going to recommend holding the Xhairs in the sky above the target. Not my style of hunting. 350 yards is a hella long shot for anyone anyplace much less where game is concerned! For that range you should use a more special rifle with that longer range design built into the choice.

Hmmm, hadn't posted in a while, so here goes one to stir the pot...
There aren't that many folks who can put every shot into a 6" pie plate at 400 yards under hunting conditions. If you're one of them, (and we've all seen Saeed is) ignore all else in this post. Otherwise, why should you risk your trophy fee money (you wound it, you bought it). Tell the PH to get within 350 yards "by your range finder", or he's getting nothing more than daily rates. No, wait, if you're willing to risk the money, and don't mind risking a wounded and lost animal... go ahead.
As for the caliber. Stick with the 300. Assuming you can get 3200 fps from a 180, you'll have two or three inches less drift at 400 yds in a 10 mph crosswind. The nice thing is you should be able to see the mirage very well in Namibia. There are some pretty good references on reading mirage in the military's Sniper Handbooks.
Shooting at that distance without sighters or a super stable bench is tough. Crosswind error wounds a lot of animals after 250 yards.

Have a great time, and
Safe Hunting
Clint

I like the idea of heavier bullets for long range work. I have seen how resilient an elk can be when shot with a 30-06 or 7mm at 400 yards, and there is a marked difference between their reaction with such small caliber bullets compared to being hit with a .375 at 600 yards. Consequently if I personally were going to shoot the big antelope at long range, I would probably take a laser ranger finder, a 3 x 5 card with my bullet drop and wind drifts written down, and one of the following: .338 with 250 grain bullets, .358 with 250 grain bullets, .366 with 286 grain bullets, .375 with 300 grain bullets, or .416 with 350 or 400 grain pointed bullets. That's just personal preference, and it won't be right for everyone.

Let me state right off, I have no problem with Long Range Hunting. I've killed deer in excess of 370 yards. If they would show themselves further out in the field, I'd shoot them there.

I was to Africa once, Namibia, and I'm going back this July. The longest shot on game animal(red hartebeest) was a little over 325 yards. I killed a cow gemsbok at right around 290 yards.

There will be a LOT of wind. Expect it, plan on it. If you are seriously considering shots of 400+, make sure you start shooting in the wind now. Don't go shooting unless there is wind blowing, the more the better and make sure it is switching direction. It won't matter if you shoot the .300, the .375, or the .416. Check the ballistic charts, what's the wind drift at 400 yards? Pretty close for all of them.

I used my .300 Win(200gr Nosler AccuBond handload) on the hartebeest, the wind was more than I held for and made a crappy first shot. Luckily he didn't go too far too fast. I used my .416Rigby on most other game. The cow gemsbok went around 80 yards, in a big semi-circle around us and fell over dead(doped the wind right). 400gr TBBC Federal factory load.

The wind was blowing constantly. It WILL be a factor. I was holding a good 12 inches into the wind on the gemsbok.

As others have said, you put a hole in it, you pay for it.

I put several hundred rounds through my .416 before I went. I had it zeroed at 200 and it was 11 inches low at 300. 300 was my personal limit, and then only with a good rest.

You will need to decide for yourself what your limit is, tell your PH, he'll get you closer if need be. Remember, time spent looking for a wounded animal is time not spent looking for your next trophy, or just enjoying Africa.

Whatever you decide, have a great time!

On the bench I can shoot as well as the next guy but I personally won't shoot at game over 300 yards.

I can't imagine the circumstances where a competent PH can't consistently get you within 300 or even 200 yards of the game.

I have crawled until the sun baked soil of Africa has bloodied my limbs and thorns have punctured my body to get a shot.

Hack: You are absolutely right about the "not holding on hair" issue, especially on high-dollar hunts. I consider myself a fair shot and have no problem with say, taking ground hogs, coyotes or even most deer past 300 yards. However, unless it's the last day of a paid hunt and it's my last chance at a trophy, there's no way I'm taking a shot at kudud, big-racked deer, etc at those ranges. Just be careful, don't repeat this over at the other forum or you'll be crucified by the "mafia" over there. jorge

If I were in your boots , I would use the .375 and a JJ Hack type load .......270 gr at around 2800 fps . You are going to Africa , and you might as well use one of the big boomers for the hell of it rather than a .300 . In 2 .375 s tho , I have found H4350 to be a little easier to reach the 2800 fps area with than RL 15 .



Haven't seen many reports on the 260 gr accubond Nosler yet , but it should be a nice bullet in the .375 for open country......

The guy you are hunting with is supposedly a professional. He should be able to work you to within a comfortable shooting range. That is why he is called a professional.
My PH knew I could kill at much greater distances than he allowed me to shoot but I doubt I shot anything much past 100 yards. I hunted Namibia (NE of Windhoek about 90 clicks)and killed 7 animals in 7 shots with a 30/06 and 180 Nosler Partitions.
I think my black Wildebeest in RSA at something over 300 yards with my 9.3 x 62 is my longest shot to date on three safaris. It is your safari and not someone elses. If you don't feel comfortable with the distance then make another run at it. Sometimes just changing the angle (not the distance) of the shot makes all the difference in the world.
Take your 300 and get the job done. Shoot for hair and not air and they should all be on the ground. Have fun...Namibia is a great place to see and hunt.

Since your not hunting dangerous game, I personally would not opt for the big bores?..My choice would be a 300 with 180 or 200 gr. Nosler partitions hands down, or better yet a 338 with 210 Nolsers at 3005 FPS with a healthy dose of 4831...I like about 3000 FPS for long range shooting.

Everybody going to Africa sees a need for big bores it seems, and that simply is not the case..Most of these folks would not hunt Mule deer or elk with a 416,its really not needed....

But if it fills ones heart with Nostalgia of old Africa then I would opt for the 375 and the 240 gr. GS customs HV monolithic bullet at near 3000 FPS and it will out penitrate any 270 conventional bullet and a lot of 300gr. bullets...