I have been going round and round on what rifle combo to take on my Zimbabwe buffalo/plainsgame hunt this August. I will be hunting Chewore North so the shots should average under 100 yards.

First off, as my heavy rifle, I will be carrying either a 416 Rigby, 458 WM, or 375H&H until after I shoot my buff. I will use the heavy rifle on any shot opportunity I come across while buffalo hunting.

When/if I'm successful on buffalo, I will then switch to my light rifle for the balance of the hunt. I am thinking about my Pre-64 M70 in 300H&H that shoots the 220 grain Nosler Partitions into sub MOA groups at a chronographed +2,700 fps.

The plainsgame that may have the bad luck of getting in the way of one of my bullets could include:

Eland
Zebra
Waterbuck
Kudu
Impala
Bushbuck
Warthog
Sable (only if there is an extra one remaining on quota)
Duiker
Klipspringer
Grysbuck
Hyena
Leopard (if there is one left and enough time)

Based upon the above list, I think the 220 grain Partition at 2,700 fps can handle everything with ease except the Eland.

Anyone shoot this bullet at similar plainsgame? How did it perform? Should I hang on to the heavy rifle until after I get an Eland?

Thanks.

Tim

Your 300 H&H with heavy bullets will work fine on all the smaller stuff. Use the heaviest gun you are comfortable with for the heavier stuff you mentioned. FYI, the 375H&H will work just fine on the smaller and mid-level stuff just fne.

Shumba,

I've hunted Chewore and your right about the shoots being fairly close. The 300 H&H with the 220 NP should be just great for everything accept your buffalo. Of course you didn't ask about this but your 375 H&H really would cover the whole safari. How simple would that be? Only one rifle and load to fool with.

Regards,

Mark

Shumba,

It will handle the eland just fine as long as you give it a good shot. That 220 gr. partition will penetrate all day long.

Enjoy your hunt..!!

People have killed eland with the 7x57 on a regular basis. A proper shot should prove fatal! Sounds like a great hunt, hope you get a good bag.

I agree that the 300 H&H will do everything you want it too. I shoot the 200 grain swift aframe myself and get great results. I used my 300 H&H to take a very big Eland in Namibia at 180 yrds.

People have killed elephants with .22's! However, personal experience on a hunt where an eland took what seemed to be a good shot with a .300 H&H and a 200 gr Nosler PT and was running even faster the second day of tracking than he was the first makes me leery of using anything smaller than .33 on something the size of a moose. Yeah it's been done. Would I try it? Uh-uh!

Take the .375 for everything.

Of course, you certainly can shoot 220s out of your .300 H&H for plainsgame if you want to, but I think bullets of that weight are completely unnecessary, and are a handicap in that they do little but increase recoil and decrease trajectory.

I've carried a .300 Winchester on two safaris so far and have taken a great many plainsgame animals with that cartridge--plus lion, leopard, and cape buffalo--and all I've used are premium 180 gr. bullets. Eland, in my experience, aren't exactly bullet-proof, and I've taken two with 180s out of the .300--one at about 270 yds., and one at about 100 yds. In each case, the bullet entered behind the left shoulder, wrecked the lungs, and was found under the hide on the opposite side. Each of these bulls went less that fifty yards and collapsed.

If you require more bullet weight, go with your bigger rifle....

AD

I shoot 200grn Partitions from my .300 H&H. 65 grns of RL 22 will get me 2850fps.

I have shot a lot of game with my 300 H&H and the 200 and 220 gr. partition bullets, in fact that is the only two bullets that I use today in my 300...In my gun they both shoot to the same POI with the 200 an inch higher...either bullet is excellent and I can't tell a lot of difference in them...but only with the Noslers which always expand in the front portion,at least to some degree, regardless of weight...

With most other 220 gr. bullets I have had them drill without expansion on the smaller stuff, as the jackets are thick and they are ment only for big animals.....

Your choice is a good one, but for strictly plainsgame I would prefer the 200 gr. myself as it is a little more violent in expansion and maybe kills a bit faster/better? and it will have plenty of penitration for even Eland...

You cannot go wrong with the .300 H&H with 220 Noslers.
I have used it on several trips. While I would probably prefer a .375 H&H for eland if given the choice, but I have killed them easily with the .300/220 combo.
If you want only one rifle take the .375, if two one of the .416's and the .300 will make a good pair and use the .416 on the eland if it works out that way

I like the 220 grain partition as an elk bullet, and would not hesitate to use it for kudu, zebra, wildebeest. But for eland, if you hit square on the shoulder things may not go as we all hope. Or if you got a quartering shot, penetration might not be sufficient. Of course if you get a perfect broadside shot, there is nothing to worry about. But I seldom get those. Personally I would prefer to step up to a 9.3 x 62 or .375 for eland.

Thanks for all of the replies. I still have not settled on my rifle combo, but from the responses, it seems I should be in pretty good shape with the 300 H&H loaded with 200 or 220 grain premium bullets. It just seemed kind of cool and fun to hunt with the classic combo of 375H&H and 300H&H. I still have a bit of concern about hunting eland with the 300H&H, due to my luck of most likely only seeing the south end of a north bound eland.



I have hunted this area before and took a really nice buffalo (41" with a solid boss) with my 375H&H. I had also taken my 458 Win Mag, but just happened to have my 375H&H in hand when we came across the tracks of my buffalo.









I ended up shooting everything with the 375H&H and 300 grain Swift A-Frames. I guess I shouldn't complain, but the 375H&H / Swift AFrame combo seemed a little bit "too good" for some of the plainsgame. My first African animal, on my first day, was a +/- 25lbs. grysbuck that I shot through the lungs at approx. 50 yards. When we spotted him, he had already taken off running. I tracked him in my scope and took the shot when he stopped briefly at maybe 50 to 60 yards. That little guy took off running at the shot and my PH said "you missed, don't worry that was a tough shot". The grysbuck looked to be completely untouched. We kept watching him run and after another 50 yards or so, he just fell over. We walked up and found him shot through both lungs.



Pretty much the same story on most of my other animals (impala, waterbuck, kudu, etc.). I just think that maybe the 300 grain Swift A-Frame at 2,500 fps was a bit too hard of a bullet. That is why I thought about taking the 300 H&H with Nosler partitions. I would like to see a little more reaction to the shot from the plainsgame. Anyway, at a minimum, I plan on using 300 grain Woodlieghs in the 375H&H this year.



Given that I will only be hunting one buffalo, and the rest plainsgame, I am trying to decide on which two rifles to take from the list below:



458 WM (shoots 500 grain bullets at 2,150 fps)

416 Rigby

375H&H

338 WM

300 H&H

300 WM

30-06

7x57 (with 160 grain or 175 grain Noslers)



Trying to decide is half the fun. However, with my August hunt coming up, I'm starting to feel the pressure to decide on two rifles and getting my final loads selected.



Thanks again for the input.



Tim

The 300 Will be just fine, 2 weeks ago I shot a Large Eland Bull and this past weekend I shot 2 Kudu bulls, the only thing you should try and miss is the big Heave shoulder bones, I shot a Kudu bull and hit it on the shoulder bones, and my bullet blew appart without penetrating into the lungs, I had to shoot it another shot in the neck. I was not using a premium bullet it was a 180 Grain PMP Pro-am Bullet

Gee flip, you have fun on the weekends it seems!
With good bullets you will NEVER track a double-lung-shot eland for 2 days...Maybe you can't hit it in the foot and watch the heart explode, but it'll definitely know something isn't right. I also believe that a quartering-away angle is fairly for a bullet to cope with and once it passes the ribs, it's all soft. The two most demanding shots are head on and quartering to.

Tim,
Another 2 cents worth: I've a falling bloc with hand detachable barrels in .375 and .300 flanged and have taken buffalo with the .375 and zebra with the .300, the former with swift A-frame and the latter with 200 gr. Nosler partition. You've got a good two rifle battery for the game you seek.

Alternatively, use the .375 for the buff, eland and zebra and shoot everything else with the 7x57 and 175gr Noslers and splendid round for everthing up to waterbuck in the bush.
Regards, Tim

Shumba,

I think you answered your own question when you said that you had a 458 WM with you but were carrying the 375 H&H when you shot such a nice buff.

I would take the 375 H&H and the 416 Rigby. What if you come across the big fellow when you are carrying your 300? The 375 will do very well as your general plains game rifle. I've recently loaded some 260 grain Accubonds in my 375 and believe it is a good plains game load. If you want to carry one load per rifle and I wouldn't blame you if you do, go with a 270 Barnes X, 300 grain Swift A-frome, 300 grain Nosler Partition or similar premium bullet that will give some expansion on the lighter game.

I believe that your medium rifle should also be able to handle the DG in a pinch. Just my opinion.

BigBullet

If you shoot an Eland going or coming with a 220 gr. Nosler, it will kill him I assure you..I have shot them lengthwise with the 200 and 220 gr. Noslers and in every case got more than enough penitration...and they will break one shoulder for sure and in many ocassions both..Your not under gunned any more so than you would be shooting an Alaskan moose...Hundreds of Eland are killed every year with 243, .308, 7x57, 270 and 06s..The .308 and 06 is the locals favorite, along with the 303s..I have culled eland cows and bulls with a .308 and 180 gr. Noslers, and it always amazed my how quickly they succombed..

I have observed Americans feel the need to take 375s and its ilk to Africa or plainsgame hunts, when in fact few Africans ever use such big bores, or even owned one..Perhaps thats as close to a dangerous game hunt they will ever come, so they need a tiny bit of the experience, in which case that is fine.. I just wish everyone could experience a big 5 hunt, but thats just not the case I fear..

Ray,

I am not sure what your driving at here. I believe we are all of the opinion that the 300 H&H with a quality bullet of 200-220 grains will take any game short of the heavy weights.

But, cape buffalo is the largest beast on the list, if it wasn't there then the 300 H&H would be a great choice. The point is what if you have yet to take your buff as you stroll through hunting plains game and you are carrying your 300 H&H. Maybe you borrow he PH's rifle or if well heeled ask the gunbearer to pass forward your "big gun".

But in the real world as I see it and I may be looking through rose colored glasses, being prepared for the largest game on the list with your smallest rifle is the prudent thing to do. IMHO. Also what happens if the big rifle has a problem? Though I was never a Boy Scout being prepared for all contigencies is a smart idea.

BigBullet

Big Bullet,
Maybe you need to go back and read the original posts, were talking about shooting plainsgame, thats where I am coming from...

But for the record if I HAD to shoot a Cape Buffalo with a 220 gr. Nosler with my 300 H&H, I would, and I would kill him...

I have seen several Cape Buffalo killed with the 300s and they did yeomans work on the big bulls, and the PH is there to sort mistakes out, but mistakes can happen with a 600 N.E., as well.....

I do not feel that caliber is the last word in shooting dangerous game, proper bullets and proper bullet placement carries a lot more weight with me..Take off the rose colored glasses and look at this thing with a set of clear glasses... When it comes time to cull, you will mostly see .308 in simi auto weapons in the field for Buffalo and elephant..

Of course this is only my opinnion, there are those who profess the Cape Buffalo to be kin to a Sherman tank, and nothing less than shear shock and awe will down him..and I have no doubt that a 9.3x62 and up is better for Buffalo,my choice being a 416 or 404, but then I like an 06 for deer but I have never failed with a 30-30...

You could always throw in a half dozen or so of 220gr. Solids for your 30-06. Have them on your person at all times when hunting with the 30-06. Even if you did not have time to load them in the rifle before your first shots at buff, you could put them in the rifle before the follow up.

BigBullet,

Ray is correct. My original question is how the 300H&H with 220 grain Partitions would work on plainsgame, with the largest being Eland.

Please know that I will not be shooting my buffalo with the 300 H&H, I plan on using my .243 for that

Tim

My .30-06 with 200 gr Noslers worked fine on eland. A quartering shot on the move too. I think a .300 H&H on plains game would be a classic choice.