I am trying to decide on which cartridges to chamber for as I build up my custom "Big Game Hunting Rifle Battery".

Here is my thread from Big Game Hunting forum: Which Cartridges for my Rifle Battery?

Many here would argue that instead of choosing Proprietary or Wildcat cartridges to hunt the world, Africa or even N.A., that one should instead choose a common cartridge like the 30-06, 300 Win Mag., 375 H&H IN CASE one looses their ammo or runs out of it.

For sake of discussion, let me argue against that notion:

First, I don't necessarily buy the arguement that you should choose a cartridge based on the possibility of loosing your ammo enroute to a foreign country or other destination:
1. Has this ever happened to anyone?
2. If you pack ammo in two different travel bags and, where allowed, in a locked box inside your Tuffpak, would this not be a non-issue?
3. Isn't there an equal chance of them loosing your rifle? 50-50% if ammo in 1 bag and rifle in another? Yet we do not hear people saying that they must pack a second or third rifle in different bags to reduce the probability of this happening.
4. You probably can't get 30-06, 300 win mag or 375 H&H ammo for your rifle if you are really hunting in extremes of the world, though you may slightly increase your chances of finding some- ie. Mongolia, Cameroon, etc.

Second, if you run out of ammo (After bringing 40 to 60 rounds of it)I feel that you probably should not be hunting in the first place. Yes, a Buff can take 10-15 shots to kill (though unlikely) but come on- even hunting some plains game, are you really going to run out of the stuff after 2-3 boxes? In the field, I always pack 20 rounds in my daypack and have another 12 in my ammo carrier. I should not run out of ammo in the field even after a long and successful day of hunting!

SO with these points brought forth, what do you think?

There are several very good reasons to choose a standard caliber over a wildcat or proprietary cartridge. In some countries it is forbidden to bring in ammo that is not the same as the rifle. If you are using wildcats you probably arent using a case marked correctly for the actual caliber. Another reasaon is the ability to find ammo in out of the way places. You would be hard pressed to find Lazzeroni ammo in say S. America countries. But another issue, and one I have witnessed twice, is to have a fellow hunter whose rifle went belly up but had appropriate ammo and was able to borrow a rifle and finish the hunt. Also a lot of hunters help their PH's out by leaving their unfired ammo with the PH or guide. A wildcat or propriotary round would be of little use to them. Another factor is the ammo and compnents cost for rounds like Lazzeroni and others.

I have a couple wildcats (6.5/06 AI, and 338/06) and I love them very much. But I wouldnt choose them for a hunt that wasnt close to home.

I am sure there are a lot of other reasons out there also but these are my opinions for what it is worth.

I am a propnent of using common calibers for the exact reasons you mentioned. Sorry to say, I have lost my ammo, and was very happy that I could use locally available stuff.

It's your hunt, and your money, if you want to use wildcats' or WSM's or Dakota's, go for it.

True, nothing like hunting hot baboons! Actually, it could be lots of fun, but hopefully, you'd plan for them in advance.



True too about headstamped wildcats. I guess you'd have to go to the trouble of getting the right headstamps if needed (for instance, 375 Weatherby instead of 375 H&H cases that your fireformed).



Then again, doesn't Saeed use mainly wildcats for Africa?

I really don't see a reason for this post... where is the issue?? I guess anyone can take the best decision, inlcuded the old one based on "because I like to" and that's it

No burning issue. I feel anyone should use whatever they want to use.

I just remembered getting feedback on the perceived need to use common cartridges when hunting for the reasons mentioned and I wanted to challenge that thinking to get some perspective on the matter.

Cheers,
CL

I love to hunt -- I prefer Opening Day to Christmas morning. As I get older and earn more money, and as I see my kids getting closer to leaving the house, I plan to hunt more often and in more exotic places. I also see that I'm not as strong as I was even ten years ago, and I realize that my hunting days will end a lot sooner than I want. Also, as I hunt more and more, I see hunting as being less about the interaction between me and my rifle and more about the interaction between me and the game.

I'm very serious about my guns -- my main hunting rifles are both expensive custom rigs. But I'm also very serious about every aspect of my hunts. If I can do something now to improve my chances of having a good hunt in the future, I'm gonna go for it. Last year that meant buying Leica binoculars. The year before that, it was really good long underwear. The year before that it was a good GoreTex jacket, and the year before that it was a good pack.

In the Army I learned to plan for the worst so that anything else would be a Godsend. In my one travel-related ammo bind, the problem arose on the way home when it could no longer hamper my hunt, but getting those 33 rounds confiscated opened my eyes.

I hope nothing ever happens to your ammo and it probably never will. But I've learned my lesson.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

It just happens that my two favorite cartridges for Africa, the .30-06 and .375H&H are de rigueur because they work, not because they are 'common'. I used a rifle chambered in an 'uncommon' cartridge on my last safari, the .470 Capstick, but my backup gun was a .375H&H.



No one particularly cares what cartridges you use in Africa, so go with what suits you. Leaving aside lost or stolen luggage containing your ammunition, if you have problems due to loose scope mounts, a quirky scope, or POI shifts due to stock warpage, you can hope you brought enough ammo with you (because you aren't likely to find 'uncommon' ammunition in African gun stores.



George

Cartridges are usually common because they have been proven to work over a lengthy period of time. That sounds like enough reason to use them right there.

There've been several good reasons given here to stick with 'standard' cartridges. It wasn't Africa, but I found another reason - the 5 kg limit. I went to NZ to do some serious goat shooting and I was able to buy my .270 ammo there, doing away with the hassle of being limited to the 5 kg limit and transporting my US bought ammo. It is surprising how much ammo you can go through (and not wasting any) in a truly target rich environment.

Ammo tends to be beastly costly in several African countries and giving the PH a couple of boxes of ammo he can use (or trade) is appreciated.

Wildcat calibers can be a real hassle when trying to explain to non-gun folks whose mastery of English is no better than my mastery of Shona just why the headstamp says one thing, but the rifle another.

Finally, I don't think you'll find the 'improvement' in the new calibers to be half of what it is hyped to be.

This las Sept. I took only my .404. It was in a break down case & the rest of my gear on top. If I lost the rifle I lost the ammo too. Everything worked fine. I think you have to go with whatever keeps you in your comfort zone.

GeorgeS hit it.

If when checking your zero upon arrival you find it necessary to resight in, you could burn up lot's of ammo. On a good scope the crosshairs usually don't move by themselves. Stock warpage and problem mounts could turn into a nightmare in the field. You will find that ample ammo supply dwindling quickly if the cause of the moving zero eludes you.

It's a lot cheaper!! Why spend $70 on a box of 30-378 Wby ammo when you can spend $20 on a box of 300 Win Mags? Yes, I know, it's a small amount when compared to the cost of a hunt, but over the lifetime of that rifle, it adds up! Plus you are more likely to burn up a box of ammo that doesn't cost and arm and a leg in practice.

I've had my ammo-holding baggage separated from my rifles in Africa, an episode which gave me a whole new appreciation for commonly-available cartridges.



But if you feel like rolling the dice by betting on the integrity of airlines, their baggage monkeys, etc., you go for it.



Personally, I don't believe it taking illogical risks for the sake of heaven knows what, nor do I think it's very bright to take rifles chambered for weird, inane cartridges on expensive hunts to the other side of the world where the nearest source of resupply is some 10,000 miles away. That is just one brilliant strategy.........



AD

I'm not sure there's a right answer to the question.......but there just might be a right question to be asked!!!

Instead of asking why a person should shy away from wildcats for "far away" hunting one might ask the question..."Why shouldn't one use a common cartridge?

The answer is far more clear when the question is posed this way.

I think that there is merit in the idea of using common cartridges in Africa, or elsewhere, but, at the same time, I generally use the cartridges I like and know perform without too much thought about whether I can obtain additional stocks in country. I haven't had any ammo (or guns) go astray, so far.

However, I always take the maximum amount of ammo that I can carry but not so I can massacre the game. My thoughts are:

1. If I have a problem with a rifle then I want plenty of ammo to sort it out,
2. Sometimes additional hunting opportunities, that you hadn't planned on, come up,
3. Sometimes it is nice to be able to have a bit of a plink/practice shoot with your PH before or after the hunt,
4. If you know you will be hunting with the PH again, in the future, I leave all of my unused ammo behind as a stockpile for future hunts,
5. Or I will make a present of the ammo to the PH who may have problems procuring ammo from time to time.

In countries like Ethiopia, C.A.R., Cameroon, etc. where absolutely no ammunition is available via regular channels, (no retail stores, mail order, Walmart ) the ammunition left with the safari company (I know it's a no-no) is very much appreciated. Most likely somewhere down the road it will help some unfortunate client who got separated from his ammo en route. We had this very thing occur recently. Luckly the client had a .300 Win. Mag. and not some short, fat, whoseitswhat magnum. A .30-06, .375 H&H, .300 H&H, or 7 MM Rem. could have also accommodated but not much else.

Rich Elliott

My question is, do any of the proprietary/wildcats offer an advantage is so great as to out weight the advantage of availiblity of "common" cartidges?

I mean does another 100 fps, or a half inch shorter bolt throw, etc., make that big of a difference?

The only case where I can think were it might would be in some kind of handgun cartridge for DG. But then that's a 'stunt' and there are even greater risks involved in that.

But this is just my opinion... and we all know about those.

Take Care,

-Steve