This is a topic which I am somewhat borrowing from a post on the Big Bore forums. What is your choice of the best two interchangable rifle cartridges for an African safari? These rifles would have to be able to handle everything from game at long range to dangerous game at close range. If one rifle failed, the other would have to be the perfect backup for the failed rifle. That is to say, it would also have to be capable of taking game at long range and dangerous game at short range. Is there such a combination? I picked a .375 H&H magnum and a .416 Remington magnum for their versatility and power.

Thanks,

jfm

If Dangerous Game is on the menu, then both rifles have to be capable of handling DG, which limits the bottom end to a 375 (or 9.3 where legal). I would take my 505 and 378.

My choice would be:
1. 9.3x62 with a Zeiss ASV-recticle so that also shots at a greater distance are possible.
2. .416 Rem. Magn.
Rgds,
Andy

We had 3 rifles for the two of us - 375 H&H, 450/400 3", and a 416 Ruger. Killed stuff with each one.

jfm

I asked a similiar question of Hilton Nichols when I hunted with him several year ago and I can't find anything wrong with his answer to this day. He recommended bringing two identical scoped 375's. He felt the scoped 375 was adequate for everything as a client rifle and the second 375 would be a back up.

Mark

I planning such trip with two rifles and my choices are:

.375 H&H Ackley Improved - 300 gr. Failsafe & Accubond bullets

.416-375 RUM (UltraCAT) - 400 gr. Nosler Part & 350 Tipped TSX Barnes

Both loaded to they potential in 26.5" barrels.

Regards, AIU

For me it's model 70's in 375HH and 458win mag, topped with Leupold 2-8x40 and 1.5-5x20. 

A double rifle in .500NE or .470NE and a bolt action .375H&H. I think it is tough to come up with a "one size fits all" approach for everything from elephant to duiker.

Last trip I took a 404 Jeff and a 375 H&H. My PH said that was the battery his father used.

I believe jfm nailed it on the first try.

quote:

I picked a .375 H&H magnum and a .416 Remington magnum for their versatility and power.

I have taken this pair and it worked well. Next time will take either a double 450/400 or a bolt action 404 Jeffery with a 375 H&H. For plains game only a 30 caliber and 375 H&H is what I prefer.

My favorite is the .338 Win Mag and .416 Rem.

Due to a recent incedent I am going with matching 416's. One with 1X4 and other with 3x9.

sight one for solids and other for plains game but you still have full interchangeability and a full ammo load-out given the 5 k airline limit.

SSR

and lots of spare parts

You can't take two rifles of the same caliber through JNB, unless your bags are checked through and don't clear customs at JNB.

The elegant solution to this dilemma is to take a double rifle with double triggers and a detachable scope. If one side fails, the other will work. Caliber could be 9.3x74R, 375 Flanged, 375 H&H, 450-400, 500/416 or 416 Rem Mag

A more interesting question is a two rifle battery for all hunting, from Varmints to Elephant. For me it would be a FinnClassic 512 combo with a 12ga over 9.3x74R and detachable scope or a double rifle in 9.3 up to 416, with a spare set of shotgun bbls, plus a good scoped bolt rifle in a caliber in the 250 Savage up to 7x64 bracket. I could shoot sage rats, prairie dogs, deer, elk, birds, buffalo and everything in betweeen with those two.

Not a new question, that has an age old answer.

.375 H&H and .470 NE.

As long as one of them was a .375 H&H Mag. and the other was bigger, I'd be happy.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Nderobo:
I believe jfm nailed it on the first try.

+1

416 Rigby and 375 HH, works perfect

My Searcy 470 Nitro DR, and my FN Mauser 375 H&H Imp.

My gunsmith is thinking we should cut an interrupted thread on the receiver and barrel, and add a barrel in 300H&H. If it works, I would probably add a third barrel in 458 Lott.

Rich

450 NE and 375 H&H served me well.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Russ Gould:
You can't take two rifles of the same caliber through JNB, unless your bags are checked through and don't clear customs at JNB.[QUOTE]

DAMN IT buearocrats messing up a good plan



SSR

Your criteria are:

(1) DG legal; and,
(2) Shoots PG at long distances.

The answer is one of the various 375s and one of the various 416.

Both will be bolt rifles with scopes.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Not a new question, that has an age old answer.

.375 H&H and .470 NE.

This is exactly what I used, worked perfectly.

The scenerio stated here, because of ele being a part, dictates that if a two gun battery is taken they would have to be in reality very close to being two rifles of like caliber. I would never do that, would simply take an extra scope for ONE rifle that fits this criteria and if worse came to worse, borrow a "camp" rifle from the PH. I most likely would check with the PH to see if a rifle of like caliber to mine would be available, thus ammo would not become an issue.

If the question of a two gun battery was one for PG and the other for DG, which makes more sense to me, I would opt for a 300 H & H and a .400 something. JMTCW.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

416 Rigby and a 300 Win. Then a 375 RUM and a 505. Then again same as the first trip. Got to do it in a style that's memorable, but that's variable based on the individual. With your criteria of both good for DG I think I'd go with the 375 and 505.

For my next trip I will take my pre 64 375 Improved (300 grain Bitterroot at 2,800 fps for PG and buffalo with a few 300 grain NF FN solids as emergency elephant gun) and my 450 Dakota built on highly customized CZ550 action with McMillan stock. The Dakota is fast enough for long range (2550 fps to 2750 fps) with the 400 or 450 grain North Fork, and can handle 450, 500 or 550 grain for elephant.

I just took the Dalota my first hunt and wanted a rifle with more magnificaiton and shorter time of flight for PG but it will do.

No scope for the 450 Dakota, just a big peep for ele and a 1.1 x 6 Swarovski for either rifle for PG and buff.

Andy

PS I cannot help but put in a word for the late George Hoffman from his grave. 416 Remington with 1.5 x 5 scope for everything and a Remington 870 pump 12 ga for birds and wounded cats!

I have used the .375 H&H for the light and a .416 Rigby for the heavy. Works well for me. I don't think there is any real difference between any of the 416/404 rounds for effect on game.

Once I get used to the double, I might use the .470 NE in place of the .416, but until I feel as confident with it, probably not unless I was hunting elephant or Rhino, where the range becomes a nonissue.

300 win mag and 500NE...and just bring the rain!

A scoped 9.3x64 and a 470 double would be my pick.

.375 H&H and .458 Lott

.375H&H with a couple of S&B scopes would definitely be in the tuffy. Only real question would be to take the .458WM magazine rifle or the .470 double. Probably the latter.

I'm thinking that if you have a rifle of great quality, pack it in a very durable rifle case and pick a good scope why would you have to bring two? Have you too little confidence in your equipment?

If I were taking rifles, it would be a Blaser R 93 in 375 H&H Magnum and an extra barrel; probably in 300 Weatherby Magnum or 257 Weatherby Magnum depending on what the rules were regarding chamberings legal for hunting. I would then take two scopes in QD rings because I believe scopes to be the weakest part in the whole equation.

That said, the battery for my next trip will probably be handguns in 460 S&W Magnum and 375 H&H Magnum or 444 Marlin. You know, don't you, that you can fit two handguns easily in a piece of regular locking hardsided luggage of standard size with room to spare for clothes and other stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
.375 H&H and .458 Lott

I think like you.

Oscar.

Every hunt I've been on I carry this combination. Always a scoped .375H&H and either a 470NE or a .458 Lott.

On my last hunt my .470 NE tanked the day before I left for Zim and my .458 Lott Tanked the day I got there so I wound up hunting everything with my .375H&H.

Both rifles that tanked were "quality" rifles and both had unbelievable and uncommon break downs. The Searcy .470 snapped a main action spring on the left barrel and the Brockman's MRC actioned .458 lott had a mystery firing spring failure that Jim told me is all to common on some older MRC actions.

In any case THAT is WHY you bring two rifles. Sometimes stuff happens.

Now that I have a .404 Jeffery I have a delema. Do bring the .375H&H and the .404 or the .404 and the .470 Hmmmmm...Don't you just love those kind of "problems"!!!

quote:

Originally posted by jfm:
This is a topic which I am somewhat borrowing from a post on the Big Bore forums. What is your choice of the best two interchangable rifle cartridges for an African safari? These rifles would have to be able to handle everything from game at long range to dangerous game at close range. If one rifle failed, the other would have to be the perfect backup for the failed rifle. That is to say, it would also have to be capable of taking game at long range and dangerous game at short range. Is there such a combination? I picked a .375 H&H magnum and a .416 Remington magnum for their versatility and power.

Thanks,

jfm

The only things that fit your bill above are .416's coupled with .375/9.3's.

A .375/9.3 with a 3X9 Trijicon and a .416 with a 1X5 Leupold.

I agree with AZ writer that a .338 and a .416 are good choices.

A .338 punches way above its weight; it's a real killer and it just hammers plains game.

On the other hand, there are lots of good choices.

A .338 will kill just about anything, but a .375 keeps you legal. Plus, my .338 is a Ruger and I hate the tiny safety. I'll probably sell my .338 once I burn through the ammo I have on hand, and just keep my Kimber Talkeetna.

But considering I live in Texas where nothing needs to be killed with a .338, and the rate I use up .338 ammo when I do travel, I'll probably have the thing forever.

I once took a .458 Win Mag bolt action rifle with a 1.5x5 Leupold and a 9.3x74 Merkel 141(e) double with a Leupold 1.75x6x Leupold.

The irons on the .458 were regulated for 500 grain solids (elephant) and the scope for 350 grain X bullets (the old kind) for plains game.

The double shot everything I put in it to the same point of impact, but I primarily used 250 grain X bullets sighted in 2" high at 100 yards. BTW, I've killed zebra, buffalo, kudu, kongoni... you name it, with the 250 grain Barnes with zero trouble.

I took some Woodleigh 286 grain solids for the double, too, and with the iron sights on the gun, they grouped aobut 2" at 30 yards if I needed to use them for the elephant.

Perhaps there are better two gun batteries, but I sure enjoyed using the rifles I took and would not hesitate to use either gun in substitution for the other if needed (which wasn't on my safari).

quote:

Originally posted by China Fleet Sailor:
I agree with AZ writer that a .338 and a .416 are good choices.

A .338 punches way above its weight; it's a real killer and it just hammers plains game.

On the other hand, there are lots of good choices.

A .338 will kill just about anything, but a .375 keeps you legal. Plus, my .338 is a Ruger and I hate the tiny safety. I'll probably sell my .338 once I burn through the ammo I have on hand, and just keep my Kimber Talkeetna.

But considering I live in Texas where nothing needs to be killed with a .338, and the rate I use up .338 ammo when I do travel, I'll probably have the thing forever.

Nilga, feral mexican cattle on the river, white tail in thick brush, turtles at 200yrds , lots of stuff in Texas for a 338.

I still want to take 2 416s one with 1x4 and one with 3x9 matched pair like the old doubles. Lots of redundency. May just have to figure out how to avoid RSA.

SSR

quote:

Originally posted by jfm:
This is a topic which I am somewhat borrowing from a post on the Big Bore forums. What is your choice of the best two interchangable rifle cartridges for an African safari? These rifles would have to be able to handle everything from game at long range to dangerous game at close range. If one rifle failed, the other would have to be the perfect backup for the failed rifle. That is to say, it would also have to be capable of taking game at long range and dangerous game at short range. Is there such a combination? I picked a .375 H&H magnum and a .416 Remington magnum for their versatility and power.

Thanks,

jfm

If one reads his post...for his criteria....338 won't be legal anyway.

I like the .375/9.3 and .416/.404 combo.