You will get along just fine with a 416 Rigby or Remington...I have done that many times and never felt the need for anything else..

I only take two guns because I like to take my double rifle to Africa, the other is a 416 or 404..I never take a light rifle, what if I ran into a ticked off Lion or elephant?

I am seriously thinking of an African hunt in 2006. and I have one big question.Im sure the answeres will vary greatly.
If you were limited to one rifle to take to Africa(10 day hunt), the largest game hunted would Cape Buffalo the hunt will also include Kudu , Eland , Heartbeast , Oryx Gazell , Warthog and possably Zebra. and maybe Leporad.
Now the budget will be tight so no Dubble guns are even in the picture. Im leaning toward a .416 Rigby. My reasoning is its afordable to shot so Id get lots of practice,and there is a good selection of guns avalable at a very reasonable price.
So what would you chose? remember this wuold be a once in a life time hunt.
Thanks
TOM

Tom,



Why not the .375 H&H? It is a lighter recoiling rifle than a .416 and cheaper to shoot (at least as far as factory ammo costs are concerned). The .375 H&H is great round for the big plains game and a good one for buffalo.



Regards,



Terry

In a rifle of suitable weight, the .416 Rigby is an excellent choice for the game you listed. Of course, the .375 H&H is the traditional "one-gun" solution for Africa (and the rest of the world, for that matter).

I personally prefer to take two rifles in case something happens with one of them. For the lighter rifle, I like a chambering that is at least adequate for the largest animal I'm after, which is why I lean toward medium-bores as my plains game rifle. I took a .376 Steyr Scout with 300-grain Woodleighs as my plains game rifle when I went for buffalo. (Actually, my original intent was to use it for buffalo, and my .308 Steyr Scout for plains game, but a .470 NE Merkel fell my way and I couldn't resist using a double for the buffalo hunt.)

With such a choice for the "light" rifle, the .375 H&H is not much of a jump up, so I'd go for the .40-calibers as the "heavy" rifle. They have reasonable reach if you have to use them for plains game, but enough punch to have a chance at stopping a charge.

In summary, in my opinion a "light medium" and a "heavy medium" is a nice combination for Africa. If they're the same model of rifle and you use the same scope and the same QD mounts on both, one pre-zeroed scope in QD rings can serve both rifles.

That is a good choice ,I really hadnt thought about it much. brass for reloading is also cheap for a big bore.
Ill look into that

Thanks
Tom

Slingster;
I may take my remington guide rifle in .308 for the smaller game. I guess It wouldnt be any more trouble taking 2 than it would be taking the one. A friend of mine has a ruger 77R in .416 rigby and I really like the way it handles. If things go right I may get one in .416 and one in .375 h&h.
Im leaning toward the A-Square Monolithic solids for the buff. and the A-Square dead tough for the rest of the hunt.
any oppinions on those choises. I have also been looking at the Nosler partition bullets too.

Tom

LONGEYES:



The .308 with 180-grain Nosler Partitions will do just fine on the small to medium-sized plains game, and then you can use the .416 on the bigger ones and the DG. I have no personal experience with A-Square bullets, but I seem to recall hearing of some inconsistencies in their performance. Perhaps others can comment on this with some authority.



Others have also made good points about iron sights. I generally prefer rifles with iron sights in addition to the scope, yet another backup system should all your optics fail, or for rainy or close-quarters situations where optics don't work as well. Second rifle, backup iron sights, and spare scope(s) are all worthwhile precautions (and if your rifle uses detachable magazines, spare magazines, too).

Tom: Much like Slingster, I've taken 2 rifles. One is a 416 Rem, and the other a 375 H&H. One one trip, I took 2 Buff, and 2 Bushpig with the 416, and the 375 was used to take another Buff(I loaned it), and I shot plains game with the 375.

I like two rifles, too. On my last safari, the front sight on the .318 got buggered so I finished my shooting with the .404. For those who don't carry iron-sighted rifles, the alternate choice would be one .375 with two scopes.

For that hunt, I would take a .375 H&H with 300 gr. solid and premium soft point ammunition. Scope would be either a 1.5-5X Leupold VX-III, or else 1.75-6X VX-III. Zero for 200 yds. and you've got it made!

AD

You can get a Valmet double rifle in 9.3x74R for the same price as a 416 Rigby. It weighs 9lb and will kill everything on four legs with the right bullets. So don't dismiss doubles out of hand!

Hi Longeyes,
Yes yes...its all well and good getting yourself a nice 416 for your African hunt - but you mention yourself that its a once in a lifetime right?? Last time I checked ammo for the 416 rigby was more than double the cost of 416 Remington and a lot of the other heavier calibres...maybe things have changed recently, but look at that before you make the decision.

I assume that you hunt a reasonable amount at home - wherever that may be - and for that reason, I reckon you should consider a .375 H&H

This is an excellent calibre - rated by more PH's worldwide as the single best all round rifle for Africa...flat shooting enough to handle pretty long shots after even smaller antelope...and big enough and ugly enough to handle all the big boys...elephant, buff, lion etc. You can find ammo for a 375 in almost every part of the world...and the big plus for you - as I see it - is that you can continue to use it for your local hunting when you come back. Sure you can also use the 416 or any of the heavier calibres, but realistically speaking...what makes more sense. I know a lot of the woofters are going to jump up and down bleating about heavy bullets and knock down power and sectional density and all of the usual hoo hah...but if you choose/load your ammo correctly and dont take crazy shots at your animals the 375 will do you proud.

I'm now planning a very similar hunt and I build my own rifles so I'm taking a .404 Jeffery for the Buffalo and a .375 H&H for Blue Wildebeest and zebra.....however if one wishes the .375 H&H will do it all and a .308 will also handle the plains game.

It wouldn't be a dumb move to ask your outfitter to loan you a buffalo gun and you take a gun for plains game but it's a truly personal matter...there are no rights and wrongs...your PH isn't likely going to let you shoot Buffalo with your .308 and will see to it that your properly outfitted.

Spend more time on travel plans, picking a taxidermist, and making a list of folks for which to bring home gifts....

Thanks for All of the great advice
I will likely go with the 375 H&H as I may have a chance to go to alaska for bear and possably canada for moose , through some conectrions here at work. Plus the 375 would also make a good Elk gun.
If I were to take the 308 It would only be for the smaller planes game. There are 3 reasons I really dont want to go with a double gun 1.It would only really get used on the one hunt. and 2. they arnt as accurate as I would like for future use. and the big one 3.I have an opretunity to pick up a new Ruger at dealer cost.
Thanks
Tom