Hello to this interesting forum
I'm off to Cameroon in Feb. to do a Savannah hunt for Darby Eland and assorted antelope including (I hope) Roan. I'm torn between taking my usual African batteryi.e. 300 Wby. and 416 Rem. or depending on my trusty 338-378WBY which has also served me well. I would apreciate any advice. Thanks

I never hunt in Cameroon,but seems me your first battery ( 300 Wby and 416 Rem)should go very very well.

Gizmo,

You might want to ask "Larcher", who has hunted Lord Derby Eland in neighbouring C.A.R. The vegitation and terrain is most likely rather similar.

Here is his hunt report

Personally, the 300wby + 416rem combo sounds wisest in my opinion.

Any of the .300's and a .416 would be great, I think

I would use the 338/378 or the 416 for the Derby. The 300 in my opinion is to light for all angles.

I shot mine with a 450 Ackley because my son had my 375 and we could not switch quick enough.

Mike

Thanks for the info guys. I am going with the 300Wby and 416Rem combo. I briefly thought about the 338 378Wby as a weight saving but thought better of it. Thanks Erik D. for the "Larcher" hunt report. I hope my Cameroon trip is as eventful as his CAR adventure. That guy is a great storyteller. Good hunting to you all

I would say it depends on which you have the most "faith" in. I went to Cameroon in 2004 and the story of that safari is posted on the hunting pages. Personally, I wouldn't take any of the rifles you mention for the following reasons:

If it was me going, I'd take a 375H&H. Cameroon has some kind of strange gun requirements. Your rifle info has to be forwarded months in advance to get your gun permit which is done at the same time as your visa. They will thourghly check both your firearm and your ammo at the airport when you arrive in country. Your safari company should have a representative there to help you and you WILL need help. Everyone you meet will have their hand out for "Tips" and a representative will be able to make them all go away.

You will find that the availability of ammo in Cameroon is almost nonexistant. The law doesn't allow the citizens to have firearms and they will check you ammo on the way out to ensure you haven't left aby excess amount behind. That being said, your PH will probably be able to get his hands on some in the common calibers such as 375, 458, 30-06 etc... if your ammo doesn't make it for some reason. Any Wby calibers will probably be impossible to get ammo for. Another problem with taking guns to Cameroon is that you will have to go through Paris and they ain't exactly friendly to Americans. The French will figure out a way to magically have all you baggage overweight when you are getting ready for your reurn flight to the states.

A Cameroon safari is one of life's great adventures. Enjoy and be sure to take malaria medicine and get a yellow fever shot. You can't even get into the country without the yellow fever documentation.

CHEERS

Mac

quote:

Originally posted by Mario:
I never hunt in Cameroon,but seems me your first battery ( 300 Wby and 416 Rem)should go very very well.

Gizmo

I hunted twice in the CAR next door who provides the same landscapes and animals.
Don't imagine long range shooting.
The Roan is a tough beast. I broke the spine of mine, then finished it with a heart lungs shot and 10 minutes later it was still breathing. A third shot in the spine and heart did the trick.

The Derby eland is another story. The Cape Eland is a tough animal and soaks up lead .
The Derby is a sissy. Any bullet will slow him down and then stop him. Just like he couldn't sustain pain. Many Derbies are shot in not optimal conditions so as to be wounded firstly and then finished. It's bad Yes, but it happens.
Only my FMJ got thru. A woodleigh soft in 470 or 458 Lott cannot get through the neck.

Your kit is perfect powerwise. Less flatshooting rifles can do the trick as well. The 416 might be first rate on elephant.
Good luck

Thanks for the info MAC and Jean B.
MAC, good advice all around. I think a .375 would probably have been agood choice for this trip. Unfortunately I am probably the only African hunter around who doesn't own one.It's too late now to buy one as I've had to apply for the visa/gun permit. There are, as you have said lots of hoops to jump through. I have the Yellow Fever vaccination already because I've needed it for past trips.

Jean B. Thanks for the heads up about the Darby Eland. I took an Eland in Zimbabwe some years ago on a lucky shot with my .416 Rem. My hunting buddy wounded one ( I think he hit it three times with a .375) and never recovered it. I hadn't realized that the Roan would be so challenging and I may hunt them with the bigger rifle.

Thanks again to both of you! I'm pretty excited about this trip.
Gizmo

quote:

Originally posted by gizmo:
Hello to this interesting forum
trusty 338-378WBY

I know someone who used a 30-378 in neighboring Chad in Feb, and the weather was so hot that the ammo overpressurized and repeatedly stuck cases in the chamber. Very inconvenient. If you use factory ammo, I would leave the Wby at home. If you reload, I would drop the powder charge by 5 or 10 grains to get the pressure down.

quote:

Originally posted by MAC:
The French will figure out a way to magically have all you baggage overweight when you are getting ready for your reurn flight to the states.

Since I fly into and out of Paris every time I fly I have a little bit of experience with the French at the airport would have to disagree with MAC on this point. The French don't use the 2-checked-bag rule often used by American carriers and they weigh your luggage if you check-in in Paris. Depending on the class you fly your weight allowance will differ. If you are overweight you pay excess baggage. Seems like a no-brainer doesn't it?

If you are in transit and your bags are checked through to destination I don't think you will have a problem and of the dozens of staff I mobilize to Africa every year I have never heard of anyone having a problem with luggage in Paris when in transit. The problem will be at check-in in Douala or Yaoundé since it is there that the bags will be weighed for your return trip. Your airline should be able to tell you what the weight limits applied in Cameroon will be. And the Cameroonians love to nail any foreigners and don't discriminate between Americans and French.

I agree with MAC that taking just a .375 H&H would be a better option than a two rifle battery. It simplifies a lot of things, including your travelling weight. As for ammo being available in Cameroon, whatever the caliber, I wouldn't count on it. Better to ask your outfitter/PH what ammo he has in camp at all times.

500Gr and Wink Thanks for the replies

.500Gr Good point about pressures. As I grow older I'm a lot more Elmer Keith than Roy Weatherby. But I would never have thought of the very good point regarding reducing the load by 4/5 grains. Now, because of the time limitations I am taking the .416/.300WBY combo. Quite a long time ago I purchased a .7MM STW When it was still a Wildcat and I found that in my(cold and damp) Western Pennsylvania homeland it fired super groups at dangerous pressures. When I traveled to warm and dry locations it was dangerous. Now I believe in good bullets at moderate velocities.

Wink-Thanks for the info. I never worried about Paris because the bags will be checked through to Douala. I bet I do get some overweight charges out of Douala though (as you said) I've been to French Africa a time or two. My oldest daughter was an English teacher in Madagascar for two years and I enjoyed my visits there. She was a volunteer in the American Peace Corps. On an entirely different topic-can you recommend an outfitter for a roe deer hunt in France?

Thanks Guys
Giz

gizmo,

Based on the good advice of Wink and others on this thread, if I were you, I would violate my general rule, which is "the more rifles the merrier" on any safari, and just take a .375 H&H Magnum to Cameroon.

In any case, good hunting and good shooting!