300WINMAG is the best choice for New Zealand,but with Africa on the cards 338WINMAG is a good choice,you can buy ammo for both here in most shops. I bet he will be taking Tahr when he is here so 375H&H would not be the best choice. As for 325 WSM good luck finding ammo for that down here Brand of rifle Tikka,because i have had mine for 17 years and it has never leave me down.

Given that plains game was the only quarry I would take two rifles. The first choice would be the 358 Win and the second the 270 WSM.

As to the docs choice I wonder why he shakes his head at the .375 H&H as it's pretty universal. You need to ask more questions as he is asking what but does have an opinion. Find out if eland is on the menu or some other heavy critter.

So for him it's a 375 and a 30-06.

As I said. He has a 375H&H. He is choosing not to take it. He wanted something a little flatter shooting. I'm sure for the Mtns in NZ. He is only taking one rifle because his wife's rifle will take up the other spot in the case. Do to their size difference they can't use the same rifle.

My dad was stationed in northern africa during WW2 and he swares the germans killed a lot of african game with the 7mm mauser. Myself personally theres a lot of critters there that think of me as food. give me the 416 Rem Mag.

After making that last post I got the thinking the 416 Rigby is a common caliber in Africa so ammo should be available there. Thats just a guess on my part. All I know is if I only took one gun, I would rather have to much rather then to little.

I voted for the Doc's useage rather than my own... .300 WinMag. The kick isn't all that bad, excellent ammo is available everywhere hunting is done and it will take anything on his bill.

What rifle...whatever fits and has at least a 24" barrel. If he chose a SIG Blaser R-93 then he could carry an extra "heavy" caliber barrel with him "just in case"....

Bob

I voted for the .338 in mag but the 9.3x62 would also for me rank right up there as powerful as the .338 for all intensive purposes and you get one more up the spout...........................338 might hold the edge if ranges are a little longer.

Rifle would be either cz 550, M70 or Ruger M77, or a custom mauser.

Darn a 7:00 am walkup call from the Doc. Guess they still get up at 5 even when they are not operating. He was curious as to the votes and suggestions. I asked him two questions. Was he hunting Eland? Yes. Was his wife taking her 7mag and was the stock just too short for him? Yes Yes.

I told him what I would do was to check and see if a slip on recoil pad would make his wifes rifle long enough for him to use in the Mtn of NZ. If it did then use it for his long range rifle. She is not hunting in the mountains.

If that covered his long range concern then drag his 375H&H out and use it for everything else.

If he still wanted a new rifle then the 338 had a little higher vote but that either it of the 300wmag would work. To stay away from the wsm. That something in an 06 wouldn't be bad since he had the 375 already.

As to gun personal choice and fit.

Soooo. What he was going to do was check the slip on idea. If that worked he was going to take his 375 and use his wifes 7mag in the Mtn. He was going to pick up a new rifle anyway. He has a west texas ranch and they do some long range shooting so his choice would be the 300 over the 338. I asked what about the 7mag I had repaired for him. He said what do you think my wife is shooting. LOL

Asked me to thank all of you for your time and sugestions.

I would vote Sako 995 in 338 Lapua, as long as I didn't have to shoot the damn thing.

i would just take my tikka 338 win and that would be all yah need.but would like to try my 7wsm on plains game.

I've never been to Africa, but from the reading I've done, I think the .300 Win Mag. would be adequate for the game he's after, and I believe he may be a bit more accurate with it because of its lighter recoil.

Bit of an interesting thread. I don't really see anything wrong with any of the suggestions.

I just got a bit misled at rhe beginning, with the question being "If you could only have one large medium bore...."


To me large medium bores start at about .400" bore. Medium bores range from about .330" to .400" and anything below that down to .300" is a small medium bore. Below that, down to .22 are small bores, and .22s and below are "miniatures".

If he has a .375", I still think he should take that. It is not a large medium bore, but it is splendid for the animals he will be seeking. It will shoot as flat as an '06 with the proper loads, and is fully satisfactory for a larger range of animals. It won't kill the smaller ones "too dead", and will kill the bigger ones "adequately dead" soon enough to keep out of "tights".

If he shot it fairly often at his home range, he'd probably soon not notice the recoil unless he had a shoulder or neck joint problem of some sort.

If he just wants to buy a new rifle, then it really doesn't matter what it is.

Hope he has a nice trip.

Thread necro. I'm sure the hunt is long over as the original post is from 2005.

Tell him to see a shrink !!! He will be on 3 continents and at least 1 island ! No better choice than the .375 H&h and should be able to get ammo anywhere! And no better choice than a controlled feed stainless steel synthetic stocked rifle !

Hip

M70 Supergrade without a doubt

Already have it, CZ 550 in 9.3X62. Just plain works without the recoil.

Hey guys the question was asked November 2005. All real old news. My Dr took the trip the spring of 2006. He used his 375 with some 300s and 260s. Didn't have a problem. I think he did use his wifes 7mag with the slip on for a Tahr.

9.3 x 62 first...

35 Whelen or 338/06 second..

30/06, 220 grain RN thirdly...

medium velocity, heavy bullet for caliber...

Personaly I would take my 300 H%H Nosler 200gr. bullet - you have the weight and there is still plenty of reach...
What concerns availability there might be little advantage of the 300 Win Mag over the older 300 H&H

Hell, for the last 2 years I've only had ONE rifle



a 35 Whelen.

If only one for North America.....

I would pick my 30/06 Remington ADL clean barrel toped off with a Leupold VariXII 3x9x40 mounted with two piece bases and dual dovetail low rings and never look back.

Just like the one I have now.

quote:

Originally posted by Con:
Sounds like a great job for a 35Whelen. But if factory ammunition availability is his prime consideration then the 338WM stands out.
Cheers...
Con

I agree. that or the 338-06

.375 H&H

Well I would have to choose my current favorite 30-06.
It is an old 721 with a loong throat that allows me to set my bullets waaay out for a looot more case capacity.
Basically it is an improved only without the improving.
It sits in a custom laminated stock that is slim as a prom queens ankle,, and will shoot three 165 grain TSX's at unmentionable speeds into one buggy looking hole at a hundred.
Its easy on my shoulder, easy on my eyes, and real damn hard on everything else.

1. M70 Classic
2. M70 Classic
3. M70 Classic

All chambered .338 Winchester Magnum with 250 grain bullet.

Ditto on the Model 70 338 with 250 gr handloads.

I only have one, an 8x57 and I love it. If I didn't have one I'd have a hard time picking, but for all around use, I'd pick in no particular order:

8x57
35 Whelen
9.3x62

Chapuis SxS in 9,3x74R...the obvious solution.

Rich
Buff Killer

A medium bore poll is not relevent without my first choice 9.3X62, second choice .375H&H and the most versatile 30-06.
The .300 WM, .300WSM, and .325WSM are so similar in performance they constitute one choice.

I don't consider .30 caliber a medium bore. 8 mm magnum to .375 are what I consider a medium. The cartridges are all good. But a poll about mediums without the .375, the .358, and 9.3 mm calibers is missing something.

Of those you listed:

1) 338 WM
2) 300 WM

My choices:

1) 375 H&H
2) 9.3x62
3) 358 Norma Mag

something in .35 cal, 35 Whelen, 350 rem mag, 358 norma

30-06, but I'll never make Africa without the lottery.