I am looking at buying one large caliber an one smaller caliber rifle. Looking at what I like to hunt and these two calibers I think I will be able to cover any thing in North America however I will be going to Europe soon. Once there I dont see myself purchasing any new rifles. Do you think this combo would cover most african game.

If you plan on going to Africa, I think a better choice for your second rifle would be a 375 H&H or some variation. 338-378 ammo would be very difficult to find once you left the trappings of civilization behind - Dan

I think you will find that the 338-378 will work on African game except for buffalo, elephant, hippo and rhino. Usually at least a 9.3 or 375 is the legal minimum for those species.

That being said, I would avoid on-shoulder shots at the heavier animals because those .338 bullets will be moving so fast they might break up.

Personally I feel the 25-06 is too light for most of the african hunting you would do, except for the little guys like impala, dik dik, etc.

I like the idea of a 9.3 x 62 plains game gun because it can also double for dangerous game in a pinch. Then a heavier gun for DG. Or a pair of 9.3 x 62 would be great. Or 375 H&H. 375 ammo is pretty easy to find in Africa, in case your ammo suitcase gets lost.

The finest combo for Africa I can imagine is a 300 win mag for any plains game over 100 yrds too 400yrds and a .416 Rigby for anything under 100 yrds. African critters are hardier than those found in North America and require more gun. You need the combination of reach and wallop almost daily on a Safari. If you were limited to one rifle, then it would be a .375 H&H. However, for Dangerous game the .416 Rigby is really that much better.
The 25-06 is simply too light for most african plainsgame and the 338/378 is too light for Buffalo but would be fine for Lion. You want bullets weighing 400-600grs for buff.-Rob

I agree with RGB, tho I would go with 8mm Rem Mag or .338 Lapua along with the .416 Rigby. I really like the 8mmRM, but the Lapua has better bullet selection and shares its case with the Rigby, making it beltless(which I like). I suspect either ammo to be scarce in Africa, making the .300wm the practical choice...

Kristofer

[ 11-01-2002, 06:26: Message edited by: KBGuns ]