Been a while since I have seen this question hashed out here.
Old dogs do learn new tricks, might be worth while to ask again.

Assume the camp will provide the 22RF and 12G loaner as needed for the pot.
If you had to pick only two rifles for the big stuff, what would they be?
This includes all plains game and dangerous game.

To my thinking, there should be some overlap in their capabilities,
so you can get by with either one alone,
should one of them go TU.

Opinions?


Rip
.

Overlap?

375 H&H
416 Rigby

No overlap?
375H&H
458 Lott or 505 Gibbs

So that either could be loaded for either PG or DG:
375 RUM
404 Jeffery

I'll kick the soccer ball.

If I were able to go to Africa, I would go with a one gun battery, with a back up one gun battery.

Example: 375 Weatherby. It is the 375 H&H WIth another seventy yards of range. It shoots flat enough for plains game, and makes a large enough hole so even the lightly built plains game animals will quickly bleed out.

The Super premium bullets work better on dangerous game than the bullets of years gone by that were adequate for the job then.

The moral equivalent is a 9,3x70.

Another one gun battery would be the 416 Remington Magnum.

I am leery of two rifle batteries. You (theoretically) end up with the wrong rifle in your hands when an opportunity arises.

35 Whelen or 9.3x62
404 Jeffrey

Depending what was on the list I might opt for my 30-06 for the small gun.

If I was going with elephant as the main objective...it would be a scoped .458 WM as the back-up ele and all-around rifle and a .500 NE double.

If ele was not the main objective...a scoped .458 WM and and a higher mag scoped .375 H&H.

338 Win Mag and 416 Rem or Rigby

I am with you on the one gun Battery, with that one gun as the backup. I might try taking the 338/416 combo on my next safari just because I have both of them that I really like.

I read somewhere, maybe the perfect shot, that the big gun should be able to shoot twice the grain of bullet as the little gun. Makes sense to me, don't see much point in taking a 300 grain gun and a 400 grain gun, especially since they are close to the same trajectory.

Another vote for the .338 and .416 combo. You can conquer anything on the African continent and not be under gunned or over gunned.

.300 & .375 Weatherby.....

I've taken three 2-rifle batteries to Africa for a combo PG/DG hunt.

Of the three, I think the best is the 458 Lott/375 H&H.

I've used the 404 Jeffery/338 WM the most.

And my favorite was the 404 Jeffery/35 Whelen.

It's great to have choices!

Edited 11/2/17. Normally, I take (3) rifles to Africa. It all depends if I can talk my wife into lugging a second rifle case around airports!

My two gun battery consisted of my Krieghoff Teck O/U double rifle in .458 WM, with extra barrel sets in .375 HH&H and 20 gauge 3" Magnum and a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in .300 H&H. The .458 set fits into one rather bulky case, which I was able to bring with me on the plane, so the Model 70 was the only rifle which got shipped. I accounted for lion, leopard, greater kudu and eland, Cape buffalo and elephant with the Krieghoff, and the rest of plains game with the Model 70.

Ive always used a 9.3x62 with a 458Mag or 470NE.
The 9.3 is great for PG at typical rangers and works well as backup for the unscoped big bore

Well, the
338 WinMag and 416 Rigby
are a great pair.

So chalk up another vote.

But the next rifles we ferry over are going to be a
500 AccRel (his) and a 375 Ruger (hers).
There is no such thing as too much gun for a buffalo.

I have always taken two guns on all my African hunts,my favorite combo so far,Dakota African 338 Lapua,biggest game taken,one very big giraffe,the second is a O/U double rifle in 458 Lott,load it mild to wild,have taken my only elephant with this gun.

This year I took, for fairly bushy area, my 45-70 double with Grizzly rounds that we used for impala to wildebeest and my .577NE for buffalo but also impala and wildebeest. The 30-378 or high speed .338 are ideal for more distance on PG so for open area and three of us on next trip I m taking 30-378, 45-70 and .577 for buffalo. Sad though to leave my .505 and .338 behind.

My personal favorite combo for years has been a 40 cal. and a .338 Win, but a 9.3x62, or .375 as your light gun if on DG Safaris isn't a bad idea, as you might run into something big and mad at the same time, it happens...

I don't put as much emphasis on the light caliber as some, most combos work well, I am particular about bullet construction..Same with the big bore. At least within reason.

Just a lot of calibers to choose from and most work to suit me..There is no such critter as the actual ultimate, only opinnions. and like assholes, everybodys got one!

I'm new to this but I went with a .416 Rigby and a .375 H&H.

375 Weatherby (It can shoot 375 H&H factory as well)
500 Jeffery

.375 H&H and a .458 Lott.

quote:

Originally posted by Gale Johnson:
338 Win Mag and 416 Rem or Rigby

I am with you on the one gun Battery, with that one gun as the backup. I might try taking the 338/416 combo on my next safari just because I have both of them that I really like.

I read somewhere, maybe the perfect shot, that the big gun should be able to shoot twice the grain of bullet as the little gun. Makes sense to me, don't see much point in taking a 300 grain gun and a 400 grain gun, especially since they are close to the same trajectory.

That is my pick as well; the .416 is flat enough you can take a poke a bit farther than you might think, and the .338 takes care of everything else. I have taken a .300 RUM in place of the .338 once and didn't regret that choice either. For plains game/leopard, a .338 and 300 is pretty tough to beat.

Two rifles that are both legal for DG. A 375 H&H and a 450/400 or if the primary animal was for Ele I would take a 450/400 and a 500 double.

I brought just a 375 H&H last time, and next year I'm bringing the just same 375 H&H (with a few upgrades). I've shot bigger calibers, just don't like the recoil and, if my rifle doesn't arrive, odds are the camp rifle is going to be a 375 H&H.

If, however, I was going somewhere that had a great abundance of PG, like Tanzania, I would add a 270/7mm/300 type as my second gun. Once I had tagged out on DG, I'd swap over to the lighter, less recoiling caliber to finish out the safari.

Thanks all for playing kick the can.
Yep, opinions, everyone has one,
and we can make some sense out of most, if willing to admit it.

My first time I took the stodgy classics, a .375 H&H (6.75# M70) and a .416 Rigby (10.75# Ruger RSM), Mutt and Jeff.
Second time I went wildcat: .395 Tatanka (.395/.416 Rigby) and 500 Mbogo (.510/470 Mbogo 3").

Unlike one's ashhole, one's opinion may change.

I am thinking the unobtainium-plated ultimate choice for me now is the most practical of all:

.375 Weatherby Magnum and .458 Winchester Magnum.
Both could be done on a Winchester M70,
or both could be done on a CZ 550 Magnum,
but make the actions the same,
and choose a COL the same,
~3.6" for Winchester,
~3.8" for CZ.

Practical for the lost-ammo pinch AND
glorious with your handloads OR factory loads.
Can't beat it.
Use standard .375 H&H or .375 Wby in your 3-7-5.
Use standard .458 WinMag or ".458 Longclaw" in your 4-5-8.

Like on Noah's Ark: Only two.

But there is another wildcat itch in my opinion:

.375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012
and
.410/404 Jeffery Rimless Nitro Eclipse.

I might need some benadryl and hydrocortisone for that itch ...


Rip
.

As I already have them. 9.3×64 Brenneke for the light rifle and my Spruce King. (458 Winchester) .
If I was going to buy a new rifle it would be a 375 Ruger Guide Gun/rifle. And bring the Spruce King.
If I could only bring 1 rifle , it would be The Spruce King. That would be my ultimate battery.

RIP-
hypothetically speaking, if you didn't have a PH standing next to you, wouldn't you like to have that 500Mbogo for Mr. Nyati/Mbogo?

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
RIP-
hypothetically speaking, if you didn't have a PH standing next to you, wouldn't you like to have that 500Mbogo for Mr. Nyati/Mbogo?

416Tanzan,

Hypothetically speaking, I would go on Safari every week and take two different rifles every time, try them all!

But realistically speaking, it ain't how hard you hit them, it's how well you hit them hard enough!


Rip
.

Not all safaris are the same. What and where are we hunting? That will affect my choices.

I'm a traditionalist so I will take the 318WR (or 338-06 if I can't find one) and the 416 Rigby.

My last 2 safaris I took a 470 and a 375H&H.

Perfect combination for an Elephant, Buffalo and PG safari.

It seems that most of the boys have encounted PG of a much larger size than my experience. Accordingly, my choice of the smaller rifle is and has been the .270. Jack O'Connor wrote an article in the March, 1974 issue of "Outdoor Life" titled ".270 in Africa" which suggests that the .338 is too much gun for PG.

Bullets and marksmanship are the order of the day in Africa!

Two gun combination: .416 Taylor and .270.

quote:

Originally posted by cpaer:
It seems that most of the boys have encounted PG of a much larger size than my experience. Accordingly, my choice of the smaller rifle is and has been the .270. Jack O'Connor wrote an article in the March, 1974 issue of "Outdoor Life" titled ".270 in Africa" which suggests that the .338 is too much gun for PG.

Bullets and marksmanship are the order of the day in Africa!

Two gun combination: .416 Taylor and .270.

I have shot a pile of African game with a 7mm RM; nothing wrong with it at all, but these days I prefer the .300 and .338 as my light rifle, although on my last trip over there I took a .308 Win.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
RIP-
hypothetically speaking, if you didn't have a PH standing next to you, wouldn't you like to have that 500Mbogo for Mr. Nyati/Mbogo?

416Tanzan,

Hypothetically speaking, I would go on Safari every week and take two different rifles every time, try them all!

That was a good one RIP.

quote:

Originally posted by cpaer:
It seems that most of the boys have encounted PG of a much larger size than my experience. Accordingly, my choice of the smaller rifle is and has been the .270. Jack O'Connor wrote an article in the March, 1974 issue of "Outdoor Life" titled ".270 in Africa" which suggests that the .338 is too much gun for PG.

Bullets and marksmanship are the order of the day in Africa!

Two gun combination: .416 Taylor and .270.

One of the ideas of a two gun battery for a DG/PG hunt, is that if something happens to your big bore for the DG, your second rifle can step in and take its place. Your idea of the 416 and 270 to cover a wide base of different animals is a good one, but for myself, I usually like a medium bore of 33 caliber or bigger, for the aforementioned situation. I would personally not feel confident taking on Elephant or Buffalo with a 270, even if it was legal, which is another issue. Plus, the 338s and up do fine on all kinds of small critters as well. Just my opinion.

.500 A-Square and .375 H&H Mag. have worked for me.

I had Winston Elrod build me a matched pair of "09 based bolt guns in 375 H&H and 318 WR. The cartridges have worked well on my two safaris.

375 H&H

30/06

But then I don't hunt elephants.

Mike

Dang it! I like every one of the suggestions.
So many choices, so few safaris.


Rip
.

That's easy! Look below at my sig line!

quote:

Jack O'Connor wrote an article in the March, 1974 issue of "Outdoor Life" titled ".270 in Africa"

Anyone have a link to that article?

Aww, 10-mike-mike beat me to it. The 9.3 is legal for the larger game in the countries I hunt in and the .458 is a stopper anywhere.
Now, if a PH has a bigger stopper, I might drop to a .338 and my .395 Max.