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I am planning on my first trip to Africa for plains animals. Just sold my 416 to buy a 375. I will also plan on taking my 300 Winchester.

Good choice of rifles to take? Any sugestions?

My suggestion? Just take the .300. With 180 grain Nosler Partitions.

I would do the opposite, .375 w/270gr TSX!

What exactly are you hunting and where? Those two things will go a long way in determining what rifle and ammunition to bring with you, IMO.

Why not take them both? From your post, the 375 is a new rifle and the 300 seems plenty for plains game. My feeling is that your bullet placement would be better with the 300 Win.

I'da went with the .416, but since it's been sold, I'd take the .375

No need for .375 on plainsgame. It is very important to take what you are most comfortable with. Go to the range, shoot both rifles then decide. Just my .01 cent. Oh, have fun!

What country? Anything dangerous lurking about or the possibility of adding a big critter onto the hunt? This would play into the decision as well. If you take the 300, go with 180gr TTSX's and smack some stuff! PH's and trackers like exit wounds for more blood, and so will you when you start spending valuable costly hunt time tracking well hit game. Two holes are always better than one.

Great advice from everyone. On my first trip, I used a .338 and 250 gr Partitions on everything to include a leopard. They seemed a perfect combination. I just returned from my second trip where I used a .375 and the 300 gr TSX for everything to include Buffalo. They were an equally "perfect" combination. Next summer, I will only be hunting plains game and likely will be using a 30-06 and the 180 gr TSX.

I would let the biggest or baddest thing I am planning to shoot or potentially run into drive my choice. If no eland are on your list, and you are not hunting where an accidental encounter with dangerous game is possible, such as most of Namibia and S. Africa, then the .300 will be "perfect". If you are planning to hunt eland or dodge elephant, then I would bring the .375.

I Know it's not whole Africa but I'm just back from Namibia and on my hunting area, statistically best results (not mine but including all hunters and hunts on the area) on plain games from steenbok to eland were from .375, and worst results (higher rate of wounded lost animals) were from .300 winnie. Owner said, if you absolutely want to take your .300, shoot 220 grains bullets. 30-06 had best results than .300.

(Of course I lost one game with the .375 ... Pure shooting mistake, no caliber would change that).

It's not a long range shooting area and lots of shooting in Bushy trajectories;

If you have a .375 and well-trained with it, take it, it works perfectly anyway.

I'm not fond for long shots but for those ones, owner was a 338 lapua mag addict.

I plan on hunting

Black Wildebeest
Red Hartebeest
Blesbuck
Impala
Springbuck
Warthog

I sold the 416 as from everthing I read said the 375 would be a better all around choice. With the 375 and the 300 I thought I would be covered

You are more than covered for the animals you list. If you only wind up taking 1 gun, I'd take the 300...


maddog

What would be the best bullets and weights for the 375 and the 300. I have done quite a bit of shooting/hunting with the 300 using 180s and 200 with great luck but the new 375 I am not sure of

The 300 gr SPs and Solids are the classic .375 round when dangerous game is part of the expected bag. When using 300 gr bullets, I pretty much limit shots to no more than a bit over 200 yards (which is 90% of shots in Africa anyway). The 270 gr bullets turn the .375 into an honest 300 yard rifle, but they would not be my first choice on buffalo.

The game you list will be easily handled by a .270 on up with the wildebeest, on average, the toughest of the lot. That .300 would seem to be an ideal choice, particularly, if eland isn't on the dance card.

That looks like a typical South African list. Curious why it doesn't contain a kudu?

Could be a package of some sort.



I'd take the 300 Win. Mag. and leave the 375 home for this trip. As far as bullet weight, assuming these will shoot accurately, I'd look at something like the 200-gr. Swift A-Frame. If you don't hand-load, Remington has a factory load that uses this bullet. The A-Frame is a terrific bullet and should perform great on the species you have listed. If you do hand-load, I'd look at the North Fork bullets in either 180 or 200 grain. These might be the best bullets out there that use a lead core.

either is ok for the .300. Probably would look at Barnes TSX[or others] in the 250-270 gr. range. JMHO.

maddog

I agree with Pinotguy...the .300 is all you would need. If something larger, e.g. eland, was on the list the 375 might offer an advantage.

All you need is a .300 with good bullets. I usually take a .300 WSM with 180-grain Tipped Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, but I have taken all those animals cleanly and quickly with a .308, a .257 Weatherby, and a .270. My 10 year-old son has taken them all with his .260 - all 1-shot kills. You don't need a big gun. You need one you can shoot well.

Whenever people talk about lesser calibers not working, it has nothing to do with the cartridge - it is almost always shot placement, with the odd poor bullet choice thrown in. The .375 works fine, but it's not the ideal choice for what you're going after unless you shoot it really, really well. Even then, you don't need it.

I know it sounds bad, but I rarely listen to African PHs when it comes to bullets. Often, their opinions are based on anecdotal references shared around the fire with other PHs. Those stories are often old and don't take into consideration the quality bullets we have today. Also, few PHs really know much about guns, bullets, or ballistics to begin with, and they tend to base their own opinions on the experiences of clients who can't shoot. That's not to say some don't know what they're talking about, but to most, a gun is simply a tool. They don't sit around for months on end hypothesizing about the perfect cartridge or bullet design - they do the job with what they got cheap or had given to them.

Remember: Good shot placement + good bullet = dead animal. It ain't rocket science.

Now that I have sold my 416 so I can buy a 375, would the 416 have been to much rifle for the plains game I will be hunting

I tend to think so, although depending on where you were hunting, it might have been OK. Considering your list, your 300 Win. Mag. will be ideal, as well as the most versatile.