Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 338/06, 8mm Mauser or 35 whelen? which is easiest to find

I've personally always enjoyed reading what the professionals have to say about all-round cartridges. Craig Boddington wrote two books;
American Hunting Rifles & Safari Rifles
In the back of both of these books Craig surveyed Guides & PHs.
American Hunting Rifles: top three Choices for All-round use:
1).300 Win Mag, 21
2)7mm Rem Mag, 16
3)30-06, 16
But if you look at the guides recommendations to clients which covers deer, elk, moose, sheep, goats, & bears - top three:
1)7mm Rem Mag, 88
2).270 Win, 81
3)30-06, 58

Safari Rifles PHs' All-round personal choices top 3:
1)375H&H, 81
2).416, 7
3)30-06, 6
Recommendation to clients; one rifle safari
1)375H&H, 70
2)30-06, 8
3)300 mag, 5
Two rifle safari and drop the big rifle which is the 375H&H top three:
1)7mm mag, 19
2)300 mag, 18
3)30-06, 13

Based on those recommendations from the "Professionals" if you never plan to hunt dangerous game and you want an all around do it all rifle cartridge then buy a 7mm Remington Mag, the clear professionals choice. But if you plan to chase stuff that bites, stomps, or gores the clear Hype of the 375H&H would be your choice.

Another source is the Boon & Crockett Club to see what North American Hunters are actually using to kill Big Game. I took the top three for each class & totaled them up
#1 30-06
#2 270
#3 7mm Mag

I know SCI keeps this data and would be interested in what the international hunters are using.

So if we have any SCI memebers please list this information!

The outfitter and PHs I was with on the trip I took my .35 Whelen had never even heard of it.

OTOH the .308 WCF seemed popular and one of them was carrying a 7mm RM. They liked the .300 Win. Mag., also.

Curious what they thought of it, post-hunt. I personally think it'd be an effective plains game round.

I have mentioned this before, but and an SCI Convention in Oz the .338 handloaded with 250gn Partition was the clear winner. Deer elk moose and bears in the US plus everything in Africa the game scout permitted which included lion and buffalo leopard and elan that I know of.

For Buffalo hunts, the .375 and .458 and for elephant only, the .458 was the clear winner.

John

And with the great washing of the hype, Guides, Professional Hunters, and record book chasers everywhere laid down their magnums for an 06 with 150 grain TTSX; unless they chose the 280.

Started to make a reply here, and lost it. Oh well. Was saying that it is true that a stock that fits you well, does make apparent recoil seem less. The 340 I got, I got to see how bad this round was, recoil wise, because I'd heard so much bad about it. But this rifle evidently fits me well, as doesn't bother me to shoot it. It's Wby MkV. I have only shot the one Caribou with it, and did so because I wanted to see how it's do on something like that. I actually believe my 280 with the 140, or the 06 with the 165 would have done at least as well. As for fit, I have a custom made 7mmRM, I got back in the early 70s. Is built to fit me. weighs 9+ lbs, which it should, and has a steel butt plate, because I feel a it looks better with one. It does not seem to have much recoil. I've had others, who said their 7mmRM, kicked badly. However, the point is, that I just do not feel that a 375 is necessary for taking animals that aren't any different in size from a white tail, or pronghorn, or maybe a cow Elk. I don't suspect that folks here are going out and using a 375 to hunt pronghorn, because the feel they need to. One PH friend of mine used a 308, mainly, one uses a 7x57, one an 06, two were using 7x64 (european 280s, essentially), none of them carried a 375. when it came to dangerous game, the two that took folks out for those animals, used 458 Lotts. A couple of years ago, I was in Namibia and killed 7 Oryx, 3 with the 338/06 and the 240gr X bullets, and 4 with the 280 and 140gr Ttsx. the 280 put them down right now, while 2 of the 3 with the 338/06, went and laid down and needed a 2nd shot (under the ear), while the 3rd one had been wounded by a pass through on one of the other ones, and had a broken leg, and also was killed with a head shot. My first Oryx, on my first hunt, was shot with a 45/70, I was the fist person to use the Marlin 95 in Africa, to my knowledge. It took 3 shots all in the shoulder area, to bring mine down. No shot was over 50 yds. My X shot her's with the 06 and the 165gr Nosler Partition, and it went down now. She killed the Oryx and 2 Kudu, one shot each, down right now. She shot a Zebra with that same load, from the front, and it ran about 50 yds and piled up. I guess my point is, why go for the 375 if it's not needed. Shoot something you can handle well, and it'll handle the deer, antelope, and about anything else.

Something was said a few posts back about my 13 year old (at the time)grandson, probably not as big as one of the posters. He,at 13 was 6' tall and weighed about a 170 or so lbs. so not exactly the normal 13 year old (when I was 13 I was 4'11" and weighed 75 lbs, lol). Anyway, if someone feels it's necessary for them to use a 375, fine with me. I just don't see the need for one on most game. At the same time, I don't see going too small, as first rule should be to kill the animal cleanly, and quickly, so I couldn't agree with 2 people, in Alaska, who shot their Moose with a 243. They happened to get the bullets in between the ribs, and killed them. But , to me, that doesn't make the 243 a moose or Elk round.

I never asked them but I thought I needed something with a little more penetration. I use the .300 Win Mag now.

for another insite on this topic, see Charlesl's post on part 3 of his hunt. Note the caliber used..