Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Largest game with .300 H&H Magnum?

Sometimes you have to make due with what you have in your hands. One never knows the opportunity around the corner in Africa. One reason the 375HH is the magic wand for African Hunting. It will handle anything that comes up with reasonable results.

The 300 was spawned from the 375HH for the "light rifle" of the pair. Although not actually legal for big 5, but also not likely ever challenged in a real hunting scenario when it's what you have in your hands. I have personally seen 300 mags and one particular 30/06 kill buffalo quite a few times. Same for Giraffe and Hippo. Head shots under 75 meters end the game instantly with either of these cartridges.

I do not see any functional lethal difference in the 30/06 or the 300 mag with the TSX bullets under 100 meters. The real advantage of the 300 mag is at greater ranges. Identical bullet placement from either cartridge with the same TSX bullet will render the same results. At least from my experience with these combinations.

Shooting 350 plus yards the nod goes to the 300 mags, beyond 400, the 300 mags are the only choice of the two. I still think that the 30/06 has the power, but I begin to lose confidence in the ability to place the shots for the regular guy hunting with me. I don't think my skills are there beyond 400 yards either. Unless conditions and the solid rest are perfect, having the distance laser ranged, oh and the target species plays a roll too. Just because it has worked once for some fella you read about in a hunting magazine does not mean the results are always repeatable ( or it was true).

The only real answer to this is to stick with what is legal for the cartridge. If and when the time comes to make a choice on something bigger....... weight the odds, let the PH share his thoughts, and carefully consider your skill. There are two things that really play a roll in the outcome of this. One is if that animal bleeds you have just agreed to fork over lots of money for the trophy fee. I know and have worked with a few PH's over the years that were willing to play the odds here, because if they found blood you were paying them. Recovery of the game or not! Friendship during a ten day hunt has a way of becoming far more one sided then the visiting hunter realizes. That PH is in business to make money.

This is not the majority of PH's. Realize that they are the ones that have to find this animal and they want to go home to see their family at the end of the hunt too. These guys don't want to be horned, stomped, chewed, gored, clawed, or tossed. Not anymore than the next guy. Once blood is found, are they going the exhaust every level of effort to find this angry hurting creature that is at the end of it's patience with being tracked?

Remember the decision is yours to make. We can chat about the size of the animal here from the safety of the keyboard and the office chair. It's a bit different environment once the crack of the rifle fades and you have to go find that animal.