My first African trip in 2010 was plains game only and I took my trusty .338 Win Mag. It did it all with very little fuss.
When I re upped in 2015 and wanted to include cape buffalo, I first bought a CZ in 458 Lott. It shot 500 gr pills and was a little snappy from the bench.
I settled on a Dakota M76 in 416 Rigby, which shot 400 gr bullets very well, and I took my 338 Win Mag for everything else. That was my ticket to success.
donsm70
I 2nd the Dakota in 416 Rigby. 400 grain Barnes TSXs are deadly. My father liked mine and needed a scoped bolt-action rifle for buffalo on our trip to Tanzania. We took the doubles but were after bait, so we needed to be successful on stalks versus having fun. We took 5 bulls that trip. The 3 he shot were dead within 60 yards. He has a .375 H&H and took a bull on his first trip to Africa. It was a bit light, in his opinion and he wouldn’t use it again.
And go with the Rigby—always go with a traditional African cartridge. Yeah, they may be a bit more expensive but you don’t shoot them all the time and it’s part of the experience, right?
