Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Backup rifle caliber choice.

On my first trip to Africa in the 90's, I asked the guide for his caliber recommendations for main and backup rifles. His answer was a 375 with a 375 as the backup and that for the plains game hunt I was planning, a 30 06 with a 30 06 as the backup rifle was more than enough. Ammo for either was easily available there. Bottom-line was his recommendation was one caliber, not two different calibers. He was adamant about this.

What are your thoughts? One caliber or versatility of multiple calibers for the main and backup hunting rifles?

Boddington has covered this pretty well in multiple books.
Basically, if you're going with 2 different calibers, make sure there is overlap in performance.

Not a gun writer

When I have hunted Africa my wife has also been along and I have used her rifle, a 308, for my light rifle. I have used my 375 as my primary rifle. I have taken a spare scope in Talley QR rings. I have never taken a back up rifle but have verified that my PH had a spare rifle should I experience a catastrophic failure. In both cases it was a P64 M70 in 375, the same as mine although one was a 375 Weatherby.
I see no need to take 2 rifles of the same cartridge if you have rifles that have proven reliable.

Your practice of taking a spare scope, in my case QD mounts and sighted in for the rifle, is a significant risk management practice hunters should follow as it will most likely be a scope failure that puts a rifle out of commission, not a rifle failure.

On day one of the 2-week hunt, one of the crew dropped my main rifle out of the Land Rover and it landed on the rocks, scope first. I had no iron sights on either rifle and a lesson learned. I was stuck with the lesser of the two calibers for the rest of the hunt. The point is I wish I would have been using the main caliber I chose for the trip.

I take two rifles of the same caliber now. When you are spending that much money for a hunting trip, taking a backup rifle that you know how to shoot accurately and are used to in the field, is cheap insurance, versus borrowing someone else's rifle you know nothing about and don't have experience with the load and bullet they may give you to use.

I like pairs of rifles in the same caliber. If I was going to Africa, that’s what I would take.

I would tend to keep things simple--as I did on my first safari many years ago. Took a .375 H&H Mark X Mauser, partly because even commercial 98 Mauser actions will accept many available, affordable and easily replaceable spare parts, such as extractors, ejectors, triggers, etc. Took a basic list of such spares, and knew how to replace them--which isn't tough.

Also took a back-up scope, with the tools to replace the primary scope. Turned out the primary scope (an 3-9x expensive European make) went tits-up relatively quickly, perhaps due to the rifle bouncing around in Land Cruisers, which with many scopes is apparently a more severe test than .375 recoil. The replacement scope was a 4x fixed power, and did most of the work on the safari--and just fine, because like many first safaris it was a typical "thornbush" plains game hunt where the longest shot was around 200 yards.

Have had to switch scopes since then on more than one safari--or even "loan" one of my companions my spare scope. Have also seen more scopes go screwy on safaris than bullets "fail" or various rifle parts break down. This is also true of other remote hunts, whether boat/plane trips in Alaska or northern Canada, or horseback hunts in the American of Canadian Rockies.

I’ll almost always have something “common” as a backup. I like to hunt w/my 257Wby but I’m not building a 2nd for backup. I just bring a .270Win. Nothing wrong w/having something out of the ordinary as a primary, but the backup should be a “when the chips are down” rifle.

Often I’ll have a pair of nearly identical rifles that will shoot the exact same ammo.

I’ve not done the backup scope mounted/sighted in because I’ve been able to drive everywhere and just brought a spare rifle. If I was going somewhere that a 2nd rifle wasn’t a reasonable option I’d have a spare scope in tow for sure.

On my three strictly plains game hunts it was a 9.3x62 (250 gr Triple Shock) in 2002, a 358 Win (200 gr TTSX) in 2012 and a 30-06 (168 gr TTSX) in 2016. All worked as expected. In 2015 I used the 416 Win (350 gr TSX) on cerval to buffalo with kudu, springbuck, mountain zebra, cheetah and gemsbuck in the mix with zero issues.

I’m 99% a self supported truck/ bicycle / backpack style hunter.

The posts above about having the same chambering for a backup are interesting, especially where a group has a couple hunters using a matching caliber, it makes total sense to have a backup rifle in that caliber.

My 280 AI is backed up by a 280 Rem, which in turn is backed up by a STS 308 Win carbine.
Ammo is not common except 280 Rem can be fired in 280 Improved.

I haven’t hunted with a 338 in years, but I would’ve used a 30’06 of similar configuration for that role.

9.3x62 has interesting backup potential, more so for follow up on wounded animals.

MD - that scope that gave out on you - did the rifle ride in a soft case while in the LC?

I'm asking as the PH on my next trip is warning about some seriously nasty "trails" (he won't even call 'em roads) and is pleading I bring an extra thick soft rifle case for use in the the bakkie. It'd be the first time I've bothered...

For my DG hunt in 2011 (elephant, buffalo, hippo, lion) I only brought one rifle, a .375 H&H with Talley QD rings and iron sights sighted in. My PH opined that that was about the best selection for DG hunting. For backup, which was not needed, he carried a .500 Nitro Express.

I take backup scopes but not backup rifles when traveling to Africa. However, my rifles are relatively rugged models like a Model 70, Ruger Hawkeye or CZ 550 in good condition, and they are in standard calibers like .30-06, .308 and .375 H&H. There is a small risk something could go wrong with the rifles, but the PH's have loaners to use in that case.

Given how bulky, heavy and expensive it is to take extra rifles, I don't think it's worth it for my purposes. Maybe it would make sense if you were going somewhere really remote and hard on equipment like a rainforest hunt.

As my wife and I hunt together and I were ever need a back-up rifle……I’ll just use my wife’s .338 WM. It’s a bit short, but nothing that I can’t adapt to! memtb

Interesting question. Two of the same if hunting alone or with a partner without a like caliber. Two different but readily available ammo for both, provided the lighter of the two can reasonably take all game expected? Then JB's advice to take a spare parts kit and know how to use it.

Seems to be no correct answer or wrong answer if it fits your style.

The one thing I think of if the hunter is a handloader with two different rifles with the same chambering then he usually has different loads for each rifle. Those loads may or may not be compatible, and rarely is a single load for both rifles going to shoot into the same spot. The difference may be small enough to not worry about though.

When I'm big game hunting with my 270 most of the time my backup is another 270. Even though I may be shooting identical bullets seating depth, powder charge and brass is almost always different.

I have two Tikka 7mm-08s, one Lite the other Superlite. Both shoot the same handloads. I got lucky.

What game are you going to hunt?

If I go back again to shoot plains game, I'm planning to take a 9.3x62 and a 7x57.

Although field performance between the 375 H&H and 9.3x62 is very similar, I shoot the 9.3x62 better because of the milder recoil.

When I went in 1988, I took a 6.5x55 and a 375 H&H and shot everything from Steenbok to Eland with the 6.5x55, Nothing was DRT, but nothing ran more 50 yards before dying. The only thing that I shot with my 375 H&H was a warthog. My 34 year old advise is to learn the anatomy of the animals that you're going to hunt so that you'll know where to put the first bullet. When in doubt, ask youra PH for his advise. My PH didn't think highly of American hunters, didn't feel that, as a group, we were good enough hunters or good enough shots. He was surprised that I could see game that was standing in cover, that I could put bullets where I aimed, and that I brought pictures of game anatomy and asked questions.

Jeff,

Since 1988 an excellent book on African big game anatomy has been published. titled THE PERFECT SHOT, by PH (and veterinarian) Kevin Robertson. It includes the location of internal organs and shot placement with animals at various angles. One thing it emphasizes is that some plains game has the heart-lung area placed farther forward than typical North American game, especially our various deer from whitetails to moose. Often when shooting African big game the way many American deer hunters do, "behind" the shoulder, results in a bullet landing on the rear edges of the lungs. Which is why many African PHs advise shooting the shoulder, rather than behind it.

Have seen copies of THE PERFECT SHOT in several safari camps since the book appeared in 2001, and in fact there's an updated version--and a "mini" version that's inexpensive and easy to bring yourself. But I have seen American clients read the book in a safari camp--and then still not place their bullet correctly, apparently because they've used the "behind the shoulder" shoot so long. In fact, a couple years ago I got into a Campfire discussion with a guy who'd gone on two plains-game safaris, both times using a .30-06 with excellent 180-grain bullets--and was convinced one of the bullets was far superior. It turned out he shot behind the shoulder on his first safari, but the PH on the second trip told him to shoot for the shoulder. Which is why the animals on the second safari died quicker, not the change in bullets.

Have also hunted with dozens of other Americans in Africa, due to going on BIG cull hunts with many others, often on their first safari. Many hadn't hunted all that much even in North America, so weren't used to shooting in the field, especially over shooting sticks--which are pretty handy in much of Africa. As a result they didn't shoot very well.

Another factor I've seen in the same sort of hunters is many had bought the myth that African plains game is FAR tougher than American big game of the same approximate size. I have found this to be BS, but there it is. Consequently they often bring a rifle in a bigger, harder-kicking cartridge than they're used (exactly like a lot of first-time elk hunters here), so end up flinching after a few days--because a typical 10-day safari involves a lot more shooting than an American deer or elk hunt--both at game and when "check-shooting" their rifle to make sure it's still zeroed, after bouncing around in a Land Cruiser.

John,

I've seen the Robertson book and wish that it had been available in 1988.

Jeff