Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa What to take

I would take the 375H&H unless you are behind a high fence with zero chance of any DG anywhere on the property. You never know when you might need that extra and legal power or change your mind and just have to kill a buffalo.

I did a one rifle safari with a .375 H&H which included buffalo. It worked well for everything. The only negative was the fact that my CZ 550 was quite heavy, and sometimes I wished for a lighter rifle.

My first trip to Namibia I brought a sub-MOA .308 and a 1 1/2 MOA Winchester Model 70 in .300WSM. I ended up following my PH’s advice and going with the .300 WSM. I shot a Zebra, 2 Gemsbok, Kudu, Springbok, Black Wildebeest, a jackal and a couple of Baboons. For my past 3 trips with the same PH, I use his camp rifles: a suppressed Ruger 77 in .308 and for larger game like Eland his Mauser in 8X68mm shooting 200 grain Noslers. I don’t have to hassle with TSA and I carry my clothing and meds onboard in my Red Oxx bag. No lost luggage no extra fees.

check with you guide as to the distances you might shoot.mine said the area was like west Texas heavy brush and the longest shot would probably be only 125 yards max and he was right on.no reason to take a gun that will shoot 2-300 yards when it won't happen.I just came back from S Africa above Polokwane and it was heavy brush my longest shot was about 125 yards and every shot was off of sticks so practice on those your PH will not want you taking offhand shots. I used a 30.06 with 150 grin Power Hammers. they worked perfect for GemsBuck,Impala,Blesbuck and Red Hartebest and of course Jackal I did not feel under gunned. oh if you have a suppressor take it your PH and Tracker will like you for it and it is not a problem with TSA or Customs just list it on your 4457 they never even looked at mine

For nostalgia, .300 H&H. Otherwise take what you shoot best with good bullets.

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Exactly my thoughts. Nostalgia and panache screams 300 H&H, and that is what I took on my first trip. In reality, take the rifle you like the most and feel comfortable with. Along with an extra scope.

This, after all, it is Africa.

But in reality I would (and have) take a 375 H&H with some good 300 grain bullets just in case I would change my mind about buffalo.

I am sitting in a lodge in Africa waiting for brunch. Am in the middle of my 23rd or 24th trip to Africa.
I have used or seen companions use pretty much everything you are considering. For bushveld I suggest as follows.

Without exception those who shoot lighter cartridges have the best results. The shots are usually within 250 yards but the shots are often taken from difficult positions and thru challenging cover at partially exposed animals. Bullet placement is the most important factor. Your job is to consistently hit a target about the size of a softball and be able to thread it through an opening in the foliage. Magnum power isn’t helpful and is actually a hindrance.

Any reasonably good bullet is fine. Keep the velocity between 2700 and 3000. Sight to keep maximum midrange rise to no more than 2” and 1.75” is better. Bullets from 270-130 to 308-165 work very well.

The best are 270, and 30-06. Those are readily available should you need to source locally.

Contrary to all the BS written, the 700 is a very fine choice. I would take an extra scope.

My outfitter pal reviewed my post and added that in very open country where shots are long a 300 Win is a good choice.

My comment: panache and nostalgia neither hit targets nor make ammo available.

When I took my 300 H&H, the lodge had boxes of 300 H&H in their ammo room.

When I took my 375H&H and 404 Jeffery, camp had both 375 H&H and 404 Jeffery ammo in camp.

Very easy to communicate with your PH about what ammo is available. I can see being uber practical if you go to Africa once or twice a year. But for some, going on a once or twice in lifetime adventure, You should take the rifle you like.

Shoot what you like, like what you shoot, but most importantly hit what you are shooting at.

I'd take a 300 H&H and i would have one built for me

I’d say take the one you shoot the best and have the most confidence in. They’ll all work just fine. If ammo availability is truly a concern I’d say take the ‘06. I think somewhere I read that the 30/06 is never a bad choice. Good luck and I hope your trip goes well.

Bugger - a few things to ponder.

Every rifle in your collection is more than capable of taking common plains game. Just as a point of reference, a 308 Win with 150gr TSX loaded to an initial MV of 2900 fps WILL be complete pass through on zebra, full broadside through the shoulders (point of the chevron) to 200 meters. I've done it a LOT and so have a lot of people I've taken. Again, this is only to give you a point of reference to use as a comparison for all your others.

Africa is a HUGE place with a multitude of game species and terrain and vegetative growth or, lack there of. There are some 75 types of antelope and some 50+ subspecies alone. The next thing is a lot of game species are either localized or at least regionalized.

Therefore, maybe when deciding on what rifle(s)/caliber(s) to bring, it might be wise to first make a list of the game you're after. That will help narrow the locations/countries you'll be hunting and that can help you make a more suitable selection of rifle/caliber. Example, vaal rhebuck. While a 375 H&H is capable, due to the terrain/cover they live maybe your 7mm RM would be a better choice. Nyala, due to their preferred dense/thicket riverine habitat with mostly sub 100m shots, maybe your 30-06 or 375 Whelen with slower 200gr/270gr + bullets that might be less effected by a few twigs and leaves might be a better choice. Kind of match the rifle to the game and terrain/habitat you'll be doing the bulk of your hunting in.

VERY few PH will want you "free handing" your shots unless he KNOWS your actual shooting skills. Free hand is generally the exception with the normal being from either 2 or 3 legged shooting sticks or supported over the edge of a blind. No saying you'll never shoot free hand but is it generally not the norm. Keep in mind, the rule of thumb in Africa is if you draw blood and just wound it and don't/can't recover it, the fee for the animal is still due and payable and most likely will also be deducted from your license or quota. So, you have to ask yourself, are you willing to bet potentially several thousands of dollars on your free hand shooting skills out to XXX distance?

The most common thing I've seen is guys bring heavier recoiling rifles than they need for the game/habitat they're hunting, don't shoot it well because of the recoil and most importantly lack of practice of shooting sticks.

Just my thoughts and observations - everyone's mileage may vary.

Edited to Add: I just re-read your initial post and see where you said you'd be going in February? You do realize that could limit the countries you can go to because the hunting season may or may not be open yet. Second, you do realized that will pretty much be the peak of the hot and rainy season pretty much all over the several southern African countries offering sport hunting. By hot/humid and rainy, I'm talking hotter the S Florida in Aug, similar 90%+ humidity and that puts you smack in the middle of malarial activity. The heavy rains can make the dirt two-track roads nearly impassable due to mud. Add to this, the vast majority of hunting camps are not likely to have A/C or even fans.

I live in Central FL. The earliest I've been in Namibia is in mid-March. It was just as I described above and would NOT choose to go at that time of year again. The one positive side was seeing the normally dry rivers flowing/flooding and the vegetation lush and green. Just trying to make sure you understand the kind of conditions you are likely to experience that time of year.

Take the rifle with open sights.Leave the scope home.

Unless you are taking dangerous game any 30 caliber or 7MM will be more than adequate. For dangerous game 375 H&H or larger. A good 3-12 or similar scope will be a good choice. On three trips to RSA I took eighteen plains game animals with a 300WSM with handloaded 180 grain Accubonds. Also took three NZ animals with same. MTG

I have used the 30-06, 9.3x62, 8MM Mauser, 358 Win, 7x57 and 416 Remington on four trips and noted nothing lacking on plains game.

In addition to choosing your firearm, make sure to bring some type of diary to record the memorable events of your first Safari. After five trips to Namibia I still use the same diary and can reflect back on the game spotted, the locations and the conversations with my PH. I’ll be using the same diary on Safari #6 this coming July.

This.

Started doing it in the mid-1990s, not just for African safaris but all my hunting trips outside of Montana.

As an aside, one of my Montana friends decided to go to South Africa for the typical plains-game safari around a dozen years ago. He was worried enough about all the BS about how African game is so much harder to kill than North American game that he offered to buy me and Eileen lunch in a restaurant about halfway between our homes. Turned out his favorite rifle for Montana big game from pronghorns to elk was his .270 Winchester with 140-grain Barnes TSXs. He was thinking about buying a "bigger" rifle, but told him his .270 would work fine--partly because I'd seen the .270 140 TSX kill a bunch of plains game, including the supposedly very tough gemsbok, blue wildebeest and zebra. He took his .270, and after returning called to thank me.

But whatever. If somebody is convinced a .300-375 magnum is necessary for plains game, then they should take one. But have also seen more than one first-time safari hunter start flinching after shooting their magnum more often than they would on a North American hunt.

Still think .300 hh. I would take a 30-06 in a heartbeat too.