Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 375 vs 458

I am in the beginning stages of planning an Africa hunt. I have an invitation to hunt plains game and plan on using a 300why. I also plan on taking a heavy caliber in the event of bigger game availablity. I have heard the pros and cons of the 375 H&H but I am considering this caliber because of the availability of ammo in the country. I do not the 458 caliber very well and question which is the better caliber. Also is 300 why ammo easy to obtain there? I am not afraid of recoil as I shoot a 338lapua about twice a week.

The 300 Weatherby should work fine on pretty much all of the plains game. I'm sure many would recommend heavier bullets for such really big animals as eland.

The 375 H&H Magnum is an excellent choice for all plains game and is legal for dangerous game as well. Unless you are planning on hunting dangerous game like buffalo, elephant, hippo, etc., I can't imagine that you would really need a 458 Win. Mag. or Lott.

If you decide to go with a .458 caliber rifle, I'd go with the Lott since it has more power than the Win. Mag. and you can still shoot 458 Win. Mag. cartridges in it if needed.

I had thought about buffalo but have not made those plans yet. Thanks for the reply.

You don't say which African country you're going to - you really need to tell us, not only which country - but also which area before you can get any useful comment on calibre suitability and ammo availability.

Botswana

Which area? - Ammo availability is very limited in most parts of the country........

I'll have to get back to you on with better information it will take me a little time to put the details together. Thanks

The 375 is perfectly capable of killing buffalo, it has been proving that for a hundred plus years or so. I have shot many buffalo with it and I prefer the 350 gr. PP Woodleigh or the North Fork cup points or a combination of both. My all time choice for DG is the 416 REm or 404 Jefferys.

The .458 with a good handload is a good DG caliber, but you must handload it to top performance..I have always felt the .458 was a poorly designed case that did not have enough case capacity, that is apparant as where there is smoke there is fire and its always been controversal for that reason...

The .458 Lott is a better choice and a much better case design, but recoil is rather stiff, however I would rather load one down than have to load one up, thus the Lott...

I was worried about the 458 winchester case capacity. I have decided to go with a CZ .416 rigby or if I can find a good control feed action building on. If I go with the CZ I would reinforce the stock or go with a McMillan stock. Thanks for the input.

416 Rigby is an excellent choice for African hunting and probably one of the easier calibres of ammo to buy in most parts of Africa.

I think you made a good decision. Personally, I'd rather have a good 416 than either the 375 H&H or the 458 Win. Mag........

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I would be hunting in South Africa near a town called ( I'm sure it is not spelled correctly) Polla Ka Wanai

Polokwane is the capital of Limpopo province which borders both Botswana and Zim. Hunting here is classic bushveldt. Lots of bush and thorns. All hunting is, I think, on game farms. Most of your normal plains game will be available. Your .300Wth will be fine for all this type of game. Buff, if available at all, will be from captive breeding programs and will be dangerously expensive. Be sure to ask your Ph for references as not all game farms are the same. I have hunted this area twice with great success. There is lots of experience on this form re: Africa so do yourself a favor and ask. It is a long way to go to be disappointed. Best of luck!

Actually going there to looking for a place to retire with some hunting planned as well. Looking to purchase fenced in ground with some structure near or in Botswana. We'll see right now just an idea. I have have a friend who has relatives that live there now and we will be staying with them.