Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 2 gun battery?

Making plans

458 Lott and & 7 RM mag

what do you think for combo? Cape and plains game only.

Just down this road and after A TON o research I chose a 30.06 and .375.

Never been to Africa and haven't done Gator's research.

Right now, think I'd take my .300 Win Mag and .404J.

But have to agree, '06 and .375 H&H are a solid combo.

DF

.30-06 + .375 is perfect.

There ain't any practical difference between the 7mm mag and .the .30-06, but there is between the .375 and .458.

The .458 isn't very versatile, but the .375 can serve as an all-around round if something happens to your "light rifle". The .375's also plenty for buffalo--with good bullets. The tales of failures are due to older bullets, but linger on.

The most experienced PH I've hunted with uses a .375 for back-up on buffalo. I asked him what bullet he preferred, and he said, "Whatever my clients leave behind. They're all good these days!"

I would go with my two suitable for anything 2 rifle battery.Any of the combinations mentioned would work ---in a pinch.

The 458 Lott is, well a LOT of recoil and rifle weight. I would step down to one of the 416's

+1 for this 2-cartridge combo.

Like MD said, a 'standard' light caliber - with suitable bullets - works as well for PG. Mine was a lightweight 300 WM.

I used a 404 Ruger in place of the 404J for a heavy-medium, but they're ballistically the same. As to the the 404s ... they are never wrong in Africa. A definitive punch for any DG short of elephants, and flat enough to take PG at reasonable range.

If that is what you have, then it's a good combo, if you are asking for opinions on what constitutes an "ideal" battery for Cape Buff and PG, then I would say one of the 416s and one of the 300s.

+1. This combo is going with me next month for buff and PG.

My favorite two gun battery is my 470 Double and 375 H&H. It has worked fine in the past.

One gun battery would be my Lott with a detachable scope and 450 grain bullets.

I took a .450 Dakota and a .375 H&H for buff and hippo. Next time will be my .470 double and a .375.

I cannot find fault with your line of thinking here. Mule Deer has the essence when saying an -06 and a 375 because both are more than adequate for what you have in mind to hunt.

I just love my Lott a Lott, but that's because I use it as a tool in my profession and I believe in it's ability. For an overseas hunter who wants to hunt here for DG, what will you be doing with your DG rifle when you get back home? Will you want it just to say it killed a Cape? Will you be able to use it afterwards on a bear hunt or a moose hunt at 150+ yards? By the way, how far is the average shot on bear and moose?

If you have the means of doing multiple African DG hunts then surely your rifle can be whatever you want it to be. If your once-in-a-lifetime hunt includes a Cape (leopard or whatever) would it perhaps not be more practical to use a cheaper 375 that is adequate enough to do the job? If you buy a 470 double, 500 double or 600 NE because you want it, or because you can, then fine that's your choice.

For pure practical reasons my two-some would be a three-some: 30-06, 375 and Castle

That sounds perfect too!

It's hard to go wrong with what is mentioned
I have never been to Africa without a 375 as the heavy or the light rifle. So any combo that includes it will get an extra nod from me

Ditto with Swift A-Frame bullets

The classic 30-06/.375 H&H combo is great.

To me, the .300 Win Mag adds some range, but from what I hear, long shots aren't the rule in Africa. I like the idea of being prepared, nonetheless. My .300 WM is an Ed Brown Damara with Z3 4-12x50 BT with Outdoorsmans turret. It's zeroed at 100 and will reach out to 500+. It's a half inch gun with 180 gr. NBT and NAB, would probably do well with 180 NPT's.

The .404 Jeffery is versatile, shooting various type bullets from 300-450 gr. Like the .375 H&H, it can reach out pretty far when called on. My .404J, M-70/Walther is a one inch gun and the big 450 gr. slugs have more punch than .375's.

.30-06 and .375 H&H ammo is reportedly more commonly available around the globe and most PH's will have those guns, allowing surplus ammo to be left with them.

IMHO, the .300 WM/.404J combo is hard to beat, at least from a theoretical point of view.

DF

When I went, I took a .338 Win Mag and a .416 Rem. Mag. I had decided this long ago for a wide variety of reasons. Upon reading Boddington's first Safari Rifles book, that is the combo that he recommended for a two gun battery that includes DG. I haven't read his latest, expanded version, so maybe he now recommends something else. Allen Day, who is now deceased but posted here a lot, had a ton of Africa experience and he also recommended and used this combo. That being said, the -06 and .375 combo is hard to beat, especially for someone that might be sensitive to recoil. Using a .300 magnum of any sort also makes good sense for the light rifle if you can handle it. If you have the .458 Lott an like it, I say go ahead and take it. My Dad took his 7mm Rem. Mag. to Africa and did fine with it as well. My conclusion is that they are all fine and that you should take what you want, what you have, or what you're comfortable with. All of the combos mentioned here will work just fine.

My Damara is a relatively light weight rifle and has a brake. I've heard that many PH's don't like brakes and I can understand that. It comes off easily, but the gun shoots better with it.

Ed Brown says his light weight magnums shoot better with a brake and that's why they're standard on those rifles.

What are your thoughts on brakes for PG?

DF

Dirtfarmer:

You should consider the terrain where you will be hunting, which you didn't mention in your post.

For instance, in Namibia, your shots will tend to be on the long side, as they will in certain parts of South Africa. A flat shooting rifle will be a plus under those conditions.

In Zimbabwe, expect shots at less than 100 yards, so a flat shooting rifle isn't really required.

a .30/06 and a .375 is always a good combo, but the important thing is how well do you shoot them? A .30/06 or .375 that you shoot well off the sticks will be a whole lot more effective for you than a hot .300 magnum or a .458 Lott that you don't shoot well because of blast and recoil.

A .375 is fine for a first shot on cape buff, but it is not a charge stopper if push comes to shove. A .4XX is definitely more decisive on buff than anything smaller. Personally, my first choice on buff is my .416 Rigby. For follow up, I switch to my .470 N.E. double.

As for ammunition, what does your rifle like? I have used A-Frames, TSX and Partitions in my light rifle with good success. I expect Accubonds, Scirrocco or Fusions would work well in a light rifle also, but I haven't personally tried them in Africa. For my .416, only A-Frames, TSX and Barnes solids. For the .470, Barnes solids.

Both rifles should have an identical safety, i.e., two Winchester M70's. You don't want to fumble for the safety at a critical moment and muscle memory is important.

Once you make your choice, practice, practice practice. After you get a zero, shoot from the sticks and offhand. Sitting at a bench is just wasting cartridges.

Good hunting!

You won't get a Christmas card from your PH if you use a brake. I've never met a PH that was happy when a client appeared with a brake. IMO, they are superfluous. Learn to shoot your rifle without one. If it still hurts you, get a smaller rifle.

No one of normal stature should need a brake on a .30/06 or a .375.