I would appreciate those of you with experience suggesting a third rifle to help me cover the entire range of African hunting, regardless of location. I don't want anything bigger than my 404J and no shotguns or rimfires. Those are taken care of. I know I could probably do it all with my 375H&H, but then I wouldn't need another gun! Your reccomendation on something else for the plains would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

OD

I have not been yet that comes in Sept but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express
I'm taking a .338-06 for plains game

I took two extra guns with me. A Ruger No.1 customized in 7mm STW and then I took the .270 bolt gun. Since you have "gun bearers", I really enjoyed having my .270 around for the springboks, cervals, steinboks and the duikers. It was a good choice.

404 Jeff and a 7 by 57 would be a nice battery. If you want three throw in a 375 H&H.

308 Winchester

With a 404 and a 7x57 there is no need for a 375. The 404 will be within 2 inches of the 375 trajectory at 250 yds (and this is with a 100 yd zero) for the largest plains game although the 7x57 with a 160 - 175 gn bullet would do as well. Check out this on the trajectory for the 375 and the 404.
http://404jeffery.blogspot.co.nz/

Von Gruff.

Well that blows my theory to bits! Would have said the 375 mainly because I'm partial to it, but my list would be:
404, 375 and 30-06. That will cover everything you shoot at.

The 404 ammo is not readily available in South Africa and if you do find it it is very expensive. North of the Limpopo it will be outrageously expensive if you can find it so I would want to save 404 ammo.

With the 375 you can still do DG if something goes wrong with the 404.

If I really had to leave the 375 behind I would be tempted to use a 17 cal just for fun! Jackal, vervet monkeys, guineas, francolin - the list is endless...

I would also select the the 30-06, with the 404J and the 375 H&H you would have the classic safari trio and ammo readily available for two of the three.

Forget three rifles. Take the 404 and a 300 Win. Mag. with 180gr.-200gr. Partitions or TSXs. You are set.

RS

375 H&H
275 Rigby
12 gauge

If you can't have fun with that, you are not capable ofr having fun.

Just my humble (hahaha) opinion.

Yep, that covers it. I have taken three and even four rifles to Zim a few times and it was only because I wanted a loaner for clients and because I wanted to test some rifles and ammo on Leopard Bait animals (GREAT testing grounds, BTW) but one or two rifles is immeasurably easier to travle with and get through the airports. 3 or 4 are just not needed, IMO.

.458
.338
.270

You never "really have to" leave the 375 behind.
In fact if it is found out you left a 375 in the safe customs will confiscate whatever rifle you have with you as you are not to be trusted with a firearm

Well, you have the 404. I'm kinda like Jack O'Connor, all you really need is a 375 H&H mag, and a 30-06. Borrow a 12 ga., when ya get there, if ya wanta hunt birds. JMHO.


maddog

can you take combo guns? If so I'd probably take my 375, 30-06, and may savage 22mag / 20 gauge

.30-06 is perfect...

I would get a 30-06. A 7x57 or 300 H&H would also be acceptable.

I love to hear dirty talk like that!

I don't understand taking 3 rifles or even 2.

If you take a .375, there is no point in taking a 30-06 or something similar.

For plains game only, take a 30-06 or .300 something. Nothing else is needed.

Worried about a rifle malfunction? I've never had one. If it makes you feel better, take a spare scope in QD rings.

I took only a .375 with no spare scope on my last safari. A spare? I verified in advance that my PH had a very nice scoped .416 in camp.

A drilling in either 9.3x74R or 7x57R with 3" 12 gauge under.

A 7x57 or 7x64 are very versatile and ammo for both is readilly available.The 9.3x62 is an African classic and will work on almost anything,where allowed.It too is versatile and ammo is available all over the continent.
Our PH told us he would allow a hunter to use the 9.3x62 to take Cape Buffalo.I wished I had known that before I went out and bought a CZ550 Safari Magnum Express in .458 Winchester for the hunt. Shooting the 9.3x 62 is about like shooting a .35 Whelen,with the 9.3 having a bit more power.
The PH said many of his European clients,especially Russians,have shown up with rifles chambered for the 9.3 , and used it with perfect satisfaction on all manner of game up to and including Cape Buffalo.Unfortunately the regs in many areas preclude it's use on dangerous game.You need to check with your PH beforehand.

There is a RH Bolt Ruger Hawkeye at Gunbroker.com 9.3x62. Wish it was LH...Dai

I have never been to Africa so have not the slightest clue.....but it seems strange somehow to go all the way to Africa without a 375H&H, no?

I am still doing penance after my first trip, but rectified that faut pas soon after returning home. Next trip will see the 375 for everything except the tiny ten. I'll take the 25 Bob for them. My wife will be well healed so no need for a gun bearer.

Randy glad to see you are up and at 'em again! Hope you are feeling well.

Thanks Bob. I'm still off work but not stopped dreaming and planning.

I am also in love with the .375 H&H so I am torn on what to say.
Taking the .375:
.404 Dangerous Game
.375 Large Plains Game
.30-06 Everything else
Leaving the .375:
.404
.300 Win Mag
.270

If I had to take two I would leave the .404 and take the .375 along with a 7mm RM for the deer size game like impala and such.

You have a 404J and .375H&H.

Keep the 404J for your DG and largest PG.

Everyone has a .375H&H. Heresy I know, but I'd sell it and get a .30-06/.300 with the third rifle being a .243W. Ammo for these is everwhere and welcomed if you leave yours behind.

There is a tremendous amount of small (and cheaper) PG to hunt in Africa from Steenbok, Impala, Klipspringer to Springbok etc The .243W is perfect for this size game. In fact you could probably hunt the majority of species in Africa with a .243W where legal.

If you want to keep the .375H&H get a .270W (the legal minimum in many countrys) with 150 grainers and your battery is complete.

My personal choice (I have these rifles).

CZ .416Rigby
Mauser 98 9.3x62
Mauser 98 7x57

.300 Win or an 30-06 or even a .308 and of course a 375H&H

That's really all you need unless you are stopping a ele charge.

I always like common. Common calibers are easier to find. One of the guys who was on our last hunt has his bags delayed but got rifles. He had a .300 Win Mag. Ammo wasn't a problem and he got to hunt with his own gun.

Pick a wildcat cartridge and bags get delayed and you are SOL for a few days with a great gun but no ammo. .375 H&H is always around and mostly 30-06 and .300 Win Mag are around. .338-06, not common, and .275 Rigby. Thats just funny.

Mine would be
6.5X55
9.3X62
458 lot

But given you have a 375 maybe

243 or 6mm Rem
30-06 or 300 mag
375

Personally I doubt I'll ever hunt enough dangerous game that my 9.3 will not suffice. It works well for medium sized too. The 6.5 works for anything from the 9.3 down. Two rifles are a plenty in my opinion. I lived there and had a .222 and a 9.3X62. Great combo. The little kids shot the .222. I shot the 9.3.
Aaron

I took the venerable 375 H&H and the perfect plains game rifle, yes 338-06! Next trip will be more like you and replace the 375 with the 416 Taylor BUT the 338-06 will still always be my companion on these trips.

.243
.30-06
Plus
.375 or 404J depending on the quarry!

If DG was on the menu I would go 416 and 338 RCM, if not I wiuld leave the 416 at home and take a 300 Weatherby.

.404 Dangerous Game
.375 Large Plains Game
.30-06 or 300win mag for everything else

"I don't want anything bigger than my 404J and no shotguns or rimfires."

OK, sticking with your parameters of nothing bigger than a 404 Jeffrey and no shotguns or rimfires, here are my thoughts. First, a few personal notes about what I've taken.

On my first safari, I took a .458 win mag, a .300 win mag and a .270. It was a 24 day safari with lots of DG included. Those calibers worked splendidly, though I could easily have left one of the two light rifles home. When I had problems with my .458, I borrowed a .375 to shoot my 2nd buffalo.

On my second safari, I took a .470 NE double and a .338 win mag. I was primarily hunting DG and that was a great battery. I took a couple buffalo and bull elephant with the double, and used the .338 for a few other animals (though a 250 grain nosler partition did make a mess of a nice klipspringer)

3rd safari, a .416 hoffman and the .338 again. For a 24 day safari, again with multiple buffalo and both cats, that was a great battery. I also took a 12 gauge, which I shot more than anything else.

Last safari, a short SA hunt. I only took a .270 and it was fine.

OK, now staying within your limits, here is what I'd suggest.
Your .404 Jeffrey for dangerous game, .375 H&H or .338 win mag. as an all around medium rifle, .270 or .30-06 for light rifle. Chances are, you'll shoot 2/3 of everything you kill with the smallest caliber. The .270, .30-06 and .375 are all readily available calibers in most areas where you'll hunt, and that is a legitimate consideration. You should also be able to find .338 ammo in a fair number of places.

In this day and age, it is rare to actually need to take 3 rifles, and is enough of a hassle that 2 seems like plenty. In the future, I imagine that I'll only take my .416 and a light rifle, either my .338, .30-06 or .270, depending on what I'm hunting. There really is nothing I'd hesitate to shoot with a .338, though it is not legal for some dangerous game in many locations. If I were taking only 1 rifle, it'd be either a .338 or .375 in all liklihood.

You said no shotguns or rimfires, but you really should have those in camp in many locations. A lot of fun can be had with shotguns and rimfires. I've shot hundreds of rounds of shotgun and rimfire ammunition in Africa, and had a blast doing it.

Wouldn't three rifles be an immense pain in the balls to travel with? I'd love to take my 416 Rigby, 470 NE and half-inch the Old Man's 7x57 for the trip, but it would just be an absolute [bleep] experience for the travel. I'd probably leave the 7x57 at home and go with the Rigby and NE if I was after dangerous game. If no DG was on the menu I'd go with my 300 H&H and the aforementioned 416 Rigby.

Yes, three rifles is something of a pain in the butt. I have an Americase 3 gun case, and it weighs 27 pounds...empty! I think that for any hunt of longer than 10 days, 2 rifles are probably better than one unless the one is a .338 or .375, but of course, if you're hunting longer then you probably have a couple of DG licenses, so a heavy rifle may be appropriate then.

For most plains game hunts, a single rifle a fellow shoots well is all that is needed.

404J and a 375 H&H, screw the rest.

I've always thought that your lighest rifle should be able to handle the biggest game that you might encounter.

Consider being out in the bush hunting Impala with your 300/270/7mm loaded with softpoints when a 150 Lb bull or 50" buffalo suddenly appears at 50 yards.

On plains game hunts my light gun is a 300 and my normal gun is my 375. On buffalo hunts, my light gun will be my 375.

Well a 338 Winchester and a 416 Remington, would take care of pretty much every thing on the Planet. With so little dangerous game hunting being actually done these days, its really a moot point. So go with a 30-06 for a light rifle and a 338 Winchester or 375 H+H for what ever game you think you will need more gun for.

404j, 9.3x62, 7x57

I think an interesting 3 gun battery would be:
7x57, 9.3x62 and your .404 jeffrey. This is the battery I am currently working to complete. It strikes me that there are many
choices one could make but since I am now a 9.3 shooter, I have the hankering for the other 2.

...........I have no personal African hunting experience yet, but picking an additional cartridge that would compliment the two you already have (your 404 Jeff and 375 H&H) isn`t easy, as there are many rounds that would do very well.

Imo, your decision NOT to go any larger than your 404 is a very good one.

The key here imo, is that you mention plains game where killing distances and type of plains game animals do vary a great deal.

If it were me and although the two cartridges you have are well suited, I would look for something which would offer better and flatter longer ranged capability which would have some serious downrange power.

Not taking anything away from the 404 or the 375 H&H as they have their place. But they are not necessarily the best choices beyond 400-450 yards in the longer ranged plains dept where flatter trajectories are concerned.

Although I have not been to Africa yet, I have planned ahead for just such a trip with a 3 rifle battery of my own. Depending on the game, terrains and circumstances, my 300 WSM will have its place, my 375 Ruger will have its place, but for some real serious long range plains work for use on any African plains animal,,,,my 338-378 Wby Accumark will probably get that duty especially when the game is very large.

Going down in caliber from your 375, there is no better an alternative (if assuming you want "alot" of downrange power) than a 338-378 Wby.....The "beast"......

But your final choice of rifle and round should depend on what game you hunt, the presumed distances, what type of downrange power levels you want, rifle fit, feel and comfort etc.

I happen to prefer "a little" more insurance. Yep! It`s overpowered for any African plains game. But what fun to shoot!