Loads for Africa...

So I lived for 40 years + in Southern Africa, I have family that still live there and manage a game farm I grew up on.

A 270 / 30.06 / 300 win mag / is all the gun you need up for any plains game up-to and including Eland (largest buck in SA)

A 9.3x62 / .375 H&H - is all you will ever need for everything else. (Both cartridges are easily obtainable in the shops in SA)

Now if you are gunning for T-Rex, then by all means take along the big canons!

 

Kudu, you echoed exactly what I was told in RSA. My wife's family still lives in Secunda, Mpumalanga. My last hunt was near Brits, but most of my hunts were in Limpopo, but I did get once to KWZ/Natal, a farm near Pongola, and that was great. I used primarily 30-06, 7x57mm, and .338, and I loved the Ruger No.1's that were loaned to me. I miss the biltong and all else, I am looking forward to a return trip.

 

I've never hunted Africa. Not sure I ever will, but I did used to work for a rifle builder, who turned out a lot if dangerous game guns for some. If memory serves, the hot 375 loads I played with were snappier recoiling than the 458 win we were working with at the same time. The sane (factory) loads in 375 were tamer than the 458. Neither is nearly as rough as any 2oz+ turkey load in. 7# shotgun. JMO. If I recall, the .458 with the heavier bullets of good sectional density to penetrate on par with other big bores, slowed it considerably....which is where hotly loaded 45-70 stuff with heavy bullets can get in the ball park. Loong heavy 375s can be driven fast enough to penetrate as well or better, and it has a variety of lighter pills for flatter shooting available. Aside from elephants, rhinos, hippos, and buffs, (where .416-.500 might help), I'd think the various 9.3x (.366) chamberings or even .358/.35 Whelen could shine, also. The .375 is the do all of Africa, though.

 

Olepal, I wanted to repeat what I said before, and I think Kudu could vouch for it, there is some tremendous bird hunting down there. Depending where you go, you might be able to book also some duck/goose hunting. I know there was some down in Free State, but I was lucky to find a couple farms in Mpumalanga that had some small dam impoundments that held numerous ducks and geese. We did not have decoys so it was a "driven" shoot by both stalking and the use of a small motor boat. I did manage some cape teal and yellowbills as well some Egyptian geese and and a couple of spurwings.

 

I agree with the above. Lots more people in the States read about African hunting than actually do it. We are always told you need the biggest and baddest and that "African animals need more gun because evolution has breed them to survive lion attacks..."

When I was there in 2010 I used a .25-06 to take everything from Gemsbuk down to Springbuk. All one shot kills with factory Remington Corlok bullets. Bullet placement is everything (just like whitetail deer here).

So, why isn't the .458 more popular in Africa? I think it is popular, but there are a lot of options and this is just one. Add to it the idea that Winchester varied the ammo in velocity the first couple years it came out and that spooked a lot of folks that saw it fail on big toothy critters. The .375 is a standby and has been for 100 years.