Mediums that perform

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I'm not sure about that Bob, I had only 4 Black Seal Rum on the rocks and it hurt me bad ...

@colorado
Australians must handle rum better then. I now nix it with Lipton lemon tea instead of coke. No more hang overs.
Conclusion coke causes the hang over NOT the rum
Bob

 

[Safari Dave]

I'm a fan of the .338 WM and I think that the .340 Weatherby Magnum may be the ultimate mid-bore, but I don't have one.

Everyone who is even thinking about hunting Africa needs a .375 H&H, so I'm not addressing that.

I bought a stainless/synthetic .338 WM many years ago in case the opportunity to hunt coastal Alaska comes along. It hasn't yet, but I'm willing to entertain all offers!

 

[Safari Dave]

A .35 Whelen is beginning to be very interesting to me....

 

[freefall]

Have I got a deal for you...

 

[Fryeguy]

Upgrade your 300WM bullets to a premium like the Swift A-Frame, Barnes TTSX/TSX, Federal TBBC or Norma Oryx and your results should improve over the Nosler AB.

That said, well done buying the 338WM, 9.3x62 and 375H&H. I doubt you will be under-gunned again for PG with that kind of battery. I'd still recommend using one of the premium bullets mentioned above for best results.

IMO - you have created a caliber ladder that your children can climb as their skills evolve. Walk them up slow and steady...before you know it they will be taking the 375 out of your hands. You started looking at a .400+ yet?

This is exactly what I am diving into right now! I was happy with the way the accubonds held together and expanded perfectly, but I would would love to get something that would expand and still drive all the way thru, and leave a blood trail. Definitely a heavier bullet will help. The 225AB didn’t shoot well enough in the 338 with any load so far, it has a lot of jump to lands if I want to fit in the mag. So I have some Barnes tipped triple shocks and Sierra 250sbt to try. I am also going to start trying to find some of the other premium bullets to try as well. What accuracy level do you expect a rifle to have with these bullets for Africa? I am a bit of an accuracy nut, and maybe I need different expectations for a safari rifle??

 

[Challer]

@colorado
Australians must handle rum better then. I now nix it with Lipton lemon tea instead of coke. No more hang overs.
Conclusion coke causes the hang over NOT the rum
Bob

Sugar makes it all worse

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

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[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/953412759

Interarms Mark x 98 375 Whelen Ai 24" Zastava - Bolt Action Rifles at GunBroker.com : 952038044

Buy Interarms Mark x 98 375 Whelen Ai 24" Zastava: GunBroker is the largest seller of Bolt Action Rifles Rifles Guns & Firearms All: 952038044

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@Wishfulthinker580
Forget the AI ain't worth the hassle.
The 375/ 35Whelen AI is a great cartridge but also a lot of work. Personally I would just get a 375H&H.
Find a good 35Whelen and just load it properly you won't be disappointed.
Just my thoughts. Yes I have some wild cats and the 35AI is the least impressive of them. Is 100 to 150 fps worth the hassle.
Bob

 

[BeeMaa]

This is exactly what I am diving into right now! I was happy with the way the accubonds held together and expanded perfectly, but I would would love to get something that would expand and still drive all the way thru, and leave a blood trail. Definitely a heavier bullet will help. The 225AB didn’t shoot well enough in the 338 with any load so far, it has a lot of jump to lands if I want to fit in the mag. So I have some Barnes tipped triple shocks and Sierra 250sbt to try. I am also going to start trying to find some of the other premium bullets to try as well. What accuracy level do you expect a rifle to have with these bullets for Africa? I am a bit of an accuracy nut, and maybe I need different expectations for a safari rifle??

I break expectations into two groups...your rifle and you.

I'll get the easy one out of the way quickly...I expect sub-MOA accuracy from all my rifles, regardless of where I'm expecting to hunt. Sighted in from the bench, slow and steady without letting the barrel get warm.

Now the hard part...I know that I'm easily capable of sub-MOA groups from the bench with a scoped rifle. From sticks with the same scoped rifle, I can get 3 shots off in less than 8 seconds (I know I need to practice more) and keep them within 2" at 100 yards. Freehand at 50 yards with open sights, 3 shots in less than 8 seconds within a 2" circle. Those are my expectations and that's how I practice.

IMO - More crappy shots are blamed on the rifle/scope rather than the shooter taking ownership of a mistake, rushed shot, yanked the trigger, buck fever...etc. The only way to prevent this is to practice. Then practice some more. And when you think you have it, you don't...practice more.

Before we go on safari, we average 1 or 2 range sessions a week. Each time we shoot between 6 and 12 shots each, not a lot by most standards. Our primary practice is dry fire 7 days a week 2 or 3 times a day. This is where the real work is...when no one is watching, you are there with your rifle putting in the time necessary to build the skills needed to be a good marksman. The range is just to confirm what you have been teaching yourself all week without beating yourself up with recoil.

EDIT - I'm usually shooting a 375H&H and my wife a 300WM.

 

[shootist~]

.... What accuracy level do you expect a rifle to have with these bullets for Africa? I am a bit of an accuracy nut, and maybe I need different expectations for a safari rifle??

For me - gleaned from someone else, btw: A 5" Maximum Radius from POA - from the sticks. (Average mean radius will be about 1/3 of that.)

That size determines the distance I'm comfortable shooting with a particular rifle. If it's 225 yards, great. If it's less due to more wind on some days (or more recoil with a bigger caliber), so be it.

From the bench - anywhere around MOA and I'm happy. YMMV.
But get off the bench asap.

 

[steve white]

Hard to think of a medium that doesn't perform...a bigger hole gets it done.

 

[Longwalker]

What I like and appreciate about the mediums on game larger than deer is when a big bone like the humerus is hit. Definitely better performance vs the .30 caliber or 7mm bullets. I have seen .308" 150 gr. and 165 gr. cup and core bullets stop dead with no further penetration in the Humerus/Scapula joint of two elk and one moose. Hit in the same place with an ordinary 250 gr. .35 cal. and it's time to get out the knife.
I have taken a variety of game larger than our deer with the following cartridges larger than .30 and smaller than .375 -
8x57IS -196 gr., .356 Win -220 & 250 gr., .35 Whelen 225 & 250 gr., 9.3x62 285 gr., 9.3x74R 285 gr.,

If game is heavier than 200 KG, I prefer any of them over the 7mm or .30 calibers. And I don't feel the relatively slow velocity of the cartridges above are any real limitation in the hunting I have done. If an animal is more than about 250 meters away, I stalk closer.

 

[robert kuester]

A .35 Whelen is beginning to be very interesting to me....

just shot a 12yr old very large Audad with 35 Whelen and 250gr bullet at a lucky 400yrds. It droped like a rock.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@

just shot a 12yr old very large Audad with 35 Whelen and 250gr bullet at a lucky 400yrds. It droped like a rock.

@robert kuester
And who said the 35 Whelen is a brush cartridge.
The 250gn speer loaded to 2,700fps and sighted 3" high at 100yds drops about 24" at 400yds about the same as the 308 win. It is still packing a hell of a wallop way out there as well. No wonder it dropped like a rock.
The 338WM loaded with the same bullet wouldn't have done any better.
Bob

 

[WAB]

The .35 Whelen and .338-06 are
Super interesting cartridges. I went the 9.3x62 route but I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them.

 

[Cleveland48]

The .35 Whelen and .338-06 are
Super interesting cartridges. I went the 9.3x62 route but I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them.

I also went the 9.3x62 route, and have had great success on whitetail. I’ve never owned a 35 whelen, but I’ve shot many of them. Also cleaned or watched several whitetail get shot with them. Both are excellent cartridges. I do believe a 338-06 to be in my future though. I’ve just always wanted to try one myself.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I only have experience in Africa with a 300win mag. My first trip over this past June. I used 180accubond bullets hand loaded going just under 3000fps. I didn’t realize just how tough the animals were going to be. If I ever used a 300WM again I would definitely use heavier bullets or smaller animals. I think I only had one shot that was a pass thru, it was on a Zebra just shy of 200yards. They thought I missed it. Next shot was a frontal shot and they thought I missed again. I knew I hadn’t. There was no reaction from it at all. As it was running away I started to see the blood pumping out and it finally fell over. The sable did react to shot it was only 50-60yards away quartering to me. I drilled it low shoulder. I hit it once more, and another follow up shot afterwards. Waterbuck was right at 200yards. Hit it low front shoulder area and it reacted as well but was out of sight so fast it wasn’t funny. Perfect heart shot and it went 50-75 yards. My first purchase when I got home was a 9.3x62. Followed by a 375h&h, and last week I picked up a 338win mag. I don’t plan on taking a 300WM back to Africa, unless the kids want it for smaller stuff, but the small stuff they shot with a 6.5creedmoor and it did fine. We used 129long range accubonds, only one bullet was recovered from a blesbuck. They shot impala and blesbuck with it

I'm not sure what to make of this. A few years ago I used 180 gr. Accubonds in my .300 Win Mag to kill two mule deer (1 of those was at 384 yards, was a little far back, and folded at the second shot), a black bear, and bull moose. All shots were pass throughs.
This August I took the same rifle to Zimbabwe with 200 gr. Accubonds. I shot an nyala, a waterbuck, a bushbuck and an impala. All shots were pass throughs, and no animal moved more than a few yards from where he was struck. I've never been more impressed by either the caliber or the bullet performance from any rifle.
If/when I return to Africa, I will certainly be bringing my .300 with 200 grain Accubonds, and if I am able to get out for elk later this month that is what I will carry.

 

[ldmay375]

I'm not sure what to make of this. A few years ago I used 180 gr. Accubonds in my .300 Win Mag to kill two mule deer (1 of those was at 384 yards, was a little far back, and folded at the second shot), a black bear, and bull moose. All shots were pass throughs.
This August I took the same rifle to Zimbabwe with 200 gr. Accubonds. I shot an nyala, a waterbuck, a bushbuck and an impala. All shots were pass throughs, and no animal moved more than a few yards from where he was struck. I've never been more impressed by either the caliber or the bullet performance from any rifle.
If/when I return to Africa, I will certainly be bringing my .300 with 200 grain Accubonds, and if I am able to get out for elk later this month that is what I will carry.

No argument against what works.
Regardless of personal preferences, if it works consistently to expectations, hard to improve on.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I am a believer in larger and/or heavier bullets in general, but my 7mm RM has, over many years, performed well on deer, elk and medium sized African game. Performance depends heavily on WHAT BULLET is used and where it is placed. I have had one shot kills on Deer, Elk, Zebra, Roan, Impala, and Reed Buck using 160 grain Swift AFs and Nosler PTs out to about 225 yards. The longest run after the shot was about 50 yards (bull elk) and most were DRT. This is satisfactory performance in my mind.

If I had been using my .375 H&H I am sure I would have gotten the same result. This cartridge is perfect for medium and large, thin skinned game.

Dangerous, thick skinned game is a different story... for that I like my 404J with 400 grain Swift AFs.

But the bullet is the single most important component.

 

[Philip Glass]

I am one of those bad guys who has no use for anything between .300 Win and .375. I love hu ting Africa and just think it better to hunt with the .375 if something bigger is warranted.