Best Classic Plains Game and Cat Caliber Advise

[shark_za]

Another vote for the .300 H&H. Sure a .30-60 or WinMag will be more practical with lots of ammo available but they never stopped an enthusiast before.
Second will be .275 Rigby. At least components are readily available for these two.

 

[Major Khan]

Well , I find myself partial to the .338 Winchester magnum . It can take down even the largest of leopards with appropriate soft point cartridges . It is also an excellent plains game cartridge .
Several of my American clients would use .338 Winchester magnum calibre rifles , loaded with 250 grain Winchester Silver Tip or Remington Core Lokt soft point cartridges to lay low leopards weighing as heavy as 218 pounds . These bullets would also work splendidly for even the heaviest of Neelgai and sambhur deer.
Today , Woodleigh lists some excellent 300 grain bullets ( both soft point and solid metal covered ) on their web site . I do believe that these shall make splendid choices for African plains game and leopards .

 

[HWL]

8x68S

Just my two cents...

HWL

 

[DrBob]

338 win Mag. Has the range and thumping power. 225 grain for most plains and can go 250 for heavier stuff. Cross-sectional area and weight of bullet better than 300s.

 

[Scrumbag]

9.3x62 - known in some places as "The Cat Killer"

Though if you have a thumper in .404J, maybe something relatively flatter shooting like a .30-'06 or a 7x64 would be a good option?

Scrummy

 

[Kenneth McMillan]

300H&H, 318 Westley Richards or 333 Jeffrey would get my vote as Classic plains game calibers with the Jeffrey just edges it.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

What are you trying to accomplish with the second rifle?

If it's range, and assuming traditional, then a 300 HH would be a good choice. If it is to have something lighter and with lower recoil than the 404, 7x57 would be nice. If it is to have a project, 333 or 318 would suit you well.

Otherwise, I'd take the money that would go to the rifle and put in into a hunt. Your 404 will serve quite nicely on plains game unless you need to reach out a fair way.

 

[Joker12]

The good old 30'06 has as much history in African hunting as anything else in the smokeless powder era and is also a solid choice.

 

[xausa]

My two plains game/cat calibers consisted of a .375 H&H Krieghoff double rifle and a Winchester pre '64 Model 70 in .300 H&H. I used the .375 on cats and the largest plains game and the .300 H&H on everything else. If I had it to do over again, I would pick the same two. My lion and my leopard were both one shot kills. I useed two shots on my eland, but the second shot was unnecessary.

Most of my .300 H&H shots were one shot kills as well, and that included animals as large as hartebeest and wildebeest. My very first shot at African game was at a hartebeest with the .300 at a paced off 300+ paces, and the first shot was all it took. One of my wildebeest ended up in the record book.

On my last hunt I brought along a 7X57 built on a Czech G33/40 action for my companion to use on plains game. When she decided not to hunt, I used it myself and found it very satisfactory on the smaller plains game, up to wildebeest, but I would have hesitated to use it on waterbuck, sable, greater kudu and eland.

 

[TSIBINDI]

I am currently in the build of a pair of bolt action rifles, these rifles main purpose are Africa, I've got a double already and plenty of plastic rifles for common everyday abusive hunts in crappy weather and conditions. Now is time for the nice ones to joint the family!!

One of the rifles (the DG rifle of the pair) is being chambered in 404J on a Mauser 98 action, I have already got this and the barrel and stock chosen, so its well on its way.

So my question to all of you is what do you think would be the best PG and leopard caliber, remember only traditional African calibers please. I am very much swayed to the 318wr but am not sold yet.

What is every ones thoughts??

...Build a 7x57 and be done with it.

 

[dchamp]

My vote goes to the 8x57. My son has used it on two safaris for Plains Game with good effect using 160gr TTSX and on Leopard with 180gr Nosler BT's. It is a very solid platform for Plains Game and what could be more historically correct for the Mauser 98.

 

[375er]

I will vote for the .300 H&H, the 375 H&H second as a back-up to your .404.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

9.3x62 mm Mauser

A very classic pairing with the .404 Jeffery

 

[BeeMaa]

Can't go wrong with the many options that have been laid out by others here. I re-read over this thread and found that I had recommended the 375H&H for everything back in 2019. Truthfully, my opinion hasn't changed. It's so much easier to just pack one rifle in a common caliber and go hunting. Traveling light and keeping it simple is how I prefer to do it.

If you are feeling spry and really want a second smaller caliber PG rifle, the 300WM is hard to beat. More traditional would be the 30-06 or 300H&H, but anything around .30 caliber will get the job done.

Personally I'd save the time and money on the second rifle and put it into more animals on the safari.

 

[Scrumbag]

9.3x62 mm Mauser

A very classic pairing with the .404 Jeffery

I have those and they are great

 

[Rell]

The 9.3x62 is the great all round caliber. Probably the most used sporting caliber on everything from Springbok to Elephant in the day. It’s also not a hand loading only proposition. Keep a pair of solids in you pockets and you aren’t completely underfunded for anything that walks.

The perfect battery?
7x57
9.3x62
404J
500NE

I didn’t shoot the 500 or 577 doubles I had very well. I max out around the 450-400, 400 Whelen and 375HH. So that’s where my battery stops.

My African tool chest.
7x57
300 Weatherby
9.3x62
450-400 3”

 

[Jeffrey]

First off, put a scope on an accurate 404J and its a great plains game and leopard chambering.

But lets not be unreasonable and think along the lines of always buying more rifles. To pair with a 404J for PG and leopard? 9.3X62 is my favorite. 300H&H for range reasons mentioned above and its traditional like the 404. Third choice splits the difference at 338WM.

 

[Markopolo50]

.300 Win Mag is your easy answer. It is ideal for most PG and leopard and a great all around caliber. Some of the calibers mentioned will not have the range of the Win Mag and you are after a really good PG gun so please keep that in mind. Most people underestimate the distances in hunting PG. They hear reports of some who had them all within 150yd. Well I can tell you from much experience if you really want to be prepared for Africa you should be able to easily make a 300yd shot.
Best of luck with the builds!
Philip

I agree with Philip, 300 win mag may not be an old traditional round but works well.

 

[Challer]

Why not a takedown built on the H&H family?

 

[Jörg Krüger]

From what era/year would you classy people classify a round as classic?