Need help choosing between 2 calibers

[DLSJR]

I’d take your 300 Winchester for all the reasons everyone else mentioned. And if you want to get a new rifle, buy a good 375 H&H and you’ll have 2 great African rifles.

 

[375Ruger416]

I am planning on heading to Africa for the first time for a plains game hunt, no dangerous game in the near future. I have experience shooting a 300 win mag in a very light rifle so the recoil of the the big 30s with a suppressor won't be an issue for me. Of course this is a great excuse to buy a new rifle, and I have narrowed my cartridge choices to 7mm PRC or 300 PRC. I ended up on those 2 choice for the modern case design and the ability to shoot long, heavy for caliber bullets. I am looking at mostly bonded or all copper bullets for their penetration. I am hoping to get some insight from everyone here on which one might be better for all of the plains game I might encounter up to Eland.

Morning Archer,

I took plains game in Namibia with my 300 PRC and Barnes 208 gr LRX. Oryx, springbok, impala, baboon, blesbuck, blue wildebeest, jackal and Eland. One shot kills on wildebeest, baboon, springbok, impala and jackal. Good performance on all game. I don’t have any experience with the 7 PRC. My eland was killed cleanly and the first shot was through the vitals, but following the instructions of my PH I continued to fire until he was down. He received a total of 4 hits and none exited. There was visible reaction to the first shot and he began painfully trotting in a loop. IMO, I wouldn’t want to go any smaller for an eland and would be quite happy to go larger. For me, everything a 300 WM will do, a 300 PRC will do better. However, where the PRC outshines the WM is past 400 yds which really isn’t applicable for African hunting. In other words, for hunting there is no significant difference.

I have since purchased a Blaser R8 with 300 WM and 375 H&H barrels. It will be my travelling rifle going forward. I have 200 gr terminal ascent for the WM and tsx for the 375 though I would like some a-frames if I could find any. I love my 300 PRC and if I could have bought my Blaser in that cartridge I would have, but the advantages for traveling are real with the older, more common cartridges.

My 2 cents, re 7 PRC vs 300 PRC is to go with the 30 cal for plains game including eland. I think the heavier bullets in the 7 mag make it more effective on larger game, but I don’t believe it is the equal of 180 gr and heavier bullets in 30 cal. At the ranges commonly hunted in Africa, the 300 WM and 300 PRC (and even the 30-06) will have similar terminal performance on game with the same bullets IMO. Buy the rifle you like the best, but a 300 PRC will work well and ammo availability is less of an issue than it used to be. Those who say that a 300 WM or 30-06 have proven performance for decades and ammo available in most camps are also correct.

 

[375Ruger416]

As you can tell from my user name, I am a fan of modern cartridge design and was thinking my first dangerous game rifle might be a 375 Ruger. In the end, practical reasons for choosing a 375H&H won out and if I end up not liking my Blaser I’ll sell it and get a Kimber or Win model 70 in the same chambering instead which has the same 3 position safety as my 300 PRC. Probably that’s what I should have gone with to begin with, but I am impressed with the Blaser so far and will see how I like it after a few range trips.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I am planning on heading to Africa for the first time for a plains game hunt, no dangerous game in the near future. I have experience shooting a 300 win mag in a very light rifle so the recoil of the the big 30s with a suppressor won't be an issue for me. Of course this is a great excuse to buy a new rifle, and I have narrowed my cartridge choices to 7mm PRC or 300 PRC. I ended up on those 2 choice for the modern case design and the ability to shoot long, heavy for caliber bullets. I am looking at mostly bonded or all copper bullets for their penetration. I am hoping to get some insight from everyone here on which one might be better for all of the plains game I might encounter up to Eland.

@archer276
If you already have a 300 win mag why would you want to waste money in a new wiz bang cartridge. The old faithful 300win mag is available in Namibia so go with the old plain Jane. It's killed sheds full of game. Shots inpg aren't that long.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

And it's good, accurate ammo. I took my nephew with his 300 PRC RPR to our gun club. At 500 meters, with Hornady factory ammo, he was hitting a four inch gong every shot. The sky is falling, ammo is going to get lost is a myth.

@Hogpatrol
Tell that to the guy that was in front of me at the collection point for his rifle at the airport in Namibia Henny Penny. Not only didn't his ammo turn up another one had a rifle was missing as well from the group. I reckon the sky fell in those two guys that day. They were not happy boys.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I'm afraid you've badly mis-spelled "9.3x62 Mauser," and not just once but twice, it would seem.

@sgt_zim
That's not how you spell 35 Whelen either mate. The only Mauser in that name is the rifle it can be chambered in
Sorry mate just couldn't resist it
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Bob

 

[sgt_zim]

@Hogpatrol
Tell that to the guy that was in front of me at the collection point for his rifle at the airport in Namibia Henny Penny. Not only didn't his ammo turn up another one had a rifle was missing as well from the group. I reckon the sky fell in those two guys that day. They were not happy boys.
Bob

Were they Americans, and did they fly United or Delta?

 

[Art Lambart II]

In 2016 on our first safari our guns and ammo arrived two days after we did, so we went to Safari Outdoors to by ammo for our PH's guns. We where not allowed to by ammo because we did not have a licenes for the calibers we where buying, our PH's had to product their licenes before the clerk would sell us the ammo. I'm not sure my back-up plan would be buying ammo in Africa unless a completed SAP form allows you to buy ammo. As for your caliber question for a new rifle I would buy a 375 H&H because as your planning your second safari during the flight home from your first safari you'll be able to add DG to the mix. Yes, you will be planning for your second safari before you leave Africa, it happens to everyone who hunts the Dark Continent.

 

[Badjer]

@archer276
If you already have a 300 win mag why would you want to waste money in a new wiz bang cartridge. The old faithful 300win mag is available in Namibia so go with the old plain Jane. It's killed sheds full of game. Shots inpg aren't that long.
Bob

I thought whenever you have to choose between two calibers the correct answer is always 35 Whelen.

 

[Nhoro]

In Zimbabwe, I don't think you will find PRC or even very many 6.5 creedmoor. In addition, searching websites for availability in South Africa is dodgy, they put stock on the website but may not have. 30-06 and 300 win mag is readily available in zim. 308 probably most common. I am really struggling to see what the 300 prc offers a hunter. At hunting distances, the prc offers little if any advantage. So if you want to punch paper- buy a 6mm dasher! Hunting I would say 300 win mag if you want to take eland (30-06 is not legal here.
1. We should not be hunting out past 400 yards so the PRC advantages are moot. How many of us can put in a regular kill shot at 400 +- not me.
2. Most of us cannot shoot accurately enought to see much difference between prc and win mag anyway. When shooter error is greater than rifle error don't shoot.
3. Target shooters use smaller calibres so that they can see the bullet land ie low recoil. They accept some misses and then correct their shot. All against a 300 prc. 6.5 creedmoor kind of qualifies but not for bigger animals.

300 prc is a high recoil target round. Better choices for target and equivalent choices for hunting.

 

[BoarHog375]

338 Win mag! Although your 300 win mag will do just fine!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

In Africa three years ago while at a sub-contracted PH's lodge I shot his 300 PRC once. He had the fanciest range I've ever seen with bunkered video cameras in front of at least a dozen different targets. He said shoot the 1000 meter one. Really? Yep. I put a hole in it about 2.5" to the right of center bull. Wow! He invited me to shoot it again but I declined. Pandemic and ammo shortages. But impressive ... for shooting paper.

I have absolutely no desire to shoot game at even half that distance. Getting close for a good shot is the challenge that makes hunting genuine.

My hunting rifle is and always has been the same 30-06 Dad made for me in 1964. Have taken a few deer with my brother's 300 Win when the old Springfield crapped out. Great caliber. It would be second choice if I ever left 30-06. But I never will.

 

[thriller]

In the tradition of this forum….. you need both


Seriously hard to beat a tried and true caliber like 300 win mag though.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Were they Americans, and did they fly United or Delta?

@sgt_zim
Couldn't tell you from memory it may have been
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I thought whenever you have to choose between two calibers the correct answer is always 35 Whelen.

@Badjer
There's only 2 calibres in my book
A fast 25
And
The Whelen.
Bob

 

[Odinsraven]

I have used over the years. 303 Brit 7x57 7x64 7&8mm rem mag. 300 WIN over best part of 1000 animals little difference.