Some questions on a plains game rifle

Mmmm......... 9.3x62 designed for settlers in german african countries, .318 WR, .275rigby, .333 jeff, .350 rigby ;):D


Ok, ok.

:)

Maybe for an American....300 H&H is "Africa".
 
Where are you located? I have a 375 thst loves to be shot//

I am in PA and thanks for the offer! But if you're too far I think I should be able to find someone in my sportsman's club.
 
In almost 50 years of western U.S. big game hunting (including 20 years of horseback hunting in Montana's wilderness areas), and a half dozen plus international big game hunts, I have never had an issue with my rifle scopes. So I don't worry about backup iron sights or bringing an extra scope. Also, every PH/guide that I've ever hunted with had a loaner rifle available for hunters.

That's exactly the type of thing I was wondering about. Thanks.
 
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Not when it's a ruger model 1 with a Leupold VX model scope on it Tarbe.
Got to love a a Ruger #1 the great shooting rifle that it is. My Ruger #1 in 300 Win Mag above with a Bushnell scope makes short work of African plains game! :) and I shoot it extremely well.
 
View attachment 30627 Not when it's a ruger model 1 with a Leupold VX model scope on it Tarbe.
Got to love a a Ruger #1 the great shooting rifle that it is. My Ruger #1 in 300 Win Mag above with a Bushnell scope makes short work of African plains game! :) and I shoot it extremely well.


I have been put in my place by Mike (spike.t)! I am now considering a re-barrel to 318 W.R.! :)
 
Each unto his own my dad use to say! As for me when I go across the pond I take the afore mentioned and photoed Ruger 300 WM, the Ruger Guide Gun in 416, or my Marlin model 1895 SS in 45-70 gov. To me all three say Dead Animal African or American. Now if I had the money to buy a fine German made side by side rifle.....well I think that would speak to me of Africa for sure. Ha! Men and our guns........what can you do?
 
The best plains game gun in the one you shoot best with a good bullet like a tsx or a frame.Hear all the talk of needing a big bore which must guys can not shoot.
Son has been two africa twice now and taken animals with a 25-06 and this last trip a 257 weatherby with a 100 grain tsx.
We took so many animals that never took a step with that 257 this trip.
Anything up to kudu I would use that gun.No eland but zebra,kudu impala,springbuck,oryx,waterbuck and bushbuck no problem out to 300yds.
I think to many guys get caught up in calibers and they all get the job done if the person pulling the trigger does there job right.A gut shoot is all the same be it a 257 or a 458.Gut shoot equals a long trcaking day any way you cut it.
 
The best plains game gun in the one you shoot best with a good bullet like a tsx or a frame.Hear all the talk of needing a big bore which must guys can not shoot.
Son has been two africa twice now and taken animals with a 25-06 and this last trip a 257 weatherby with a 100 grain tsx.
We took so many animals that never took a step with that 257 this trip.
Anything up to kudu I would use that gun.No eland but zebra,kudu impala,springbuck,oryx,waterbuck and bushbuck no problem out to 300yds.
I think to many guys get caught up in calibers and they all get the job done if the person pulling the trigger does there job right.A gut shoot is all the same be it a 257 or a 458.Gut shoot equals a long trcaking day any way you cut it.

As the old Indian Guide is reported to have said, "Any gun good shoot'um good".

Like everyone here, my goal is nothing but good shots and quick kills. I will likely shoot on the order of 500 rounds through the H&H over the next 8 months, in preparation.

Then it will be up to good stalking and discipline during the hunt.
 
To me two things get over looked by alot of people when it comes to shooting.
First guys dont shoot enough or shoot at ranges more then 100yds which you must do.You can not go to africa and think all shoots will be 100yds and under.

The biggest thing about guns that is overlooked and means more the what size the gun is.Get the trigger worked and set to 3lbs or so.A good trigger can make a good shooter a great shooter and a avg shooter and good shooter.
 
Bill,
Both sound like some good advice I need to take. I've been thinking the trigger pull is 1-1.5# to much on my 375 and I needed this kick in the ass to do something about it.
 
Good move. A .30 or 8mm makes a much better choice for a plains game safari, especially if one is not familiar with a .375 yet. A .375 is a "romantic" choice, and a good one if one is also hunting say buffalo or eland. In the end it is personal choice but also what one might be comfortable with.

BTW some recoils stats:
Calibre / Bullet Weight in Grains / Bullet Velocity in fps / Powder Weight in Grains / Gun Weight in Pounds
.375 - 300/2600/60/8.5 - Recoil Energy of 41 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 18 fps.

As a comparison
.30 - 200/2500/40/8.5 - Recoil Energy of 17 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 11 fps.

The .30-06 above is more like the average 12 gauge shotgun.
 
BTW I once shot an older model Blaser in .375 which weighed a mere 6 1/4 lbs including scope and ammo and it was quite mean. The recoil numbers below do not really reflect how snappy that lightweight .375 was.

Calibre / Bullet Weight in Grains / Bullet Velocity in fps / Powder Weight in Grains / Gun Weight in Pounds
.375 - 300/2600/60/6.25 - Recoil Energy of 56 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 24 fps.
 
The biggest thing about guns that is overlooked and means more the what size the gun is.Get the trigger worked and set to 3lbs or so.A good trigger can make a good shooter a great shooter and a avg shooter and good shooter.

Hi BillC, The trigger is a good point. I actually really like the set trigger on my Mauser M03. Pushing the trigger forward sets it to a very light weight. It allows very accurate shooting. But one must be incredibly careful not to fire by mistake, as that is easy. As my rifle has several chamberings from .222 to .404 it does allow a lot of practice on all sorts of hunting.
 
..first shoot the .375 and then make your decision..
 
You wont go wrong with a Sako Bavarian .375 H&H with a Zeiss 2-8x42 Duralight Scope (Illuminated) with Leopold Quick Detachable mounts.

.375 H&H is Africa's caliber and you can shoot everything from the tiny 10 to dangerous game.

The Quick Detachable mounts will allow you to sight in a backup scope prior to departure and have two scopes sighted in for your rifle.

Zeiss 2-8x42 Duralight Scope is the best value for quality that I have found in the market to date, and the Illuminated just makes it that much easier to zone into your target.

Hope that helps...
 
I know that African plains game can easily be taken with a host of smaller calibres, such as 7mms or .30 cals, and as Tarbe stated, it is hard to get more 'African' than a .300 H&H Magnum.

That said, I have shot almost all of my plains game, from warthog and impala up to zebra, kudu and sable with a .375. I like the idea of taking a .375 because, with the right bullets, it is just as flat shooting as a .30/06 but has a lot more authority. However, the big advantage of taking a .375 is that you have a rifle that is suitable for the big five should an unexpected opportunity present itself - such as a problem animal or a cull being offered to you. True, this doesn't happen very often (almost never, in fact) but it has happened to me and I fortunately I had the equipment to accept the opportunity - I would hate to miss the chance because I had a .30 calibre instead of a .375.

One other huge advantage of the .375 is that you can always buy more ammo if you need it, almost anywhere!

In regards to having open sights on your rifle - I will not have a rifle that doesn't have open sights fitted to back up the scope, and my scopes are always mounted in QD rings. While it is unlikely that a quality scope will fail on your hunt, it is a possibility and after spending a fortune on your safari, it would be a terrible shame to pin all of your chances on a single sighting system - I am a huge believer in redundancy. Indeed, a lot of my hunting rifles have multiple sighting options: open sights, a quality riflescope in QD rings and a red-dot sight in a QD mount as well; which means that I am equipped for all situations.

Some of my favourite hunting rifles are older model BRNO ZKK series rifles which have four (4) sighting options: folding rear open sight, pop-up aperture, scope in QDs and a red-dot in QDs - I told you that I like having redundancy in my sighting systems!

Accordingly, I do not understand why rifle manufacturers produce so many rifle models that are supplied without open sights and why so many hunters put all their faith in one sighting system - it doesn't make sense to me.
 
I know that African plains game can easily be taken with a host of smaller calibres, such as 7mms or .30 cals, and as Tarbe stated, it is hard to get more 'African' than a .300 H&H Magnum.

That said, I have shot almost all of my plains game, from warthog and impala up to zebra, kudu and sable with a .375. I like the idea of taking a .375 because, with the right bullets, it is just as flat shooting as a .30/06 but has a lot more authority. However, the big advantage of taking a .375 is that you have a rifle that is suitable for the big five should an unexpected opportunity present itself - such as a problem animal or a cull being offered to you. True, this doesn't happen very often (almost never, in fact) but it has happened to me and I fortunately I had the equipment to accept the opportunity - I would hate to miss the chance because I had a .30 calibre instead of a .375.

One other huge advantage of the .375 is that you can always buy more ammo if you need it, almost anywhere!

In regards to having open sights on your rifle - I will not have a rifle that doesn't have open sights fitted to back up the scope, and my scopes are always mounted in QD rings. While it is unlikely that a quality scope will fail on your hunt, it is a possibility and after spending a fortune on your safari, it would be a terrible shame to pin all of your chances on a single sighting system - I am a huge believer in redundancy. Indeed, a lot of my hunting rifles have multiple sighting options: open sights, a quality riflescope in QD rings and a red-dot sight in a QD mount as well; which means that I am equipped for all situations.

Some of my favourite hunting rifles are older model BRNO ZKK series rifles which have four (4) sighting options: folding rear open sight, pop-up aperture, scope in QDs and a red-dot in QDs - I told you that I like having redundancy in my sighting systems!

Accordingly, I do not understand why rifle manufacturers produce so many rifle models that are supplied without open sights and why so many hunters put all their faith in one sighting system - it doesn't make sense to me.


Hello Bwanabob,

Except for the fact that I have no experience with today's red-dot sights and therefore do not own one, I am with you on the above subject, all of it.

You have spoken wise words on this thread topic.

If I had to spend the rest of my life with but one big game rifle in hand to tramp the earth, it would be a Mauser or reasonable copy in .375 H&H with sturdy 4x scope in claw mounts or serious lever rings and equipped with iron sights.
My favorite .375 these past few years has been my Brno 602 Magnum - extremely reliable and shockingly accurate, these days besides the factory iron sights, it has a Zeiss 4x in Alaska lever rings but one day I do plan to have it claw mounted.

Likewise, I have pondered why so many rifles are made without iron sights.

The only conclusion I can figure out is two fold:

1. Most folks do not care for iron sights and rely heavily (or 100%) on a telescopic sight.
Perhaps they do not understand how to use irons or perhaps some folks eyesight is none too good (my eyes are not as sharp as they used to be, now that I am a prune faced old man but I can shoot iron sights better than most young men, at least in daylight anyway).
Some folks will even tell you they think a rifle looks better with no sights on it at all, except a scope.
To me, a rifle without iron sights looks like it was not ready to leave the factory yet.
Such a half baked rifle reminds me of a bicycle without a seat.

2. It may be that rifle companies save a few rupees by leaving off parts and pieces (like Ruger does by leaving off some steel in the making of all these latest proprietary short magnum cartridge/calibers, so that they do not have to make larger/more steel required - more expensive magnum actions any more).

Anywhoo, keep your powder dry mate,
Velo Dog.
 
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I haven't read all the replies , my first two choices would be 338 WM and 375h&h

these are my two most used calibers here in SA , I find the 338 WM gives me more options and when I hunt a new farm that I am not familiar with I tend to use the 338 WM .

both are excellent choices IMHO.
 
VD, I agree in principal and respect your Iinput a lot. But if I was restricted to that one rifle and scope, I would agree with the 375, esspecially with the new bullets and ammo available that allow it more reach than it had before.... But I would keep my VZ6 2-12 variable. With the backup iron sites so the only changes to my M70 would be to put on some QD mounts and a different sling.

In defence of Ruger. There is no way the cost of steel difference from a long to medium length action is behind their decisions. You are talking pennies in raw steel. The cost savings would likely be in tooling and standardization of the manufacturing process. And they may actually believe very strongly that they have better cartridges. I do like the shorter bolt throw.

If was to ask Ruger to do ssomething different, it would be to improve the quality and quality control of their machining. I would pay extra for the option of an Ultra Grade or something like that.

Love the silky smooth action on my Winchesters.
 

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