The next best calibre?

[Tra3]

+1 for the .300 Win Mag.

I’d suggest trying out a variety of rifles, calibers before you buy one. You will jump up in recoil with the .300 Win mag, but if the rifle fit is good and the rifle isn’t too light, it will be fine.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

300 win mag, as boosted 30.
338 win mag, longer shots, with good punch.
9.3x62 closer shots, and bush hunting
8x68 for elite.

When you get to water buffalo, 375 H&H.

Welcome to the dark side!

@mark-hunter
Leave out the 300and 338WM also the 9.3x62 and just get a 35 Whelen. Has the same punch as a 338, good for longer range and will do everything the 9.3 will at closer range. A 310gn Woodleigh in the 35 has a higher sd than the 9.3 and the 375 and can be launched at over 2,400 fps so no flies on that for a lot of hit on bigger game. For long range oomph a 225gn at over 2,900fps will get the job done at any sane range out to 400 odd yards.
One cartridge instead of 3. Easy

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I’m going to play devil’s advocate and put the 340 Weatherby or 338 Lapua out there as they are not @CoElkHunter ’s anemic 338WM or the so-so 300 WM.

@Bourbon Trail
They're not the anaemic 338 that @CoElkHunter likes but they are over glorified 338s that buck and roar and belch flame as well as knock your Akubra off with every shot. Dang the poor man wants to hunt and the weight of a 338 Lapua is phenomenonal. He wants to walk around and hunt not drag a golf buggy around with a 338 Lap in it so he doesn't get fallen arches.
Just get a nice 35 WHELEN and be happy.
Bob
Ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

[Tom Leoni]

Get a .375 H&H and don't ever give it another thought. Unless, that is, you want to become a caliber collector (my basement looks like a miniature version of the Brownell's, Inc. warehouse).

 

[7mmFan]

I'm a fan of the 7mm Rem Mag. I find that the recoil of the .300 win limits my accuracy. Probably just a lack of patience and practice on my part and could partially be cured by a heavier rifle. The 30.06 would also be a logical choice as it is versatile in bullet weight and also relatively easy to obtain ammunition world wide. Hope you enjoy the process of making a new addition to your armory.

 

[mdwest]

Depends on your particular tastes... but I'd vote either 300 Win Mag or 300 H&H..

Either of those will take you all the way up to the largest of PG effectively.. can do the longer distance shooting/hunting of the Kalahari, but are equally effective and useful in the thicker areas of the NW Province, Limpopo, etc..

For me, I prefer the nostalgia of the 300 H&H.. and since I hand load, the challenge of factory ammo isn't really an issue for me..

For most I believe the 300 WM probably makes better sense.. ammo availability is significantly better (as well as a wider variety of options), and its not like the 300 WM is something new or fleeting in the market... Its been around a long time, and will continue to flourish for a long time into the future..

 

[steve white]

Let me break some new ground with a shout out to the fellows down New Zealand way and their 7mm Practical...it is what a lot of 7mm'ers WISH they were...and good to as far as you care to shoot. Not well known, but it's Nathan Foster's recommendation.

 

[Mountaineer]

375 H&H hands down. there are so many bullets out there for them. They can do it all.

 

[Tom Leoni]

375 H&H hands down. there are so many bullets out there for them. They can do it all.

Yep. I was only half-kidding with my post above. I view most other big-game calibers as "basically a .375, but that can't do X, Y, or Z." I can't think of a hunting situation, short of stopping angry, adrenaline-fueled megafauna at short ranges, where a .375 would be wanting. And with today's tremendous availability of bullets of different weights and construction I really don't see the need for other calibers (wanting them is another matter!).

But it's not like I'm biased or anything...

 

[Bigfoot Hunter]

.300 Pegasus…

 

[Rosch]

Get a .375 H&H and don't ever give it another thought. Unless, that is, you want to become a caliber collector (my basement looks like a miniature version of the Brownell's, Inc. warehouse).

That is also my very first thought, when I read this australian thread starter.
Put one of these 375's (375 H&H, 375 Ruger, 376 Steyr, a.s.o) into Your locker and You can go anywhere and hunt anything in the whole world including Jurassic Park.
I personally would go today for the 375 Ruger, because it hasn't got the Magnum ring (like all H&H shells) and it closes in the chamber on the shoulder instead. Great start for easy reloading with highest chance for precision!!
So let's visualise this one for a minute, my humble advise is and Your fiiiiiirst step should be:
Sell all Your other guns and get a wellmade, good fitting 375 Ruger (why not buying a used Ruger gun anyway?) for all Your outdoor action and reload, shoot, hunt and have fun. After some time You will handle Your gun , if when never ever used anything else. So it's finally one real good gun, one real good mounting and one real good optics. Now You are the king of the jungle.

Drop them all with one good shot ! No matter where, no matter how, no matter what. Aaah, I like it easy !
Sure, recoil will kiss You in the start, but that's part of the deal, You take the punch, the buck the bullet. Better than the other way around. With the time and practice, You'll get used to it for sure.
(You have a wife ? It's about the same !!)
Not convinced yet ? Then look here: All sorts and weights of bullets are plentyfull available, lot's of powders will do, tools and brass are cheap and no problem to get hold of. Damned, I should go sell guns ..... ) !

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Hi All,

Currently in my safe I have .222, .243, .270 and 30-30.

Here in Australia I do all my deer hunting with the .270 and finding it does the job but….

Not including big bore for dangerous game, what would be the next best calibre to get to “fill the gap” if I say wanted to shoot heavier bullets and do a PG hunt?

Cheers,
Shifty

My proposition 9,3x62 Mauser. Good luck.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Get a .375 H&H and don't ever give it another thought. Unless, that is, you want to become a caliber collector (my basement looks like a miniature version of the Brownell's, Inc. warehouse).

Solid advice here. Should be posted outside every gun shop around the world.

So let's visualise this one for a minute, my humble advise is and Your fiiiiiirst step should be:
Sell all Your other guns and get a wellmade, good fitting 375 Ruger (why not buying a used Ruger gun anyway?) for all Your outdoor action and reload, shoot, hunt and have fun. After some time You will handle Your gun , if when never ever used anything else. So it's finally one real good gun, one real good mounting and one real good optics. Now You are the king of the jungle.

This man's gone mad. Someone help him! Surely he refers to a Ruger in .375 H&H...so maybe he's just on the edge.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I just didn’t include big bore because I have my eye on a .375 or .458 Lott but that’s a different story

That being the case, then a .300WM or H&H, .338 perhaps even the mythical and legendary .35 Whelen will all be good choices.

I have a .300H&H that I haven't hunted with but would in a heartbeat, just hasn't happened yet. I have a M70 in .300WM which I have hunted with, loaded with 200gr North Fork bonded cores. There's not much I wouldn't hunt with it. Love that rifle, still deciding on whether or not the family will bury me with that one.

Whichever of these mid 30's you decide on, just remember it's not the caliber that does the heavy lifting, it's the bullet. Spend more time on the bullet selection and getting a good load than on deciding which of these calibers to get. In my opinion, bullets like the North Fork and A-Frames have greatly muddied the waters in what the real differences are between the calibers.

 

[Berettaco]

300 win mag would be my vote - hard to beat the performance short/mid/long range - just pick a good bullet and done.
Then all you need is a 404J and you’re set

 

[Rem700stw]

I could happily go about bashing all critters great and small with a 9.3x62 and 286 gr bullets. Recoil like a .30-06, results like a 375 H&H. 35 Whelen or .338 Winchester mag would do wonderous things as well, but I was first smitten by the 9.3.

 

[Thedoveshooter]

Probably 35 Whelen. I've got a NIB Sako III action just begging to be built into a rifle. Might even go with a Mannlicher style stock.

I've got a 9.3x62mm CZ550FS, but I've always been intrigued by the 35 Whelen.

 

[Jonathan Kashouty]

Any of the 7MMs are a good choice too. Lots of high BC bullets for longer shots.
I love my .375 H&H as well.

 

[wildwilderness]

.300 Pegasus…

Had to look that one up! its a Unicorn for for sure, better luck finding Bigfoot


But of course the obvious answer is a 30 cal of some variety. 30-06 would be the easy button, 300 wm, or 300 wsm as mentioned with get you the loooong shots.

but if you like different- .325 wsm, 8x57mm, a 338-06 would be neat... lots of options!

 

[Luederitz]

For PG I´d recommend a caliber which accelerates a 200grs bullet to a minimum of 2750 fps.
Use more gun is never a mistake.

You´re traveling around half of the world, why trying to save money with a small bore rifle?

The upper limit for PG are the various calibers in .375", using a hard bullet (e.g. A-Frame, Partition, Accubond or TTSX) with a high B.c. in 250-270 grs offers a flat trajectory.

Anything in between, e.g. 8x68S, .338 Win Mag or 9,3x62 / 9,3x64 is a good choice for PG.