An all round rifle caliber , for Africa and elsewhere

[wildfowler.250]

I thought this would be an interesting subject on here as African animals are notorious for being tough.

I’ve been considering changing my .270 after 15-20 years ‘just because’. Despite that, it just works.

I’m starting to think that there’s an optimum range between recoil and knockdown. Leaning more towards an accurate, milder caliber where before I thought more leeway was better.

What would you consider the minimum suitable calibers for hunting Africa plains game that would double as a deer rifle? 7x57 comes up on here a lot. 6.5CM too small? 6.5PRC is really tempting me.
I appreciate eland are probably a separate subject.


I appreciate bullet choice is likely as important. I always thought if I ever changed the .270 it would be for a .30-06 but now less seems to be more. I have used a 6.5x55,(home loaded) a lot in the past few years and again, accurate and mild and still drops deer.


Interested in thoughts

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

7x57 is a good intersection of legality, nostalgia, power, efficiency (low recoil), availability and distinction. PRC always makes me think People’s Republic of China so it’s out.

 

[R eight]

In my opinion you can’t go wrong with a 9.3x62 and the 30/06 is never a bad choice either.

 

[Puddle]

Focus on the bullet and work backwards. Punch a hole through both lungs at any reasonable distance and angle and you'll be GTG.

 

[RedTag]

.300 H&H Magnum

 

[CBH Australia]

My answer to the question is .30-06

I have not owned one but I think it fits the criteria for a lot of hunting.

I used a hired 7mmRm in Africa. The freelance PH said he has a .300wm
Hire rifle and felt that was a good all round choice for Africa.

I own a .308 and .300wm, both are fine and versatile but I also like 7mm calibre so while I think the .30-06 is the correct answer for the question of one all rounder that is based on projectile options and weights, standard cartridge, availability and manageable recoil it’s a commonsense choice.

If I said 7x64 Brenneke it’s because I seem to like 7mm calibre cartridges and the appeal of an old European cartridge to hunt Africa and other places

 

[bakerb]

I’ve been giving this one a lot of thought. I too would like one do-most rifle. Thinking big game in the western US, sheep, Africa, etc. I’m not a long range shooter, but when thinking of sheep would like a rifle that would buck the wind out to 400-500 yards (farther than I would want to shoot). With today’s scopes and good range finders, much easier to dial in elevation than to guess windage.

I personally have settled on a 338 Win mag. Available. Can reload with a range of long high BC bullets. Lots of factory ammo options. Plenty of SD for big stuff. But not so fast it blows up little stuff.

I used one on my first African safari (a rental from the owner), and shot hartebeest, impala, bushbuck and a surprise caracal with it. Worked awesome. I did not notice the recoil

Now if I could just find a cheap one on a Mauser action with great wood

 

[Green Chile]

As much as I love and use the 7x57 (if not hunting DG), I use the 300 win mag the most for hunting a wide variety of game in Africa and the US. I plan on using it in Argentina this spring on red stag. It covers a lot of hunting without being too much or too little.

 

[Jondnov]

I Agree with Green Chile. Can’t go wrong with 300WM. Both US and Africa. Plenty of power and bullet selection.

 

[HuntingGold]

I have one rifle action and a very nice stock blank in my possession and am going through the same process of deciding what to build for my "final rifle." I cannot see going wrong with the .30-06 but I'm still considering others. I'll be following this thread.

 

[Dan458]

I’ve just been through this and settled on the venerable 30-06 for all of the reasons above and ammo availability. After having my ammo go missing on my last trip to Africa, it was a consideration.

 

[DLSJR]

I settled on the .338 Win Mag as my all around rifle for nearly anything, way back in the mid-1980’s. Very manageable recoil, hard hitting, good out past 400 yards. I’ve shot game as small as Klipspringer with it and as large as Livingstone Eland. It’s probably thr #1 elk cartridge of all. I haven’t shot a Cape buffalo with it…. Yet.

If I was going with a non-belted standard cartridge, I think it’d be difficult to do better than a 30-06.

 

[coreydb]

Plains animals are not tough to kill. There are soooo many tomato/tomahto calibers that it turns the decision-making into a personal preference.

 

[HWL]

9,3x64 Brenneke....

HWL

 

[Hunter-Habib]

7x57mm Mauser

Or

.30-06 Springfield

 

[MS 9x56]

For one gun to do it all from dim dim ti elephant, pronghorn to brown bear the 9.3x62, or 35 Whelen are the answer.

 

[Bandera]

The 300 mag comes close to an all around cartridge.
The 7mm Mag shoots a little flatter than the 300wm.
The 375 Ruger with a 270 grain bullet out to 300 yards is hanging right in there with those two, it is how ever carrying more energy.
If dangerous game is on the list then a 375 will do it.

 

[odonata]

Leaning more towards an accurate, milder caliber where before I thought more leeway was better.

I'm still definitely in the "more leeway is better" camp. I like delivering a bit more energy than is required & I never seem to notice it when I'm hunting.

I have a pair of 303 British, three 30-06 & a pair of 375 H&H so I'm definitely fond of those. But my 6.5x55, 275 Rigby & 9.3x74r have killed everything I've shot at so no complaints on any of those either. As @coreydb posted above, there's so many to choose from it really comes down to personal preference.

But since the question was "What would you consider the minimum suitable calibers for hunting Africa plains game that would double as a deer rifle?", I'm going to vote for the 7x57 as a classic choice. If you took the word "minimum" out of the question, my answer would shift towards the 9.3x62 or 35 Whelen. My answer reflects a personal preference for older chamberings.

 

[Raven]

Craig Boddington wrote that the two best calibers for hunting any game are .30-06 and .375 H&H Mag. But he gave preference .375 H&H Mag.

I agree with him. I'm actively using it .375 H&H Mag for any game. Although I have both larger and smaller calibers.

But if we talk about the minimum caliber for Africa, then it would be logical to stop at .30-06.

 

[buffybr]

I'm in the camp that says bullet and bullet placement is more important than the name on the back of the cartridge case. For me that would would put an all around minimum plains game cartridge in the .30-06 to 7mm RM class.

I've gone to Africa 6 times with hunts in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. I've used my 7mm RM on two hunts, my .375 RUM on two hunts, and my .300 Wby on three hunts.