Most efficient 3 cartridge spread for dangerous game?

[Altitude sickness]

I’ll go with my current list

9.3x74 double express sights
.375 H&H bolt, w/ 1-6x24 scope
.416 Rigby bolt, with trijicon SRO 1 red dot

 

[PCC600]

303
404
505
All terrific killers - and I like the symmetry .

 

[HankBuck]

I think I saw Bob is in NZ? Answering for him:
.35 Whelen
.35 Whelen
.35 Whelen

Well someone likes that cartaige - A LOT !!! I’m also a big believer in the .30-06 and anything related to it....might be just a hair light for elephant but adequate for everything else (always assuming good bullet placement).

 

[HankBuck]

My list:
1). .30-06 — you’ll shoot it more accurately then anything else and avoid “Magnum eyebrow”..
2). .375 H&H - like everyone else has said “it does everything well”.
3). .470 NE. — been around for 100 years, must be something to it.

 

[Flipper Dude]

Here is my current.

375H&H
404 J
458 Lott

i have become much more comfortable with the 375 over the years, and it has replaced my 30-06. ( Blasphemy! ). That said, if I am doing a strictly plains game safari with no chance of DG, the 30-06 is the only one making the trip.

 

[HankBuck]

Here is my current.

375H&H
404 J
458 Lott

i have become much more comfortable with the 375 over the years, and it has replaced my 30-06. ( Blasphemy! ). That said, if I am doing a strictly plains game safari with no chance of DG, the 30-06 is the only one making the trip.

A very storied caliber that .30-06, in use over 117 years for hunting and in 2 World Wars — nothing it hasn’t done and done well.

 

[Rule 303]

35 Whelan -factory or my 35RUM if allowed home loads
375 H&H
416 Rigby or Rem.

I would not go bigger as 450 grain bullet out of the 416 Rigby is about the top of my recoil tolerance.

 

[saswart]

Currently have a 375, 416 Rigby and 458 Express/Lott. I would stick with 375 and the 416 but would replace the 458 with a 500 NE double for the ideal spread for me.

 

[Luvthunt]

340 bolt
416 Rigby bolt
500 NE double

 

[Wildcatter]

I don’t see a reason to include a rifle lighter than 375 or 416 for use against dangerous game. For me, it would be the 416 a Remington for a general purpose rifle that is capable of taking it any dangerous game on earth. I do see I do see a need for a large double so I would probably go with a 500 nitro or a 577. The last weapon would be a double barrel 12 or 10 gauge for slugs and buck shot for close encounters with light-skinned, wounded game or for principal use for things like hogs in dense cover.

So my personal battery would be:

1) 416 Remington Mauser bolt action with low power scope

2) 577 nitro double at 13 lbs

3) 12 gauge double with 3” chambers, 22” barrels and interchangeable chokes, mostly kept with cylinder bore tubes.

 

[jimmywallstreet]

375 H&H bolt-470 NE double -500 NE double

 

[Jim Golden]

I'm thinking .375 Weatherby for everything. Mine has a long barrel and does 2889 ft/s with a 300...5580 ft-lbs. But, I am building a .458 Lott...... .30-06 with a 180 would be good for the smaller stuff....

 

[Ruraldoc]

My dangerous game rifles:

M70 Alaskan 375 H&H with 1.7-10 Meopta
M70 Express 416 Remington with 1-6 Trijicon
Brno 602 458 Lott with Nikon 1-4.

All three have iron sights to back up the scope.

375 for Cats and Bears
416 for Buffalo, Hippo,Elephant,Rhino
458 for following wounded game or thick cover Elephant, Hippo on Land

 

[Ed Lally]

.470
.470
.470

At 78, with decades of collection, additions and deletions to and from my gun safe, I am blessed with a great selection of nice rifles in a wide spread of calibers from .22-250 through most everything to .375 H&H, 470NE and .458 Lott. Never went bigger as I don’t see the need and recoil above .458 starts to get less than comfortable. I really love my R8s and all of the different barrels, but lately, and right now, as I am in Pearston, East Cape as I write this, I have been hunting exclusively with my Krieghoff .470 NE equipped with a red dot sight. Both barrels group very well but the rifle, due to the effectiveness of the .470, is used primarily as a single shot. Zeroed at 50 yards, it is only 0.6 inch low at 100 yards. There is something magical about stalking the bush with a double over your shoulder and taking game, no matter the size, with a single well placed shot from a rifle that not only feels right but looks right at home.

 

[redriverjake]

Judging from what I've seen, the most effective dangerous game cartridges in each category are as follows.
1. 416 Rigby (medium)
2. 458 Lott (heavy)
3. 577 Nitro (ultra)

There are many on here that have more experience and will certainly have differences in opinion. I should say that in any of the classes, any similar bore diameter, bullet weight, and velocity will preform to an equal and almost indistinguishable degree. Ie.

1. 404 Jeffery or 416 Remington etc.
2. 450 Rigby or 460 Weatherby etc.
3. 500 A Square or 505 Gibbs with 600gr bullets etc.

In truth, there are very few bad choices today and so you must go hunting with whatever you can shoot well and what makes you happy.

Lastly, I must say that I don't think anyone needs or, needs to travel rather, with three dedicated dangerous game rifles. My personal preference for a three rifle battery are as follows.
1. 30-06 (light)
2. 416 Rigby (medium)
3. 577 Nitro (heavy)

Happy hunting.

 

[colorado]

.470
.470
.470

At 78, with decades of collection, additions and deletions to and from my gun safe, I am blessed with a great selection of nice rifles in a wide spread of calibers from .22-250 through most everything to .375 H&H, 470NE and .458 Lott. Never went bigger as I don’t see the need and recoil above .458 starts to get less than comfortable. I really love my R8s and all of the different barrels, but lately, and right now, as I am in Pearston, East Cape as I write this, I have been hunting exclusively with my Krieghoff .470 NE equipped with a red dot sight. Both barrels group very well but the rifle, due to the effectiveness of the .470, is used primarily as a single shot. Zeroed at 50 yards, it is only 0.6 inch low at 100 yards. There is something magical about stalking the bush with a double over your shoulder and taking game, no matter the size, with a single well placed shot from a rifle that not only feels right but looks right at home.

lol we think the same way

500 Jeffery
500 Jeffery
500 Jeffery

 

[IvW]

375 H&H 340gr bullets
404 Jeff 420gr bullets
458 Sabi 550gr bullets
500 Jeff 600gr bullets

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Sure, there are many cartridges that will do-it-all and take everything from plains game to elephant.

But

If you were to choose 3 cartridges (+rifles) to hunt dangerous game. Which 3 would you choose?

A few thoughts:

A. 375--416--458
Basically small, medium and large. The 375 being arguably the most versatile African game cartridge for hunting plains game on up to elephant. The 416s as being similar to the 375 but being more ideal for larger game, less ideal for plains game(?). And the 458 for having the stopping power and authority on Buffalo on up that you don't get with the other two.

B. 375--470 NE--500 Jeff
Same as above except your cutting out the middle and reducing the overlap of the 375 & 416. Adding a 470 NE fills the middle the same as the 458 (similar ballistics/energy) but also opens up the options of carrying a double rifle. For anything above and beyond what you would conceivably need a 470 for, there's the 500J that will take anything and act as a stopping rifle moreso than anything else mentioned so far.

C. 404 Jeff--450 NE --505 Gibbs
The classic Africana threesome?

What combo would you consider? What would the most efficient spread consist of if you were to limit it down to three cartridges?

I wanted a two rifle battery that I could use to.take any large animal anywhere in the world. I settled on a .300 WM, and a .458 WM. Two guns are much easier to transport than three or more. But now I think of lion or a NA great bear. Neither of those two seem perfect. I think a .375 H&H or 9.3 x 62 may be the thing I need to add.

So my list is:

.300 Win Mag
.375 H&H (or 9.3x62, or .375 Ruger)
.458 Win Mag (or .458 Lott, if you must)

 

[Killo]

300 H&H
375 H&H
416 Rigby

 

[Tanks]

scoped .450-400 for lion, leopard
.500 NE for everything else.

At least that is what I am going for in the future though I took my leopard with a scoped 9.3x74R double a few years ago.