Possibly best all around African caliber?

[Cajun Hunter]

Just walked out of the gunroom where I was loading ammo for the next trip which happens in June. I was struck by the thought that I may have happed upon the best all around cartridge for hunting the Dark Continent. I realize that heretofore the .375 H&H has been the holder of that position with some reservations and everyone certainly has an opinion. I am just sharing my thoughts and experiences in hope to help some of our new hunters in choosing their equipment. I have no doubt that I will get considerable push back on this. Anyway, here goes.
The caliber I am speaking of is the .358 STA with which I have taken large numbers of plains game from Eland down to the smaller stuff. I have also taken Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo and Lion with it so have a high degree of confidence in it for big stuff where it is legal to use it. It definitely qualifies in the countries where restrictions are based on horsepower and not caliber diameter. I am not going to to get into technical details but will tell you that it out performs the .375 with 300 or 310 grain bullets. It can be loaded with 200 grain fodder and will shoot as flat as a 7mm mag. for hunting in areas where long shots are needed.
I have had trips where I have taken the .338 Win. and have taken a Buffalo with it but the power difference is considerable especially if you get into a situation where you may need it. The recoil on the .358 is noticeable especially with the 300 grain ammo so may not be suitable for folks hunting plain game only. There is also the issue that it is still pretty much a Wildcat caliber although some rifle makers have and are chambering for it. Brass and loaded ammo is available. Quality 35 caliber bullets abound and I use Swift, Barnes and Woodleigh’s on the big critters and Nosler and Hornadys on smaller stuff. Another downside of the .358 that I should mention is; you will not find ammo in country so make sure to take enough for your trip.
I’ll leave you with this : If I had only one rifle to hunt here and in Africa it would be most likely be chambered in .358STA

 

[375Fox]

Lots of cartridges have their advantages, but I’ll stick with the 375 H&H. Legal everywhere, good inside 300 yards, lots of ammo options. It checks every box.

 

[daxter11]

280ai is plenty good for all plains game. If you just want something new 300wm is definitely plenty for anything short of the big boys like buffalo, elephant, rhino, and hippo.

 

[Javaman]

Beginning to acquire the bits and bobs for a .358 Norma build - intrigued by 35 caliber …

 

[HookMeUpII]

It would be very hard to argue against the 375HH. Doesn't blow apart mini-antelope like duiker, does a number on stuff like impala but still reasonable, perfect for taking larger/tough PG like wildebeest, and will work on cape buffalo.

The jury is out on things like elephant and maybe hippo, but it does darn near everything you need.

 

[rookhawk]

Generally when we gravitate towards "best" we start to get to a specialized caliber in just the same way we would if we asked "best car" it would likely lead to a very specialized car.

What all of the most prevalent calibers for given applications have in common is their broad utility as a jack-of-all-trades rather than a master of one.

A 378 weatherby is a better DG rifle than a 375HH, but its a terrible plains game rifle and an even worse tiny-ten rifle.

The 358 mentioned above is an illegal (for right or wrong) DG rifle and its an overkill rifle for most plains game. Again, its a specialist's choice in the same way as a 577NE is a specialists choice.

If you look at the storied cartridges of legend, they are all famous for their broad applicability to a number of tasks with reasonable efficacy: 257 Roberts, 6.5x55SE, 7x57, 300HH, 318WR, 375HH, 404J, 470NE. Not a single one of the aforementioned list are truly the best specialized comparable alternative that might look like this list: 257 Weatherby, 26 Nosler, 28prc, 300 weatherby, 338 lapua, 378 weatherby, 416 cheytac, 505 Gibbs.

 

[BeeMaa]

Like @375Fox said above, 375H&H is the "do it all in Africa" cartridge.

300 grain Barnes TSX (or Swift A-Frames) for everything. The exceptions being the T10, elephant and whenever the PH tells you to load solids. I prefer Woodleigh Hydros, but CEB Safari Solids are a good choice as well.

A few other considerations would be the 9.3x62 and 416RM. Just trying to keep ammo availability in mind.

Still further down the list would be 9.4x74R, 416RIGBY, 404J and possibly the 458's. But the sweet spot is going away. 9.3's aren't legal everywhere and 458's can be a daunting task to become proficient at shooting accurately.

 

[BryceM]

I’m sure it’s fine, but only checks some of the boxes.

The .375 H&H is the best all-round cartridge for Africa and I’m not even sure what’s in second place. It can, and has, and will kill every huntable animal on the continent. The best all-round won’t ever be a wildcat, for multiple reasons.

 

[Tom Leoni]

I'd like to hear at least one reason why the .375 H&H shouldn't be the absolute no-brainer for not only best African cartridge, but best worldwide hunting cartridge. It is flexible, 113-year proven, it can use and accurately shoot a variety of bullet weights from low 200gr to 350gr, it will kill everything that walks, it has range and punch, it's widely available, easy on the shoulder and easy to load for.

If I could own only one sporting rifle, it would be a .375 H&H, no second thoughts about it.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Generally when we gravitate towards "best" we start to get to a specialized caliber in just the same way we would if we asked "best car" it would likely lead to a very specialized car.

What all of the most prevalent calibers for given applications have in common is their broad utility as a jack-of-all-trades rather than a master of one.

A 378 weatherby is a better DG rifle than a 375HH, but its a terrible plains game rifle and an even worse tiny-ten rifle.

The 358 mentioned above is an illegal (for right or wrong) DG rifle and its an overkill rifle for most plains game. Again, its a specialist's choice in the same way as a 577NE is a specialists choice.

If you look at the storied cartridges of legend, they are all famous for their broad applicability to a number of tasks with reasonable efficacy: 257 Roberts, 6.5x55SE, 7x57, 300HH, 318WR, 375HH, 404J, 470NE. Not a single one of the aforementioned list are truly the best specialized comparable alternative that might look like this list: 257 Weatherby, 26 Nosler, 28prc, 300 weatherby, 338 lapua, 378 weatherby, 416 cheytac, 505 Gibbs.

Rookhawk, I strongly disagree

There are very few problems that can’t be solved by a .416 Cheytac

 

[rookhawk]

Rookhawk, I strongly disagree

There are very few problems that can’t be solved by a .416 Cheytac

Not just solved, but vaporized, eradicated, leaving no forensic evidence anything has occurred whatsoever!

 

[HookMeUpII]

Rookhawk, I strongly disagree

There are very few problems that can’t be solved by a .416 Cheytac

The Petrel ballistics computer is helpful for those 2000m shots as well.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

.375 Holland & Holland Magnum with 300Gr bullets and the rifle being zeroed in for your maximum point blank range.Can be comfortably utilized for everything except body shots on bull elephant (I state this from firsthand experience).

 

[rookhawk]

I'd like to hear at least one reason why the .375 H&H shouldn't be the absolute no-brainer for not only best African cartridge, but best worldwide hunting cartridge. It is flexible, 113-year proven, it can use and accurately shoot a variety of bullet weights from low 200gr to 350gr, it will kill everything that walks, it has range and punch, it's widely available, easy on the shoulder and easy to load for.

If I could own only one sporting rifle, it would be a .375 H&H, no second thoughts about it.

@Tom Leoni if you'd allow me an irrational explanation it would be this.

Sometimes things are too pedestrian and therefore we bias against them. I'm as guilty of this as anyone, I Sh1tt@lk the 30-06 all the time. Thuggish. Brutish. Unrefined. Common. The reality is that they did come in all stripes from tomato-stake worthy guns to exquisite Griffin & Howes. Their commonality is a testament to their incredible reputation on all manners of creatures using from 125gr to 200gr

I feel that the 375HH also gets the "30-06 treatment" due to its ubiquitous nature. It's not rare like a 404J, it doesn't stop like a .458, and it doesn't shoot flat like a .300. It's just doomed I tell ya!

Even I'm guilty of crapping on the 375HH in preference to my more specialized 470NE and 7x57 that I bring on various safaris. But the data is in, I've killed more game with a 375HH than all the other options I've brought to Africa.

It's for this reason that I always tell people to spend the most money they'll ever consider spending on their 375HH because it will get used the most. (I say this as I stroke a 470NE DR that gets used 1/10th as much)

 

[Altitude sickness]

Not just solved, but vaporized, eradicated, leaving no forensic evidence anything has occurred whatsoever!

It’s the DOGE of rifle calibers It hits so hard the horns just fall off the animal. Or people out of their shoes. efficiency, efficiency, efficiency

 

[Jack Stevens]

Just walked out of the gunroom where I was loading ammo for the next trip which happens in June. I was struck by the thought that I may have happed upon the best all around cartridge for hunting the Dark Continent. I realize that heretofore the .375 H&H has been the holder of that position with some reservations and everyone certainly has an opinion. I am just sharing my thoughts and experiences in hope to help some of our new hunters in choosing their equipment. I have no doubt that I will get considerable push back on this. Anyway, here goes.
The caliber I am speaking of is the .358 STA with which I have taken large numbers of plains game from Eland down to the smaller stuff. I have also taken Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo and Lion with it so have a high degree of confidence in it for big stuff where it is legal to use it. It definitely qualifies in the countries where restrictions are based on horsepower and not caliber diameter. I am not going to to get into technical details but will tell you that it out performs the .375 with 300 or 310 grain bullets. It can be loaded with 200 grain fodder and will shoot as flat as a 7mm mag. for hunting in areas where long shots are needed.
I have had trips where I have taken the .338 Win. and have taken a Buffalo with it but the power difference is considerable especially if you get into a situation where you may need it. The recoil on the .358 is noticeable especially with the 300 grain ammo so may not be suitable for folks hunting plain game only. There is also the issue that it is still pretty much a Wildcat caliber although some rifle makers have and are chambering for it. Brass and loaded ammo is available. Quality 35 caliber bullets abound and I use Swift, Barnes and Woodleigh’s on the big critters and Nosler and Hornadys on smaller stuff. Another downside of the .358 that I should mention is; you will not find ammo in country so make sure to take enough for your trip.
I’ll leave you with this : If I had only one rifle to hunt here and in Africa it would be most likely be chambered in .358STA

Similar question posed in this thread currently running, but it’s qualified for “Plains Game.”

Thread 'Best All Around Caliber for Plains Game'

Mar 26, 2025

Love to know what everyone else thinks but... I have hunted a lot, globally, and I am not into gimmick calibers, wildcats, and I am not a fan of shooting everything on the planet with a 6.5 Needmoor... in all of my hunting experience I found that I could take just about everything in terms of plains game with a .300 Winchester Magnum.
My resume includes taking over 300 big game animals with the .300 Winchester Magnum and a 180 Gr Barnes TTSX bullet... Including some of Alaska's biggest bears.
And in Africa I was incredibly impressed with how my combination of rifle and ammo worked...

• PENDLETON AMMUNITION
• Replies: 52
• Forum: Firearms & ammunition

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This thread’s title isn’t qualified and so is presumed to include the hunting of large DG as well as non-DG game with one rifle/one cartridge as an “all-arounder.”

My answer would be to take my .375 H&H custom BRNO 602. The ammo with be a combination of 300grn SPs and solids, all loaded to hit, roughly, the same POI (within 2”) @ 100-yards.

 

[AZDAVE]

I always find the "What is the best" of anything interesting reads. Whether it is cars, guns, food etc.
Kinda like one guy likes big busted Blondes, another Tall Stately Brunette, Ravishing redheads or the wildchild with purple and green hair ( @Altitude sickness here is your 416 Cheytac).

Find a couple rifles you shoot well in the small, medium, and big bore classes and go hunt with your best. I have go through this If- then- else logic loop every time I start trying to make final choices on what rifle to bring. While my wife makes the I taking this in about 4 second of thought.