For client hunters :
I would highly recommend ( predictably ) the .375 Holland and Holland magnum as the gold standard of cartridges for game , dangerous or otherwise . It would have adequate penetration and a comfortable recoil for the average man .
I would have such a rifle , built on a French Brevex magnum mauser mechanism , weighing a hefty , balanced nine pounds . It would use a telescopic sight from the firm , Weaver .
It can comfortably take any Indian dangerous animals and l am confident that based on my reading , it could adequately take any African animal as well , provided shot placement is critical and suitable ammunition , is used.
In our time , it was the 300 grain Winchester silver tip or any other suitable soft nose cartridge for any soft skinned animals and the first shot on a Gaur ( provided the lungs were selected as a target from the side ) .
For extra shots on Gaur , 300 grain Winchester or Hornady metal envelope cartridges were used.
Today , modern soft nose cartridges with a more controlled rate of expansion and homogeneous metal bullets ( made from brass or copper and with flat heads ) appear to be far more effective on animals than the aforementioned bullets of my time . Even though l have no experience with these homogeneous metal bullets , their construction alone ( being a solid single piece of metal ) would imply that they can hold together better through the flesh and bones of thick skinned animals , than the traditional bullets , which are lead , covered with a metal envelope .
Based on my understanding of African fauna and comparing them to their Indian counterparts ,
for an African safari if a client is allowed to bring three fire arms , l would recommend the following battery :
1) A .375 Holland and Holland magnum calibre rifle for the largest plains game and dangerous game , calibrated for the 300 grain cartridge.
2) A .308 Winchester , calibrated for the 180 grain cartridge , for long distance shooting at plains game .
3) A .243 Winchester , for the smaller antelopes of Africa.
For a professional Hunter :
The most large calibre rifle to stop dangerous animals , in my time , was the .458 Winchester magnum . Reports of unreliability aside , assuming that it can do what it was advertised to do ( propel a 500 grain bullet at 2150 feet per second ) , lt would be a very effective dangerous animal cartridge . I would have such a rifle built , also on a Brevex magnum mauser mechanism weighing roughly ten pounds . Due to the fact that the homogeneous metal bullets need to be longer in length than a metal envelope bullet to achieve the same weight ( for instance , a 500 grain homogeneous metal bullet will be longer than a 500 grain metal envelope bullet )
and thus take up more of the propellant powder room in the cartridge case , l would not recommend homogeneous metal bullets for the .458 Winchester magnum ( which already has a small cartridge case , as is ) . Instead , l would recommend , for this cartridge , 500 grain metal envelope bullets.
For the professional hunter who needs to pick four rifles , l would choose ( based on what was available in my time )
:
1) .458 Winchester magnum , for dangerous animals and stopping charging animals to save clients
2 A .375 Holland and Holland magnum calibre double barrel rifle with 26 inch long barrels , two triggers and no automatic safety mechanism , which is irreplaceable for pursuing wounded leopards into dense vegetation.
3. A .308 Winchester , calibrated for the 180 grain cartridge , for long distance shooting of plains game .
4. A .243 Winchester , for the smaller African antelopes .
Of course , with so many modern and effective rifle calibres today , my choices are surely outdated and should only serve as a rough guide .
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