Which Elephant Rifle and cartridge?

[mark-hunter]

My BRNO .375H&H have proven itself over and over.

I have ZKK 602 in 375 H&H. I am considering to hunt ele, as my next animal. (if all going well, in planning, there is a lot iffs, etc)

With your experience how would you comment this caliber on elephant?

Brain shots, are clear enough for me.

But in case it happens to get broad side shot to heart/lung area?
What kind of performance or effect of this caliber to be expected?
Or is it better not to take such shots, and try on next chance for a brain shot?

 

[uplander01]

Never hunted Elephant but feel my 500 Jeffery with 535 Barnes solids at 2225 FPS would do the job, it may get tested in the coming years.

 

[Green Chile]

That 500J will bounce off the ele for sure. It might work on the honey badger but then again...

 

[Nhoro]

The .375 Holland is not a good choice for frontal shots on Big bulls such as in Botswana. You will not drop your elephant. Anything from .400 up is better. The choice is wide open. Mine would be .404Jeff in a bolt gun . Affordable and not that rough on the shoulder.

I would disagree. 375 H&H has plenty of penetration for a brain shot, more penetration than a 500 NE i would wager.It will drop an elephant if your aim is good. I am not saying it is the best choice but it will do the job.

 

[Manwe]

Ask 30 different members, you'll likely get 30 different responses. If you're actually considering an elephant hunt, my personal recommendation would be to make contact with the PH who's going to be your guide and ask him exactly what equipment he recommends you bring. He is, after all, the guy who could very well be responsible for saving your life if your first shot or two doesn't bring the big pachyderm down immediately.

 

[Cajun Hunter]

Have been quietly following this topic and now will chime in for what it’s worth. Having hunted ele’s 4 times and going again next year; shot and lost one with a .416 so thought my comments might be of value. I can tell you for sure it’s all about bullet placement and bullet construction not so much caliber.
My first was shot with a .35 cal. Wildcat using 310 gr. Woodleigh solids. 2nd was with.416 Rigby and after 2 rounds in heart/lung area through some very heavy brush, the bull made it into the park and was lost. Remainder and one shot last year was with .375 H&H. Using Swift BA solids. A .375 will kill anything that walks, crawls, or flys!! I will also be hunting buffalo again next year with a 9.3x62 and would love to try it on a tusker with some .300gr Swifts. After passing though 6.5 feet of wet media and plywood spacers, it shot completely through my bullet trap with 286 gr. NF solids. Elephant in September of next year will be with the .416

 

[thi9elsp]

I'll be using a CZ550 404 Jefferey in July with Hornady 400 solids. My PH said they have the same rifle and that it's their favorite. I'll update after the hunt on how I and the rifle/bullet perform.

 

[375Ruger416]

Interesting thread with lots of opinions. My answer is Blaser R8 in 375 H&H - which I should finally receive now that Canada Post has been ordered back to work temporarily ending their strike! It is the only rifle I own in a DG suitable cartridge - will see how I like it. Trying to stop buying more rifles and redirect funds to hunting trips, but I suspect if I book an elephant hunt I will be tempted to add a 416 Rem or a 458 Lott barrel to my collection…

While I’m a proponent of the ‘use enough gun theory’ in general, I also buy into the theory that you should use a rifle you are highly familiar with. Planning to use it for PG in 2026 and buffalo/PG in 2027. If I ever hunt elephant, it sounds like it is more likely that shot placement will be the issue and that if I do my part, a 375 H&H should do its part. If there’s a failure, it’s likely to be shot placement (aka a screw loose behind the gun, not in the gun).

I think this is definitely an area where we should defer to our PH and the practical experience of those who have hunted numerous elephant and DG and documented it. Will likely never be another generation of hunters/guides with the experience some of those had in the 19th and 20th century hunting and culling many, many elephants. From my limited knowledge on the subject, it seems anything from a 375 H&H and up is reasonable though there seems little benefit to me of cartridges larger than the 500 NE or 505 Gibbs. Shot placement and penetration being so important that once again the largest cartridge you can shoot well is probably the right answer. Sectional density of some of the common loads in smaller cartridges is also better than some of the ‘bigger’ cartridges, further narrowing the performance gap.

Think I’ll have a read of my Perfect Shot II again tonight - if nothing else, it’s fun to think about! (This is particularly true as it is snowing and - 16 C here today). If I was a PH, I’d own a proper ‘stopping rifle’ and perhaps even a double. In my hands though, I think I’m best served by a 375 H&H and aim to take 15 or 20 animals with mine before I’d consider trying it on elephant.

 

[TOBY458]

Interesting thread with lots of opinions. My answer is Blaser R8 in 375 H&H - which I should finally receive now that Canada Post has been ordered back to work temporarily ending their strike! It is the only rifle I own in a DG suitable cartridge - will see how I like it. Trying to stop buying more rifles and redirect funds to hunting trips, but I suspect if I book an elephant hunt I will be tempted to add a 416 Rem or a 458 Lott barrel to my collection…

While I’m a proponent of the ‘use enough gun theory’ in general, I also buy into the theory that you should use a rifle you are highly familiar with. Planning to use it for PG in 2026 and buffalo/PG in 2027. If I ever hunt elephant, it sounds like it is more likely that shot placement will be the issue and that if I do my part, a 375 H&H should do its part. If there’s a failure, it’s likely to be shot placement (aka a screw loose behind the gun, not in the gun).

I think this is definitely an area where we should defer to our PH and the practical experience of those who have hunted numerous elephant and DG and documented it. Will likely never be another generation of hunters/guides with the experience some of those had in the 19th and 20th century hunting and culling many, many elephants. From my limited knowledge on the subject, it seems anything from a 375 H&H and up is reasonable though there seems little benefit to me of cartridges larger than the 500 NE or 505 Gibbs. Shot placement and penetration being so important that once again the largest cartridge you can shoot well is probably the right answer. Sectional density of some of the common loads in smaller cartridges is also better than some of the ‘bigger’ cartridges, further narrowing the performance gap.

Think I’ll have a read of my Perfect Shot II again tonight - if nothing else, it’s fun to think about! (This is particularly true as it is snowing and - 16 C here today). If I was a PH, I’d own a proper ‘stopping rifle’ and perhaps even a double. In my hands though, I think I’m best served by a 375 H&H and aim to take 15 or 20 animals with mine before I’d consider trying it on elephant.

No need to wait. Your R8 375 will work for elephant if you do your part.

 

[M70375!]

I like my .458 Lott with Swarovski Z6 and CEB 450grain flat nosed solids. I now just need to find a country I’m allowed to take it to!

is 458 Lott illegal in some countries?

 

[Green Chile]

is 458 Lott illegal in some countries?

No. Why would it be illegal?