Why not 30-06 paired with .416?

[Ygg]

Hello,
I have read about various pairings of calibers and they say that the 30-06 & 375 is a classic pairing. Why would it not make more sense to pair a 30-06 & .416? It seems to me anything that 'should' not be hunted with a 30-06 is well suited for a .416. And with the .416 you also are covered for animals that 'should' not be hunted with the 375. 'Should' here indicating the caliber is considered marginal by most.

I'm sure there is a really sound reason for the classic pairings and many of you guys are the experts.
Thanks!

 

[spike.t]

416 rigby and 30-06 would make a perfect pairing. Me it would be 416 rigby and 300 winmag.....that was what I used first

 

[IdaRam]

30-06 and .416 would be a very difficult combo to beat.
Although .300 H&H and .404 Jeffery might just do it!

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I don't think that you can get an incorrect pairing. Use whatever works for you, and what works for the area that you are hunting.

 

[cmk]

Hah! I'm doing 30-06 and 404 Jeffery, with a 9.3x62 in between

 

[metricman]

Hello,
I have read about various pairings of calibers and they say that the 30-06 & 375 is a classic pairing. Why would it not make more sense to pair a 30-06 & .416? It seems to me anything that 'should' not be hunted with a 30-06 is well suited for a .416. And with the .416 you also are covered for animals that 'should' not be hunted with the 375. 'Should' here indicating the caliber is considered marginal by most.

I'm sure there is a really sound reason for the classic pairings and many of you guys are the experts.
Thanks!

why not indeed!

 

[Ridgewalker]

Good question Ygg! In my case the 375 H&H is the max I can comfortably handle. Once you get to the 416 Rigby the recoil is substantially more and even the cost of ammo nearly doubles.
Most people can learn to handle the recoil of the 375 H&H.
JMO

 

[Graham Hunter]

This trip is 9.3x63 and 6.5 creedmore

 

[matt85]

a 30-06 and a 416 would be decent, but with the right load in the 416 you wouldn't actually need the 30-06 (unless making really long shots).

now the 375 and 30-06 really doesn't make sense to me... the 375 is capable of doing almost anything a 30-06 can do so why bring two of basically the same gun?

-matt

 

[meigsbucks]

Ygg, you’re correct, it would make a great combo. For me, my ideal pairing with a .416 would be a .338 mag (Win, RUM or .340 Wby) But I’m strange that way.

 

[Newboomer]

Hah! I'm doing 30-06 and 404 Jeffery, with a 9.3x62 in between

There ya go. 30-06 and 404J. That's my battery for Africa next year. I don't see the need for a 9.3x62 with the other two. Pretty close to both.

 

[Eric Anderson]

a 30-06 and a 416 would be decent, but with the right load in the 416 you wouldn't actually need the 30-06 (unless making really long shots).

now the 375 and 30-06 really doesn't make sense to me... the 375 is capable of doing almost anything a 30-06 can do so why bring two of basically the same gun?

-matt

I think it is more that there are things the .375 can do you should not try with a 30-06.

The other really nice thing is that the trajectory is about the same.

 

[Ygg]

Good question Ygg! In my case the 375 H&H is the max I can comfortably handle. Once you get to the 416 Rigby the recoil is substantially more and even the cost of ammo nearly doubles.
Most people can learn to handle the recoil of the 375 H&H.
JMO

I have to admit this was what I expected to hear from a few people and makes real good sense to me.

As they say, a wise man knows his limitations and how to get the job done without exceeding them. I shoot 12ga 3.5 turkey magnums but won't claim they are fun. In a light Mossberg they get my attention. And the Turks!

 

[Ridgewalker]

I shoot 12ga 3.5 turkey magnums but won't claim they are fun. In a light Mossberg they get my attention. And the Turks!

I know what you mean. I bought a 10ga to use on geese and turkeys. Paid a ridiculous amount for ammo. Every time I shot it, I got a severe headache. Sold it at a loss, but learned my lesson about suffering through heavy recoil.
Good luck in your choices!

 

[JakeH]

I know what you mean. I bought a 10ga to use on geese and turkeys. Paid a ridiculous amount for ammo. Every time I shot it, I got a severe headache. Sold it at a loss, but learned my lesson about suffering through heavy recoil.
Good luck in your choices!

We used to do some pretty high volume dove shooting around here and it didn’t take very long to switch from 12ga back to 20ga. With loads how they are now, there’s really not that much difference and with high volume shooting I’m not going to take the pounding on my shoulder if I don’t have to.

 

[lwaters]

I have two pairs, 450/400 nitro express with 30-06 and 375 Ruger with 300RCM

 

[neckdeep]

Ygg, you’re correct, it would make a great combo. For me, my ideal pairing with a .416 would be a .338 mag (Win, RUM or .340 Wby) But I’m strange that way.

416 Rem and 338 Win Mag for me in July. 416 for the Buff, Giraffe, Eland, etc and probably everything else while in DG country. 338 Win Mag for the cull hunt in Namibia on the way home. 416 if I need to cull something large !! Most likely don't need two guns but two completely different landscapes warrant it for me on this trip. I also want to see if the 416 Rem kills a Buffalo any deader, 375 hasn't exactly knocked them off their feet, but still works. I cant think of any reason to bring anything other than a 375 unless elephant is on the list. Unless you just like big guns, then bring whatever you want. LOL

 

[matt85]

I think it is more that there are things the .375 can do you should not try with a 30-06.

The other really nice thing is that the trajectory is about the same.

i was thinking the other way around, if you have a 375 then why bring a 30-06? a 375 H&H loaded with a 235gr Barnes TSX or a 250gr Barnes TTSX would be suitable for everything from impala to cape buffalo at ranges out to 300 yards. the only time a 30-06 would be better is if you plan on trying some shots over 300 yards.

the 416 is suitable for all game out to around 200 yards which is about the distance most game is shot at any way. i use a 300gr .416" TSX at 2700fps from a 416 RM and have used it on plains game with plenty of success at distances out to 150 yards (as a habit i try to get closer when possible regardless of the cartridge). the warthog in my avatar was shot at around 140 or so yards with this load (thats a 416 RM on his nose).

the only limiting factor with the 375 and 416 is the poor BC of the lighter bullets. but i dont see this as limiting enough to justify bringing a second similar gun unless you know your going to be making plenty of long shots. a better two gun combo would be something like a 375 H&H and a 458 Lott or my personal two gun combination of a Win M70 in 416 RM paired with a Heym M89 in 500 NE. the advantage of these combinations is that if something happens to your heavy rifle then you can use the medium bore rifle in its place where as if you have a 30-06 and a 375 and something happens to the 375, you cannot legally use the 30-06 in its place.

-matt

 

[TOBY458]

My plan this year is to bring a 9.3x62 and a 416 Ruger or Remington. I'll be hunting Cape Buffalo, Eland, Lioness and some other PG. The 9.3 will be a nice lightweight rifle to carry on the long walks for Lion and PG. Yet it's big enough to cover whatever I might encounter. I'm taking a 416 for the Buffalo. Just because I think that's a proper buffalo caliber. But, if I wanted to simplify and just take one rifle, it would be a 375 H&H.

 

[cmk]

There ya go. 30-06 and 404J. That's my battery for Africa next year. I don't see the need for a 9.3x62 with the other two. Pretty close to both.

Well, there is a bit of overlap certainly! As there is also a 6.5x55 in the safe, I like to think of it as a Metric pair and an Imperial pair. Then it makes more sense

If I were to travel, I would probably not take more than one gun - two max - if the situation really calls for it.

/cmk