Rifle for Alberta and Africa??

I'll be the first to admit that I've never hunted in Africa. But in 30+ years of hunting all of the game that B.C. offers, I've done the majority with the 300 Win, 300 Wby, 338 Win, and 340 Wby. Like others have said, I too have been thoroughly underwhelmed by the 338 Win. A well-built 200 gr in a 300 magnum leaves nothing to desire to the 338 Win with any weight bullet in my experience, and there's enough of a difference to completely by-pass the 338 Win and go straight to the 340 if you want to get the best out of the .338" bore. I don't own a 338 Win anymore, haven't for the past 12 years, and will very likely never own another.

As for comments regarding the 338 Win making the 300 magnums obsolete....? That's simply assinine.
 
jjohnwm said:
Plains game ranges from tiny duikers to 2000lb eland, and includes elk-sized kudu as well as some very tough critters like zebra, wildebeest and gemsbok. A .375 is very appropriate for this stuff. Plus, how could anyone consider going to Africa without one? :) Visit the Accurate Reloading website and get answers to just about any possible question about African hunting from lots of guys with lots of experience. Check out the hunts being sold on their outfitters' forum. Compare the prices, read the reviews. The more research you do ahead of time, the better the chances of having a great trip.

And seriously consider adding a Cape buffalo hunt to your trip. It might or might not be feasible depending on where you are going, but good deals can be had on these hunts, and if you're going to spend the big bucks to go to Africa anyways it's at least worth considering. Good luck!
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The range of game they have available is amazing! I'm hoping to try and take something big but it will depend on budget and availability first (wife is just finishing school, I'm selling a little property I bought a few years back otherwise wouldn't even be considering a big trip of any kind). Id like to spend as much on glass as on the rifle to make sure its prairie equipped, I have to be patient. Thanks for the link, that could lead to trouble. I actually drove around today to see what's available, pretty bad selection locally with only 1 large caliber even in stock in town (a 338 lapua of all things). Going to keep my eyes peeled, already have dreams of spring bear dancing in my head (not that black bears are tough, meat is not a priority though so big hole is okay by me).
 
TikkaWSM said:
The range of game they have available is amazing! I'm hoping to try and take something big but it will depend on budget and availability first (wife is just finishing school, I'm selling a little property I bought a few years back otherwise wouldn't even be considering a big trip of any kind). Id like to spend as much on glass as on the rifle to make sure its prairie equipped, I have to be patient. Thanks for the link, that could lead to trouble. I actually drove around today to see what's available, pretty bad selection locally with only 1 large caliber even in stock in town (a 338 lapua of all things). Going to keep my eyes peeled, already have dreams of spring bear dancing in my head (not that black bears are tough, meat is not a priority though so big hole is okay by me).
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I think you'll be pleasantly surprised shooting thin skinned game with large calibers and cartridges. They usually make for less meat damage than the fast, small cartridges.
 
jaycee said:
I'll be the first to admit that I've never hunted in Africa. But in 30+ years of hunting all of the game that B.C. offers, I've done the majority with the 300 Win, 300 Wby, 338 Win, and 340 Wby. Like others have said, I too have been thoroughly underwhelmed by the 338 Win. A well-built 200 gr in a 300 magnum leaves nothing to desire to the 338 Win with any weight bullet in my experience, and there's enough of a difference to completely by-pass the 338 Win and go straight to the 340 if you want to get the best out of the .338" bore. I don't own a 338 Win anymore, haven't for the past 12 years, and will very likely never own another.

As for comments regarding the 338 Win making the 300 magnums obsolete....? That's simply assinine.
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Now here's a man who has used a 340, one of the killingest cartridges I've ever used on mere mortal animals. Your comments on the 300 vs 338 are also spot on and show experience over internet babble.....the last two 338s I bought were never even fired by me as a 338 and became 340 Wbys immediately...........
 
jaycee said:
As for comments regarding the 338 Win making the 300 magnums obsolete....? That's simply assinine.
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With huge array of high quality bullets available for the 338 and the ballistic compensating scopes that are available, I can't think of one thing a .300WM does better than a 338WM inside 500 yards. I'm a very recent 338WM convert but it has allowed me to get rid of two 300WMs.
 
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My longest shot (in Africa) was in RSA. I made a 287m shot on a Springbok with my 416 Rigby. 350gr X-Bullet (Ye Old X-Bullet, no T, no TT, no MR) and a 1.5-5x Leupold with heavy duplex reticle. Who needs turrets?
 
Interesting conversation, but I think I'd go with the opinion of folks who've hunted in Africa a few times first.
I'm sure that the 338 Lapua (just an example) is ballistic-ally superior to a 375 H & H; but I might be really sad if my shells went over board with a new Wonder Caliber whereas I'm guessing that 375 H & H is relatively readily available.
Call me too practical, but the KISS principle just makes sense to me
 
This negativity about the .338 is very interesting. I have owned a couple of .338 WM's and never found them lacking. I have also owned several .308" magnums - .308 Norma, .300 WM and .300 Wby. I have not owned a .340 Wby, but this talk has me thinking. Really what does a .340 do extra? To me it seems similar to a .30-06 vs a .300 Mag type comparison. The .30-06 spits out at 200gr Partition at about 2700 fps and the mags do it at +2900 fps. Both work quite well.
 
1899 said:
This negativity about the .338 is very interesting. I have owned a couple of .338 WM's and never found them lacking. I have also owned several .308" magnums - .308 Norma, .300 WM and .300 Wby. I have not owned a .340 Wby, but this talk has me thinking. Really what does a .340 do extra? To me it seems similar to a .30-06 vs a .300 Mag type comparison. The .30-06 spits out at 200gr Partition at about 2700 fps and the mags do it at +2900 fps. Both work quite well.
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It kicks harder and is louder, therefore it must have more killing power.
 
Pop quiz. Say an identical 200 grain bullet exits one rifle at 2800 fps and exits another rifle at 3000 fps, what is the difference in velocity at 500 yards?
 
MiG25 said:
Pop quiz. Say an identical 200 grain bullet exits one rifle at 2800 fps and exits another rifle at 3000 fps, what is the difference in velocity at 500 yards?
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Okay, I'll play. It depends on the bullet, BC decreases as velocity increases due to the greater air resistance experienced by the bullet, and BC also changes throughout its flight.

According to JBM:
A .308 200 gr Berger Hybrid with a MV of 3000 fps arrives at 500 going 2295, a difference of 705 fps. With a MV of 2800, it arrives at 500 going 2123, a difference of 677 fps, but only 172 fps slower than when fired 200 fps faster.

A .358 200 gr Hornady SP with a MV of 3000 fps arrives at 500 going 1539, a difference of 1461 fps. With a MV of 2800, it arrives at 500 going 1413, a difference of 1387 fps, but only 152 fps slower then when fired 200 fps faster.
 
I would start at .30-06 class with good 180gr premiums.

Also depends what kind of terrain and habitat you will hunt? Karoo or Northern Cape - you might be taking more longer shots. Lowveld, Zululand- mostly closer shots. I have taken duiker to eland with a .30-06 (the latter being a brain shot so not instructive but I have seen larger species taken cleanly with .270's). This May I will be borrowing a sportered Mosin Nagant with 215gr Woodleigh's while visiting a friend there and will use it for a Blue Wildebees.

That said too many hunters assume that African animals are bullet proof, which they aren't. I realize that a visiting hunter has some time pressure but local hunters kill all of the species you will take on a typical plains game hunt with their .30-06's, .308's, .270's, 7x64's et al every year.

A .375 is great and a nice nostalgic choice as the 'African Queen' but is not necessary. Get the one you will use here on moose/elk. .300-.388 Win will be very useful there and here. Load a good quality bullet and most importantly enjoy the hunt viz. wildlife, people, places, birds, stories etc.
 
Boomer said:
Okay, I'll play. It depends on the bullet, BC decreases as velocity increases due to the greater air resistance experienced by the bullet, and BC also changes throughout its flight.

According to JBM:
A .308 200 gr Berger Hybrid with a MV of 3000 fps arrives at 500 going 2295, a difference of 705 fps. With a MV of 2800, it arrives at 500 going 2123, a difference of 677 fps, but only 172 fps slower than when fired 200 fps faster.

A .358 200 gr Hornady SP with a MV of 3000 fps arrives at 500 going 1539, a difference of 1461 fps. With a MV of 2800, it arrives at 500 going 1413, a difference of 1387 fps, but only 152 fps slower then when fired 200 fps faster.
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I was going more for the same bullet from different cartridges. The faster bullet will slow down faster. So the difference will be less than 200 fps at 500 yards.
 
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