What is a good choice of caliber for Safari hunting

B

Bow-Hunter

Member
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
Location
Manitoba
I am planning on going on a Plains game hunt in South Africa. I am wondering what is a good caliber rifle to take. The animals i want to hunt are the Kudu, Gemsbuck, Nyala, Impala, Springbuck, Zebra. I am a Marlin fan and would like to take a 450 Marlin but not to sure if it would be good choice as some of the shots could possibly be 250 yards and better. I have talked to a few Safari agents and they say the PH's are not to fond of the lever actions over there. Is this true or not? I shoot left handed and kinda looking at getting a bolt action 300win mag or a 375 H&H and possibly have it, if i decide to go for a Cape Buffalo in the future. Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
You may find the 450 Marlin to be a handicap as there is a good chance of a longer shot or two when you take a half dozen animals. I wouldn't be shy about taking a lever action though if that's what you like. As for a caliber suggestion for a bolt, 375 H&H is a great choice but not necessary for the game you've listed, it is the minimum though if you ever wish to take a Cape Buffalo. For plains game any deer/elk cartridge will work just great.
 
I for one would love to see you take your Marlin 450, as I don't think I'll ever get the chance to go to Africa. I don't think any ph has problem with a 45/70 or 450Marlin after they see what it can do. Lots of guys have been very sucseful all over the world with that combo. If you handload there are some heavy loads you can make up that will take anything there. If your a bowhunter I'm sure you can get under 200yrds..

Good luck
 
You could likely hit a Zebra, Kudu and Gemsbok with the 450 marlin at 250 yards, buyt trust me the Impala and Springbok are very small for a cartridge like it at 250 yards. My longest shot was at an Impala at 260 facing me, but several were well over 200 and with the ever present winds of the Kalahari some would hard enough with a 300 win mag that I wouldn't be interested in trying them with a 450 marlin.

If you are hunting the thick stuff, it would probably be OK, but why make your first safari more difficult than it has to be.
 
If one of the rifles you take is a .375 you can take anything you want for a second rifle. If you guess wrong, you still have it covered. Hunting in the bushveldt the .450 Marlin might be just as good as anything else. Walk into an opening and you may wish youd brought something else, but then, you did.
 
The .450 marlin's only downfall would be using factory ammo with the short bullets. You want long heavy bullets that give better penetration, if using a bolt gun my minimum would be the .416 and preferably a .458 Lott if hunting anything like cape buffalo.
 
If it's plains game you're going for, all you need is a rifle that you can shoot well out to 300 yards in the .270 Win, 7x57 or 30-06 class. Basically, anything that you'd use for moose, elk or big deer here in Canada.

Your shots are very likely to be within 200 yards. However, if you shoot well and end up hunting in open terrain you may find that longer shots present themselves. In that case, the .300WM (especially if you're leaning in that direction already) is an excellent choice.

My PH (John Tinley) carried a tang safety Ruger M77 in .300 Win Mag as his back-up rifle during my plains game hunt. FWIW, his favourite rifle for plains game was a Ruger M77 in 25-06! The reason he wasn't carrying it was that it had a shot-out barrel and, due to the strict gun laws in RSA, replacement barrels were very difficult to obtain. John's advice for Cape Buffalo was "something that will shoot length-wise through a Cape Buffalo".:)

Is Cape Buffalo something that you'd be hunting on this trip or would you be going back for buff' ?

Incidentally, a lever gun would rate just fine in the "cool" category, as long as you are OK with limiting your range accordingly.
 
Last edited:
one of my friends just did a african plains hunt and the ONLY gun he was given to use was 270win

The africans have silencers on thier guns so you may want to look at "renting" one there, it is much more enjoyable.

NwG Dutchie
 
The .375 H&H has pretty much become the standard for the African client. You would certainly not be under gunned for the species you've mentioned, but the zebra is notoriously tough, so my advise would be not to choose a lesser rifle. If you decide to upgrade to dangerous game, the .375 is still a decent choice if you have faith in your PH to get you out of a jam. The .375 has made many one shot kills on buffalo, but is also the cartridge most responsible for the buffalo's fearful reputation.
 
By your list I would tell you that you would be perfectly well served with either a 30-06 or 300 Winchester. That said, if buff is in the future (and if you're anything like me, it will be) then I would pick up a 375 H&H. I went two years ago with back40sniper and he used his 375 for everything he shot (Springbok, Impala, Zebra, Gemsbok and Kudu). I took a 416 Rigby and used it for everything I took including a 287 yard shot on Springbok. Oddly enough both Charlie and I took a 300 WM as a second rifle and neither left the guncase for the duration of our 12 day trip.

By all means take the 450, but understand that some situations will necessitate you declining due to the limitations of the rifle. Remember, you draw blood and you pay.

When my brother and I go to Zim next summer for buff and ancillary PG I will be taking two classics - the 416 Rigby and the Old Man's Pre-64 (not classic) M70 300 H&H. I'm excited just thinking about it and it's still 16 months away!
 
use your bow.....bowhunter. I used my rifle for one animal...would have prefered to use my bow throughout. Africa gives you the opportunity to draw back your bow about 10 times a day if you wanted to. I will be going back numerous times to hunt with my bow again....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom