300 Win Mag options?

[One Day...]

Hello PBrick.

Welcome to AfricaHunting.com!

In very broad terms, there are two categories of plains game when it comes to selecting your rifle(s):

1- Small and medium plains game, typically weighing from 20 lbs. up to 300 to 400 lbs. This category includes a vast number of antelopes: Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Blesbok, Waterbuck, Lechwe, Common and Mountain Reedbuck, Nyala, Bushbuck, Tsessebe, Impala, Springbok, Duiker, Steenbok, etc. but also Warthog, Caracal, Bushpig, Ostrich, Jackal, Baboon, etc.

2- Large plains game, typically weighing 400 to 500 lbs. and more. This category includes a number of antelopes: Blue Wildebeest, Eastern Cape Kudu, Gemsbok, Sable, Roan, Scimitar Oryx, etc. but also Zebra, Giraffe, etc.

Topping the scale at 1,500 lbs. the Eland is almost in a category of its own.

The best rifle(s) to bring is/are the one(s) you already own:

Truth be told, for plains game, the best rifles are really those you have been using for years and you are intimately familiar with.

1- Small and medium plains game. Unless your deer hunting is a very specialized, very short-range affair deep in dense woods with 50 yd shots, and your deer rifle is a lever action 30-30, your best small and medium plains game rifle is your deer rifle. Using heavy for caliber premium quality bullets such as Nosler Partition, Swift A Frame, Barnes TTSX, etc. the .25, .260, 6.5 mm, .270, .280, 7 mm, .308, 30-06, 8 mm, etc. non-magnum, or magnum, calibers will all do a stellar job on small and medium plains game.

2- Large plains game. Similarly, your elk rifle is your best large plains game rifle. Using heavy for caliber premium quality bullets such as Nosler Partition, Swift A Frame, Barnes TTSX, etc. the 7 mm, .300, .318, 8 mm, .325, .33, .35, 9.3 high speed calibers, be they Remington Magnum, Winchester Magnum, Weatherby Magnum, Remington Ultra Mag, Nosler, Vom Hofe, etc. will all do a stellar job on large plains game.

This is really that simple…

The “perfect” single rifle for all plains game:

Any Professional Hunter will tell you that any correctly placed bullet of reasonable caliber and reliable construction will kill any animal that walks the earth.

This is true, and this is why a .270 Winchester 130 gr ‘premium’ bullet in the heart and lungs is a much better recipe for hunting Kudu than a 250 gr .338 Win Mag bullet in the gut.

The best single rifle for all plains game is the one in at least .27 caliber that you shoot accurately, predictably and repeatedly in a 6” dessert paper plate out to 250 yards, each time, every time from the sticks or a field rest position.

If you can do this with a high speed .300 or .33, this is great. It will likely result in faster kills and less tracking. If you can do this with a .280 or .308, this is great. They will be just as dead.

If “gun buying madness” is upon you and if the safari is the perfect excuse to acquire the “perfect” plains game rifle, you would be hard pressed to select a better caliber than a fast 7 mm on the light side, a fast .300 in the middle, or a fast .33 on the heavy side, shooting premium bullets between 160 to 225 gr flat enough to have a maximum point blank range (MPBR) of 300 yards on a 6” vital area. That is IF you are comfortable with their recoil and can shoot them accurately.

Recommendations...

1- Unless you WANT to buy a .300, you do NOT NEED one. Your 7 mm Rem Mag will kill any plains game (PG) that walks Africa, or the earth for that matter. If the heavies (500 lbs +) are on the trophy list, shoot a 160 gr TTSX. If the heavies are not on the list, shoot a 140 gr TTSX. If you prefer GMX, E-Tip, A Frames, Partition, Sirocco, etc. etc. these are fine too. They all kill very well.

2- Unless you WANT to buy a .300, redirect the $1,550 it would cost and shoot two more $750 animals in Africa (Black or Blue wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Bushbuck, Zebra, etc. etc.)

3- It does not cost a penny more or one sheet of additional paperwork to take two rifles to Africa, so IF your trophy lists justifies it, I would recommend you consider it, if only for backup purpose. After all, TIA ("This Is Africa" i.e. Murphy tends to show up uninvited to the dance). If you go with a 5 days / 5 animals package, just the 7 mm Rem Mag and just one load is perfect. If you go for 10 days / 15 animals, from Steenbok to Eland, the combo 6.5 Creedmoor 127 gr LRX and 7 mm Rem Mag 160 gr TTSX is about as good a dual plains game battery as one can think of...

4- If you WANT to buy a rifle, I would likely not go with the .300 Win Mag, it is too close to the 7 mm Rem Mag you already have. If you WANT a .30 cal, I would go for the .300 Wby. It really adds an edge in terms of MPBR. The RUM is great too but who knows how long ammo will be offered for it... Another way to look at this could also be to bypass the .30 cal (.300 mag) as being too close to the .28 (7 mm mag) and go for .33 (.338 mag). Now that would give you true coverage for the heavies... Yet another, and well respected way to go could be to say that you already have a "light" and a "medium" and that a .375 H&H - the epitome of the one-rifle safari battery, from Dik dik to Buffalo - is the smartest way to satisfy your African new hunting rifle itch...

5- In terms of makes, everyone on AH will have their favorite. I would be unimpressed by subjective "I like this" or "I do not like that" type of recommendations and I would suggest you focus on objective characteristics. For example when looking for a safari rifle, the classic questions to ask oneself would be:
- do you want a control round feed rifle?
- do you want a 5 round magazine capacity?
- do you want iron sights on your rifle?
- do you want integral scope bases on your rifle?
- do you want a true bolt-mounted, firing pin-blocking safety on your rifle?
- etc.

Notice that I am saying "want," not "need." Oceans of ink have been spilled and will continue to be spilled on whether you "need" this or that characteristic ... or not. The perfect example is your Rem 700. It has none of the above, but it sure is a great rifle, although typically not the idea of what most safari goers would argue makes a "classic" safari rifle.

Once you answer these, looking at makes is the next step...

Welcome to the delicious angst of preparing your safari. Enjoy it thoroughly, it is truly half the fun

 

[CAustin]

I have used my Ruger #1 in 300 win mag on PG all the way up to Eland?

 

[markm]

I have killed pretty much all plains game with a 6.5 creedmore

I currently shoot a Rem 700 Sendero in 7mm Rem Mag and a Savage 10 in 6.5 Creedmoor. I am a complete rookie when it comes to Africa, so any suggestions or information is much appreciated.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

If want a new rifle, and have the 7mm already, I would go for a 338 or 375.

 

[buckcurtin]

Winchester,Ruger, Sako, they’re all good. If were me I’d load 200 grain swift a frame or TBBC

Used 200 grain in TBBC in my 300 WM and dropped a Kudu at 400 meters. Lot of 1 shot kills on some tough animals. Get a Winchester Model 70.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

For the money and an excellent choice is the Bergara premier series in 300 win mag. I shoot 200 grain eldx bullets out of and my best 3 shot group is .27 at a 100.

 

[Ridgewalker]

JMO&E, if this is your first trip to Africa either take your 7mm RM with the premium bullets and you’ll do fine. Save your $2,000. When you get back and are planning your next trip, consider a 375 H&H. Then you can handle what ever shows up.

I say this because I took my 300 WM Tikka T3 my first trip. Seeing eland, Cape buffalo and giraffe, I decided to upgrade to a 375 H&H MRC. I’ve never looked back nor taken nor needed anything else. From tiny duiker and caracal to Cape buffalo and lion. An accurate 375 load was perfect on the golf ball size kill zone on a crocodile at 90 yards.

Best of luck in your decision and welcome to the AH forum!

 

[PBrick]

Hello PBrick.

Welcome to AfricaHunting.com!

In very broad terms, there are two categories of plains game when it comes to selecting your rifle(s):

1- Small and medium plains game, typically weighing from 20 lbs. up to 300 to 400 lbs. This category includes a vast number of antelopes: Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Blesbok, Waterbuck, Lechwe, Common and Mountain Reedbuck, Nyala, Bushbuck, Tsessebe, Impala, Springbok, Duiker, Steenbok, etc. but also Warthog, Caracal, Bushpig, Ostrich, Jackal, Baboon, etc.

2- Large plains game, typically weighing 400 to 500 lbs. and more. This category includes a number of antelopes: Blue Wildebeest, Eastern Cape Kudu, Gemsbok, Sable, Roan, Scimitar Oryx, etc. but also Zebra, Giraffe, etc.

Topping the scale at 1,500 lbs. the Eland is almost in a category of its own.

The best rifle(s) to bring is/are the one(s) you already own:

Truth be told, for plains game, the best rifles are really those you have been using for years and you are intimately familiar with.

1- Small and medium plains game. Unless your deer hunting is a very specialized, very short-range affair deep in dense woods with 50 yd shots, and your deer rifle is a lever action 30-30, your best small and medium plains game rifle is your deer rifle. Using heavy for caliber premium quality bullets such as Nosler Partition, Swift A Frame, Barnes TTSX, etc. the .25, .260, 6.5 mm, .270, .280, 7 mm, .308, 30-06, 8 mm, etc. non-magnum, or magnum, calibers will all do a stellar job on small and medium plains game.

2- Large plains game. Similarly, your elk rifle is your best large plains game rifle. Using heavy for caliber premium quality bullets such as Nosler Partition, Swift A Frame, Barnes TTSX, etc. the 7 mm, .300, .318, 8 mm, .325, .33, .35, 9.3 high speed calibers, be they Remington Magnum, Winchester Magnum, Weatherby Magnum, Remington Ultra Mag, Nosler, Vom Hofe, etc. will all do a stellar job on large plains game.

This is really that simple…

The “perfect” single rifle for all plains game:

Any Professional Hunter will tell you that any correctly placed bullet of reasonable caliber and reliable construction will kill any animal that walks the earth.

This is true, and this is why a .270 Winchester 130 gr ‘premium’ bullet in the heart and lungs is a much better recipe for hunting Kudu than a 250 gr .338 Win Mag bullet in the gut.

The best single rifle for all plains game is the one in at least .27 caliber that you shoot accurately, predictably and repeatedly in a 6” dessert paper plate out to 250 yards, each time, every time from the sticks or a field rest position.

If you can do this with a high speed .300 or .33, this is great. It will likely result in faster kills and less tracking. If you can do this with a .280 or .308, this is great. They will be just as dead.

If “gun buying madness” is upon you and if the safari is the perfect excuse to acquire the “perfect” plains game rifle, you would be hard pressed to select a better caliber than a fast 7 mm on the light side, a fast .300 in the middle, or a fast .33 on the heavy side, shooting premium bullets between 160 to 225 gr flat enough to have a maximum point blank range (MPBR) of 300 yards on a 6” vital area. That is IF you are comfortable with their recoil and can shoot them accurately.

Recommendations...

1- Unless you WANT to buy a .300, you do NOT NEED one. Your 7 mm Rem Mag will kill any plains game (PG) that walks Africa, or the earth for that matter. If the heavies (500 lbs +) are on the trophy list, shoot a 160 gr TTSX. If the heavies are not on the list, shoot a 140 gr TTSX. If you prefer GMX, E-Tip, A Frames, Partition, Sirocco, etc. etc. these are fine too. They all kill very well.

2- Unless you WANT to buy a .300, redirect the $1,550 it would cost and shoot two more $750 animals in Africa (Black or Blue wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Bushbuck, Zebra, etc. etc.)

3- It does not cost a penny more or one sheet of additional paperwork to take two rifles to Africa, so IF your trophy lists justifies it, I would recommend you consider it, if only for backup purpose. After all, TIA ("This Is Africa" i.e. Murphy tends to show up uninvited to the dance). If you go with a 5 days / 5 animals package, just the 7 mm Rem Mag and just one load is perfect. If you go for 10 days / 15 animals, from Steenbok to Eland, the combo 6.5 Creedmoor 127 gr LRX and 7 mm Rem Mag 160 gr TTSX is about as good a dual plains game battery as one can think of...

4- If you WANT to buy a rifle, I would likely not go with the .300 Win Mag, it is too close to the 7 mm Rem Mag you already have. If you WANT a .30 cal, I would go for the .300 Wby. It really adds an edge in terms of MPBR. The RUM is great too but who knows how long ammo will be offered for it... Another way to look at this could also be to bypass the .30 cal (.300 mag) as being too close to the .28 (7 mm mag) and go for .33 (.338 mag). Now that would give you true coverage for the heavies... Yet another, and well respected way to go could be to say that you already have a "light" and a "medium" and that a .375 H&H - the epitome of the one-rifle safari battery, from Dik dik to Buffalo - is the smartest way to satisfy your African new hunting rifle itch...

5- In terms of makes, everyone on AH will have their favorite. I would be unimpressed by subjective "I like this" or "I do not like that" type of recommendations and I would suggest you focus on objective characteristics. For example when looking for a safari rifle, the classic questions to ask oneself would be:
- do you want a control round feed rifle?
- do you want a 5 round magazine capacity?
- do you want iron sights on your rifle?
- do you want integral scope bases on your rifle?
- do you want a true bolt-mounted, firing pin-blocking safety on your rifle?
- etc.

Notice that I am saying "want," not "need." Oceans of ink have been spilled and will continue to be spilled on whether you "need" this or that characteristic ... or not. The perfect example is your Rem 700. It has none of the above, but it sure is a great rifle, although typically not the idea of what most safari goers would argue makes a "classic" safari rifle.

Once you answer these, looking at makes is the next step...

Welcome to the delicious angst of preparing your safari. Enjoy it thoroughly, it is truly half the fun

Thank you for the wonderful response! I am very comfortable with either of my rifles but was VERY concerned about being under gunned. What you say makes perfect sense to me and I am indebted to you for your knowledge.

 

[fourfive8]

7 Mag or 300 WM?- either will do fine for most. Use a heavy type, tough bullet. Even if it says bonded it may not be tough. A bonded bullet, if it is simply a thin jacketed bullet with a bonded lead core, has the potential for coming apart! I know because I have had it happen. All other things equal- heavier bullets are a little slower so the bullet will terminally behave better and more predictably no matter its design. If you hunt eland then I'd suggest something a little heftier. A 375 HH with a quality, tough bullet is not too much for an eland. Another common thought about PG hunting is that one has to occasionally shoot at long distances so the high velocity, high BC bug will creep into the decision process for both the rifle/scope and the bullet many times at the expense of choosing a larger non-mag caliber shooting a heavier, slower, tougher, lower BC bullet. Yes, occasionally a shot will be possible at longer range but I've never actually figured why that means it's necessary to shoot?? So, a not uncommon circumstance sets up where a super duper high BC long range bullet is chosen to hunt with and oops an animal presents itself at close range.... perfect set up for bullet failure plus whatever after that...

So, if you stick with the 300 WM, I'd go with 180-200 something or other tough bullet like the TSX or A Frame. Eland are really big and can be very tough. If eland is not on menu then the 300 WM would be perfectly fine for everything else PG. Likely you'll have a great trip and will be planning your next safari with DG in the back of your mind before heading home. Soooo you could get a 375 or 416 now and start shooting a little. Who knows... you may like it so much you'll just take the bigger rifle. If you shoot it well then it will also do fine for PG including be much better for eland and you'd get a head start for DG !

Hands down, hard to beat a CRF Win 70 bolt gun for the money. Practice shooting off sticks and practice cycling of the bolt to feed out of the magazine while stressed or for follow up shots.

 

[gillettehunter]

Some great advice. Different ways to look at it. Sometimes something is said that really helps you make a choice. I have been to africa 5 times now. Hunted with 8 different outfitters. Others have more experience, but I have some experience especially with plains game.
I have hunted with a .300 WSM, 7mm Rem mag and a 7mm SAUM on this last trip. Perhaps a few stories might make my point.
7mm Rem with 160 gr accubonds. Kudu walking broadside at perhaps 100 yds. He went down so fast my PH lost sight and couldn't believe he was down and dead. Same trip a Gemsbuck at 225 yds. Broadside and down in its tracks. I never had a problem that trip.
Same rifle with another outfitter. Gemsbuck, blue wilderbeast and red hartebeast all one shot kills with the first and last dropping in place.
7mm SAUM this last Sept. You can read about the results here: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/zambia-zambia-with-balla-balla-safaris.53377/#post-580496
and here:https://www.africahunting.com/threads/south-africa-zambia-back-to-rsa-zambia.52997/
You will note that I had 2 one shot kills on cape eland. I got a Pattersons eland and used a 2nd insurance shot that probably wasn't needed. Use a rifle that you have practiced with. Know what your bullet will and won't do. Practice off of shooting sticks. Its all about bullet placement. Your 7mm is fine. Use the $$ for more trophy fees instead of a new rifle. Practice, practice and practice some more.
Your bullet will generate much more controversy than caliber. I'd suggest heavier for caliber bullets as a general rule. I've personally had good luck with Barnes 150 gr TTSX, 160 gr Accubonds and 180 gr Berger hunting VLD's.
If you have any questions I'm happy to chat. You can PM me for my phone should you want.
Bruce

 

[Tra3]

I’m also of the opinion that a 7 mag will work on all PG. I took an eland with 1 shot with a 7 mag.
My son used a 6.5 CM, that work on everything for him up to zebra.
We used nosler ABLR bullets in 168 grain for the 7mag and 142 grain for the 6.5.
Use the extra money for more animals!
But.... if a new gun will get you to practice the necessary amount, then buy it! But plan to shoot hundreds of rounds before going to Africa.
If you do buy a new gun, definitely put 50% (or more) toward a scope.

 

[Ray B]

My preference would be a Mauser 98 clone and 300 either Weatherby or Winchester. If the authorities weren't so narrow minded I'd also consider a 30/338 Mag, but the brass wouldn't match so customs would have a fit.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

308 Norma mag?

 

[Hearties]

Agree with the other recommendations - 7mm Rem Mag with 160gr + bullets (bonded or monos). If you really feel the urge and plan on more than one trip - buy a M70 Safari Express in .375 H&H

 

[One Day...]

Bullet weight...

It has been universal wisdom in the US since the 1950's to select a "heavy for caliber, premium tough bullet" to hunt Africa.

Why?

To make a very, very long story short PBrick, the answer is that typical American hunting bullets up to the 1980's have been cup & core bullets. Remington Core-Lokt, Winchester Power Point, Federal Power Shock, etc. come to mind. All these bullets shared two overwhelming characteristics: they fell apart when hitting tough bone at high speed; and they shed most of their weight doing so. As an outcome, they lacked penetration because they did not retain the mass necessary to carry the penetration momentum. This was not a recipe for success with tough African game, generally carrying a lot of very lean and dense meat on thick boned heavy skeletons...

So, the wisdom became to use a heavy bullet - to start with a lot of mass to begin with, and to use premium tough bullets - to retain as much mass, and penetration, as possible.

To this day, the wisdom continues to be to select a "heavy for caliber, premium tough bullet" to hunt Africa, as if today's bullets were the same as they were in the 1950's...

This is why you see recommendations to shoot 200 gr in a .300 mag, 175 gr in a 7 mm mag, etc. etc.

I happily agree with the premise of the 1950's advice, and I totally disagree with continuing to give the same advice in 2020.

Here is why.

Using the example of the Nosler Partition that I know very, very well because I have killed many, many heads of game with it over 40 years using exclusively factory Federal Premium ammo in calibers including .243 Win, 6 mm Rem, .270 Win, .280 Rem, 7x64, .308 Win, .300 Win & Wby mag, .338 & .340 Win & Wby mag, .375 H&H, etc. I feel qualified to state that typically Nosler Partition bullets will consume most if not all of their front core (which is not a bullet failure, but by design) in the first inch or two of penetration, creating great expansion and massive tissue damage, hopefully in the lung cavity, and they will retain approximately 60% of their weight (the rear core) for deep penetration. For 40 years, the Nosler Partition was THE original premium bullet by which all other were judged. Reliable 60% weight retention was phenomenal when the competition was struggling to retain 30%...

So, when you shot a 180 gr .300 mag bullet, you could genuinely expect ~60% of it to drive deep, which means you expected 108 gr (180 x 60% = 108) to drive deep... It therefore made sense to up the antes and shoot a 200 gr .300 mag on tough animals, because you increased the rear core to 120 gr (200 x 60% = 120) to penetrate deeply...

But things they are achangin...

Whether we now look at a Swift A Frame or Barnes TTSX is irrelevant, because they both expand to twice their caliber and retain about 95% of their weight doing so.

Most folks rightfully congratulate themselves on this incredible performance, and kill their plains game with 95% weight retention A Frame or TTSX even deader than they did with 60% weight retention Nosler Partition. Great!

I draw a different conclusion...

If modern tough bonded bullets (pay attention to fourfive8's advice here, he is right, not all bonded bullets are equal) and modern mono-metal bullets retain 95%+ of their weight and accomplish their deep penetration with 95% of their weight, then the modern penetration equivalent of a 200 gr .300 mag Partition is a 130 gr A Frame or TTSX .300 mag. The math says that 130 gr x 95% weight retention = 123 gr penetrator, which is the same as 200 gr x 60% weight retention = 120 gr penetrator.

The choir of protest should start hollering right about now, but this math explains really well why the .300 mag 130 gr TTSX is an exceptional elk killer in the hands of all those who dared try it, or why, for example, the 6.5-300 Wby 127 gr LRX is also an incredible elk slaughterer. This also explains why the .257 Wby 100 gr TTSX kills totally out of its apparent weight class. But then again, a 160 gr 7 mm mag that retain 60% of its weight penetrates with 96 gr (160 gr x 60% = 96), which is about the same as a 100 gr .257 Wby that retains 95% (100* 95% = 95).

Yes, sectional density does play a role, but not as much as sheer weight and mechanical momentum (mass & velocity).

I had to prove this to myself, and I did.

My 2018 plains game rifle was a .340 Wby shooting 250 gr Partition. 21 animals were shot at. 21 animals died, from Steenbok to Eland, including half a dozen culls. You would expect the .340 Wby 250 gr to be decisive. It was. Although not as instantly sudden as one would expect. See
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...faris-august-2018-plains-game-paradise.45017/

My 2019 plains game rifle was a .257 Wby shooting 100 gr TTSX. 19 rounds were fired on 17 animals. 17 animals died, from Vaal Rhebok to Roan. I purposely doubled on the Roan, although he was literally petrified, dead on its feet, and I purposefully broke the Vaal Rhebok's haunches with a first shot, because it was all I saw behind the rock that was hiding his lungs area. So, practically, I had 100% 1 shot kill, dead-right-there, results with the .257 Wby shooting 100 gr TTSX. To my amazement, the .257 Wby killed faster in general than the .340 Wby did. I attribute this to the fact that it is so much easier to shoot the .257 Wby than the .340 Wby with surgical precision. There might also be some truth to this speed thing... See
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...ill-safaris-even-better-than-last-year.52376/

Recommendation...

If you intend to shoot lowest-cost cup & core Remington Core-Lokt, Winchester Power Point, Federal Power Shock etc. that fall apart on impact, by all means, select the heaviest possible bullet: 200 gr or even 220 gr .300 mag, 175 gr 7 mm mag, etc.

If you intend to shoot the legendary Partition (it still kills very well, thank you very much) that consumes purposefully its front core in massive expansion, select the classic weights: 180 gr .300 mag, 160 gr 7 mm mag, etc.

If you intend to shoot modern 95% weight retention A Frame, mono-metal TTSX, GMX, E-Tip, etc. you can go down in weight significantly. I now personally buy 130 gr TTSX for small to medium PG and 165 gr TTSX for large PG for my .300 Wby. I would recommend that you use 140 gr TTSX on small to medium PG and 160 gr TTSX on large PG in the 7 mm mag. Truth be told, I would only recommend 160 gr 7 mm mag if you have an Eland on the list, and I would happily shoot everything else with the 140 gr TTSX, and if factory ammo was offered with the 120 gr TTSX, I would feel perfectly fine with it too.

I fully know that plenty of folks will disagree with this recommendation, and that is just fine with me. One can argue perceptions, habits, likes and dislikes etc. but one can hardly argue the math

But why?

But why would you want to shoot 140 gr TTSX instead of 175 gr (insert here bullet of your choice) with your 7 mm mag???

Because for every 10% in bullet weight reduction, all other things remaining equal, you experience a 20% reduction in recoil. Going down from 175 gr to 140 gr is exactly a 20% weight reduction. How about experiencing 40% less recoil? Do you think it will improve your shooting from field positions? You better believe it... Now, in truth, it will not be exactly 40% recoil reduction because the 140 gr load will fly faster, and every 10% increase in speed will trigger 20% increase in recoil, but there will be a substantial recoil reduction. For example, the .250 gr .340 Wby has the deserved reputation of being a hammer on both ends, but the 225 gr TTSX .340 Wby is noticeably easier to shoot, and the 185 gr TTSX .340 Wby is a pussy cat...

Try it for yourself at the range...

I am off the "heavy for caliber" wagon with modern premium tough bullets. Food for thoughts...

 

[Art Lambart II]

Hunting Africa is very different from hunting in the US, here in the US most if not all of our hunting is very specific, we only hunt one type of animal on any given hunt. In Africa you can take anything from Duiker to Eland from 20 to 300+ yards on the same stalk, this calls for a very flexible cartridge, dare I say a "Jack of all trades" your 7mm RM and 6.5 Creedmore are good rounds but they where designed for a specific propose, long range shooting. What you gun battery needs is a good mid-bore rifle, several round come to mind right away the 338 WM, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and the 375 H&H or 375 Ruger. Adding a 300 Mag of any variety for your current battery wont allow you to hunt anything different than you could now but add a 338 WM, 35 Whelen or 9.3x62 and you can hunt anything in North America and all the PG in Africa with confidence, if you add a 375 H&H you can hunt anything that walk the earth. My personal favorite of that group is the 35 Whelen its my go to round for all of my non DG hunting.

Several people have suggested you hunt with what you have and spend your money on extra animals, that's good advice, I did it myself, but don't forget about the Taxidermy cost for those two extra animals. On average its $1400 per shoulder mount after all is said and done, so now you spent the cost of a new rifle on the extra trophy fees and add $2800 to your taxidermy bill. I'm not tell you do shoot any extra animals but when you do and trust me you will don't forget about the taxidermy bill.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I am going on a South African Plains Game hunt and everyone that I have talked with about the trip is saying I NEED a 300 Win Mag but not giving any information about make and model. Any ideas or suggestions?

I've had a .300WM in both the Tikka and currently a M70. The Tikka was great, in my opinion the best rifle for the money out there, regardless of caliber. But it is a bit light and is quite lets say lively in the magnum calibers.

My M70 is a Super Grade and I love this rifle. Accurate and it just feels right like M70's typically do for me.

That said, I did the same thing as you. I bought into that I needed something more than my 7mm Mag (a M70 also) prior to my first African hunt. Don't get me wrong, the .300WM is a great versatile caliber and with 200gr bullets, it hits with a bit more authority than the 7mm, but I really didn't need it.

You can go to Africa with your 7mm with no problem. And while it is on the light side for Eland, it will work. My son killed his Eland bull with a .308Win. Eland are big animals to be sure, but they're not made of steel. Their skin and hair are quite thin in reality, though there is certainly plenty muscle underneath on the shoulder. However I managed to kill a Shiras moose with my 7mm years back with a Nosler Partition. I can promise you the moose's hair and skin are much thicker than an Elands, and there's also plenty of muscle there too.

My preference of bullet would to no one's surprise that have read my posts would be from North Fork in 160 or 175gr, whichever shot better. But in their current absence I would happily use Swift A-Frames. My buddy @AZ KJ used 160 A-Frames in his 7mm this past June, and they worked great.

If you want a .300WM, by all means have at it, it's a great caliber. But you don't need it with what you have. If you do get one, you may find as I did, your 7mm becomes a bit of a safe queen.

If you really want a new rifle, I think I'd be inclined as others have suggested to move up to a .375HH, which would of course set you up for future dangerous game hunting, but is also a great PG caliber.

 

[PBrick]

Bullet weight...

It has been universal wisdom in the US since the 1950's to select a "heavy for caliber, premium tough bullet" to hunt Africa.

Why?

To make a very, very long story short PBrick, the answer is that typical American hunting bullets up to the 1980's have been cup & core bullets. Remington Core-Lokt, Winchester Power Point, Federal Power Shock, etc. come to mind. All these bullets shared two overwhelming characteristics: they fell apart when hitting tough bone at high speed; and they shed most of their weight doing so. As an outcome, they lacked penetration because they did not retain the mass necessary to carry the penetration momentum. This was not a recipe for success with tough African game, generally carrying a lot of very lean and dense meat on thick boned heavy skeletons...

So, the wisdom became to use a heavy bullet - to start with a lot of mass to begin with, and to use premium tough bullets - to retain as much mass, and penetration, as possible.

To this day, the wisdom continues to be to select a "heavy for caliber, premium tough bullet" to hunt Africa, as if today's bullets were the same as they were in the 1950's...

This is why you see recommendations to shoot 200 gr in a .300 mag, 175 gr in a 7 mm mag, etc. etc.

I happily agree with the premise of the 1950's advice, and I totally disagree with continuing to give the same advice in 2020.

Here is why.

Using the example of the Nosler Partition that I know very, very well because I have killed many, many heads of game with it over 40 years using exclusively factory Federal Premium ammo in calibers including .243 Win, 6 mm Rem, .270 Win, .280 Rem, 7x64, .308 Win, .300 Win & Wby mag, .338 & .340 Win & Wby mag, .375 H&H, etc. I feel qualified to state that typically Nosler Partition bullets will consume most if not all of their front core (which is not a bullet failure, but by design) in the first inch or two of penetration, creating great expansion and massive tissue damage, hopefully in the lung cavity, and they will retain approximately 60% of their weight (the rear core) for deep penetration. For 40 years, the Nosler Partition was THE original premium bullet by which all other were judged. Reliable 60% weight retention was phenomenal when the competition was struggling to retain 30%...

So, when you shot a 180 gr .300 mag bullet, you could genuinely expect ~60% of it to drive deep, which means you expected 108 gr (180 x 60% = 108) to drive deep... It therefore made sense to up the antes and shoot a 200 gr .300 mag on tough animals, because you increased the rear core to 120 gr (200 x 60% = 120) to penetrate deeply...

But things they are achangin...

Whether we now look at a Swift A Frame or Barnes TTSX is irrelevant, because they both expand to twice their caliber and retain about 95% of their weight doing so.

Most folks rightfully congratulate themselves on this incredible performance, and kill their plains game with 95% weight retention A Frame or TTSX even deader than they did with 60% weight retention Nosler Partition. Great!

I draw a different conclusion...

If modern tough bonded bullets (pay attention to fourfive8's advice here, he is right, not all bonded bullets are equal) and modern mono-metal bullets retain 95%+ of their weight and accomplish their deep penetration with 95% of their weight, then the modern penetration equivalent of a 200 gr .300 mag Partition is a 130 gr A Frame or TTSX .300 mag. The math says that 130 gr x 95% weight retention = 123 gr penetrator, which is the same as 200 gr x 60% weight retention = 120 gr penetrator.

The choir of protest should start hollering right about now, but this math explains really well why the .300 mag 130 gr TTSX is an exceptional elk killer in the hands of all those who dared try it, or why, for example, the 6.5-300 Wby 127 gr LRX is also an incredible elk slaughterer. This also explains why the .257 Wby 100 gr TTSX kills totally out of its apparent weight class. But then again, a 160 gr 7 mm mag that retain 60% of its weight penetrates with 96 gr (160 gr x 60% = 96), which is about the same as a 100 gr .257 Wby that retains 95% (100* 95% = 95).

Yes, sectional density does play a role, but not as much as sheer weight and mechanical momentum (mass & velocity).

I had to prove this to myself, and I did.

My 2018 plains game rifle was a .340 Wby shooting 250 gr Partition. 21 animals were shot at. 21 animals died, from Steenbok to Eland, including half a dozen culls. You would expect the .340 Wby 250 gr to be decisive. It was. Although not as instantly sudden as one would expect. See
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...faris-august-2018-plains-game-paradise.45017/

My 2019 plains game rifle was a .257 Wby shooting 100 gr TTSX. 19 rounds were fired on 17 animals. 17 animals died, from Vaal Rhebok to Roan. I purposely doubled on the Roan, although he was literally petrified, dead on its feet, and I purposefully broke the Vaal Rhebok's haunches with a first shot, because it was all I saw behind the rock that was hiding his lungs area. So, practically, I had 100% 1 shot kill, dead-right-there, results with the .257 Wby shooting 100 gr TTSX. To my amazement, the .257 Wby killed faster in general than the .340 Wby did. I attribute this to the fact that it is so much easier to shoot the .257 Wby than the .340 Wby with surgical precision. There might also be some truth to this speed thing... See
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...ill-safaris-even-better-than-last-year.52376/

Recommendation...

If you intend to shoot lowest-cost cup & core Remington Core-Lokt, Winchester Power Point, Federal Power Shock etc. that fall apart on impact, by all means, select the heaviest possible bullet: 200 gr or even 220 gr .300 mag, 175 gr 7 mm mag, etc.

If you intend to shoot the legendary Partition (it still kills very well, thank you very much) that consumes purposefully its front core in massive expansion, select the classic weights: 180 gr .300 mag, 160 gr 7 mm mag, etc.

If you intend to shoot modern 95% weight retention A Frame, mono-metal TTSX, GMX, E-Tip, etc. you can go down in weight significantly. I now personally buy 130 gr TTSX for small to medium PG and 165 gr TTSX for large PG for my .300 Wby. I would recommend that you use 140 gr TTSX on small to medium PG and 160 gr TTSX on large PG in the 7 mm mag. Truth be told, I would only recommend 160 gr 7 mm mag if you have an Eland on the list, and I would happily shoot everything else with the 140 gr TTSX, and if factory ammo was offered with the 120 gr TTSX, I would feel perfectly fine with it too.

I fully know that plenty of folks will disagree with this recommendation, and that is just fine with me. One can argue perceptions, habits, likes and dislikes etc. but one can hardly argue the math

But why?

But why would you want to shoot 140 gr TTSX instead of 175 gr (insert here bullet of your choice) with your 7 mm mag???

Because for every 10% in bullet weight reduction, all other things remaining equal, you experience a 20% reduction in recoil. Going down from 175 gr to 140 gr is exactly a 20% weight reduction. How about experiencing 40% less recoil? Do you think it will improve your shooting from field positions? You better believe it... Now, in truth, it will not be exactly 40% recoil reduction because the 140 gr load will fly faster, and every 10% increase in speed will trigger 20% increase in recoil, but there will be a substantial recoil reduction. For example, the .250 gr .340 Wby has the deserved reputation of being a hammer on both ends, but the 225 gr TTSX .340 Wby is noticeably easier to shoot, and the 185 gr TTSX .340 Wby is a pussy cat...

Try it for yourself at the range...

I am off the "heavy for caliber" wagon with modern premium tough bullets. Food for thoughts...

Great information and I appreciate it very much!

 

[thriller]

I just bought a christinsen arms mesa in 300 win mag. It shoots well and is not too heavy and has all the changes i would have made to a factory gun already done for $1200. I am very happy with that choice.

 

[cls]

Like others here I would stick with your 7mm rem mag and use the bullet that shoots the best from your rifle, in my case it is the 175gr nosler partition. If you are set on buying another rifle go with a 375 H&H. With that and your 7mm you have pretty much everything covered.