An all round rifle caliber , for Africa and elsewhere

[CBeck]

7x57 is quite historical but my nod goes to the .280ai….can also shoot .280rem in a pinch

Truth be told every answer here is correct. Just going to be a personal choice.

 

[Grandpa Moose]

8x68S to me

That’s two of us for a one rifle PG safari

 

[codofish]

The 338 win mag is my vote. I used 185 grain Barnes TTSX for plains game in Africa and a 250 grain Nosler partition on a Boone and Crocket bear in NC so it offers a lot of flexibility. It is recommended by a lot of brown bear guides in Alaska. And if forced to take a shot on a cape buffalo it would sure get his attention. Ron Spomer has a great video comparing it to the 375 H&H

 

[IvW]

9.3x62mm or 9.3x74R for pg especially in dg areas....

If also hunting dg in Africa it will have to be 375 H&H....although the first two are fully capible....

 

[Borderer]

My personal view, based on more reading and conversations with PHs, rather than lots of experience in Africa is that you would be better to go bigger, with something around 8 x 64s, 338-06, .318WR .333 Jeffrey, 8.5x55 or perhaps even a 9.3 x 62 or an 8x68 or 300 or 338 win mag. This depends were you are located though.

I had a long conversation with my firearms licencing officer about these calibres and was told in no uncertain terms that none of these would be allowed for UK use, so the only option for me would be a 30-06, which is why I have a 30-06 and a 375 H and H for UK use and plains game.

If I lived elsewhere or our rules changed, I think I would swap them both for something in-between.