help choosing 2 calibers for first safari (300 Weatherby & 375 Ruger?)

[Safari Dave]

IMO, the .300 Weatherby is absolutely fantastic and is probably the best .30 caliber ever made. (I have 2).

If you are looking to buy another barrel, I would get a .375 H&H. The .375 Ruger is fine, but just doesn't have worldwide appeal, and you might be hard-pressed to find ammo in a pinch.

 

[Sabre]

What are the plains game you are going after?

 

[Ryan]

What can you shoot well?
You don't need a 300 Weatherby to take plains game, you need a medium bore you can shoot well. I used a 30-06. But if you can shoot a 300 Weatherby well, by all means, take it. I'd say with 180 grain Barnes TTSX or a good bonded bullet like a Nosler Accubond or Swift A-Frame. Nothing will go far if you put it where it needs to go. As for the Buffalo, as a Lefty, I am partial to the 375 Ruger, since Ruger was smart enough to make the M77 in lefty in it. But you have a Blaser, so honestly, I'd say get a 375 H&H barrel for it, load it up with a good 300 grain bonded or mono-metal bullet and, again put it in the right spot.

If you want to keep it simple, just use the 375 for everything. I used my 375 Ruger on my last hunt, nothing went far whether it was my buffalo, down to an impala and steenbok.

 

[375Fox]

There is going to be a lot of opinions. Don’t overthink it. Talk to your outfitter about the type of shots you’ll be taking. Both the cartridges you listed are very suitable. The 300 win and 375 H&H would have much more ammo availability in Africa (and US) if something was to occur where you needed it though. I also think you’d be better buying a 375 H&H barrel on your Blaser like others have suggested, but I’d focus on quality bullets. The shot placement on African game is further forward on the shoulder than North American game. Tough bonded bullets like swift A frame, trophy bonded bear claw, north fork, Nosler Accubonds are more important to me than the cartridge or perfect range accuracy. A lot of bullets loaded in US factory ammunition are very soft and I wouldn’t want to risk a hunt on them if I didn’t need to.

 

[HBartley]

Where in Soith Africa

Eastern Cape, Stutterheim and Sterkstroom to be exact

 

[PARA45]

I used a 375 H&H when I hunted the Eastern Cape back in 2022, and I shot everything with Barnes 300 grs Vortex ammo. Smallest animal was a Warthog, and the biggest was a Cape Buffalo cow. I made my longest shot on a Nyala at a bit over 300 yds, one shot one kill. I took a 300 Weatherby on my first safari and shot everything from a Warthog all the way up to a Kudu and Zebra, using 180 grs Nosler Accubonds. If I had to do it all over again, I'd stick with the 375 H&H, perfect all-around caliber for what you want.

 

[Ndczerwinski]

I went this April and just took everything with my 375 Ruger. Shot 270 gr Barnes TSX at 2800 fps.

Worked great on everything.

-Cape Buffalo
-Sable
-Zebra
-Kudu
-Gemsbok
-White Blesbuck
-Water buck

We also brought a 6.5 PRC shooting 130 gr Hornady CX bullets and it also worked great. All one shot kills. My kids used it to take:

-Blue Wildebeast
-Impala
-two Blessbucks

 

[Safari Dave]

If RSA doesn't have a minimum for Cape Buffalo cows, the .300 Weatherby will be all you need for anything.


Shoot it with a .375 if you want, or if you must, but the .300 Weatherby will take anything on your list with 200g ELDX bullets

 

[375Fox]

If RSA doesn't have a minimum for Cape Buffalo cows, the .300 Weatherby will be all you need for anything.


Shoot it with a .375 if you want, or if you must, but the .300 Weatherby will take anything on your list with 200g ELDX bullets

If someone was going to step down to a 300 magnum for buffalo I’d hope they’d at least choose a swift A frame, Barnes, north fork, trophy bonded bear claw, etc. The same bullets designed to retain mass and perform on bone that you’d use in a 375 to hunt buffalo. The ELDX is a thin jacketed non-bonded bullet. Retaining mass and penetrating deeply at close range like on a buffalo isn’t what it’s made for.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

The OP mentioned he was left handed. A 375 Ruger is readily available in a left handed version at probably half the price of left handed 375 H&H. Get the Ruger and pair it with the 300 Weatherby for a nice two gun combo.

As far as ammunition availability, the 375 Ruger is readily available in the US. Not any more difficult to find than the 300 Weatherby. I’d go with a 200 grain bullet in the 300 Weatherby and 300 grain for the 375 Ruger. Check with Hendershots and see if they can load some Swift A Frames.

 

[One Day...]

Hey guys, new member here. Im going on my first safari in may 2025 and Im trying to decide the best 2 rifle options I should take on the hunt. I will be hunting Cape buffalo and PG. (giraffe, zebra, impala, and wildebeest). I am leaning towards my lefty Blaser R8 in 300 Weahterby for the plains game? If thats a good option, what grain weight would be a good all around choice? As far as Cape buffalo goes, I haven't bought a rifle yet. Im looking at the 375 Ruger simply because they make in a Left Hand model. But Im open to other options on either rifle. I have been searching the site all morning and just haven't found the results Ive been looking for. Thank you for any advise!

Bullet weight for the .300

In the old days of cup & core bullets that generally fragmented to pieces, 200 gr was the overwhelming choice for .30 calibers, typically .30-06 and .300.

When the Nosler Partition initiated the era of Premium Bullets, a lot of folks progressively went, rightfully in my opinion, down to 180 gr, which insured that the rear core penetrated deep with typically 60% of the original weight, i.e. ~100 gr.

With Super Premium Bullets that retain 95% weight, it makes a whole lot of sense, in my opinion, and in Barnes' litterature, to go down one more step in weight, and some go down two steps. But by force of habit I expect that it will take a couple decades before this becomes standard thinking (just like some folks still shoot 200 gr from their .300)...

I am having flawless performance in my R8 .300 Wby barrel with 165 gr TTSX Weatherby factory loads (gold box) on any PG, including the large ones (Wildebeest, Hartebeest, Sable, Roan, Kudu, etc.), up to but excluding the Eland, which is in a class by himself, and for which the .375 H&H makes a lot of sense. Everyone who started following the seemingly slow but endless trot of a wounded Eland will vocally agree...

Sadly, Weatherby have discontinued the load, and I am happy that I bought 10 boxes (and should have bought 20) when I ordered, it will keep me stocked for a number of years as I only shoot them on game, and I shoot the 165 gr Interlock load (silver box) as a practice load.

When I spoke with Weatherby's technical staff to ask why the load was discontinued, they entirely agreed with the above logic but stated that the demand for a 180 gr TTSX load far exceeds the demand for a 165 gr TTSX load, hence this is what they offer now.

Too bad in my view as all the 180 gr TTSX brings to the party compared to the 165 gr TTSX load, is additional recoil. Both will punch in and out of any PG with a behind-the-shoulder-double-lung shot, which remains the deadliest shot there is, even in Africa: no mammal will go far with two collapsed lungs and likely an exploded heart...

But for those who prefer a shot through the shoulder bones, by force of old African habit, with the risk of causing only mechanical bone and muscle damages far less deadly than vital organs damages, the 180 gr TTSX is probably a more reassuring choice...

In summary, if you shoot factory ammo, the obvious, and entirely logical choice, if not in most cases the only choice, is 180 gr. No need to go heavier.

If you reload, I recommend 165 gr. TTSX.

.375 rifle

As to the .375 rifle question it seems so obvious to me that the "only" logical response is to get a .375 H&H barrel for your R8 (as others have suggested), that I am not sure what would cause you to hesitate. As the old saying goes, "beware the one-rifle-man, he probably knows how to use it...".

Even the financial argument lacks weight in my view: a standard profile .375 H&H R8 barrel costs $1,600, only $400 more than a Ruger .375 rifle, and the advantages of the R8 barrel, as well as the advantage of shooting the "standard" .375 H&H ammo, are well worth the modest price difference in my view.

Practice

To expand on the one-rifle-man concept, the R8 ultimately gives you the opportunity to even practice with that same rifle. Many of us have added a .22 LR and / or a .223 barrel to their Blaser battery for precisely this reason, and to the best of my knowledge there is unanimity amongst those who did, to vouch that this was the right move.

In the future

Actually, if you become fond of hunting the Karoo (or any other mountain), adding in time a .257 Wby barrel will make immense sense for Mountain Game (MG) such as Vaal Rhebok, Mountain Reedbuck, Klipspringer, etc. not to mention any and all small and medium plains game.

The same logic goes the other way: a .458 Lott barrel will make your R8 a DG killer.

In the end, for a traveling hunter, it is difficult to beat the R8 logic of 3 calibers & scopes in an airline compliant <62" linear and <50 lbs Pelican 1700.

MG, PG & Lion or Eland: .257 Wby, .300 Wby and .375 H&H.​

MG, PG & Buff, Elephant or Hippo on land: .257 Wby, .300 Wby and .458 Lott.​

PG, Eland, DG: .300 Wby, .375 H&H and .458 Lott.​

One short and light Pelican 1700 case with three R8 calibers amongst .257 Wby, .300 Wby, .375 H&H and .458 Lott depending on what is on the program of the safari. The perfect solution for me...

 

[Sabre]

I like your idea of getting the Ruger and saving the extra $2,500 for other animals or taxidermy.

The 300 you are planning on taking would be fine for any plains game. You could likely even step down to a smaller caliber if you wanted depending on which plains game. Unless you just wanted to take that specific rifle with you.

 

[HBartley]

If I bought a 375hh barrel will I also need to buy a different bolt for the R8?

 

[WyoBull]

The OP mentioned he was left handed. A 375 Ruger is readily available in a left handed version at probably half the price of left handed 375 H&H. Get the Ruger and pair it with the 300 Weatherby for a nice two gun combo.

As far as ammunition availability, the 375 Ruger is readily available in the US. Not any more difficult to find than the 300 Weatherby. I’d go with a 200 grain bullet in the 300 Weatherby and 300 grain for the 375 Ruger. Check with Hendershots and see if they can load some Swift A Frames.

Isn’t the whole idea of having a Blaser R8 is so you can purchase extra barrels in different calibers for it? Why would one buy a totally separate rifle in this case?
I don’t have one but the appeal to me is having one chassis and multiple barrels.
Not pointing fingers just trying to understand the logic in buying a completely different rifle.

 

[One Day...]

If I bought a 375hh barrel will I also need to buy a different bolt for the R8?

Not in this case! The .300 Wby and .375 H&H use the same bolt head, because they both use the same parent case: the .375 H&H

And this will even apply in time to the .257 Wby and .458 Lott

 

[SStomcat]

Isn’t the whole idea of having a Blaser R8 is so you can purchase extra barrels in different calibers for it? Why would one buy a totally separate rifle in this case?
I don’t have one but the appeal to me is having one chassis and multiple barrels.
Not pointing fingers just trying to understand the logic in buying a completely different rifle.

Price, the cost of a barrel especially magnum calibers, bolt head if different, and magazine can quickly add up and exceed the price of a new rifle.

For my Sauer 404, I was looking to add a 7mm Remington to my 9.3X62, cost
Barrel - 2K, Bolt head $400, Magazine $450 total 3K.

 

[HBartley]

Not in this case! The .300 Wby and .375 H&H use the same bolt head, because they both use the same parent case: the .375 H&H

And this will even apply in time to the .257 Wby and .458 Lott

I was mistakingly looking at the wrong barrel contour on the 375 H&H R8 barrel, you are exactly right, the safari contour is $3500+ (they got me on "safari") standard contour is what my R8 is, and yo are correct, the standard weight barrel is 1506.00 with iron sights on topdoggunsglobal.com. I will be picking up a 375H&H barrel and the magazine to accommodate the 375 rounds. Now a whole other problem to solve...what optic for the 375? I will buy the barrel with iron sights and get the blaser quick detach scope mount. I still plan on taking both the 300 Weatherby and 375 and this idea definitely simplifies things at this point

 

[HBartley]

Price, the cost of a barrel especially magnum calibers, bolt head if different, and magazine can quickly add up and exceed the price of a new rifle.

For my Sauer 404, I was looking to add a 7mm Remington to my 9.3X62, cost
Barrel - 2K, Bolt head $400, Magazine $450 total 3K.

exactly... sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Oh, don't forget the scope mount for the blaser, thats an additional 500-600 per barrel

 

[One Day...]

Ive thought about it but the 375 barrels are around 3500. I can buy a new ruger 375 for 1000. Just being cheap I suppose. It's not out of the equation but I could could get a little extra taxidermy work done for the2500 bucks saved. just a thought tho

These are the so-called "Selous" heavy barrels (22 mm diameter). Perfectly adequate for the .458 Lott but entirely too heavy for the .375 H&H.

The "standard" (17 mm diameter) barrel is perfect for .375 H&H and as previously mentioned it "only" costs $1,600.


PS: there is an in-between option, the "semi-weight" (19 mm) barrel, but it does require opening up the standard rifle forearm that you most probably have. This is not difficult and can be done by wrapping sandpaper on a wood dowel, but until you buy a .458 Lott barrel, you have no need to do so. I do have a "semi-weight" .375 H&H barrel, and it soaks up recoil marvelously, but I have it only because I mount it in my Safari Pro R8 which has a channel sized for the 22 mm Selous barrels.

 

[One Day...]

I was mistakingly looking at the wrong barrel contour on the 375 H&H R8 barrel, you are exactly right, the safari contour is $3500+ (they got me on "safari") standard contour is what my R8 is, and yo are correct, the standard weight barrel is 1506.00 with iron sights on topdoggunsglobal.com. I will be picking up a 375H&H barrel and the magazine to accommodate the 375 rounds. Now a whole other problem to solve...what optic for the 375? I will buy the barrel with iron sights and get the blaser quick detach scope mount. I still plan on taking both the 300 Weatherby and 375 and this idea definitely simplifies things at this point

I am more than willing to write to explain in details why, but the bottom line is that the most balanced option (quality / price / characteristics / etc.) is currently the Zeiss V6 1-6x24.

Yes, it is expensive, but you would have bought a scope too for the Ruger anyway (as well as rings, although less expensive that the Blaser mount), and you will not need to upgrade it, as you would inevitably upgrade one day or another a cheaper scope. As another Blaser aficionado, BeeMaa, would argue: "buy once, cry once", you will save money compared to buying twice.

Yes, some will recommend the Zeiss V8 1-8x24 or the Swarovski Z8 1-8x24 (BeeMaa rightfully loves his), and these are beautiful pieces of glass, but they cost nearly twice as much and I see no point in paying near double to have 8X instead of 6X magnification on a DG caliber. You will likely shoot your Buff at 2X or 4X, and if you use the .375 H&H barrel on the occasional PG, 6X will do just fine.