New rifle, One and only for Africa

[Wyatt Smith]

Put me on the 30-06 team, but then again it’s my favorite.

 

[R.M.C.]

Another vote for 30.06. I wouldn't consider any magnum calibers for a first rifle. Good way to develop a flinch

 

[Tom Leoni]

I'll go with "class" rather than "cartridge":

.30-06 class.

This includes, besides the .30-06, a whole host of cartridges capable of throwing bullets of .280" to about .350" diameter and in the 170-250gr range at 2200-2600 feet per second or thereabouts. These cartridges are mostly non-magnums. I firmly believe that you don't get much marginal return with the added pyrotechnics, muzzle blast and recoil of a magnum for the animals and the conditions you listed. YMMV

Examples: 7x57, 280 Rem, .30-06, .300 H&H Magnum, .303 British, 8x57, 8mm-06, .318 Nitro Express, .35 Whelen.

With any of these and a judicious choice of bullets, you'll never be undergunned for any animal short of pachyderms, buffalo and the bigger cats.

If I had to pick one out of the list, I'd pick the .30-06--although, funny enough, I don't own a hunting rifle in that caliber, the .318 having more than satisfied me.

 

[meigsbucks]

I’d eliminate the the .243. Too light to be reliable on most of the game you mentioned.
The .270… You could do worse, but it is on the light side for the larger species.
The .308 is an excellent to adequate choice for any of the game you mention, although for eland, I consider it the minimum.
Personally I’d go with a .30/06, as once you get above 165 gr bullets, it‘s slight velocity (~100 fps) advantage over the .308 increases.
Eventually you can increase your battery to include rounds for more specialized situations.

 

[shootist~]

30-06 Springfield. It's both an American and an African classic for very good reasons.

You can easily, and accurately, and inexpensively, load 150 gr Hornady FMJ-BTs at a velocity that is perfect for practice from any position. The moderate recoil, imporant for pactice, and the trajectory - (though probably not the Zero) - will closely match up to 180 grain hunting loads.

Enjoy the experience. Gearing up for a trip to Africa is an exciting process!

 

[C.W. Richter]

As much as I love longer distance and harder-hitting cartridges, the 3006 is all you need for PG. 220 grain SP bullets on the larger game you mention (190-200 is ok and certainly fine for springbok-up). A hotter gun/ammo is just going to cost you more over there, and merely extends the range in extreme cases (when you can sneak closer.) It is quite pleasant to shoot (as is a 375 HH-essentially a 3006 on steroids-2x bullet weight, 10-20 gr more powder/much longer cartridge/reduced pressures, heavier gun-same slick feeding tapered cartridge.) 3006 based cartridges have saved hunters' lives on oryx follow-ups at times...Also Hemmingway's favorite DG cartridge! The 757 as noted will do the trick (guns/ammo should be widely available there. It's what Browning used as a template to make the slightly improved 06.) We americans love longer-range capability and/or wildcats and precision handloading, but for what you're after these 60+/- gr capacity mid-bore cartridges are what the dr. ordered. You'll be especially happy you have the 06 when a trophy ________ shows up at 300+ yds in an open area! IF you ever plan on hunting DG a 375 from the get-go would not be unwise for anything on the continent. Quite pleasant to shoot (esp w/ 270 SPs!) and you can use solids on the small stuff.

 

[BeeMaa]

30-06 for a first rifle without a question.

When you are comfortable with that and ready to step up, 375H&H or 9.3x62.

 

[Randy F]

Another 30-06 vote here.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I say .30-06 Springfield. With 220 Gr bullets, it’s more than adequate for even bull elands.

 

[R eight]

30/06 with 180 Nosler partitions will cover most situations.

 

[rinehart0050]

Meh, I vote go big or go home. Get a 375HH. Works for everything in Africa, in case your plans ever expand into DG. And the recoil really isn't that bad- especially if you have nothing to compare to. And ammo seems to be available in Africa.

Before our most recent hunt, I had my wife out at the range practicing with her 375. The guys in the next lane over were complaining about the recoil of their 3006. Couldn't help but smirk as my wife sent 300 gr bullets down range without a complaint.

 

[thi9elsp]

I asked my brother (USFW Agent and long time hunter / shooter) back in the 90's what I should get for North America. He said a 30-06 that it could hunt everything except brown bear, polar bear and moose. I used mine on elk, black bear, white tail deer and wild hogs in NA. And, on all my plains game in Zimbabwe. So if you are looking to buy your first rifle, think about both Africa and NA. As others have mentioned, you can load up and down on bullet size depending on what you are going to hunt.

 

[Code4]

Depends where you hunt and the terrain. Nothing wrong with a .308W and 165's and the .270 with 150's for plains game. If your expecting longer shots the .270 with 130 is also fine. Both popular in RSA with ammo choices available. I've used a .308 W with nil problems and seen the effectiveness of a .270.

 

[Tra3]

Meh, I vote go big or go home. Get a 375HH. Works for everything in Africa, in case your plans ever expand into DG. And the recoil really isn't that bad- especially if you have nothing to compare to. And ammo seems to be available in Africa.

Before our most recent hunt, I had my wife out at the range practicing with her 375. The guys in the next lane over were complaining about the recoil of their 3006. Couldn't help but smirk as my wife sent 300 gr bullets down range without a complaint.

Ha! But is the .375 a starter gun? Nope. How many different rifles did you have before you graduated to a .375? I’d estimate that very few of us started with a .375, and for good reason.
It is impressive to watch an experienced shooter, who happens to be female or of small stature, shoot a .375 or bigger.

my vote is for a .30-06, because of ammo availability. Otherwise my vote would be the 7 mm mag. (But, I started with a .270)

 

[Newboomer]

Another vote for 06. You can get or reload from 110gr to 220gr bullets in a myriad of configurations. You can tailor the load for the game you are pursuing.

 

[Jörg Krüger]

For being Africa and nostalgic purpose I would go 7x57 or 8x57. Classic African calibers that scream Africa. I would even throw in a 9.3x62 in the mix.

 

[Cam Moon]

If you were asking what is one gun that you could hunt anything you wanted to in Africa then I think that 90% or more of the suggestions would be to go for .375 H&H.
And I would agree with them!
However, that wasn't the question. I don't think that it would be a good idea at all for a beginner shooter to start with a .375 H&H!
I am a really big fan of the .270 and it worked quite well for me in Africa, but I am going to go with what a lot of other people have said and suggest that you go with the 30-06. You're going to be very very hard-pressed to find anything else that is quite as versatile as that!
It will easily take everything that you listed, and then some! Another very important added benefit is that you can load it down for a much lighter recoil for practicing and getting used to shooting. They even sell reduced recoil factory loads.
I really can't think of a single solitary downside for you going with a 30-06!
Happy Hunting!

 

[shark_za]

If you are going to hunt in the Kalahari, Karoo or E-Cape a lot then the .270 is feasible.
Its not ideal in the thick Limpopo or N-Natal bushveld if you want to eat what you shoot.

.30-06 all the way as a 1-gun solution, the problem is that it is so general it gets forgotten once you aquire other specialist calibers.
If you only after one make it a 30-06 or a 7x64.

 

[Jaegger]

Need some recommendations on a rifle for South Africa , born and raised here , and soon to buy my first rifle , I’m thinking somewhere in the categories of 308 and 270 , 243 . Anyone having any suggestions if they could only have one rifle for hunting animals such as impala , springbok , kudu , eland , zebra , wildebeest , Hartebeest , waterbuck , bushbuck and perhaps some smaller game like duiker and reedbuck

Hi, the AH consensus is clear your “… One & Only Africa Rifle” comment & suggest caliber list falls short across some of the preferred trophies.

Selective the toughest trophy from your list & match a proper caliber, that will ethically dispatch that trophy to the ground, in very short order & that becomes your One & Only caliber. As for the other trophies - change up ammo weight or type based on Topo & shooting distance.

Happy Trails w/ your 1st rifle purchase …

 

[Pavel U]

Need some recommendations on a rifle for South Africa , born and raised here , and soon to buy my first rifle , I’m thinking somewhere in the categories of 308 and 270 , 243 . Anyone having any suggestions if they could only have one rifle for hunting animals such as impala , springbok , kudu , eland , zebra , wildebeest , Hartebeest , waterbuck , bushbuck and perhaps some smaller game like duiker and reedbuck

Hi, since I am new to the hunting world but I was dreaming of Africa for quite a few years. I was in pretty much the very same situation just several months back. Long story short: I was determined to go with wooden stocked Tikka Hunter in 30-06 (yep, another 30-06 train passanger ) as my first gun (important!) for most of the critters out there.
Everything practical has been already said above - ammo availability, recoil, etc.
But there might be (depends on Your personality) some other things to consider .... to add some spice to Your hunt.

My advice:
Choose any of the mentioned all-round calibers (270, 7x57, 8x57, 308, 30-06, etc.) if available enough and rifle that YOU LIKE THE MOST and You don't mind its recoil shooting all day long - that way You would be more prone (even happy ) to practice with it regurarly!!
- If You like the stories of Karamojo Bell 7x57 elephant brainshots or admire Boers fighting off british during second Boer war with their new rifles .... Met god en de mauser ... go for it!
- If reading about lieutenant-colonel Patterson hunting Tsavo man-eaters with his .303 gives You spine chill .... go for it.
...
You got the idea

For me, Ruark and Hemingway were the ones who sparked the flame longing for Africa. So 30-06 is just something special to me. Would not hunt the rhino with it, like the Hemingway did but ...
It just adds to all of Africa's allures

Anyway Enjoy Your hunts
Lovu zdar!
(czech greeting/wish: means Good hunting)