Of the 300 magnum cartridges, which is the most common locally?

[Bruce Fletcher]

300 win mag? 300 H&H? If after arriving the ammo doesn't make if for one reason or another which would be the easiest to replace of the 300s?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Don't know for sure, but I'd guess it's about even.

 

[bluey]

ask your p.h/outfitter ,which would be easier , if what if ,happens .
id say 300 win mag , as nearly every one I seen and met had one .

 

[Royal27]

Asking your PH is a great idea. On here though you might want to say where in Africa your looking as it might differ. Your odds are probably much better near Jo'burg than say in Zimbabwe.

 

[Scott Slough]

I have 2 300 win mags ... so I would say that the 300 win mag is the most common "locally" !

 

[Steve Steyr]

300 Win Mag although I remember going through all the gunshops in downtown Cape Town and seeing a lot of 300 H&H for sale. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Velo Dog]

Hello Bruce Fletcher,

My best guess is that more camps have left over .300 Winchester ammunition available because so many USA and Canadian clients bring that caliber, then "forget" to pack up the ammunition for their return home flights.

However, the H&H version seems to be more popular with the PH types born and raised in Namibia and South Africa (only African countries I have been to so far).

Therefore, I will guess any place that sells ammunition in those two countries might be most likely to have the H&H version on retail shelves.

I think you should choose the H&H version simply because I like that one best, heh heh.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Win Mag. for sure. I have only recently taken note that the H&H is becoming available more frequently.

 

[Royal27]

Hello Bruce Fletcher,

I think you should choose the H&H version simply because I like that one best, heh heh.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

This actually brings up a point, at least in my mind. I do think that the whole "lost ammunition" thing is worried about a little too much, including by myself!

Here's the thing. Let's say you buy a .300 WM because you've heard there is plenty of ammo for this caliber available near Joburg. You go, ammo never lost and you have a wonderful time. But, the African bug bites you and bites hard... You want to go again and you also want ot see a different place. So this time you choose Zambia because of a smoking deal you got on AH.com. When you arrive in Zambia guess what? your ammo is lost and when you run to the local gun store they don't have .300 WM!!!! They have every other caliber you ever considered buying, but not that one!!! you freak, but your PH says no worries he has a great shooting rifle that he will let you use at no charge until your ammo shows up, or for the whole hunt if need be. You have such a great time that you end up forgetting all about who's rifle is being used.

So the real question is how do you plan for multiple trips to multiple destinations over multiple years? I don't think you do. There is always a risk, but it is a small one. Just get the caliber you want the most and enjoy it. I've seen a lot of folks on this site that LOVE off the wall cartridges and hunt with them. I've never yet seen a post that said I wish I hadn't bought my <insert wildcat cartridge here> because now I can't sleep for worrying about loosing my ammunition.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

This actually brings up a point, at least in my mind. I do think that the whole "lost ammunition" thing is worried about a little too much, including by myself!

Here's the thing. Let's say you buy a .300 WM because you've heard there is plenty of ammo for this caliber available near Joburg. You go, ammo never lost and you have a wonderful time. But, the African bug bites you and bites hard... You want to go again and you also want ot see a different place. So this time you choose Zambia because of a smoking deal you got on AH.com. When you arrive in Zambia guess what? your ammo is lost and when you run to the local gun store they don't have .300 WM!!!! They have every other caliber you ever considered buying, but not that one!!! you freak, but your PH says no worries he has a great shooting rifle that he will let you use at no charge until your ammo shows up, or for the whole hunt if need be. You have such a great time that you end up forgetting all about who's rifle is being used.

So the real question is how do you plan for multiple trips to multiple destinations over multiple years? I don't think you do. There is always a risk, but it is a small one. Just get the caliber you want the most and enjoy it. I've seen a lot of folks on this site that LOVE off the wall cartridges and hunt with them. I've never yet seen a post that said I wish I hadn't bought my <insert wildcat cartridge here> because now I can't sleep for worrying about loosing my ammunition.

 

[billc]

Good point royal.It all comes down to not sweating the small stuff or the stuff you can not stop from happening.
Take the trip day by day and work with what you have once there.If it is borrowing a gun then so be it.

 

[Royal27]

I just wish I could follow my own advice and not freak out about stuff completely out of my control!!!!

 

[Red Leg]

This can really be over thought. I have never run out of ammunition in Africa, and I have never had mine fail to arrive. If that should ever happen, I have never been in a camp that didn't have access to a rifle that was perfectly adequate for the quarry we were hunting over the ranges we were most likely to shoot. (the vast majority of those "loaners" on PG concessions were .300 WM and .375 H&H for DG.)

 

[tarbe]

"Never hunt with a cartridge that has a neck of less than 1 caliber".

So the answer is easy....300 H&H!

 

[James.Grage]

As Red Legs said - his and i know that my ammo have always arrived with me. I have never run out of ammo either.

There are some clients who have run out of ammo on a safari, however that is the exception. Usually a client who is trying to cut corners on cost, and traveling to countries that charge by the shell to bring your ammo into the country. Like $1 or $2 a round, so the client brings just a limited number of rounds along. Like one shell for each day while they are on safari, don't laugh it has happened.

As for going to a gun shop to purchase Ammo - I looked this year and saw that most calibers were available, however manufacture choice was limited.
Few below 7MM were covered, however larger then 7MM and up were covered.

However the greatest choices were in the calibers that local customers purchase.

What i saw were Hornady - Remington - Winchester - Federal and a few other brands that i did not recognize.

 

[Velo Dog]

I too obsess about too many things, including ammo not making it on my flights and have never had that happen.
Once however, my wife's dive gear did not make it for several days on an over-seas vacation.
It really was a problem since we were on a remote island, with no other gear to borrow, rent or buy.
We fished a lot for those days, until her gear finally arrived but, she was not very happy about not being able to dive.
Had that been a hunting trip and the bag delayed contained ammunition, then I would have been the one not very happy about it.

 

[jand]

The Win Mag , without a doubt. If your PH/ Outfitter doesn't own one , I'd bet it wouldn't take him 3 phone calls to find someone who has ammo for you.

 

[Scott Slough]

I just wish I could follow my own advice and not freak out about stuff completely out of my control!!!!

But it turns out that experienced folks discussing the minutiae (freaking out as you call it) is what made AH so useful for me as I planned my first hunt and why I try to add to the discussion when I can.

 

[Kano]

If we talk about Africa in general, .300 WM. I've actually never seen a .300 H&H in more than 20 years on the Continent... This does not mean that there are none, rather that they may be found in a limited geographical range.

South Africa does not really count as Africa when it comes to choice of available firearms and ammunition.

 

[Bruce Fletcher]

If we talk about Africa in general, .300 WM. I've actually never seen a .300 H&H in more than 20 years on the Continent... This does not mean that there are none, rather that they may be found in a limited geographical range.

South Africa does not really count as Africa when it comes to choice of available firearms and ammunition.

Thanks Kano, Is it because firearms and ammunition are much more available in South Africa?