@Pheroze , 375 is definitely enough gun to stop an elephant charging. I have seen a side brain shot with 500NE, not hit the brain, the elephant didn't even flinch, turn and came straight for us, next shot was frontal brain, dropped on the spot. On a brain shot on elephant, it's accuracy that counts, not size of bullet.
@Jaco Strauss , the reason for shotgun/slug, I can pull those two shots off in an instant.
@TMS simon I get your line of thought but to acquire a double shotgun purely for cats is a waste IMO, that's just me.
The thing with rifle pushing 6000 ft/lbs and enlarged frontal bullet diameter is impact and what we refer to as Knock down.
I love a 375 but it can not compare in terms of "knock down" to the larger calibers and for this very reason it's not a stopper, it can stop a charge but it's not ideal.
On cats it's all about the bigger the hole the harder the impact the quicker it's down, I have had several lion hit square with a 375 and it still comes with momentum, I have not experienced this with a true big bore, pushing in excess of or around 5500 to 8000 ft/lbs and enlarged frontal bullet diameter.
Stoppers are less about penetration and more about momentum IMO, and in my personal experience and as African DG ph's, we are and will be hard pressed to beat the true big bores.
If I recall correctly there is revision on the old math that calculated knock down I believe Craig Bodington was quite instrumental in this...
Hey we are going to look long and hard to beat 375 and 416 penetration but that's not what we are discussing.
Big bores are things that one teaches one self to shoot you do t just pick up a 470, 500, 460 or a 600 and shoot well with it.
You need to learn how to handle it, ride the recoil, re aquire target...... this is what made the old TG18 (large caliber rifle handling in Dagerous game areas module exercises) so good you got to drill scenarios with your big bore or bores, jams, short strokes, mag reloads, speed testing, running targets....
Because if we have to be honest as a professional it needs to be the rifle you handle and shoot the best in your arsenal.
My best always