I’ve made it a point to ask PHs what calibers they like to see clients bring and, over the years, there have been two hands-down favorites: .300 Win. Mag. and .375 H&H Magnum. Of course these guys all agreed that a client should bring the gun that he or she shoots the best, regardless of caliber. Accuracy comes first.

The .30 caliber is my all-time favorite plains-game bore size. I’ve hunted with rifles in .308 Win., .30-’06, .300 Win. Mag. and my favorite, the .300 H&H Mag. Given the “right bullet”—which is my secret way of saying “Barnes X”—you can kill anything in Africa other than thick-skinned game with a .30 caliber.

I really like the .300 H&H loaded with 180 grain Barnes TSX bullets. I have a pre-war Model 70 in “.300 Magnum” which was the marking Winchester used for the .300 H&H prior to the introduction of the .300 Win. Mag. I also have a “classic” Model 70 in .300 H&H which was custom built by Sterling Davenport—a sweet rifle. The .300 H&H appeals to me because it’s such a vintage African caliber even though any of the .300 magnums—short, ultra or in between—equal or surpass its velocity.

No question, the .375 H&H is the best all-around choice for Africa, plains game and big game included. With a solid bullet, a .375 is fine for elephant. I shot my first lion with a Sako .375 H&H using a 285 grain. Speer Grand Slam. Today I own three .375s, the most duplicates of any caliber in my African collection.

Confession time—I really, really don’t like any of the super short or fat ultra cartridges. I don’t own a single one and never will. The WSM line are all short and stubby and therefore have inherent feeding problems. I see the various ultra mags as needless repetition. If you simply want lots of velocity, Roy Weatherby took care of that with the immortal .300 Wthby. Mag., which is a classic itself.

African rifles are steeped in romance and nostalgia, and so should their calibers. Avoid anything that’s too modern, and go with old favorites like Bell’s 7x57, Holland’s venerable .300 and .375 Magnums or Roosevelt’s pet .30-’06. I’ve even hunted with O’Connor’s darling, the .270 Win. (with “the right bullet” of course).

Pick your favorite classic caliber and take it to Africa for your plains-game rifle. You’ll shoot it well, enormously satisfying your PH, and you’ll enjoy your safari even more knowing that you’re using a great old caliber and pet rifle.

Rifles of the African Plains Photo Gallery