Hunting Forum

A friend of mine wants to get the foloowing rifles to hunt in Alaska, Canada and Africa:

1. A 338 Win Mag stainless with synthetic stock

2. A 375 H&H Mag with wooden stock

Can you suggest brands that would stand up to the conditons in which he wants to hunt and still be accurate, dependable and reliable? Thanks for any information you can give.

 

I'd go with a "blend" of the two;

375 H&H Mag stainless with synthetic stock

SDOWLING, any particular manufacturer in mind?

Browning X-bolt might do the trick.
http://www.browning.com/products/ca...=202A&bg=x
Check out this web site.

Proud owner of a Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker in .338 WM


...........But for those hunts I like the A-Bolt model better, if you are going to scope the rifle.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/bro...95729.html

All the major brands will work fine. What it really comes down too is which brand he likes.

For a two gun battery for AK or Africa, I would go with further apart with calibers. The .375 is fine for top end on Big Bear and has taken all the DG in Africa ( I use a .416Rigby but that is personal preference).
For the other game, say Sheep, Caribou, wolf in AK or probably all PG in Africa with exception of maybe Eland, an -06, .308, 7mmMag (what I normally use) would be fine.

For Africa, and big browns in Alaska, he might want to choose a rifle with a "Mauser type claw extractor," also called "controlled round feed." Some feel this type is more positive and fail safe should the shti hit the fan. It is the design used on Model 70's, current Ruger's, Kimber's, and I believe CZ's. "Push round feed," or a "Sako style extractor," found on Remington's, Savage's, and Browning's, is not as desireable when it comes to hunting dangerous game.

i would look at a Ruger due to its Mauser type action, and toughness or a Winchester New Model 70. Good luck.

The new Savage 116, aka Alaskan Brush Hunter model,  in 375 Ruger , with iron sights and a bit shorter barrel  is a firearm you should consider.

When in Alaska i had 416 Rig. 375H&H 338 Win Mag  300 Win  35Whalen   30-06  308 and 45/70. The two that got used the most was my 35Whalen and the old 45/70.

TIT's suggestions are from on the ground experience from numerous times hunting Afreeca so I would listen and learn. As he stated the 7MM mag is sufficient for most all plains game with the exception of the animals he listed. I do like the .375 H&H and the 45/70 for 300 yards and under. Most are under the impression that plains game animlas are harder to kill than the animlas we have here which is not the case at all. The same apply's there as it does here and that is bullet placement.

I've carried a 7mm Mag and a 375 H&H combo all over the world. I never found it wanting.

The 338 and the 375 are too close to each other to be a really diverse combo. Not saying my combo is perfect, but it works well for me and it has been to Canada multiple times, Alaska twice and Africa 5 times. If he wants a 2 gun rig that is really versitile then the smaller one should be something along the lines of 7mm or 30 caliber. If he is set on the 338 then the bigger rifle should be a 416 or a 45 caliber.

Yep!!!
HeII, I have gone to Africa with a two gun battery of .22-250 and a Ruger 12ga O/U but the hunt(s) were quite specialized!
My only concern with Ruger .375 is same I discovered after getting a .375RUM....ammo availability! If one's heart is set on a .375, just go with the H&H....

.378 Wby. Mag., or .416 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

But make sure your airline doesn't ever lose baggage with your ammo in it cause you aint gonna find those Weatherby rounds at your local AK or African ammo shop!

I'll concur with the majority and say the rounds should be further apart.

My choice would be a .40 cal of some flavor and a .270 but the .375 will work too. If selecting just one then get the .375 and call it good. I'm of course talking about the H&H, which has ammo availability throughout the world.

We were tracking Cape Buff when a quite excellent Reed Buck appeared no more than 30 yards away.....only kill I ever made that I actually saw all four houves in the air at once before instinctive blink from shooting ! Using my .375RUM.....it was a fun track as I did not have Buff on quota....just wanted to approach them....didn't have a .416Rigby at the time....and it was before Shiloh fixed my RUM to keep it from knocking me on my arse!

Tom in TN,

I did kind of the same thing. We were putting a stalk on a herd of Korrigum in Cameroon. They were totally protected and we were just wanting to get close and check them out. At about 20 yards a really good Oribi popped out of the brush. For an Oribi he was really good. Both horns a little over 6 inches. I popped him with a 375 H&H and a 300 gr Woodleigh. Saw all of his hooves in the air too. He weighed all of 30 lbs or so.

We never did get a good look at the Korrigum even though we saw the herd 3 different times on that trip. But as they say in Africa: Never turn down a gift from the brush when it is offered.

Posted By TOM IN TENNESSEE on 16 Aug 2012 03:13 PM
....and it was before Shiloh fixed my RUM to keep it from knocking me on my arse!

Ohhh now I need to talk to Shiloh and see if my .338 can be tamed a little