NitroX

Thanks for the Welcome.
I actually had been a member at the old MSN forum, then lost touch for a while and was delighted to see that me old username was not yet taken...

Re .318 and others:
Sure there was a reason the .318 was popular! If you're also an admirer or Mr. "Doktari" Robertson and others of the old school, it probably was the same reason other classic calibers like 7x57, .30-06 or 9,3x62 where popular in Africa and worked (rather: are working) well:
Good Bullets w/ a SD over .300 and a muzzle velocity around or slightly above 2400fps.

So, yes the .318 is a wonderful cartridge, but: bullet supply is "somewhat" limited and have fun if the airline mixes up you luggage and you are left w/ your gun but without ammo in MMBA!

So if you choose a .318, it's probably for a nostalgic reason and hey, since I own a 500NE I'm certainly not the one blaming you for that!

Similar the 8x68:
It truly is a wonderful cartridge (hey, a beltless magnum, just what the doctor prescribed...), however bullet choice and availability (outside europe that is...) is simply not as wide as .30 or .338 (although it got a lot better now w/ Woodleigh, Barnes and others also offering 8mm stuff).
Also, one needs to be aware that most european manufacturers use bullets that are - imho - to soft for africa!

So: What fascinates me about the .338 calibers is the incredible choice of bullets and yes the .338 RUM would be a killer round! But since I'm also not to fond of Rem 700 rifles in Africa, I'm still considering my options! (Even had a chat w/ the Blaser guys a while ago about a custom barrel, but they don't see a market for the .338RUM)

Greetings,
500NE

BTW: So what did you do in good old Vienna and whereabout did you walk the woods?