Gundog01:

Jon Speed and I used to hang out in Tanzania in the 70's: when he was in Dar es Salaam he'd stay at my house, and we made several safaris into the Masaai Steppe. Those were the days!

He took me to his "office" in the wildlife office one time and showed me the rifles used by the anti-poaching guys he worked with. The rifles were all, as I recall, Mausers chambered in .404. I was not impressed by the cartridge then, so when he encouraged me to pick one up I passed it up. I'm sorry now I did.

My go-to rifle in those days with a Winchester Model 70 in .375 H&H, a cartridge I absolutely loved and used for everything from duiker to cape buffalo. It's obviously too much rifle for a duiker or a Thompson's gazelle, but with a solid bullet it does not do the kind of tissue damage my 7 mm Rem Mag did with soft point bullets.