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IMHO the better calibres ever are that you have chosen. Because half of the pleasure of going on safari is about to rejoice yourself with whath you are opting for. Every day training, every day checking loads, doubting no end, and so on. The "old hands" are pleased to provide you with recipes, and this way getting a lot of joy enbodying your hunt.
Keep on the good job on trying to do the best with what your are planning. Unconsciously and because you're no fool, you have taken advantage of thousands of advices from books and from forums and that lead you to no fool options.
Hunting in Africa is the first reason to buy special rifles. So be it, fulfill your dream first and don't opt for shortcuts as this is all about your pleasure first.
Asking advices? the older the hunter the minimalist his options will be, with his OWN (I insist on own) choice.
My absolute recommendation is follow your feeling and what please You most.
My egoitical peronnal option is using my seasonned Sauer 375 for almost every game, and my chapuis 470 that I never used in Africa, prefering to travel light. Stupid option but I stand to it, perhaps because I now haven't the tenth of Your commitment.
Try liberally you options. I wish You plenty of fun and also doubts and regrets so as to once again test your talents in this never ending quest for Africa hunting.
Good luck my friend and don't forget that quite a lot are living your adventure by your proxy.
Please forgive my poor English, that comes from my heart and my odd personnal believes. Good luck

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I guess that leaves me with 450-400 3' and the 9.3x62.

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How could you possibly go wrong with those two?

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Asking advices? the older the hunter the minimalist his options will be, with his OWN (I insist on own) choice.



Ripp

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After recently completing my first African hunting trip, I can honestly say I was very happy to have my 375H&H with me. I only hunted plains game, but was also involved in a cape buff and hippo hunt. The 375 performed very well on the game I took and certainly provided a degree of perceived confidence when along on the DG hunts (next time I will have a couple of solids on hand!).

My pics would be;

375H&H (used 270gr Woodleigh PP last time)
470NE Double (one day lol, from what I saw they work very well)

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Two good choices for a DG hunt.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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As regards rifles, I will simply state that I have tried the following : -416, -450/-400, 360, 350, -318, 275 and -256. At the time I possessed the double -400 I also had a 275. Sometimes I used one and sometimes the other, and it began to dawn on me that when an elephant was hit in the right place with the 275 it died just as quickly as when hit with the -400, and, vice versa, when the bullet from either rifle was wrongly placed death did not ensue. In pursuance of this train of thought I wired both triggers of the double •450/-400 together, so that when I pulled the rear one both barrels went off simultaneously. By doing this I obtained the equivalent of 800 grs. of lead propelled by 120 grs. of cordite. The net result was still the same. If wrongly placed, the 800 grs. from the -400 had no more effect than the 200 grs. from the 275. For years after that I continued to use the -275 and the -256 in all kinds of country and for all kinds of game. Each hunter should use the weapon he has most confidence .
The stampede or rush straight towards the shot was a fairly frequent occurrence in my experience; and if one were convinced that the animals were charging, one would have to write down the buffalo as an extremely dangerous animal were it not for the ease with which they are killed with end-on delivered solid bullets. Of course, flesh wounds are no good. The vitals must be raked. But in thick stuff the target is so close and so big that no one should miss it, as for all game of this nature a reliable magazine rifle is streets ahead of a double. In a mix-up with buffalo in bush it is sometimes necessary to fire four or even five shots in rapid succession, and for this the double is mere handicap.



WANDERINGS OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER

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The masters words, WDM Bell.

Larcher, interesting to read his comments on buffalo, eh? About the raking FMJ shot. But I think going even against our water buffalo with a 6.5mm or 7mm is good, but only when the shots are all placed perfectly. And not for a charge !!!

Bell is famous for the 7x57 or .275 Rigby but actually used a .318 for much of his career. The .330/.06 sized round with 250 gr porojectiles some regard as the perfect buffalo rifle, even if it is usually not legal today.

Bell also preferred the FMJ bullet.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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As regards rifles, I will simply state that I have tried the following : -416, -450/-400, 360, 350, -318, 275 and -256. At the time I possessed the double -400 I also had a 275. Sometimes I used one and sometimes the other, and it began to dawn on me that when an elephant was hit in the right place with the 275 it died just as quickly as when hit with the -400, and, vice versa, when the bullet from either rifle was wrongly placed death did not ensue. In pursuance of this train of thought I wired both triggers of the double •450/-400 together, so that when I pulled the rear one both barrels went off simultaneously. By doing this I obtained the equivalent of 800 grs. of lead propelled by 120 grs. of cordite. The net result was still the same. If wrongly placed, the 800 grs. from the -400 had no more effect than the 200 grs. from the 275. For years after that I continued to use the -275 and the -256 in all kinds of country and for all kinds of game. Each hunter should use the weapon he has most confidence .
The stampede or rush straight towards the shot was a fairly frequent occurrence in my experience; and if one were convinced that the animals were charging, one would have to write down the buffalo as an extremely dangerous animal were it not for the ease with which they are killed with end-on delivered solid bullets. Of course, flesh wounds are no good. The vitals must be raked. But in thick stuff the target is so close and so big that no one should miss it, as for all game of this nature a reliable magazine rifle is streets ahead of a double. In a mix-up with buffalo in bush it is sometimes necessary to fire four or even five shots in rapid succession, and for this the double is mere handicap.



WANDERINGS OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER

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The masters words, WDM Bell.

Larcher, interesting to read his comments on buffalo, eh? About the raking FMJ shot. But I think going even against our water buffalo with a 6.5mm or 7mm is good, but only when the shots are all placed perfectly. And not for a charge !!!

Bell is famous for the 7x57 or .275 Rigby but actually used a .318 for much of his career. The .330/.06 sized round with 250 gr porojectiles some regard as the perfect buffalo rifle, even if it is usually not legal today.

Bell also preferred the FMJ bullet.

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FMJ is king when it comes to penetration in my experience...first buffalo I took in Zim was running away after the first shot through the lungs with a 400 gr A-Frame..ran 3 Barnes Solids up the rear end..dropped him..recovered 2 but one made it all the way out..impressive results...caliber was .416 Rem..which IMHO, is the perfect buff gun.

Ripp
Ripp

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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

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Despite everything, .

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