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Good point Rockdoc. I don't have enough of a broad experience to have a meaningful choice, but reading Pierre van der Walt's books and others, the consensus is that all the big NE calibers function in pretty much the same performance envelope. ~ 500 grains at 2150 fps..... So the difference between them would seem to be defined more by the fit of the rifle to the individual if we consider that availability of brass and bullets vary by country, and by economic and political climate.

Call me a cynical heretic if you will, but my choice in calibers for "favourites" is more rifle centric, and I'll deal with the caliber as it's served as long as I feel I have a reasonable chance of finding brass, bullets, and load data......

I really sweated over my first big double in .470 because of cost and limited supply of ammo, brass, and mostly bullets. With a little effort, I found all fairly available, but certainly neither cheap, nor available at Wally World. Had to put some effort into looking for it.

Fast forward some, and I went off the rarely beaten path and got a bespoke rifle with two barrels sets, one in .450NE because I saw that Hornady was selling ammo and brass with reasonable distribution here in Canada at a few of the finer high end gun shops, and I ordered a second barrel set in .375 flanged magnum because I really wanted that caliber because it was flanged, reasonably heavy to take a wide variety of game from small to large, and I had easy access to all manner of bullets. Then I hit a 2 year issue finding brass. F*ck!!!!! I first found 40 rounds of loaded ammo 1500 miles away about 6 months after ordering the rifle, then I found another 5 rounds of old Kynoch ammo in an old dirt floor type of shop and of course I bought them - still unfired because I fear they are corrosive primed, but the brass was another 5 that I had. Then I found a shop that would order brass from overseas in London for me and I bought 100 pieces. And finally I found 200 pieces 2000 miles away in-country two years after I ordered the rifle.... Yep. It was not very available, but I am smitten with it and I have enough brass to last me a long time. Of note, both the .450 and .375 had lots and lots of bullets once I solved for brass and dies. The .470 bullet availabilty is much harder to find...... Available indeed, but not like the other two. For the .500NE I found that I can very easily turn .470 brass into .500 NE brass if need be, but the .500 bullets are no more available than the .470 bullets. For the .500, purpose built brass and the dies were no more challenging to find than the .470, but again not too common.

So, I have no qualms about taking my bespoke rifle hunting overseas, but will probably hedge my bets and take a .375 H&H with me as antidote for lost luggage and lost ammo..... and so it goes!!!

But does availability modify what my favorite caliber might be? If I find a hammer rifle that I really love that fits me and it comes in .500-450 which by the way I have yet to find brass or dies for, I would buy it and if the rifle fit better than all my others, well then that caliber might become my favorite once I got dies and a supply of brass......

Edited by Postman (04/10/16 12:49 PM)

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