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Thanks again for the feedback! We had a fantastic time and while I am not sure we can top it, I am willing to try! We are currently lining up a Leopard, Hippo, Croc, and more PG (Sable/Roan etc) with Limcroma for August 2008, which should be a super safari for next year. We are also putting a deposit on Elephant + some PG for 2009 with them too. The BIG goal is to afford a rhino in 2010 to finish my first Big 6!

For your viewing pleasure I have just updated our website for the hunt with more photos from the hunt!
The link is: http://web.mac.com/hunter_elam/iWeb/Safari/SAFARI.html

I absolutely love the H&H calibers. The 300 & 375 make for an ideal combo. Heck you don't really need anything else. I have been using the Barnes book load for the 300H&H of a 180gr triple shock over 68gr of H4350 with a WLMR primer (the Winchester primers do well for this load although they call for a REM 9 1/2). The book shows it flying at 2988fps and I get around 2985 which is fast and flat with around 3 inch drop at 200 and 11.5 at 300 when dead on at 100. It dropped everything in its tracks and was super for the flat grass plains in Nylstrom where I took the Reedbuck. Heck even the factory 180gr Barnes loads from Federal are good too!

We discussed loading the heavier 200+gr bullets but I’m glad I didn’t do it. If I needed the “bigger stick” I could always go up to the 375 and at 180gr you have the perfect combo of long range, great energy/penetration, and stability in wind. I can tell you in several places I hunted it was a lot closer to Antelope hunting in the US than “traditional safari hunting” with shots at 300+ yards and literally no way to stalk closer. Several of these plains where like staking in an empty Wal-Mart parking lot; nothing but air to hid behind! The 180gr load out of my Dakota is literally a “death laser” as far as accuracy goes. With the Swarovski cranked up to 6X I took some rather “technically demanding” shots at range. For example the Blesbuck was at 230 meters at a full trot and was felled with 1 shot behind the shoulder. While I do practice a lot off the sticks; having a very accurate load and a rifle that is spot on will make you look great every time!

In the 375 H&H I am loading the 300gr Triple shocks and banded solids from Barnes, which fly to the same POI with very minor adjustments to the loads. I use the same 68gr of H4350 with the same WLMR Primers and get an honest 2475FPS out of them. This load also dropped everything I shot it at. I do feel the triple shock bullets are quite hard and act more like solids on animals up to Kudu in size. Unless you hit a shoulder bone (and sometimes even then) they go right through! They are designed for the “worst case” animal (Buffalo) so they run harder than say a Nosler Partition. We recovered the Barnes from my Eland, which was a huge bodied bull (although it doesn't look like it in the picture as his chest was in a pit). It was found right under the skin on the off side and is perfectly expanded (as are the ones from our lions) which you can see on our website. This is after going through some big shoulder bones! The Barnes bullet in whatever caliber penetrates very deeply and will hammer the snot out of everything in the way. That said, you really must be cautious in heard hunting to assure that there are no other animals behind your intended trophy, as they do tend to yield pass through shots. So unless you want to pay for 2 Kudu and chase 1 for 3 days; I suggest picking those close in shots carefully!

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