RIFLES
Dangerous Game Calibers
An African Professional Hunter gives his recommendations on what calibers cut it for dangerous game and which ones don't.
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At 33 years old, professional hunter Peter Barnard has done a heck of a lot of hunting. The Zimbabwe native has been a PH for 13 years, these days plying his trade for Tanzania Adventures Inc. In his career he's amassed some impressive numbers. He's guided clients to 160 Cape buffalo, a dozen lions, 40 leopards and a like number of elephants, and 50 of the new member of the Big Five: the hippo.
When Peter says this, he isn't bragging. For one thing, I made him tell me--over drinks one night after we'd finished a day of chasing Cape buffalo in the Rungwa Ikili area of Tanzania back in September. What these numbers really say is that Peter is undeniably qualified to pontificate on that most favorite of campfire topics on any continent where hunters gather: What are the best calibers for dangerous game?
Obviously, the man really knows his buffalo, so we'll start there.
"The .375 H&H is adequate, as you've seen [my wife and I had killed a buffalo apiece at that point, both animals falling to the Holland & Holland]. On the other end, you can use a .700 Nitro--but if you hit him in the guts, it won't matter. Big calibers don't overcome poor shooting.
"Actually, I like to see clients use something slightly bigger than the .375. The .450 Dakota has really impressed me a lot. The .416s are good, but once people move up to things like the .458 Lott, then I begin to see a lot of flinching.
"I'm not a big fan of the faster calibers, like the .33-378 Weatherby. Mostly that's because of the bullets; only the best can hold up to that kind of velocity at close range and on game as tough as buffalo. With top quality bullets I guess it's okay, but I don't see the advantage.
"The .458 Winchester Magnum is underrated because the original bullets and powders weren't up to the task.. These days the bullets are so good you can shoot the Winchester .458 out to 150 yards and kill buffalo.
Peter's top picks for buffalo: .375 H&H, .416 Remington and Rigby, and .450 Dakota.
As you would expect, he's got preferences in rifles, too.
"I see people coming here with doubles, but they're not good with them," he says.
This particularly true with Americans, he notes, because we shoot scoped bolt actions almost exclusively our whole hunting lives, and a few practice sessions with a powerful double rifle (which is the most many of us could stand) is not enough.
"When you're hunting with double rifles, you have to get real close, and even at 50 yards the front bead is so big it covers half the buffalo," he says. The moral: If you choose to shoot a double, make sure it has a fine bead.
It's worth noting here that Peter's own rifle, carried on backup for our buffalo hunt, was a well-worn Interarms Mauser in .416 Remington Magnum. Not only is he a fan of the caliber, he prefers the Mauser-style safety over other types.
