Question for Gary

But it better be legal here in the states or you won't get it back in when you come home. All guns have to be registered with the U.S. Customs office before you leave and that form has to be shown when you enter the states again. So stick with the legal rifle and barrel length.

The minimum for dangerous game is 375 in most African countries with a couple allowing the 9.3 as the minimum. For other game, there is no minimum other than common sense. Animals like Blue Wildebeest, Kudu, Gemsbok, eland, Red Hartebeest and a few others are extremely hard to put down. I know of a few that have gone down with one shot from a 30 caliber rifle but in my mind those are flukes as I have seen ten times that many take 5 and 6 rounds of large calibers and still be on their feet. I have video of a Blue Wildebeest taking 7 rounds of hot loaded 450 GNR. I have seen Kudu take 5 and 6 rounds of 470 Nitro. I have seen Blue Wildebeest take 3 rounds of 378 GNR on the point of shoulder, each one knocking him down, then getting up and running. That same animal took 4 rounds of hot loaded 510 GNR before he finally gave up the ghost. All 7 rounds could be covered by a saucer on point of shoulder or just behind it. Any of the 7 should have killed him.

I have taken Kudu, Gemsbok, Waterbuck, both Black and Blue Wildebeest with one shot each, but in most cases the round blew their heart and lungs up completely yet they ran a quarter mile. I shot an Impala (maybe 90 lbs) walking uphill from me with the 378 GNR. It hit him in the bunghole and went all the way thru him exiting at center chest. He ran off with guts hanging out and jumped some thorn bushes. His internals snagged on the thorn bush and ripped out. He ran a good 400 yards, maybe more with no guts inside him at all. Colleen shot a Springbok (80 lb animal) with a 270 rifle. It flipped him into a bush and he got up and ran off. When we got to the area where he fell his heart was in the bush, yet he ran several hundred yards before he fell.

The gist of all this is take the largest caliber you can shoot well. And I don't necessarily mean a 458 or 375 but at least one of the 30 caliber magnums with a good bonded core bullet. African animals are extremely hard to put down, much harder than American game animals. Like I said I know folks that have taken Wildebeest and such with one shot but again I have also seen guys that I know to be very good shots take several shots to put down a Blue Wildebeest. So if you are planning a trip to Africa, the main word is PRACTICE, from every position you might have to shoot your rifle from. Then get up and practice some more.