You’ve probably heard that African dangerous game can absorb five hits from an Abrams tank and keep on charging. You’ve probably heard that kudu, eland, wildebeest and even impala are so tough from evading lions and leopards they’ll soak up bullets that would floor a North American brown bear. Nonsense.
The .375 bore is the legal minimum for dangerous game in many African countries, and with good reason: it generates just over 4,000 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle, and offers a bullet with enough Sectional Density to get the job done, and done well.
An African safari can be one of the highlights of any hunter’s career. So you'll want to take strides to make sure you don't screw it up. Here's what a few Professional Hunters have to say about preparing for the Dark Continent.
Weighing as little as 10 pounds, southern Africa’s often overlooked miniature antelope species require just as much consideration over caliber as their larger plains-game counterparts.
Although this particular bolt gun at first seemed an unlikely choice for a safari—it was named for a mountain range in upstate New York and designed for hunting heavily timbered terrain—the minimal dimensions and balance of the Kimber Adirondack proved an easy-handling rifle has a place on any continent.
Luck is the lady, as they say—particularly in the Kriley household—as this couple hunting dedicates both time and personal resources to preserving our cherished American freedoms.
Not every trip ends with a trophy. That said, in order to lose against a leopard, Executive Editor Adam Heggenstaller had to hunt one. Read his story here.