Light Heavyweight
The Light Heavyweight class of cartridges start with the .325 WSM and 8mm Remington Magnum, and head right up to the various .375s. The .375s, and some 9.3mm rounds such as the 9.3x62mm, are most often allowed as the minimum in Africa for the toughest dangerous game. Other large dangerous game — such as Alaskan brown bear — have been taken with smaller calibers, but we and many others do not recommend it.
Recoil of the larger-cased cartridges in this category can be punishing. For example, the 8mm Mauser can be handled by most physically fit shooters, whereas the 8mm Remington Magnum may be an eye-opening unpleasant surprise. When shot from the bench, we recommend that something be used to mitigate recoil. The use of muzzle brakes has increased over the past couple of decades, but some hunting companies and guides still do not allow their use because of the deafening muzzle blast.
Some of the rifles in this class have exhibited extraordinary accuracy, and are regularly used in long-range competition. We personally have one that has printed 3/4-inch groups at 300 yards.
8MM Remington Magnum
Sometimes political discussions develop, and eventually they get around to the subject of, " Why can't both sides of the aisle get along? What has happened to the country?" I think there was a singular point in time when Republicans and Democrats became intently divided; so many votes since then have been right down party lines. It was during the arguments surrounding President Clinton'
338 Federal
Imagine a 308 Winchester with a lot of additional knock-down power. The 338 Federal is essentially nothing more than the 308 necked up 0.030", which allows it to shoot 185-grain bullets at the same velocity as 165-grain bullets in the 308. In addition, the greater frontal area of the 0.338-inch-diameter bullets makes for
338 Winchester Magnum
I like to pair off great cartridges in ways that suit me. Some are especially comfortable as teams. For example, the 280 Remington and 35 Whelen are about perfect when it comes to most North American big game. And then there's the 7mm Remington Magnum and 338 Winchester Magnum. An ideal pair. When you're looking to the
340 Weatherby Magnum
Way back in the olden days, when Elmer Keith lived seven miles north of Northfork, Idaho, some 30 miles north of Salmon, he and a couple of friends developed a cartridge they called the 334 OKH. Ironically, the ranch Elmer Keith used to live on above Northfork is located on the opposite side of the road from mile marker 334 on U.S. 93. Elmer died on Valentine's Day in 1984. The OKH stood for O'Neil, Keith, and Hopkins. The cartridge was essentially
338 Remington Ultra Magnum
When unpublished word was getting around in some circles that the 338 Lapua wasn't inherently particularly accurate, I wasn't interested. I already had a couple of rifles chambered in 340 Weatherby Magnum at the time, and they both shot in 5/8th-inch territory. Now keep in mind, that was before I got the Ed Brown Marine Sniper, which shoots sub-half-inch clusters, and consistently under an inch at 200 yards. So, no need for a 338 Lapua; a cartridge that had been receiving grumbles from knowledgeable shooters whom I trust
35 Whelen
A discussion developed over dinner recently, where several experienced hunters worked over the subject of the ideal North American rifle for larger game. Many things were taken into consideration including manageable recoil, availability of quality bullets, accuracy out to reasonable range (300 yards maximum), magazine capacity, reliability, and so on. Dinner and dessert did not manage to outlast the
358 Norma Magnum
These days, this is an obscure cartridge in North America, and not particularly popular anywhere else. In appearance it looks very much like the 338 Winchester Magnum, but a closer look will reveal that the bullet is fatter. In fact, the 358 Norma Magnum is almost exactly like what a 35-caliber cartridge based on the 338 Win Mag case would be. Even so, there are
358 Shooting Times Alaska
The 358 STA was created by necking up the 8mm Remington Magnum case to 35 caliber. Although A-Square has made brass and loaded rounds, the 358 STA is primarily considered to be a "wildcat" cartridge. After Layne Simpson initially started messing with the idea in 1990, it was later decided to straighten out the case a little to add more powder capacity. Case body diameter at the location where the shoulder begins was increased from 0.487" to 0.502". Make no mistake; this round is a real bad boy, capable of taking any game in the world. It drives 250-grain bullets at nearly 3000 fps, a good 150 fps faster than the
375 Holland & Holland Magnum
This magnificent cartridge has been around since 1912, a product of the London-based firm of Holland & Holland. The belt is intended to serve in place of a rim in controlling headspace, which it does just beautifully. The 375 has spawned many other magnum cartridges that use the same basic head and belt design, including most of the Weatherby rounds; the 6.5mm, 7mm, 8mm, and 350 Remington Magnum; Winchester's 264, 300, 338, and 458 Magnum; the 458 Lott, 7mm STW, 358 STA, and a number of others. Following the 375 H&H was the 300 H&H in 1925, which to this
375 Ruger
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That age-old question may have something to do with the development of the 375 Ruger,
Ruger already had a splendid safari rifle. The Model 77 RSM was nothing short of a masterpiece; Circassian walnut stocked and grossly underpriced, even at the end of production when they retailed for around $2400. They were worth an easy $4000. Just take a close look when you're watching DVDs about African hunting of dangerous game. Time after time you'll see
378 Weatherby Magnum
Roy Weatherby introduced this extremely powerful cartridge in 1953, and at that time paired it up with the 1917 Enfield and later the Brevex Magnum Mauser action. By 1958, he had his own Mark V Action that easily held the cartridge and two below it in the straight-feed magazine.
The 378 Weatherby Magnum was intended to