Guys,

My wife and I want to plan an African Safari trip and I have started doing my research. One thing I know I need to do is purchase a rifle in a larger caliber that I can take and use on the hunt which is where the 300 magnum comes in. I already own a 7 magnum and a 300 magnum but neither has a break on it and I have no intention of putting a break on either one of these. Before I spend the money I need to know what kind of recoil I can expect from a 300 magnum with a good muzzle brake on it. When we are talking recoil can you please compare a smaller caliber rifle without a brake? For instance my 6.5 CM with the brake feels much like that of a .22 with the brake on it, it does weigh 17lbs which also reduces the recoil. I understand the 300 wouldn't be close to that but I need to know if I can handle the recoil while practicing. I just had my second neck fusion surgery a month ago and I simply can't take the recoil I once could but in order to go on this trip I believe I need to be able to shoulder and shoot at least the 300 magnum. So before I spend the money I want to know if the recoil I would get would be manageable for me. I'm just looking to hunt plains game there so the 300 should be enough gun for the job.

Thanks,

Mel

.300 Win Mag?

If so, with a side gill, top port brake (not radial) the .300 Win Mag can feel like a bare muzzle .308 Win. There are brakes out there that reduce recoil by 45%.

I have no idea about a 300 with a brake but I think I heard somewhere that many of the guides over there do not want you using a gun with a brake because of their proximity to you when you’re shooting. I could be off base on this but I may be worth looking into.

Here’s an article with some nice charts to give you an idea about % reduction on specific brakes.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/02/jeremy-s/308-muzzle-brake-test/amp/

Unless you are hunting dangerous game (most of which would require more than a .300 anyway), I would forget about the .300 and simply take a rifle with more manageable recoil. A .300 is simply not required for plains game. BMD’s daughter Kacee has killed just about every species of plains game available with her 7mm-08 without issue.

I know brakes are all the rage in the shooting world, but most outfitters and guides hate them. I have read that many PHs feel the same way. The best guidance of what will work will usually come from your PH. I would talk to them.

I run a "Little Bastard" brake on my 300 win mag. Works very well. I can easily shoot 50 rounds and have no ill effects at all.

That included eland and sable and both can be hard to put down. I'm with NP, go with less gun. A .308 with 165s would kill just about anything on your list about as far as you're willing to shoot.

The wife and I went to Namibia in 2011 for a plains game hunt. I used a 300WM totally stock rifle and the wife used an old standby the 30-06, here again a factory stock gun. She & I killed Kudo, Gemsbok, red hartebeest, and blue wildebeest. No problems what so ever. I was shooting factory Rem 180 corelok, and am not positive but think the wife was shooting 165 Rem corelok in the 06.

If a gun recoils too much for you, you don't need a muzzle brake. You need to drop down in powder capacity. I would load the 7 mag you have and go hunting if you can handle it. If not, there is nothing in Africa that you can hunt with a .300 Win that you couldn't take with a plain vanilla .308 Winchester. My kids have killed 5 gemsbok and an elk with a 7mm-08.