Past are the days of hunting with a 300 Win Mag or a 375 H&H Mag for me. To be a competent shot in the field requires practice at the range. I did not find it a pleasant experience shooting the magnums at the range. Consequently I developed bad flinch as a result which reflected in my field performance. Both calibres even "popped" a rib causing excruciating pain and a subsequent chiropractor’s bill. That damn 300 WM was an upgrade from my old Tikka 270 too. What huge mistake that was, as I rarely missed a shot on game with the 270.

The Ruger 300 WM was eventually replaced by the Ruger 30-06 and the Brno CZ 375 H&H Mag was replaced by the Marlin 45-70. That was 4-5 years ago.

The Ruger 30-06 has the laminated stock and is an absolute dream to shoot with Speer 165gn SPs at 2800ft/s. I have fitted a Decelerator pad on my Marlin 45-70 which made that rifle a relatively pleasant unit to shoot with 300gn HPs at 2000ft/s and 405gn cast lead at 1300ft/s.

From my experience, I have realised that the 270, 30-06 and 45-70, with the right choice of projectile, are more than adequate for all Australian game (bunnies to buffalo) in all conditions without the punishing recoil.