Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North America, & More!

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North America, & More!

Welcome to The Big Game Hunting Podcast where host John McAdams discusses subjects like caliber comparisons, Africa hunting, terminal ballistics, intense hunting stories, and more – featuring a wide variety of guests from industry experts to listeners of the show from all over the world. No fluff, no baloney, just one serious big game hunter doing his best to learn, grow, and have fun alongside his listeners. New episodes release every Thursday. Join us to learn more about subjects ranging from cape buffalo hunting in Africa to hunting deer, elk, bear, and antelope in North America from internationally recognized experts in their fields. Contact me with your questions or feedback via email at: john@thebiggamehuntingblog.com Or visit the searchable archive of all Big Game Hunting Podcast episodes published since 2019 at https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/

Episodes

June 12, 2025 109 mins

John McAdams shares insights on the 375 H&H vs 9.3x62mm informed by real world data obtained at the range, afield, and in ballistic gel in this podcast episode. John discusses the design characteristics, performance specifications, pros and cons, and some hunting stories involving each cartridge. Plus, he also shares some details on what he thinks about the Ruger M77 Mk II (aka Ruger Safari Magnum) and Ruger Hawkeye rifles.

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Kevin Robertson shares some insights on kudu hunting in this podcast interview, focusing on the kudu biology, where they live, what they eat (and how that affects their behavior), how trophy quality varies from region to region, and some fascinating stories involving hunting in Africa.

Sponsor: Get in touch with me to make your Africa hunting dreams come true on a hunt in South Africa. We offer outstanding hunting safaris, simplifi...

My father, Kevin McAdams joins me in this episode to discuss three African safaris where he used classic and indeed unusual rifles and cartridges like 22 Hornet, 33 WCF, 577/450 Martini Henry, 45-70, and 50-110 Winchester. We’ll discuss how those cartridges performed over there along with several fascinating stories from those hunts involving animals like aardwolf, cheetah, honey badger, mongoose, and owl that go well beyond some o...

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Adam Wies (aka Who Tee Who on YouTube) is back on the show and we discuss a subject I know you’ll enjoy: our favorite cartridges for hunting virtually any species of big game. We’re play little game where Adam and I each list our favorite cartridge and bullet for hunting specific species of game ranging from coues whitetail all the way up to thick skinned species of African game like cape buffalo and elephant and almost everything ...

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Colby Adamek and Mark Walker discuss Sierra bullets in this podcast interview, focusing on the history of the company, the various target and hunting bullets they currently offer, the performance specifications and recommended uses of these bullets, and a couple of brand new products they released in 2025.

To enter the random drawing for the chance to test and evaluate Barnes Harvest Collection ammo or the new Sierra MKX bullets, c...

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John McAdams shares insights on the 6.5 vs 7mm PRC informed by real world data on obtained at the range, afield, and in ballistic gel in this podcast episode. John discusses the design characteristics, performance specifications, and pros and cons of each cartridge. Plus, he also shares some details on how different 6.5 PRC and 7mm PRC factory loads have performed on game afield.

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John McAdams shares insights on the 7mm PRC vs 7mm Remington Magnum informed by real world data on obtained at the range and field in this podcast episode. John discusses the design characteristics, performance specifications, and pros and cons of each cartridge. Plus, he also shares some details on how different 7mm PRC factory loads have performed on game afield.

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Joseph von Benedikt shares some insights on the 300 Holland & Holland Magnum in this podcast interview, focusing on the history of the cartridge, its performance specifications, and some fascinating stories involving hunters using the cartridge on game ranging from deer up to Alaska brown bear.

Sponsor: Join the Big Game Hunting Podcast Patreon community for the potential opportunity to have a future podcast guest answer one of you...

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April 17, 2025 46 mins

Phil Massaro shares insights on hunting aoudad out in west Texas in this podcast interview, focusing on the story of the hunt, bullet terminal performance on auodad, general tips, and equipment recommendations.

Sponsor: Go to BigGameHuntingPodcast.com/ebook and sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekda...

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John Snow of Outdoor Life shares insights on modern cartridge design in this podcast interview, explaining why rounds like the 6.5 Creedmoor have a crucial edge.

Sponsor: Go to BigGameHuntingPodcast.com/ebook and sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

In this episode of The Big Game Hunting Podcas...

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Tyler Freel shares insights on hunting big game with the 338 Lapua Magnum in this podcast interview, focusing on terminal performance, favorite loads, and recoil management.

Sponsor: Go to https://BigGameHuntingPodcast.com/ebook and sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

In this episode of The Big...

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I have Gregg Ritz on the show with me again today to talk about the latest updates from Thompson/Center. T/C is literally shipping guns out the door right now and Gregg and I discuss the stuff that’s currently available, what other products will be shipping later this year, what other products are coming soon from the company, and what the future holds for Thompson/Center in 2026 and 2027.

Sponsor: Go to BigGameHuntingPodcast.com/e...

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March 20, 2025 29 mins

How would you like it if you could find a hunting rifle that shoots accurately without an extensive barrel break-in, is lightweight and easy to carry, contains a bunch of premium features, and comes in at under $2,000? Well, the Bergara B-14 Squared Crest Carbon might just fit the bill in all of those areas. In this episode, I conduct a detailed analysis of the Bergara Crest Carbon where I tell you all about this rifle so you can m...

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Today we’re going to talk about two completely different rounds: the 45-70 Government and the 308 Winchester. Comparing these two cartridges is a great example of how a person who doesn’t know any better can get a wildly distorted view of how two cartridges compare to each other by simply looking at their performance on paper. We’ll discuss the overall design characteristics and performance specs of each round then compare how they...

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I got the chance to sit down with Hunter McWaters from The Hunter’s Quest in this episode. We discussed how he got interested in western hunting along with the story of a cool, horseback elk hunt he went on in Wyoming during 2024. Hunter lives in Virginia, so his tale may seem familiar to those of you who from that part of the country who are interested in breaking into the western hunting world.

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Today we’re going to talk about two high octane 22 caliber centerfire cartridges: the 22-250 Remington and the 22 Creedmoor. We’ll discuss the overall design characteristics and performance specs of each round, then compare how they stack up next to each other. I’ll also cover how they each perform in some ballistic gel tests and discuss some interesting aspects of how they each performed at the range. 

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I have a few announcements to share with you on this unusual mid-week episode regarding our upcoming hunt for the military veteran we're conducting in June of 2025 and a special request for all listeners regarding future episodes.

Resources

See video of our previous veteran hunt here

Take the Big Game Hunting Podcast Listener Survey here (everyone who completes the survey wil...

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I got the chance to sit down with Aaron Davidson from Gunwerks at the DSC convention in Atlanta and we discussed the ins and outs of bullet selection, external ballistics, and terminal performance. I felt like I was drinking from a firehose talking to Aaron, but he does a fantastic job of breaking down why he uses various bullets for certain situations, why he opts for certain shot placement with certain bullets, how various bullet...

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I discuss all of the 35 Caliber SAAMI standardized cartridges (plus a couple of other noteworthy rounds) in this episode. As always, I’ll talk about their history, design characteristics, performance specs, their strengths and weaknesses, and their recommended uses in detail. Where appropriate, I’ll also share some personal anecdotes involving these rounds as well as some observations involving various cartridges by noteworthy gun ...

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February 10, 2025 34 mins

Today Buz Mills from the National Rifle Association joins me on the show to talk about the upcoming election for the NRA board of directors. In any case, I’m a life member of the NRA and I’m saddened and disappointed with what has happened with the organization in recent years. Well, Buz Mills is spearheading an effort at reforming the National Rifle Association and bringing the focus of the organization back to its original core v...

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