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PODCAST

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

sports wilderness

All Episodes

01:28:59

411: 458 Win Mag vs 45-70 Govt Cartridge Comparison

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/02/19

Here's how the mighty 458 Winchester Magnum stacks up against the venerable 45-70 Government cartridge, especially with regards to how both perform in Africa. In this episode, we discuss the history, design characteristics, and performance specs of each round. We'll also discuss the pros and cons of each one, a few stories involving hunting with the 45-70 and 458 Win Mag, and I'll also discuss the results of some of my investigations regarding tacking myths and misconceptions involving both rounds

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47:27

410: Best Cartridges For Hunting Africa

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/02/12

We're talking about the best cartridges for hunting Africa in this episode: plains game, thick-skinned dangerous game, cats, etc. The cartridges I list in this episode are based off the results of surveys I've recently conducted of over 2,000 hunters from all over the world who have hunted Africa. In addition to breaking down those cartridges that are most popular for hunting Africa in general, I also drill down into the most popular ones used by Professional Hunters and in client rifles. I'll also

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01:12:47

409: 49 Years Of African Safaris With Craig Boddington

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/02/05

Craig Boddington joins me on the show today as we discuss trends he has observed since his first African hunting safari nearly 49 years ago. Craig and I talk about countries that have opened and closed hunting since his first safari, dramatic changes in the populations of various animals (for better and worse) that have occurred since then, trends he has noticed in various Africa countries in terms of where he'd go to hunt different animals, differences in availability of ammunition loaded with

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01:28:47

408: Best Bullets For Hunting Plains Game In Africa

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/01/29

We're talking about the best bullets for hunting plains game in Africa in this episode. I've hunted a lot of plains game with a wide spectrum of bullets, so I'll talk about some of my noteworthy experiences with those different models and provide some recommendations for plains game hunting bullets based on those experiences. 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, simplified hunt logistics,

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01:01:20

407: New 35 Whelen & 9.3x62mm Rifles From Ruger

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/01/22

Lipsey's and Ruger have teamed up to release a couple of new Hawkeye and No. 1 rifles in 35 Whelen and 9.3×62. Those are outstanding rifles (especially in 9.3x62mm) for hunting the whole spectrum of game ranging from whitetail adeer and feral hogs up to cape buffalo and elephant in Africa. Jason Cloessner from Lipsey's joins me on the show today to discuss these new rifles in detail. Sponsor: Get in touch with me to make your Africa hunting dreams come true on a hunt in South Africa. We offer

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01:10:32

406: Gemsbok Hunting 101 With Kevin Robertson

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/01/15

Kevin Robertson shares some insights on gemsbok hunting in this podcast interview, focusing on gemsbok 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 gemsbok 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, simplified hunt logistics, assistance with many of the pain points

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47:13

405: 405 Winchester-Roosevelt's Medicine Gun For Lions

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/01/08

We're talking about the 405 Winchester today, which is President Theodore Roosevelt's legendary medicine gun for lions. To this day, that statement remains one of the most effective presidential endorsements of any product ever. We will discuss more details of how that cartridge performed for Theodore Roosevelt in Africa, plus I'll also cover the history and performance specs of the cartridge, it's strengths and limitations, some other hunting stories involving it, and some recommendations on the

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01:10:14

404: 404 Jeffery With Phil Massaro

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2026/01/01

Phil Massaro shares some insights on the 404 Jeffery in this podcast interview, focusing on the history of the cartridge, its performance specifications, and some fascinating stories about his hunts equipped with the 404 on game like black bear, water buffalo, cape buffalo, and elephant. Sponsor: Join the Big Game Hunting Podcast tribe for the potential opportunity to have a future podcast guest answer one of your questions on the air along with access to all my bonus material

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56:19

403: Muzzleloader Elk In Arizona With Andrew Marlin

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/12/22

I got the chance to sit down with Andrew Marlin from The Dove Guy podcast in this episode and he shares the story of his successful, muzzleloader self-guided elk hunt in Arizona this year. 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. Get in touch with Grant McCune of Zona Guides to book an elk, antelope, deer, or bear

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56:58

402: Worst & Best Creedmoor-22 vs 6mm vs 25 vs 6.5...

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/12/18

Here are my thoughts on the entire Creedmoor family: the 22 Creedmoor, the 6mm Creedmoor, the 25 Creedmoor and the 6.5 Creedmoor. We'll discuss how they stack up next to each other on paper, how they perform afield on game, and what the ideal use cases are for each one. I'll also share my picks for the "Best Creedmoor" and the "Worst Creedmoor". 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

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01:17:41

401: Best Cartridge for Hunting Darn Near Anything...

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/12/11

Richard Mann 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 Richard 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 in between like mule deer, elk, black bear, etc. The catch is we cannot reuse a cartridge

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01:11:41

400: 40 Caliber Cartridges: The Ultimate Guide

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/12/04

I discuss all of the 40 caliber SAAMI standardized rifle cartridges (plus one other noteworthy CIP round) 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 writers as well. Cartridges covered: 44-40 WCF, 45-70 Government,

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01:16

BONUS: Vote For Me For Podcast Of The Year!

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/12/01

I am honored to be among those nominated for the Podcast of The Year award at the 2026 Gundies. Thank you to all of you who nominated me for this award. Voting for the Gundies begins TODAY, 1 December 2025 and I need your votes again to win it. Cast your vote at TheGundies.com and help me take home the win! You can vote once each day from now until 15 December 2025. Thanks for your vote!

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01:06:49

399: 8mm & 32 Caliber Cartridges: The Ultimate Guide

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/11/26

I discuss all of the 8mm and 32 caliber SAAMI standardized cartridges (plus a couple of other noteworthy CIP 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 writers as well. Cartridges covered: 8x57mmI, 8x57mmIS,

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01:47:40

398: 6.5mm Cartridges: The Ultimate Guide

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/11/20

I discuss all of the 6.5mm SAAMI standardized cartridges (plus a couple of other noteworthy CIP 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 writers as well. Cartridges covered: 6.5x52mm Carcano, 6.5×55 Swede,

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01:25:18

397: An Elk Guide Shares His Favorite Elk Hunting...

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/11/13

Today, Rob Massa from the Bergara Academy and the R&K Hunting Company in Wyoming joins me on the show to discuss some observations he has made on what cartridges and bullets work and don't work from over 20 years outfitting elk hunts in Wyoming. I first met Rob while attending an event at the Bergara long range shooting Academy in 2024 and I was incredibly impressed both with his knowledge of shooting and hunting as well with the professionalism he ran the Bergara Academy and the R&K Hunting Company

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01:02:11

396: 2025 Wyoming Elk Hunt Recap

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/11/06

I just made it home from an outstanding elk hunt in Wyoming! Despite some unique struggles, I had an amazing trip and I successfully took a beautiful bull elk. Today's episode is a detailed recap of this hunt, evaluations of some gear I used, and some of the lessons we learned along the way. I also share two exciting announcements near the end. Sponsor: Get in touch with Rob at The R&K Hunting Company In Wyoming to book an elk, antelope, or deer hunt. I cannot recommend them highly enough: they have

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01:03:21

395: 22 Creedmoor vs 6.5 Creedmoor Caliber Comparison

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/10/30

John McAdams shares insights on the 22 Creedmoor vs 6.5 Creedmoor 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 Creedmoor and 22 Creedmoor factory loads have performed on game afield. Sponsor: Go to BigGameHuntingPodcast.com/ebook and sign up for my free e-book on the best

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01:04:15

394: 35 Whelen, 444 Marlin, & Magnum Muzzleloaders...

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/10/23

Brad Watts, the director of marketing for CVA, joins me on the show to talk about the diverse array of muzzleloaders and rifles CVA produces. Of note, CVA currently produces a number of rifles in more esoteric cartridges like 35 Whelen, 444 Marlin, and 400 Legend. Not only that, but they also produce other rifles and muzzleloaders that are in compliance with very specific hunting regulations in states like Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, and Oregon. And finally, they also produce plenty of more

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43:04

393: Best Deer Hunting Ammo For 2025

Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North... ·

2025/10/16

John McAdams shares three different recommendations for ammunition and bullets for deer hunters to use in 2025 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 offerings. Plus, he also shares some details on how those different bullets have performed on game afield. Sponsor: Go to BigGameHuntingPodcast.com/ebook and sign up for my free e-book on

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430 results

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