handloaded 500-grain Hornady steel-jacketed bullets

500-grain solid bullet
458 rifle for elephant and buffalo

I have a 460 weatherby now that is huge recoil but I never flinch with it I just pretend to be shooting a .22 but 4 shots is the most I can take in a day.

but it is the Ultimate huge game round with a 500Gr

A 375 weatherby mag would work fine for everthing.But dont forget about bullet placement. you can shoot a whitetail in the a$$ with a 375 and it want bother it much

oh i bet it would bother it but its heart would be pumping so much from the bang it wont stop for 5 miles but id bet that hole in its a$$ would sure bother it

Rick,
perceived recoil is as much a function of the charge and bullet weight as it is stock design and rifle weight. A friend's Savage 110 in 300 Win Mag had the nastiest recoil of anything I have shot because it was light and the factory stock shape was terrible.
I have a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H and at 8.5 pounds that shoots 300 grain bullets very nicely and handloaded it is no slouch for velocity. It is nice to carry but If I get it tucked into my shoulder half an inch off, I get whacked. My Ruger 77 mkII in .416 Rigby weighs 11 pounds loaded and even with a hot 400 grain load, it is only a good shove and very forgiving. Both are factory stocks and resonably straight, but the weight really makes the biggest difference. They have what the aforementioned Savage didnt in both regards. For comparison sake, I'm a little guy, 6'1" and 220 pounds.

Referring to those 150# Europeans of 1900, those guys were of a bit sterner stuff that we are these days. We have living a lot easier than they did. I guess that is why they didn't live nearly as long as we do. Going out and chasing lions and tigers and bears oh my, every week would eventually tire any man out, often leading to a prematurely punctured pelt.

Find a shooter with a .416 and a .458, buy him a couple beers for the chance to shoot his rifles and see what you think. Caution, factory .416 Rigby ammo runs better than $6.00 a pop, so the beer better be the good stuff! But shooting it is as much fun as a really good bottle of stout or porter.

Comfort and practice are the two most important factors. I shot two cape buffalo, a zebra, a gazelle, a hartebeest, and an impala with my .375 H & H. It is a Weatherby and came with a muzzle brake, which can be removed easily. The recoil is more of a straight push back into the shoulder, rather than a sharp, hard kick with a lot of muzzle lift. I really like the gun and it killed the buffaloes from 120 yards well, they only went about 25 yards. I was able to get two shots into both, with a final make sure shot from close range after they went down. I shot the hartebneest at 280 yards ( guessing at the drift and drop since I never shot it over 200 yards before) and nailed the animal dead center chest. Bigger bullets do not necessarily translate to greater accuracy and accuracy kills best and recoil is accuracy's worst enemy. My Ph never complained about it being too small.

One shot kill is something nice to talk about at the local bar, but if you are talking about dangerous game in Africa, you best adjust that opinion, and place the first one properly, and stop shooting when the game is on the ground, or out of sight! The two things that worries a PH in Africa is a Client hunter with a 460 WBY flinch, or a guy who shoots one shot, then watches his target go into the weeds! The last words heard on a trophy fee gone bad, are "I believe that will be a one shot kill!"

It is true anything that gets to the CNS (Central Nervous System)will kill anything that walks the Earth. The problem is getting that bullet into the CNS.
A good client hunter, will never hear his PH's rifle go off. If a 375 H&H is what you shoot best, so be it!, but if you can handle it, a larger rifle is better. I've shot a lot of Buffalo with a 375H&H, but I prefere something in the .400 class, or larger, in a CRF bolt action, or my favorite, a S/S double rifle, where "BITE-BACKS" are concerened.

People need to get away from that old idea that the PH will drag your nuts out of the fire. There have been many cases where the PH is the first one hit, and the war was left up to the client, who had to drag the PH's nuts out of a fire. He's there to give you advice, an to shoot your game, only if you are hurt, or the animal is getting into the thorn, where some one is likely to be hurt in the follow-up !

I have made several trips to Africa. and the smallest cal rifle that I take is
the .375HH.
My big game rifle is a Boswell .500 I believe in a double rifle for
dangerous game.
This combo has not failed me yet