Best "Flat Shooting" caliber to take to the "Dark Continent"

[375 Ruger Fan]

So I am a little surprised and disappointed that someone hasn't posed this question yet, along with the obvious answer.

The best "flat shooting" caliber to take to the "Dark Continent" The 6.5 Creedmoor of course.

Can we please stop talking about "flat shooting" cartridges

Using MPBR and comparing apples to apples (Nosler Partitions only), let's put this concept to bed for good. In common small bores, there is no practical difference in trajectories out to 300 yards, so PLEASE stop talking about it. It isn't even remotely interesting. For people new to the...

www.africahunting.com

Hello from Bwana Moja. Africa is NOT "The Dark Continent"

Greetings to All, I might know a handful of the good women and men who contribute to this forum. I met Jerome a few years back. He gave me a really cool hat and it blew off my head when I was taking a helicopter ride hovering above the Okavango Delta. I might chime in from time to time. I'm...

www.africahunting.com

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

 

[318AE]

Why doesn’t the 358 Winchester get any love on this one? With bullets from Josh In Mexico!

 

[ducmarc]

Like 257 or 270 weatherby.the 6.5 doesn't do anymore than my 6mm Remington which I would not take to Africa.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

60mm mortar? It did get much flatter than that!

 

[Zambezi]

Belt fed mortars are flat shooting but they don't have a lot of range. Good for buff or jumbo I would think

 

[Jfet]

The 6.5 Creedmoor of course.

In a Blaser R8

 

[375er]

Acutally I think a wildcat 22-460 magnum would be about perfect.

 

[Beck]

.300 winchester magnum. Big enough to kill all of the plains game, and ammo availability is good

 

[C.W. Richter]

Your fav hot 6.5-7-300-338. Flat shooting calibers (generally designed for work out beyond 400 yds, but) suitable for high energy impact, penetration (using heavy, high SD bullets) and terminal performance on African PG. Why these calibers succeeded on DG in the past. Let's stop talking about uninteresting cartridges that absolutely do NOT shoot flat and maintain energy way out! Nothing wrong with 50% more muzzle energy in Africa. For those who identify the rather high bc/sd 6.5 bullets (140-150-160gr) with the needmore, you need to look again at other cases (6.5-284, 6.5-300, WSM, RSAUM, etc.) 257 Wby will do the trick, but must use the heaviest bullets and place 'em just right. With hot handloads and proper bullet selection, sighted in accordingly, the 257 only drops 1 foot out around 400 yds. That's why we like 'em on varmints-gazelle-antelope-deer sized animals. What's that .308 doing at 400 (-30 in?) Flat shooting IS a thing, but I suspect the post was manufactured for other reasons. Anyone who has ever experienced sheep or goat hunting (or PG in the Karoo,) knows it's far better to have a flat-shooting rig for shots of a lifetime on expensive, time-limited hunts. You can also become proficient with it on the homefront by practicing off-season and on varmints...Would you use a 7mm-08, a needmore or even an 06 on Mtn Nyala, Argali, Markhor, or even the Kudu of a lifetime at 500+ yds across a canyon or similar topographic divide? No, you wouldn't/shouldn't. But if you possess the right flat-shooting rig, and are proficient with it, it's in the bag if you couldn't get closer on the last day...

 

[Bullthrower338]

Acutally I think a wildcat 22-460 magnum would be about perfect.

You say this joking but I’m surprised Weatherby doesn’t spend their efforts trying to concoct this rather than worry about producing ammo and brass for things they already have. I sent an email to them the other day telling them that the world was ok without the development of their RPM line of cartridges but I need 338-378 brass. The reply was get on the back order list. My life’s standing order after owning and returning a Mark V several times was that I’d rather have a sister in a whorehouse than another Weatherby in my gun safe! Yet I fell into a good deal trap on this 338-378! I know, I’m a weak man and good thing I don’t have a sister!

Dave, I have been waiting for a thread like this! Lol

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

.300 winchester magnum. Big enough to kill all of the plains game, and ammo availability is good

@Beck your post makes too much sense. You have missed the point of this thread.

 

[revturbo9967]

The 7mm prc is the one. It shoots so flat you don't even need to compensate for drop. just point and shoot.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Ummm…6.5? Obviously you have never experienced the mind numbing power of the 2-4-3

 

[Rubberhead]

Y'all are taking him too literally...

I'm taking a 300 Blackout with a 500 yard scope when I hunt the Great White North.

 

[Hogpatrol]

For PG, flat shooting 26 Nosler and 264WM outperform the 6.5 CM. For way out there, 30 Nosler, 300WM, 300 Norma shooting heavy bullets aren't exactly flat shooting but have enough energy, all good to a thousand yards or more.

 

[Bullthrower338]

My go to for this is most definitely the 22 Hornet(CRF without saying) it isn’t bad off the sticks but you don’t want to sit at the bench much with it. I have had my fit with a KDF muzzle break which really tames it down. Before anyone jumps on me about it, it is removable and I do remove it and use a thread protector while hunting non captive bred golden warthog!

 

[grand veneur]

Flat shooting cartridges are actually available in almost all calibers, also the biggest, so that the choice of such cartridges must be made dependent on the game species that you may eventually want to shoot at greater distances in Africa. Such events are rare in Africa, but it's always better to be prepared in case the need arises.

The cartridge 460 WBY-Magnum, for example, allows something like this at longer distances and on very different game species, as far as one is able to shoot in various positions with a scoped rifle of this caliber.

 

[mdwest]

My 458 SOCOM is pretty flat shooting out to about 50 yards.. and delivers the same energy downrange as a 45-70 (trapdoor).. so it should be good for buff hunting right? It shoots the same projectile as the 458 Win Mag that IvW loves so much as well (bonus!!!!!)

I'll need Henry at RiflePermits to help me figure out how to get an AR15 onto the Dark Continent though... I think my problem isn't my flat shooting caliber.. its the chosen platform...

sigh....

 

[mdwest]

My go to for this is most definitely the 22 Hornet(CRF without saying) it isn’t bad off the sticks but you don’t want to sit at the bench much with it. I have had my fit with a KDF muzzle break which really tames it down. Before anyone jumps on me about it, it is removable and I do remove it and use a thread protector while hunting non captive bred golden warthog!

should I upload a pic of my threaded .22 LR 10/22 barrel (with thread protector) now?