Caliber and plains game

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Gbg1

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Hi all,
I´m planing my first hunting trip to Africa, more exact Namibia and really looking forward to it. I´m sure this topic been discussed before but I hope you can give me som advice.

I´m looking at a management hunt for plains game at Kataneno, biggest animal in this hunt will be kudu. I have two barrels to my rifle, one in 6,5 Creedmoor and the other in god old 308 win. Are they enough and which one wolud you choose? Or do I need to buy a new barrel in let´s say 8.5x55 Blaser?

Whats your experience?
 
no need to buy a new barrel,

You could be fine with either options. More importantly would be what bullets are you shooting in the 308, and what bullets in the 6.5? As I am sure you shoot both accurately.

That bullet the rifle likes might be the more important piece of the puzzle.

Cheers
 
dchum said:
no need to buy a new barrel,

You could be fine with either options. More importantly would be what bullets are you shooting in the 308, and what bullets in the 6.5? As I am sure you shoot both accurately.

That bullet the rifle likes might be the more important piece of the puzzle.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Thanks for your answer, really appriciate it!
Currently I shoot copper in both, in 308 win 168 gr Barnes TTSX and in the Creedmoor 120 gr Lapua TRX but thinking of 143 gr Norma Bondstrike if that barrel will join me. What kind of bullets do you recommend, conventional bonded lead bullets or copper?
 
Gbg1 said:
Thanks for your answer, really appriciate it!
Currently I shoot copper in both, in 308 win 168 gr Barnes TTSX and in the Creedmoor 120 gr Lapua TRX but thinking of 143 gr Norma Bondstrike if that barrel will join me. What kind of bullets do you recommend, conventional bonded lead bullets or copper?
Click to expand...
You would be fine with either of those.
See what makes your PH happy and figure out the expected shooting distance etc.

I have taken 168TTSX to central Namibia twice. Those are from my 22inch 30-06 around 2750. Should not be any different than your 308.

Just make sure it’s very accurate.
IMG_8094.jpeg
 
308 with 168 gr ttsx will be good for the Kudu as well as all the smaller game. 6.5 cm is a little light in my opinion but is a great springbok/impala calibre. I would suggest some heavier and tougher bullets if you do want to push that 6.5 cm. The heaviest ttsx you can find would be a good start or a bonded soft. THE lead core in bonded bullets allows a heavier bullet to be more accurate for a given barrel spin rate. Heavier bullets just give you a little more power when your calibre is a little marginal.
 
Not to sound snarky, but whenever someone talks about hunting with 6.5 I am reminded of the phrase “use enough gun.” We’re talking about hunting, not shooting, and the animals deserve as clean, quick and ethical end-of-life as we can provide.

IMHO, your .308 is a better all-around choice assuming reasonable ranges, proper bullet selection and your ability to “do your job” with the gun.

Good Luck.
 
The 308 would be my choice of the two for general PG. I used a 7-08 this summer in RSA in place of my 308, that also made the trip. We used the 7-08 and with a 140 grain TSX on game up to zebra. 308 would have been just as good. The 7-08 was I more convenient when the opportunity presented itself.

The 6.5 will also work, just use a mono bullet and keep in the right spot within a reasonable distance.
 
You are good, do not complicate things. The 308 will take care of it all. I used a 30-06 with 168 grain TTSX for plains game in Namibia for two trips with no issues. Smallest was a springbok and largest animals were kudu,zebra, and gemsbok. All dropped in seconds if not on the spot.
 
The 6.5 to me seems a bit light.
I would opt for the 308 if I was not buying a new barrel.

Definitely talk to your PH about caliber. There is a definite dislike for the 6.5 creedmoor. Most likely due to people showing up and not having practiced enough, resulting in poor shots and unrecovered animals.

I am taking a 300 WM possibly my 375 Ruger in 27 to Namibia. Most likely topped off with a VX5 2-10 CDS with fire dot.
Stay away from mil dot, m-rad, tactical, Christmas tree reticles. They have their place just not on a hunting rifle. I would normally have added wiz bang to the above, but the CDS and Fire Dot are pretty wiz band.
 
I've personally seen zebra and even the mighty eland fall to single shots from a .308 Win. Put the bullet where it's supposed to go, and everything will be fine. I like the 6.5 for blesbok and smaller, but I'd be a bit hesitant to use it for gemsbok, wildebeest, or hartebeest.

I personally would prefer something more like a .30-06 or even .300 Win, but that's only good advice if you really shoot it well.

+1 for the advice to shoot a premium bullet.
 
Gbg1 said:
Hi all,
I´m planing my first hunting trip to Africa, more exact Namibia and really looking forward to it. I´m sure this topic been discussed before but I hope you can give me som advice.

I´m looking at a management hunt for plains game at Kataneno, biggest animal in this hunt will be kudu. I have two barrels to my rifle, one in 6,5 Creedmoor and the other in god old 308 win. Are they enough and which one wolud you choose? Or do I need to buy a new barrel in let´s say 8.5x55 Blaser?

Whats your experience?
Click to expand...
If it were two seperate rifles, zeroed and ready to go - I would say take both. For management animals (generally young males and even smaller females), the 6.5 with a good bullet that still expands quickly (think 140 gr Partition), would be excellent.

However - the PH is absolutely going to talk you into a trophy or three. With a monster Kudu bull (or Oryx, Zebra, etc) looking at you at 250 yards or so you will want a bit more killing power. The 308 with a tough 165/168 fits better in that case.

You pays you money...
 
Gbg1 said:
Hi all,
I´m planing my first hunting trip to Africa, more exact Namibia and really looking forward to it. I´m sure this topic been discussed before but I hope you can give me som advice.

I´m looking at a management hunt for plains game at Kataneno, biggest animal in this hunt will be kudu. I have two barrels to my rifle, one in 6,5 Creedmoor and the other in god old 308 win. Are they enough and which one wolud you choose? Or do I need to buy a new barrel in let´s say 8.5x55 Blaser?

Whats your experience?
Click to expand...
My experience is that I wish I had bought a .300Win years ago.
 
Of those two I would prefer the .308 with heavy for caliber bullets. Notwithstanding, you have a valid excuse to acquire another barrel then go for it! Go with a .338 caliber or .375 caliber.
 
Javaman said:
Not to sound snarky, but whenever someone talks about hunting with 6.5 I am reminded of the phrase “use enough gun.” We’re talking about hunting, not shooting, and the animals deserve as clean, quick and ethical end-of-life as we can provide.
Click to expand...
In all fairness, people are hunting Elk successfully with the 6.5. So, I think it is "enough gun". Below, is an example video, shot is at 1:06 mark. Also, you won't shoot anything at 450 yards.

 
Your .308 would be fine for everything you are hunting and then some (i.e. kudu, gemsbok, even eland, waterbuck, etc). Bullet placement is all important, more than the type of bullet or even the caliber. These are not dinosaurs they are medium sized mammals. You don't need to complicate things. I would stick to one rifle-- the .308-- so you don't have to haul around more "stuff". It's hard enough getting to and thru the airport(s), to the hunting location, and back to civilization. You will have a ball. Make it plain and easy and you will have a bigger ball!
 
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