Will my Professional Hunter want me to bring more than a .270

yidava25

yidava25

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Alberta, Bolivia
Hello all,

I do not wish to start yet another debate on whether or not cartridge A is capable of taking species B.
My question is whether or not a client who is armed slightly on the light side will make a PH uneasy.

I understand that it is my decision to make and that it is up to the PH to deal with it. However, I would prefer that the PH only be worried about my shooting skill and not about my firearm of choice when it comes to making the shot.

The situation is this:
I have a Sako 85 in .270 Win. I am planning a PG safari for 2 or 3 years from now and I would prefer not to buy another rifle. There is no doubt in my mind that this rifle is sufficient for the species I intend to hunt. It would just bring me peace of mind to know that the PH is not going to cringe when he sees that I am not armed with a .338. Having never been to Africa I do not know from experience what the prevailing attitude on this matter is.

Thanks to all for entertaining the rambling thoughts of an Africa rookie.

Jim
 
For PG that .270 is just fine. Is it light for Eland? Maybe, but they've sure been taken with it. I promise you more than one PH carries .270 himself.

A PH would rather you shoot that .270 well than shoot a .338 like crap. :)
 
Forget the .270. Get yourself a .300 Win and you will be much happier. I can tell you, as many can, stories of lost game with a .270. If you are on a place with lots of easy shots then sure you could kill all of them with a .223 but chances are you will encounter some difficult shots. After much experience I have decided you can never have too much gun! I shot my Red Lechwe at about 175 yards with a .416 and the bullet did not exit. The animals in Africa are tough. Take a big gun and enjoy your Safari!
Regards,
Philip
 
Hi Jim,

What country will you be hunting in?

This could make a difference in rifle choices.

As mentioned, shot placement is what is needed.

Type of bullet is another point to look at. Most PH like a nice blood trail if the animal run's or walks of.

Above all else, if the animal is hit or blood is drawn the animal is your weather it is found or not.
 
Jim, I have heard more PH's comment/complaints about guys showing up in fancy new cloths with monster guns they have never shot before, than someone showing up with a "lighter" rifle they can shoot well.
If the PH has an issue with a 270 send him here for an education. Better yet, move on to another experienced PH.

My first hunt in Africa was entirely with 130 TTSX in 270 Win.
Everything I shot at is on my wall! Need I say more!
 
Take the 270 just pick your shoots. I've shot 75% of my game with one all a one shot kill.
 
Thanks to those who answered my question.

I am still in the very early stages of planning, but as far as I can see I will be hunting in South Africa. I am not planning to pursue eland at this point but I have a feeling my species list will go out the window once I have boots on the ground.

For this rifle I have a load worked out using Accubonds so I see no reason to change that. I like this load because I can practice with significantly cheaper Ballistic Tips which shoot to the same point of impact.

I hunt moose every year and have taken my share with various calibers over the years. I keep hearing that African animals are tough and they very well may be. However from what I've seen here in Alberta, most wild animals are tough as nails if you make a less-than-perfect shot on them, and if you poke the same critter in the lungs he turns into a wimp. I am looking forward to seeing first hand if this is the case in Africa as well.
 
A bad shot is going to be a bad shot no matter what you are shooting.

That .270 shooting those Accubonds will work quite well. Anything that works on the Rocky Mountain Elk and moose will work just fine in Africa on plains game so don't let the naysayers try to tell you different.

One thing, you might want to practice on heart shots instead of the double lung shots. That will give you another dead right there shot if you have it.
 
As mentioned above, a rifle you are confident with is way more important than caliber for PG.

Needles to say, make sure that you chose your shots wisely and don't get pressured into taking a shot that your aren't 100% sure of.
 
Put a hole in their lungs and/or heart and they will die. Put a bigger hole in the same area and they'll die quicker. Use a good high weight retaining bullet and the 270 will be just fine. My younger boy did just fine with his 7x57 and 140gr North Fork Bonded Cores up to and including nyala.

If Eland is on the menu, I would recommend something bigger in both diameter and punch. This has as much to do with wanting to give the animal a quicker death as much or more than because I don't think it can be done with the .270.
 
Take your .270. Practise with it now and use any money saved from buying another rifle for practise ammo and your trip. The .270 is quite popular in RSA with the locals for plains game. Use 150 conventional projectiles or premium lighter ones. Ask your PH and if its your only rifle he should be happy.
I have read a dozen times that you are better off taking your favourite deer rifle than a new rifle.
 
Last edited:
I took pg in Africa with a 270 using 130 grain federal loads. All one shot kills. It a whole lot more about shot placement than caliber. If you shoot it well and have confidence in it, go for it and you'll do just fine.
 
Personally, I like to carry a 300 WM or 338 for PG. But I've also done quite well with a 30-06. I also have seen many elk taken with a 270. A well placed shot is more important.

Randy Wakeman, who runs his own website plus is a contributing editor on Chuck Hawks website has numerous good articles and videos on this very subject. Randy is a big fan of the 270 and these links show the results on African PG, including a Blue Wildebeest.

http://randywakeman.com/HuntingCartridgeExternalBallistics.htm

http://randywakeman.com/TheMythologyoftheCorrectBigGameCartridge.htm

http://randywakeman.com/HuntingSouthAfricaPartOneBlesbok.htm

http://randywakeman.com/HuntinginSouthAfricaPartTwoRedHartebeest.htm

http://randywakeman.com/HuntinginSouthAfricaPartThreeWildebeest.htm

http://randywakeman.com/AbriefBlueWildebeestVideo.htm

http://randywakeman.com/RedHartebeestVideoVisitwithKeMonatiSafaris.htm
 
I am not a fan of the 270. That said if you take one: Use good bullets such as Swift A-Frame or Barnes TTSX or Nosler Partition. After the first one or two animals drop and do not have to be tracked all over he will not care you have a 270.
Place your shot and break a shoulder and your PH will not care what you are using.
 
If you can shoot the 270 well i would not have a problem to guide you with it.
Personally I prefer any .30 Cals for bigger plains game.
 
yidava25 said:
Hello all,

I do not wish to start yet another debate on whether or not cartridge A is capable of taking species B.
My question is whether or not a client who is armed slightly on the light side will make a PH uneasy.

I understand that it is my decision to make and that it is up to the PH to deal with it. However, I would prefer that the PH only be worried about my shooting skill and not about my firearm of choice when it comes to making the shot.

The situation is this:
I have a Sako 85 in .270 Win. I am planning a PG safari for 2 or 3 years from now and I would prefer not to buy another rifle. There is no doubt in my mind that this rifle is sufficient for the species I intend to hunt. It would just bring me peace of mind to know that the PH is not going to cringe when he sees that I am not armed with a .338. Having never been to Africa I do not know from experience what the prevailing attitude on this matter is.

Thanks to all for entertaining the rambling thoughts of an Africa rookie.

Jim
Click to expand...

No, I am taking out many clients with this calibre (Local and International).

Nothing wrong with the .270...shot many, many, many, MANY, MANY African game animals with it. My son uses the .270 a lot more now...It is a calibre very near to my heart.

It is true that it is a bit light for the Eland species, but i had done this even back in the day with a 100gr monolithic solid bullet...

If your shot placement is spot on...buy, buy baby!

Feel free to contact me if any more information needed on the .270 and I will try to assist.
 
Jim,

If you have concern about your 270 and if you don't want to buy another rifle, you do have two other options. First, you can borrow a rifle from a friend or relative. Just make sure you are familiar with it and shoot it as much as possible. Second option is to rent a gun from the PH you hunt with. I've done that on 3 hunts because I live in Nigeria and my guns are in the US. I have had a CZ, Ruger, Remington and Mauser to use. I dry fire them a couple of times to get a feel for the trigger, then shoot them a couple of times and I am good to go. For what you will pay to rent a rifle will not be much more than the airline baggage fees. It is also much, much easier travelling international without guns.

If you showed up to hunt with me with a 270, would I want you to bring anything else? Yes..........BEER :D Beer Bottle:

Dave
 
.270 is fine for plains game, agreed with the point of view others share regarding Eland, but just fine for most plains game
 
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