My calibers for hunting in Africa

308W said:
My statement was: "After my third antilop wounded and lost, because of the weak 308, the day after I will buy a 375."

Is it more clear now?
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y statement was: "After my third antilop wounded and lost, because of the weak 308, the day after I will buy a 375."

Is it more clear now?
 
308W said:
Many times I have said "smaller then eland" or "about 200 kg" but you haven't seen...
Isn't it enogh for you?
Are you asking a list with the names of the antilopes?


If you are not able to read or understand what I wrote, it doesn't mean it is a folish statement, it means you have to reread it.
My statement was: "After my third antilop wounded and lost, because of the weak 308, the day after I will buy a 375."

Is it more clear now?


WOW clever! :A Big Hello:
You seems a kind of shooter/hunter who believes the big calibers make you infallible.


WOW another clever question!
Obviously two Fiat if we need two cars etc.
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You are to stupid to listen and learn...lvW is a professional hunter with TONS of experience in african hunting...more than most here who for the big part are recreational hunters, though many are very experienced hunters..
 
308W said:
What you mean?
Did you understand what he says in the video or do you evaluate him from the haircuts?
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Mostly the haircut. I unfortunately do not speak Italian, and the auto translate feature does a very poor job. It was (I guess) a poor attempt at bringing some humor and levity to the discussion.

On a side note - anyone can go on YouTube and post videos saying pretty much anything they wish. That does not make anyone an expert.
 
Von S. said:
WAB,

If you take a shot at an animal at 400 yards you are indeed long range hunting. Isn't that almost a quarter of a mile?

The problem these days s that 1000 yards isn't really being thought of as long distance by some either and quite a few are even believing that hitting a steel plate makes a person a legitimate threat to game animals is a fallacy.( I am not thinking of you with that paragraph)

Guys are shooting at steel plates at 2 miles and I have yet to understand what exactly are they really attempting to accomplish?

A fella asked me if I could build him a repeating rifle in a round called a 375 Warlord. My response was," what's that"?

It supposidly thrown a hand carved 400 grain bullet at 3500 fps at I imagine enough foot pounds to knock a train off it's tracks.

I believe that he wants to take out some giant elk that are in some deserted section of the planet, but I'm not really sure.

A few years ago I built a 1000 yard hunting rifle, not a bench gun, in 30-378 that in every way possible cold shoot 5"s at 1k just to find out that it was me who couldn't do it and about 12"s was my best, which is unacceptable to hunt with. The kid who got the gun could and does.

A 308 attempting to kill African antelope at 600 yards is a joke in my book and even a bigger joke if the shooter and/ or shooter is incapable of shooting 1/2" or less 5 shot groups. And with that the energy just ain't there.

These days I would realistically take a shot of 600 yards while laying down with with a properly scoped 378 Weatherby throwing a 300 grain Nosler Accubond LR and be really confident that the bullet will hit with a 3 inh circle and blast a great big hole with all sorts of goo flying out the exit.

My buddy from Alabama who is the best off hand rifle shot I've ever seen told me that even if he was laying down to shoot he wouldn't shoot a deer past 300 yards with his 308.
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Von, you are right, 400 yards is a long shot. I think the only time I've shot game at that distance was antelope hunting when I lived in Wyoming. I did make a couple longish shots on black bear (never griz) when I lived in Alaska, but never to 400. I like ringing steel at longer distances just because its fun. Most of my hunting these days is inside 100. Probably because I've become addicted to hunting buffalo in the brush. I did get a surprise on an eland this summer. We only had the head and neck to shoot at, I decided to go for a neck shot, which was successful. I was quite surprised to pace it off at 160. The size of the animal and the brush had me totally fooled on the distance. I will make an exception on long distance shots on vermin. I don't care how far a coyote is, if he's on my farm I'm slinging lead.
 
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cagkt3 said:
Mostly the haircut. I unfortunately do not speak Italian, and the auto translate feature does a very poor job. It was (I guess) a poor attempt at bringing some humor and levity to the discussion.

On a side note - anyone can go on YouTube and post videos saying pretty much anything they wish. That does not make anyone an expert.
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Good I can appreciate your intention and smile with you :)

Is not to be or not to be on the web or You Tube, what is important is the content, this guy start to hunt in Africa when he was little bit more then a child, is a journalist in gun/hunt field, he is a gun collector and he has got a gun shop too. I think he knows what he says.
 
I have taken 20+ species of African game with my 300 Win. Mag. and have never felt under gunned. The size has been from Clippies to Eland. The reason I chose the 300 Win. Mag. was to use a heavier bullet and I have used the 200gr Trophy Bonded bullet for all but one hunt with great success. I have recovered several bullets on African plains game. From my experience even the 300 Win. Mag. is not likely to leave an exit wound on animals like Zebra or Eland therefor all the energy is expended in these animal. A less powerful cartridge like the 308 would therefore expend less energy in the animal. This is the reason I chose the 300 Win. Mag. for the larger plains game. Experience also shows African animals are very tough and can run a long way with even with a fatal wound.

For the 308 I would consider it adequate for any of the African plains game if a well placed broadside shot can be assured and a premium bullet is used. To me that would limit the range on the larger plains game to 100 or so yards which is usually easy to obtain.

The above being said, I would ask my PH what he thought was an acceptable caliber. As previously noted, I believe most PHs would not object to the 308 and would just accommodate any perceived limitation of the 308.
 
@The Engineer

Great buffalo with superb bosses!! That looks like a buffalo from close to Kruger?
Did you post the story? Would love to read about it.
 
WAB said:
I like ringing steel at longer distances just because its fun.
(...)
I will make an exception on long distance shots on vermin. I don't care how far a coyote is, if he's on my farm I'm slinging lead.
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I can understand you wery well! :D Beers:
What caliber do you use for varmint?
 
WAB said:
Von, you are right, 400 yards is a long shot. I think the only time I've shot game at that distance was antelope hunting when I lived in Wyoming. I did make a couple longish shots on black bear (never griz) when I lived in Alaska, but never to 400. I like ringing steel at longer distances just because its fun. Most of my hunting these days is inside 100. Probably because I've become addicted to hunting buffalo in the brush. I did get a surprise on an eland this summer. We only had the head and neck to shoot at, I decided to go for a neck shot, which was successful. I was quite surprised to pace it off at 160. The size of the animal and the brush had me totally fooled on the distance. I will make an exception on long distance shots on vermin. I don't care how far a coyote is, if he's on my farm I'm slinging lead.
Click to expand...

I am particularly fond of neck and head shots to save meat, but seeing that we can't wrap up a eland or a cape and put him in overhead storage we might as well body shot them all with a ripper and be done with it.

A 160 yard off hand neck shot is as impressive as the animal itself.

I think that many people might not understand the mechanics of making a perfect shot like you did at 160 paces.

I think that I originally learned to shoot at long distance because of my father. No! Not because he was a good shot, quite the contrary. Not only was he a very poor shot, but he made more noise going through the lumber then Fred Sandfords trash truck and though he never caught on, after I came out of the service I used to say, " What? No bells too"? When he would chase game two counties away just by getting out of the car.

If you have a 458 load it up with some 350 great jrnsp and crack the throttle open for bear. A chest shot of 200 and it makes me go," Oh My".

Of course these days I can't remember when or how many I know it's been quite a few I've dropped. Of course I did get a check back I dated last week for 1918. Hahahaha.

A fella should shoot any distance he feels comfortable with as long as at the end there's enough left to crush it.
 
@308W , The .308Win will take any of the animals on the plains game list. Something to consider is which area you would be hunting, because my opinion would be that this will have an impact on what bullet I would recommend for the .308Win. If you decide to hunt in the Northern parts of South Africa, such as the Limpopo or North West, then your shots won't be very far. Down here in the South, in the Eastern Cape Province, shots can be further, due to the mountains and the methods that we stalk from above.
Personally, my .308Win which I rent out as well, are loaded with 130 grain expandable solids. Velocity sits around 3000 fps, so quite flat for a 308. Using the expandable solid, I can assure you that there will be enough penetration at any hunting ranges. We have taken everything that you can think of on the plains game list, with that .308Win. Having a combination that shoots a little bit flatter, certainly pays dividends down here in our area, where I feel a heavier bullet might do better up in the North.
 
Von S. said:
I am particularly fond of neck and head shots to save meat, but seeing that we can't wrap up a eland or a cape and put him in overhead storage we might as well body shot them all with a ripper and be done with it.

A 160 yard off hand neck shot is as impressive as the animal itself.

I think that many people might not understand the mechanics of making a perfect shot like you did at 160 paces.

I think that I originally learned to shoot at long distance because of my father. No! Not because he was a good shot, quite the contrary. Not only was he a very poor shot, but he made more noise going through the lumber then Fred Sandfords trash truck and though he never caught on, after I came out of the service I used to say, " What? No bells too"? When he would chase game two counties away just by getting out of the car.

If you have a 458 load it up with some 350 great jrnsp and crack the throttle open for bear. A chest shot of 200 and it makes me go," Oh My".

Of course these days I can't remember when or how many I know it's been quite a few I've dropped. Of course I did get a check back I dated last week for 1918. Hahahaha.

A fella should shoot any distance he feels comfortable with as long as at the end there's enough left to crush it.
Click to expand...
Von, to be clear, I was shooting off sticks (standing), I don't believe I could make a neck shot at 160 offhand. Bill
 
The Engineer said:
I have taken 20+ species of African game with my 300 Win. Mag. and have never felt under gunned. The size has been from Clippies to Eland.
(...)
Experience also shows African animals are very tough and can run a long way with even with a fatal wound.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your post.
 
308W said:
Considering his behavior here it is difficult for me to recognize something "professional".
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I know I need more experience dealing with certain types of people and their comments, especially those who ask for advice and then shun all given and change it into an argument of sorts in order to try and prove that they are so proficient with a certain caliber at extreme range that the rest here have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to shooting game of 200 kg at 500 meters in Europe and that nobody here can explain, so they can understand it, that to try that in Africa on plains game with the same caliber is not a good idea, well yes Sir, I am not "professional" enough to accomplish that.
 
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