Giraffe Caliber?

Sorry, finger trouble.
Noslers are good on thin skinned animals due to the explosive action of the front part., but not on thick skinned, heavily boned animals.
Try to avoid shooting giraffe in the body - they are frequently wounded in this way, and a wounded giraffe can run a long way - as in more than 20kms.
Best shots are top of neck (best done side on) and frontal head . For the frontal head shot its best to use a powerful calibre as the skull of a big giraffe is massive. With frontal head aim to take out the brain stem rather than the brain itself - i.e. place the shot slightly low. The reason is that the giraffes head will typically be at quite an elevation relative to the shooter and you don't want to risk a glancing head shot - which may only put the animal down temporarily. Conversely, a shot placed a bit low will take out the first vertebra. This type of shot will yield an instant kill.
For proper placement one should attempt to get as close as possible. In bushy country this will typically be around 50m and in any event less than 100m provided you don't chase the animals.

Much ado about such a tall target.

A friend of mine shot his with a revolver. Of course , he shoots lots of game with hand guns.
Shot placement rules!

Ernie Shipman said:

GREAT question - not much on the forum for this. I am interested as I am doing a giraffe this July. I hunted the Limpopo province in June 2015. I took a gemsbuck, kudu, wildebeast, zebra & a blesbuck all with my PH's 375. All 1 shot kills, all dropped within 0-50 yds...
I plan to take a rifle this time. I have been in touch with my PH. I suggested my Sako 30-06 or my Sako 375 H&H. I also plan to shoot 1-2 warthogs and maybe 1-2 more plains games animals. My PH said bring the 30-06 BUT, he would only allow a high neck shot. He said if we have to do a frontal chest shot, no way, the front skin is 1-2 inches thick. He really advises the 375...., but I am a fair shot & he is perfectly happy with me bringing the '06.
I am a dealer & at the SHOT show this past week I ordered a bunch of Merkel products for my shop. One o the rifles coming in is a Merkel Helix in 9.3x62. In doing some reading, it sounds a but like a 375 "lite". I plan to ask the PH about this as a possible option. Norma makes a 286 gr load that looks impressive...They also do a 236 gr that would ideal for plains game I believe....
Best wishes!

Click to expand...

Norma makes a 232 gr Oryx. I've never shot that bullet, and I'm not likely to. MV looks great, but the BC is really low on that bullet, low enough that the 286 Oryx is faster at about 200 yds than the 232, even though the lighter bullets will start with ~300 fps advantage. The 232 isn't a bad bullet, it just doesn't give you the range you think you would get.

I'm shooting Accubond 250s out of mine, those work pretty well. I've heard good things about TSX 250 performance as well.

What would really be the cat's meow is if Swift made a Scirocco II in 230 or 250 gr

Minimum calibers for rifle hunting
CHAPTER 4 CATEGORIES OF HUNTING 21.

The following norms apply to minimum rifle calibers for the hunting of different categories of wild animals-
( a) .22 or 5.56mm rimfire rifle for the hunting of- (i) furred game up to and including the size of rock hyrax; and (ii) feathered game;

(b) .22 or 5.56mm centre fire rifle for the hunting of furred game up to and including the size of springbok;

(c) .270 or 7mm rifle for the hunting of- (i) furred game larger than springbuck, up to and including eland, but excluding dangerous game or giraffe; and (ii) ostrich; and

(d) .375 H&H Magnum or larger caliber for the hunting of- (i) giraffe; (ii) dangerous game; and (iii) pachyderms, provided that the bullet must be of full metal jacket (solid) or monolithic solid construction.

A friend on my last safari took a big bull giraffe with a 375HH and a 200g Aframe. Broadside just behind the shoulder at about 75 yds. Bull staggered about 25 yds and down for the count.

The "norms" referred to by IVW are not law - at least not in Limpopo, which is where I do most of my hunting. So essentially its up to the landowner and the PH.
Many giraffe are successfully hunted every year with relatively small calibres (as small as .243), but shot placement is very important.
In fact shot placement is extremely important on giraffe regardless of calibre and body shots should only be taken if absolutely necessary.
One of my friends shot one with a .375H&H last year. I think it is still running.
Another one I know of was shot first with a .375 which hit on the shoulder but too high and then a follow up with a 500 Jeffrey through the ribs. It ran 28km and was only found the next day - sick but still standing.
30-06 with a good, strong bullet will do the job, but best not to shoot it in the body.
9.3 is an excellent choice for all larger African game (exclude elephant, although it has been used for that with success). Basically the performance is the same as that of original .375 H&H - i.e. cordite loads.
Whatever calibre you opt for the bullet must be very strong as the body skin is about 2cm thick and the bones are huge. The skull is also tough. However there is no need for solids. My first choice bullet is a Swift A frame in a heavy for calibre weight (eg I use the 275gr bullet in my .338WM). These give excellent results on everything. They lack the explosive effect of more frangible bullets but they will plough through just about anything. I also use others, including some mono-metal bullets, which are current vogue and generally excellent performers ito flight paths and penetration.