.300 Weatherby Mag. - Crocodile Medicine..?

gxsr-sarge

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Hello all,

What do you think about this caliber for the classic crocodile side brain shot @ <100 yards.

Has anyone out there used this (or another .30 or "fast .30") on a croc (assuming a precise brain shot)?

shot_placement_croc.jpg


I'm thinking that a 200 grain Barnes TSX @ 3060 fps delivering 4158 Ft Lbs at the muzzle and 3631 at 100 yards would "suffice" to brain him (along with quick follow ups). Robertson recommends at least a 338 Win Mag (225 grains, 3798 Ft. Lbs. at 100 yard). He tells a story in his "Perfect Shot" book about a pair (client/PH) using a .308 and 30-06 on a croc that got away.

Thanks
 
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A shot to the brain-pan with that bullet at that speed is going to remove a large portion of the top of the skull and skin also, on impact and could potentially ruin the top of your croc for mounting.

The cartridge/load you propose will be more than adequate for the task you seek only I would suggest you place your bullet on the spine which is the "end-of-the-smile" shot, shown in the picture above.
 
I appreciate your input. I had that same concern (about the head/skin basically exploding) after having seen a bunch of videos, etc. of croc shots. I asked my outfitter and he indicated that the taxidermy process for the croc's head was different so the extent of skin/skull damage really didn't matter. I don't recall exactly in what way it was different (skull skin was very thin?). Please let me know if that is not correct.
 
Sarge,
your taxidermist would certainly know more about the preservation process than I do, for sure.

The only thing that I am reasonably sure of is that if you do hit, what we colloquially refer to as, "the match box", (which is the brain-pan), of a croc with a 200gn .30cal at 3000+ f.p.s you are going to leave a substantial "mark" :rolleyes: !

If your outfitter and, or, your taxidermist are comfortable in being able to preserve what you will provide them after the shot then no problems ofcourse.

There is certainly no doubt that your combo will work, and in fact if you actually do centrally locate the match-box with your shot you may well get away with a lot less caliber and still be successful.
For what it is worth.

Personally , if I was hunting croc for a Trophy, I would be opting for the "behind-the-smile" spine shot and making sure I backed up that first with a follow-up immediately, (if not even a double-tap from someone else in the party).

Crocs are notorious for being difficult to recover and for their behavior following even perfectly placed shots.
Depending on your location and the surrounds, you don't want to be one of them that lost his lizard !

Very best to you on your croc hunt Sarge.
 
Resurrecting my own year-old thread.... I had to push back my hunt a year so I'm back to where I left off.

I recently started another thread asking for some general input on a 2-rifle battery for my hunt that includes croc but I'd like to see if I could get a little more input on the croc specifically.

What say you about a nicely placed "behind the smile" spine shot with a 404 Jeffery? Will that do the trick?
 

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