303 for Eland and other large non dangerous game

[Newtothis]

I’ve heard people talk about the 303 and I just want to know if could bring down and Eland or not as I’ve heard some conflicting info and as some new to hunting and the forums it’s self I would like to know if it can be done as I plan to use a 303 in the near future to hunt deer and moose where I live and I’ve always wanted to hunt eland in the future as well one day. Thank you

 

[Hank2211]

I killed two eland last year in South Africa using a .275 Rigby. One took one shot, the other two - but that was my fault.

Having said that, an eland can run for miles - or days - if not well shot. They have incredible stamina. I wouldn't have chosen a .275 for an eland, but it was all I had, and I had enough time to really make sure of the shot. If you have the time and place your shot well, a .303 will kill an eland, especially with a good bullet.

You might have had a different response from me if I had shot poorly and lost one or both. The margin for error is definitely larger with a bigger caliber. My preferred caliber for eland would be a .300 Win Mag or even a .375, but others will have their own.

 

[Rell]

The 303 British (as we called it in Canada), has taken many tones of moose and probably even more eland.

It’s not a long range cartridge but inside 300m it works well if you use a proper bullet. We only had access to 215gr and 180gr Remington Core Lokts and Winchester Silvertips. Neither is a premium bullet but both work fine at 303 velocities.

Hunt and enjoy the classic cartridge it works better then paper ballistics indicate.

 

[shark_za]

Just dont go shoot 150gr soft bullets and you will do fine.
Something like a Stewart 215gr bonded or a 180gr premium will get in deep enough and will do the trick.

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

303

I’ve heard people talk about the 303 and I just want to know if could bring down and Eland or not as I’ve heard some conflicting info and as some new to hunting and the forums it’s self I would like to know if it can be done as I plan to use a 303 in the near future to hunt deer and moose where I live and I’ve always wanted to hunt eland in the future as well one day. Thank you

A 303 is perfectly fine for Eland in normal hunting conditions up to 250 yards

 

[Velo Dog]

In regards to all species, including of course eland, any animal’s toughness or lack thereof, there seems to be a noticeable difference between truly wild animals and farm raised animals.

An extreme example of this is comparing the feebleness of domestic sheep compared to the toughness of wild sheep (Bighorn Sheep, Stone Sheep, etc.)
Although a farm raised eland cannot possibly be as feeble as a domestic sheep, likely neither can a wild sheep soak up as much injury as a wild eland and still run away, nonetheless you get the idea.

My personal preference for truly wild animals, such as eland, American bison and Alaska-Yukon moose, would be to use as my minimum a .33 caliber rifle, firing a 250 grain stoutly constructed bullet, at 2400 feet per second.
In other words, the .338-06 is my recommendation for a minimum cartridge on eland and other animals that can weigh sometimes close to a ton.

 

[Joker12]

Of course you can, I did it with a 30'06 a few years ago and the 303 will do what an '06 will do. Just use good bullets.

 

[Range 07]

Forget everything else, 303 is perfectly fine.

 

[Ryan]

The current world record Alaska-Yukon moose was dropped with a 303 British and I'm sure plenty of eland have been killed over the years in southern Africa with surplus 303 rifles. That said, that moose was shot at less than 50 yards with a well placed shot and as many have pointed out a wounded eland can go and go and go. Use a good bullet, keep it within reasonable distance (150 yards or less IMO) and don't take anything but a perfect broadside to slightly quartering away shot on a calm animal.

 

[AES]

The current world record Alaska-Yukon moose was dropped with a 303 British and I'm sure plenty of eland have been killed over the years in southern Africa with surplus 303 rifles. That said, that moose was shot at less than 50 yards with a well placed shot and as many have pointed out a wounded eland can go and go and go. Use a good bullet, keep it within reasonable distance (150 yards or less IMO) and don't take anything but a perfect broadside to slightly quartering away shot on a calm animal.

The Moose is like comparing a whitetail to a bear. In any case, many a jumbo has fallen to a 303 . . . yet I would not intentionally hunt eland with that.

 

[Philip Glass]

It is not ideal I am sure you know. Can you do it? Yes but you will want to be careful with your shot and follow up with another shot. My point is that if you want to use a smaller caliber just know your limitations.

 

[Longwalker]

Moose and eland are quite similar in size. The .303 was once the standard moose cartridge where I live and hunt. It has since been mostly replaced with more modern cartridges, which don't kill moose any deader. My father and his buddies took many moose with no complaints while hunting with "sporterized" .303 SMLE rifles. I started my hunting activities many years ago with a .303. Since then I do the same type of hunting with a .308. They are almost ballistic twins. Anything you can do with a .308 you can also do with a .303, if that comparison helps. The biggest limitation I have observed while hunting with a .303 or observing others hunting with that cartridge is the rifles that are available. Many are old and tired, an most are not very accurate. If you have a good, accurate rifle, and choose decent bullets of 180 grains or heavier, I have no doubt your .303 will do the job on an eland, or any other plains game. It is a classic African caliber, as it is in Canada and the rest of the former British empire.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I’ve heard people talk about the 303 and I just want to know if could bring down and Eland or not as I’ve heard some conflicting info and as some new to hunting and the forums it’s self I would like to know if it can be done as I plan to use a 303 in the near future to hunt deer and moose where I live and I’ve always wanted to hunt eland in the future as well one day. Thank you

@Newtothis
Loaded with 150gn BARNES TSX or Woodleigh 225gn rnsp weldcore I would say yes at a,sensible range of around 100 yards a definite yes.
The 303 ha killed everything in Africa from elephant down to the tiny 10.
That being the case I would probably pick something bigger for eland. All othe plains game it's fine.
Just my 2 cents
Bob

 

[Jörg Krüger]

That being the case I would probably pick something bigger for eland. All othe plains game it's fine.
Just my 2 cents
Bob

I would guess something like a 35Whelen

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I would guess something like a 35Whelen

@Jörg Krüger
Nah mate. A 303 on a P14 action or Ruger No1 so it can be loaded to its potential with either the 215gn Woodleigh or 150gn TSX and I would be a happy boy with it on any game up to eland.
Bob

 

[Sika98k]

A 303 would not be my caliber of choice for eland. I have shot 2 with a 275 but both were extenuating circumstances. They were injured. A 300 H&H , 300 WinMag or a 375 H&H would be preferable.

 

[shark_za]

ae

 

[Nhoro]

303 is just as capable as the 30-06 or 308 for killing an eland. It has enough penetration to reliably kill an eland from any reasonable angle.

The danger is that people use military ammo-much like the 308. Not much old military ball ammo around nowadays so use a decent expanding bullet and it is just down to your accuracy. I carried an old military 303, 'sporterized' and fitted with a red neck fitted scope mount when I was a apprentice hunter. It work but it was ugly and a b**ch to shoot.

 

[50Gunner]

Great info in this thread, i have often thought about bringing my 303 double to Africa for a good walkabout looking for animals of opportunity after the buffalo/hippo are in the salt or ground, nice to know the 215gr Woodleigh Weldcores at 2150 fps would take an Eland were a nice one found, being able to cover Wildebeest, Waterbuck, Zebra, Kudu and Gemsbok makes it even more attractive.

 

[Tom Leoni]

.303 is one of the classic African cartridges and, I'd wager, one of the top-5 game-getters in the history of the Dark Continent, especially in the golden age of safaris. Bell even used it extensively on elephant. In my own small way, I will become part of the .303 safari fraternity next month, courtesy of an exquisite 1896 Watson Brothers Martini that a member of AH was gracious enough to sell me earlier this year. The rifle is a tack driver and I have no qualms using it with open sights out to 150 yards or so.

I just wish that more suppliers would offer *THE* bullet that made the .303's reputation as a surefire killer: the 215-grainer, which now only Hawk here in the US and the semi-defunct (and hopefully soon-to-resuscitate) Woodleigh manufacture. I'm sure the 180s traveling at about 2,300 fps will kill any plains game I shoot, but that long, parallel-sided, high-sectional-density 215-grainer would give me almost magical confidence.

Going forward in this seemingly-endless time of components shortage, there are two calibers for which I'll literally hoard: the .375 H&H Flanged and the .303. It's a hard choice for someone who owns several other rifles in fantastic chamberings, but these two stand out as possessing everything I'll ever look for: pairing with a gorgeous classic rifle, killing power, nostalgia and the pleasure of standing out from the crowd.