7mm Rem Mag for Eland

[Mike Van Horn]

Sounds like you have a good load with the 160 TSX. If you ever want to try something different try the 168 LRX. Having really good results in a 7mm Wby

 

[AZDAVE]

@Velo Dog It wasn't me that used the moniker of Fudd but in honor of that person and a salute to you from another heavy for caliber larger bore hunter, i present.

 

[AZDAVE]

I have taken one eland with a shot from a 9.3x74 double, 300 gr aframe it made it 10 yards and piled up. I am a use a bigger cal than you think you need with a heavy for cal bullet kinda guy. So i would skip the 7RM and go with 338 or bigger.

 

[Steve-O]

I think you should be good with the 160gr TSX load you listed. Back in the late 1990’s I saw my buddy cleanly take a nice Eland bull with his 7 Rem Mag using 160gr Nosler Partitions. He waited for a nearly broadside shot, and all went well.

 

[Firebird]

This hunter takes an eland bull with a 7mm mag on a video I just watched on YouTube. If you have interest could check it out

 

[Hedge774]

Greetings Arty082,

A member of this, the world’s greatest forum once called me a “Fudd”, as in the vintage USA cartoon character, “Elmer Fudd”.
I have forgotten that chap’s screen name but, I wear the descriptor proudly.

In living up to being a “Fudd”, I do not favor extra velocity cartridges, firing light, sharply pointed bullets for the taking of animals approaching a ton in body weight and vaguely resembling some prehistoric ancestor of today’s champion rodeo bulls.

Furthermore, farm raised eland are not the same beast that truly wild eland are.
No matter what caliber we choose, if that all important first shot is not placed properly, a wilderness born truly wild eland bull will lead you on a merry chase for mile after sweaty mile of tracking, often as not, through the most horrid thorn choked areas imaginable.
And oh happy day, that sometimes includes cat’s claw thorn.
(Ask me how I know).

Be that as it may, for the specific niche of long shots, at thin skinned animals and within the “not too huge of body and bone” category, I do like the 7 MM Remington Magnum.
It is in my opinion one of the best cartridges for hunting many species of hoofed game in wide open conditions, IE: flat desert, open grass land, mountain hunting above timberline, cross canyon shots and so forth.
But I repeat, I do not recommend it for large, heavy bodied / thick boned animals.

Having said all that, I’ve only taken 3 eland in 7 trips into 2 African countries so, my opinion is far from expert on rifles and cartridges for eland.
Why only 3 so far ? —> old Elmer Fudd here only likes the wild ones and so, I refuse to shoot an eland or any hoofed critter that trots toward me, expecting myself or the PH to toss it a bundle of sweet tasting hay.

Moving right along…..
Consider my input here as a wee drop of advice, in the gathering of much more advice toward your bucket full of information.
All 3 of the eland I have taken were wild animals and hard won, tracking them on foot, in the sprawling and thorny Namibian bush.

My personal MINIMUM for these magnificent and potentially 1 ton animals would be a .33 caliber tough, bonded core bullet, weighing at least 250 grains, with a muzzle velocity of approximately 2400 fps to around 2600 fps.
Cartridges such as the .338-06 and .318 Westley-Richards at the low end, up through the .35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 9.3x74R and .375 H&H at the upper end, come to mind.

Caliber choice and bullet selection become very important if the only shot your huge quarry allows you is the quartering toward you shot.
Getting through heavy shoulder muscle and bone is more likely accomplished via a large, heavy bullet that will smash through all of that and continue on through to seriously lacerate the heart lung parts and pieces.

If you wound your eland and he gallops straight away, with the enthusiasm of a Kentucky race horse, offering only a split second to anchor him with a 2nd bullet fired into his fast departing caboose, you will sorely wish you had a .375, firing a 300 grain, stoutly constructed bullet.

Also worth mentioning is that, during my longass decades of hunting (beginning in the 1960’s), I have experienced occasional erratic performance from hollow pointed bullets.
Therefore, I never bother with them any more, just no thank you.

Since you are very well experienced in the taking of hoofed animals by means of your 7MM Magnum, I predict that your eland hunt will go well.
Even though my preference for, “small light animal - small light bullet and large heavy animal - large heavy bullet” is my Elmer Fuddly advice, I suspect you will put that first bullet exactly where it should strike the eland and you will enjoy eland tenderloin, grilled on the evening braai soon thereafter.

I shall look forward to your hunting report on this.

Cheers,
Velo Fudd.

That is a picture perfect Eland, Sir! Also, the photographic proof that "Cocaine Bear" was real is horrifying...

 

[Hedge774]

You’re good to go. My wife took hers with one shot out of her .308 and it made a single step before dropping. A tough bullet and good shot placement will take care of everything else.

Jake

That is gorgeous..

 

[gillettehunter]

I have taken 3 eland with a 7 SAUM. 180 grain bullet at 2900 fps. Two of them were one shot kills. The other took another shot to get down. Having used the 7 mm it will work just fine. A 200 grain or bigger bullet in a .30 caliber will work better. The .33 caliber’s are probably perfect in most aspects.
Good luck
Bruce

 

[OzarkBen]

I was with a friend that took a very nice eland 3 weeks ago with a 7mm PRC 175gr Hammer just shy of 3000fps from 170 yards. I would have used a larger caliber, but the eland couldn’t tell the difference. The eland went about 20 yards - he had a very well placed broadside shot on the shoulder.

 

[Velo Dog]

I have taken one eland with a shot from a 9.3x74 double, 300 gr aframe it made it 10 yards and piled up. I am a use a bigger cal than you think you need with a heavy for cal bullet kinda guy. So i would skip the 7RM and go with 338 or bigger.

Greetings Dave,
I totally agree with you.
And since the various species I’ve hunted, (beginning about 1967), quite often don’t seem to know that they’re supposed to turn perfectly broadside for me, I like to use enough gun.

IE: Using a caliber & bullet weight capable of breaking through the shoulder ball & socket structure in whatever animal I seek seems elementary.

@Velo Dog It wasn't me that used the moniker of Fudd but in honor of that person and a salute to you from another heavy for caliber larger bore hunter, i present.

Thanks and I salute you right back.
Great minds think alike.
Elmer Fudd ya, I didn’t figure it was you and I’m not bothering to read back through the forum to look for it.
It doesn’t matter because whomever was calling me names out on the playground during recess, no worries I been married twice so I’ve definitely been called a lot worse.

Cheers,
Velo Fudd.

 

[shark_za]

I have a group of hunting mates that only target Eland every year, one uses a 7mm Rem Mag with Nosler Partitions, old school but he has not failed yet.

 

[Mark458]

That old school is a good school. Nosler Partitions are great for plains game. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[Miletic]

As the title implies, what are your thoughts on 7mm Rem Mag for use on Eland?

I've used 160gr Barnes TSX (~2950fps) with great success on multiple plains game species (warthog, blue wildebeest, zebra, blesbuck, impala, kudu) during my first trip to Africa, as well as on North American game (whitetail and wild hogs) and Axis deer in Hawaii. While hunting in Africa, my PH (who told me he was lukewarm to the cartridge at the beginning of our hunt) commented on more than one shot occasion how hard the round was hitting the animals. Obviously "hard-hitting" is more of a colloquial description than an actual unit of measure, but he was clearly impressed with the performance. So much so, in fact, that he jokingly remarked that he "wouldn't hesitate to use it on buffalo". No need to discuss the merits of that remark, he was just making a point haha...

It may be worth noting that zero bullets were recovered from any of our African animals, all shots resulted in full pass-through. Including a shoulder shot on a VERY round zebra that my wife harvested.

A "proper" eland is at the top of my list for my next hunt and I was just curious what the consensus was for applying that same rifle/cartridge combination to the situation. What say you?

Excellent bullet. There won't be any problems. There are of course other options, but this will be ok in any case

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

As the title implies, what are your thoughts on 7mm Rem Mag for use on Eland?

I've used 160gr Barnes TSX (~2950fps) with great success on multiple plains game species (warthog, blue wildebeest, zebra, blesbuck, impala, kudu) during my first trip to Africa, as well as on North American game (whitetail and wild hogs) and Axis deer in Hawaii. While hunting in Africa, my PH (who told me he was lukewarm to the cartridge at the beginning of our hunt) commented on more than one shot occasion how hard the round was hitting the animals. Obviously "hard-hitting" is more of a colloquial description than an actual unit of measure, but he was clearly impressed with the performance. So much so, in fact, that he jokingly remarked that he "wouldn't hesitate to use it on buffalo". No need to discuss the merits of that remark, he was just making a point haha...

It may be worth noting that zero bullets were recovered from any of our African animals, all shots resulted in full pass-through. Including a shoulder shot on a VERY round zebra that my wife harvested.

A "proper" eland is at the top of my list for my next hunt and I was just curious what the consensus was for applying that same rifle/cartridge combination to the situation. What say you?

@Arty0802
Even tho regarded as minimal the 7x57 and the 30-06 have been killing eland for years with heavy for calibre cup and core, 175 & 220gn.
So a 7mm REM mag should do the job with 160gn Barnes.
I personally prefer bigger like my Whelen but ran out of time for eland, but that's me.
Go have fun and don't swat the small stuff.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Interesting. I have been casually browsing for a .375, maybe this will push me a little further in that direction. There's also a gorgeous .340 WBY for sale by a member on here that I have to shield my eyes from.

@Arty0802
Keep shielding your eyes in that 340. Recoil is horribly sharp and ammo expensive.
A nice 375 would be a lot more use and more comfortable to shoot.
Bob

 

[Bejane]

As the title implies, what are your thoughts on 7mm Rem Mag for use on Eland?

I've used 160gr Barnes TSX (~2950fps) with great success on multiple plains game species (warthog, blue wildebeest, zebra, blesbuck, impala, kudu) during my first trip to Africa, as well as on North American game (whitetail and wild hogs) and Axis deer in Hawaii. While hunting in Africa, my PH (who told me he was lukewarm to the cartridge at the beginning of our hunt) commented on more than one shot occasion how hard the round was hitting the animals. Obviously "hard-hitting" is more of a colloquial description than an actual unit of measure, but he was clearly impressed with the performance. So much so, in fact, that he jokingly remarked that he "wouldn't hesitate to use it on buffalo". No need to discuss the merits of that remark, he was just making a point haha...

It may be worth noting that zero bullets were recovered from any of our African animals, all shots resulted in full pass-through. Including a shoulder shot on a VERY round zebra that my wife harvested.

A "proper" eland is at the top of my list for my next hunt and I was just curious what the consensus was for applying that same rifle/cartridge combination to the situation. What say you?

Depends where you are hunting. In RSA and Namibia, the bush can be sparse and not too thick, but in Zim and Zambia, Eland hunting in the thick stuff is not always easy. In my experience 375 gives me more confidence. just my 2c

 

[Arty0802]

@Arty0802
Keep shielding your eyes in that 340. Recoil is horribly sharp and ammo expensive.
A nice 375 would be a lot more use and more comfortable to shoot.
Bob

Interesting data point, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Interesting data point, I'll keep that in mind.

@Arty0802
Give me a 375 any day over an over glorified 338win mag (aka340).
A lot more versatile and unless you are interested in shooting eland in the next county I can't see the point. Everyone raves about the 338 lapua mag as the ultimate longer range cartridge. Balistcally the 340 Weatherby is superior to that.

I think you are getting the point. Whilst the 340 is a good cartridge the 375 is far more versatile.
Call me old fashioned but it just plain works and is DG legal for future hunts.
Bob

 

[Mark458]

@Arty0802
Give me a 375 any day over an over glorified 338win mag (aka340).
A lot more versatile and unless you are interested in shooting eland in the next county I can't see the point. Everyone raves about the 338 lapua mag as the ultimate longer range cartridge. Balistcally the 340 Weatherby is superior to that.

I think you are getting the point. Whilst the 340 is a good cartridge the 375 is far more versatile.
Call me old fashioned but it just plain works and is DG legal for future hunts.
Bob

I pretty much agree. If all you're ever going to hunt is plains game then just go with the 338 win mag. It will handle anything in the world not legally requiring a 375 and it has a ton of options on bullets including huge selection of factory ammunition. If you go any bigger than that then don't stop until you get to the 375 H & H.

 

[Arty0802]

@Arty0802
Give me a 375 any day over an over glorified 338win mag (aka340).
A lot more versatile and unless you are interested in shooting eland in the next county I can't see the point. Everyone raves about the 338 lapua mag as the ultimate longer range cartridge. Balistcally the 340 Weatherby is superior to that.

I think you are getting the point. Whilst the 340 is a good cartridge the 375 is far more versatile.
Call me old fashioned but it just plain works and is DG legal for future hunts.
Bob

I pretty much agree. If all you're ever going to hunt is plains game then just go with the 338 win mag. It will handle anything in the world not legally requiring a 375 and it has a ton of options on bullets including huge selection of factory ammunition. If you go any bigger than that then don't stop until you get to the 375 H & H.

You both make a great point. The only application I'd consider the .340 for would be for long(er) range shots on large game that are NOT Cape Buffalo. I.e., elk, moose, eland, etc...