Ammo in 30-06 for Eland

[gillie]

Hi every one,

What would your recommendation be regarding bullet (make and model), bullet weight and velocity for hunting Eland with a 30-06?

Already looking forward to your answers.

 

[pinotguy]

200-gr. Northfork or 200-gr. Swift A-Frame. I'd look at around 2500 FPS at the muzzle and, depending on the shot distance, an impact velocity of around 2200 FPS for good expansion. The 30-06 seems like a marginal cartridge for big PG like Eland or Giraffe. Any particular reason you don't want to go with something larger and heavier, caliber-wise?

 

[gillie]

200-gr. Northfork or 200-gr. Swift A-Frame. I'd look at around 2500 FPS at the muzzle and, depending on the shot distance, an impact velocity of around 2200 FPS for good expansion. The 30-06 seems like a marginal cartridge for big PG like Eland or Giraffe. Any particular reason you don't want to go with something larger and heavier, caliber-wise?

Hi Pinotguy

Just because it is a pain in the butt to get a new gun license in South Africa these days. I know I will be pushing the 30-06 close to its limits, but I am sure that with proper shot placement and a good combination of bullet and velocity, I should not have any problems.

I will be using a 180gr A-frame at 2,800fps (muzzle) this coming weekend on a red hartebeest, will be the first time I hunt with the A-frames, so hopefully I can learn something about the bullet's performance.

Thanks

 

[Skyline]

gillie...................I doubt you will find any Northfork bullets over there, but the Swift A-frames are certainly a good choice, as would be the Barnes TSX and a number of others. You may well find that the 180 A-frame will suffice. They hold together extremely well and penetrate deeply.

The 200 grain bullet is probably a bit better choice but the 180 will do the job. I have shot some very big moose and elk in northern Canada with them in both the .30-06 and the .300 Weatherby. Eland are big animals, but they are not bullet proof and as long as you pick your shots and don't ask the cartridge and bullet to do things they were not meant to do you will be fine.

 

[billrquimby]

The .30-06 with 180- to 220-grain bullets, especially premium bullets such as Nosler Partitions and those mentioned, will kill eland with no problem provided you do your job. Bullet placement is everything, IMHO.

Bill Quimby

 

[gillie]

Thanks guys, you basically confirmed what I suspected. Will give an update after the weekend about the A-frame on the hartebeest, just for interest sake. My "findings" will probably be old news for the more experienced amongst you out there.

Regards

 

[Calhoun]

,,,Gillie I have used the 30/06 exclusively on 2 safari's taking 14 trophies ranging from Spring bucks thru Kudu. Excepting for a poor first shot on the Blue Wildebeest there wasn't much for tracking. The bullets you listed are all great ones & I used Nozler partitions 180 gr on the bigger animals & Nozler ballistic tips in 150 gr on the smaller animals!! Bullets properly placed will make you a Happy Camper 99% of the time regardless of caliber!!

 

[TerryR]

The 3006 is the most boring caliber ever invented. Use it to put a bullet through an animal's heart/lung triangle and the only thing that happens is; the animal dies. Bill got it right, put a premium bullet in the right place and it will work.

 

[Albert A Rasch]

It's a classic and it's effective.

I drove a 180gr A-Frame through the skull of a 300 lbs hog and then through nine and a half inches of backbone on a head on shot. I still have the bullet BTW. Perfect deformation and something like 85% weight retention at 55 yards or so.

 

[Shallom]

The calibre will do the job with a heavy bullet that holds together. I have experienced very good effect with the European TUG in that calibre. The eland is a soft animal when hurt in the vitals. If vitals are missed, you best be ready for a loss of trophy or a very long trek to recover the animal. I used a .308 to snap shoot a fine bull who we stumbled upon once. The shot was a little too far back, but did slit the edges of both lungs. We followed the bull for an hour and a half that evening until last light and resumed where we left off the following morning. It took us two and a half hours of tracking to find him and he was still alive. Not one of my proudest moments, but the 40" trophy stands out on my wall. I would say that the .30-06 is on the lower end for eland, but can efficiently do the job. As Albert pointed out - it is an effective calibre and very much a classic. If i ever had to chose a two-gun combination for Hunting Africa, it would be a .30-06 and a .416 IMO, everything's covered with these calibres.

 

[wyohunter]

30.06

if you really think about the physics of projectile acceleration, kinetic energy of the bullet is determined by (1/2)MV^2. the exponent of velocity is far more important than the rest of the equation.

this means there's a trade off relationship between bullet weight and speed. so what bullet weight, combined with what velocity gives us the highest value of kinetic energy? this is a fairly simple calculus problem that turned into a week long project for me. and i only did it for the 30'06 calibur.

when you graph all the possibilities for bullet wieghts, you get a couple optimum values. honestly, in a 30-06, the case dimensions determine these optimum values.

SHOOT A FAST 165, 168 gr bullet!!! THESE weights lie far closer to optimum kenetic energy than the 200 grain bullets. it's only because the case dimension on the '06 is too small to get the powder you need to propel the bigger bullets at the speed you need to rival the produced kinetic energy of even the 150 gr. there is no one on this planet that can convince me otherwise. it's all provable with basic math... and i did all the math.

your bullet options for eland, would be a slow expanding design. i would choose a barnes x, a interlok. the polymer tipped noslers and the like are rapidly expanding bullets, eland might be a bit too big if you have a bagshot placement.

but keep in mind, the 30'06 has killed almost every living creature in the world. even elephants. maybe in not the most ethical way, but it has nonetheless.

 

[BangFlop]

KE isn't everything .... just my opinion ...

 

[Skyline]

Holly cow!!!! I have to remain kind of silent at this one for a while......

SHOOT A FAST 165, 168 gr bullet!!! THESE weights lie far closer to optimum kenetic energy than the 200 grain bullets. it's only because the case dimension on the '06 is too small to get the powder you need to propel the bigger bullets at the speed you need to rival the produced kinetic energy of even the 150 gr. there is no one on this planet that can convince me otherwise. it's all provable with basic math... and i did all the math.


Yes I agree on the 165-168 grain for most things in the 06 and with the right bullet.

I see glimpses of other info .....can you expand on it please?

 

[RayAtkinson]

I like the 200 gr. Noslers, they work well on Eland in the 30-06, I never felt undergunned with an 06 on Eland, all you have to do is put the bullet behind the shoulder or through the shoulder and the 180 or 200 gr. Nosler partition will get the job done with either hit...

 

[Frederik]

200gr TSX bullets in your 30-06 will put your dirty ol six in a class of its own it works seen it and believe in it.

 

[speedbump]

I'm no eland expert, but for a critter that size (elk PLUS) with a 30-06, a 180-200 grain premium bullet is enough when properly placed. I'm a believer in heavy-for-caliber bullets at reasonable velocities = good penetration/ perfomance. Math is fine too:geek:, but results, over time, in the field, have proven what works. More velocity is usually, but not always a good thing.

Partitions, A-Frames, Sciroccos, Accubonds, TSXs, Lapua Oryx, Interbond/ Interlock, etc all have well deserved reputations. But, if a 165 makes you and your PH happy, then by all means, have at it. There are NO absolutes with ballistics - internal or external.:2c:

 

[gillie]

I exclusively use 180 grainers in my 30-06. Seeing that most of my hunting is in bushveld areas, I feel a bit more confident in using a heavier bullet. I have shot anything from springbuck to zebra with the 180's in the last two year, and all of them (except 1 impala that I shot too high), were one shot kills. Shot placement is of utmost importance, but you also want a bullet that could penetrate and do the damage, otherwise what is the use of proper placement. I don't think you can separate placement and bullet performance, the one is just important as the other, especially on heavier and deep-chested game.

I will be using 180gr A-frames at 2,800 fps MV on my Eland, and provided I place the shot correctly, I am sure I will have a couple of pictures of my Eland to post in this thread.

Thank you all for your comments and contributions, it is really appreciated.

Johan

 

[Big5]

I will be using 180gr A-frames at 2,800 fps MV on my Eland, and provided I place the shot correctly, I am sure I will have a couple of pictures of my Eland to post in this thread.

Using that choice I too am sure you will have your photo taken standing beside a quite dead Eland.

 

[speedbump]

...I will be using 180gr A-frames at 2,800 fps MV...

Gillie, that combination will do nicely for any non-dangerous soft-skinned animal on the planet. Some will go down faster than others, but in the end - that combination is a benchmark for a reason. I, too, look forward to seeing your eland pics !

Right now I'm building an Oberndorf Mauser stock in Bastogne walnut to put under a Remington 798 (Serbian Mauser) platform to take on a black bear hunt this fall in Pennsylvania. It's in 30-06, and I will be starting load development with 180 A-Frames and Sciroccos, and probably try 200 grain A-Frames for good measure. The rifle I built to take to Africa last year (which the airlines misplaced) was in a different caliber only because I already had ample supplies of brass, powder, and other components on hand.

Best of luck !

 

[Canuck]

I have used the swift a frames to hunting last year taking a kudu, oryx eland and zebra - the bullets performed excellently - all had nearly 98 percent wt retention. I was using a 338 win mag though.

I would also suggest that you look at the new barnes mrx (its a nonlead partition type bullet) it was even more accurate than the swifts for me (sako 75) the swifts gave me an 1.5 inches at 200 yrds while the MRX's gave me around 3/8 of an inch at 100 (haven't tested at 200 yet).

Just a thought but having used nosler partitions and A frames - there is no competition go with the A frames- -vastly superior bullet.

As for the eland - I have only taken 1 good sized bull - but I think you will be fine but shot placement is everything - If a new gun is an option I would highly recommend the 338 - not too much kick (you likely won't notice much difference from your 06) but lots more gun, reasonablly flat and 225 gr hits hard at 2800fps.

Cheers
Looking forward to the pics