Another member of the Canadian herd

[Pheroze]

Hello,

I jumped in on another forum and failed to introduce myself. I too live in Canada but I am a novice hunter. Growing up in Canada my father told me stories of his hunting experiences in India and about the books he read about Jim Corbett but he never hunted in Canada. I now find that middle age makes things more pressing and I have started hunting with my father (78yrs young) and my teenaged son.

Africa is definitely a goal but I want to know what I am doing before taking the trip. Right now I have a 30-06 and I am getting out into the field and the range as much as possible. I understand that the 30-06 is adequate for some plains game, but after a dialogue with some very hospitable and knowledgable members in another forum I am on the track to getting a 9.3x62 as a first step. The more I think about it these old cartridges seem to me to be a part of the whole experience. Although, my father spoke of a 450/400 I believe (if I remember it correctly).

 

[35bore]

Welcome to the forum. The 30-06 with a 180gr bullet will serve you well in Africa (regardless what BART says).... Again welcome to the forum, great group of folks here.

 

[bluey]

welcome and enjoy the site pheroze
good stuff getting into hunting and taking your son with you ,the fire in your fathers eyes will burn a little brighter with a couple of generations of family in the bush with him
and from what I seen the true blue ,tried and tested 30.06 is enough for all the plains game my son encounted in Africa .
though shot placement is as always most important .(he shot a bueatiful gemsbok a tad to far back and never followed up when his ph told him to poke another hole in him and lost him )
and l think young bart loves the 30.06 (ha ha ha ha )just read some of his posts

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Welcome to AH Pheroze!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Welcome to the Canadian contingent on AH.
Glad you are getting some help from the crowd.
Although selling you on that weird numbered gun... I don't know.

 

[Pheroze]

Truth be told, they provided guidance to me on my quest for a 9.3mm. :blush:

 

[Diamondhitch]

Welcome to AH.

I don't know who is steering you that way but by FAR the 2 most common calibers in Africa (and the ones with the most widely available ammo) are the 30-06 and the 375 H&H. The 375 will do everything you need from dangerous game to duikers and the 30-06 will easily kill any plainsgame without giving you a good beating like the 375 will!

 

[Bobpuckett]

Welcome to AH Pheroze! Unless your just looking to buy a new rifle stick with the 30-06 that you already hunt with, it will handle any plains game from the Eland on down to the Blue Duiker. Glad to here your hunting with your father and son its always great to get the younger Generation started in the outdoors as the old saying goes if you hunt with your kids now you won't have to hunt for them later. Enjoy the site and feel free to ask all the questions you like, one of the great members here will try to answer it for you.

 

[Deb]

Welcome to AH Pheroze! "Another member of the Canadian herd" :thumb:

 

[bellero]

Welcome to AH from Alberta.

 

[Nyati]

Welcome to AH !

 

[FerRGarza]

welcome to AH Pheroze!

 

[Bos en Dal SAFARIS]

Wlcome Pheroze, that 30-06 will be sufficient for all plains game, but more guns are always welcome to a man's collection. Enjoy the site and planning that first safari

 

[MT Griz]

Welcome to AH!

I will second (or is it third or forth) that your 30-'06 will be all you need for plains game. My vote would be for the 375 H&H Mag for your "other" rifle. But to each his own. I bought a 375 before my first trip to Africa and fell in love with it, it is by far my favorite rifle now! Best of luck whatever you decide!

 

[RickB]

Welcome to AH! I will agree with everyone above. The 30-06 will do anythign you want it to. I used it on my trip and had no issues what so ever. Its all about shot placement.

 

[spike.t]

Wlcome Pheroze, that 30-06 will be sufficient for all plains game, but more guns are always welcome to a man's collection. Enjoy the site and planning that first safari

hi i agree with gerrit on the gun collection . the 450/400 is used in double or single shot rifles. it is a medium calibre in the double rifle parade but more than capable of taking buff and ele. the 9.3x62 is one of my favourites so i am biased if you want a selection of rifles then the 30-06 with a 9.3x62, a 404 jeff or .416 rigby and a 470 or 500 nitro double would give you more than you need, but it would be a nice collection of calibres that would cover you perfectly for anything you want to hunt.:beer:

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Welcome to AH!
Putting a bullet into the correct area with your 30.06 will serve you better than a poorly placed one from the 9.3.
If the 30.06 is what you know, go with it. It will flatten everything on the plains game list.
Enjoy your planning!

Take Care,
Marius Goosen

 

[Pheroze]

This is great info and gives me a lot of confidence in the 30-06! I like my gun so now deciding on the "do everything" load. 180 gr. Accubonds are looking good at this point from a factory load perspective. Gotta say planning for Africa is really fun!:daydreaming:

 

[observe]

welcome
30-06 with good shot placement is more than enough
practice a lot and know the distances[bullet drop] and i cant see a problem
enjoy!