How many rounds for Elephant?

[wildwilderness]

I have an opportunity on a Zim safari for a non-trophy elephant add on to a leopard hunt. Elephant may be a tuskless, a cow, or a PAC. I have a 375 ruger and will be shooting CEB 300 gr safari solids, with either a brain shot if presented or a body shot.
No I will not be taking a bigger rife, and will have a PH with a .416 present.
How many loaded rounds would you bring? I ask since I will be bringing lots of other ammo for a bro in law and cousin who do not reload for this trip and space is limited!

 

[Hunt anything]

I would take 10 solids with maybe 6 in reserve for sighting in. I probably know you can’t import ammo into most African countries unless you are also importing the same caliber rifle so be careful importing ammunition for someone else.

 

[wildwilderness]

I would take 10 solids with maybe 6 in reserve for sighting in. I probably know you can’t import ammo into most African countries unless you are also importing the same caliber rifle so be careful importing ammunition for someone else.

They are using my 9,3x62 and my 375 ruger which I have loaded for plains game and buffalo to share. I will have the rifles and ammo with me. I am also bringing a couple bows for myself, so lots of luggage helping new hunters out!

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Maybe some 458 Lott/470 NE/500 NE/500 Jeff/ 505 Gibbs for your PH . Or something like that

 

[Hunt anything]

you didn’t mention buffalo but if they are on the list or duiker or grysbok are a possibility take a full box of 20.

 

[IvW]

Maybe some 458 Lott/470 NE/500 NE/500 Jeff/ 505 Gibbs for your PH . Or something like that

Maybe you spend some time in Chicurubi.....Harare.....

 

[Longwalker]

On my recent hunt in Zimbabwe I was only interested in hunting elephant. But there was Wildebeest and Impala on the license too. I ended up hunting all three, and between some unexpected circumstances and a couple of test shooting sessions, I shot up an entire box of 20 .416 Remington cartridges. I certainly would not have anticipated that. There is nothing worse than running out of ammunition with no prospect of re-supply.

 

[rookhawk]

For a 2-gun safari of medium and large bores, I find that I need 50 rounds of varying softs/solids across the two calibers to avoid a crisis. I've come close, with maybe 1-2 rounds left at the end of a hunt in a specific configuration, and then I've returned home with unopened boxes of the other type.

11 pounds, maximum ammo permitted. That's roughly 50-60 rounds in the larger stuff.

Always err on the side of solids. A soft won't work for elephant, nor grysbok, nor klippy, but a solid will work for almost everything, even if not ideal.

 

[sureshot375]

For a 2-gun safari of medium and large bores, I find that I need 50 rounds of varying softs/solids across the two calibers to avoid a crisis. I've come close, with maybe 1-2 rounds left at the end of a hunt in a specific configuration, and then I've returned home with unopened boxes of the other type.

11 pounds, maximum ammo permitted. That's roughly 50-60 rounds in the larger stuff.

Always err on the side of solids. A soft won't work for elephant, nor grysbok, nor klippy, but a solid will work for almost everything, even if not ideal.

Solid advice from rookhawk, pun intended.

I don’t want to fly half way around the world to run out of ammo. I always take more than what I need, but you never know when you may need to shoot more rounds to sight in than anticipated, or find things that need shooting.

You may want to reconsider being the pack mule for the party so you can split the guns and ammo up.

 

[Hunt anything]

I think it was 2014 in the SAPS gun clearing room a guy had I think it was .458 Lott ammunition cut down to .458 Win mag , head stamp.458 Lott on the ammo and his rifle was Win mag, they were holding him. I don’t know how it turned out but it didn’t look pleasant!

 

[Hunt anything]

I think it was 2014 in the SAPS gun clearing room a guy had I think it was .458 Lott ammunition cut down to .458 Win mag , head stamp.458 Lott on the ammo and his rifle was Win mag, they were holding him. I don’t know how it turned out but it didn’t look pleasant!

oops wrong thread

 

[wildwilderness]

For a 2-gun safari of medium and large bores, I find that I need 50 rounds of varying softs/solids across the two calibers to avoid a crisis. I've come close, with maybe 1-2 rounds left at the end of a hunt in a specific configuration, and then I've returned home with unopened boxes of the other type.

11 pounds, maximum ammo permitted. That's roughly 50-60 rounds in the larger stuff.

Always err on the side of solids. A soft won't work for elephant, nor grysbok, nor klippy, but a solid will work for almost everything, even if not ideal.

Yes the 11 pounds is the problem with how many rounds to bring.

 

[wildwilderness]

Solid advice from rookhawk, pun intended.

I don’t want to fly half way around the world to run out of ammo. I always take more than what I need, but you never know when you may need to shoot more rounds to sight in than anticipated, or find things that need shooting.

You may want to reconsider being the pack mule for the party so you can split the guns and ammo up.

I live in AK and the others live in UT so no easy way to split the rifles etc. Maybe with prior planning months out and a way to cure my eternal procrastination I could have developed loads and reloaded everything and on a previous trip to visit them should dropped off a rifle or two.....

 

[cpr0312]

10 should be plenty. Buy if you have room maybe 15-20 in case the rifle needs rezeroing.

 

[Slider]

Take the Max allowed. Leave the left overs for The P.H,!!!

 

[sureshot375]

I live in AK and the others live in UT so no easy way to split the rifles etc. Maybe with prior planning months out and a way to cure my eternal procrastination I could have developed loads and reloaded everything and on a previous trip to visit them should dropped off a rifle or two.....

That certainly complicates things.

 

[Frederik]

Get a load that shoots softs and solids same POI at 40 yards then you can sight in with the softs and you will be fine for the elephant if you bring 10-15 rounds in solid.

 

[Inline6]

So we have exceptions to rules. We would all love to say 1 bullet was enough. Then something crazy happens and well that's how it goes.

My only DG hunting was my buffalo, I'm a pretty decent shot with a rifle I would like to think. First 3 rounds were about as text book as you can make them. I ended up putting 6 more in him. Had my last 3 rounds in the rifle when we checked on him. I was not expecting that to happen, at all. So bring more than you think you need. Chances are you will not need it, if you have a crazy event....well you don't stop shooting til you are out or it is down.

 

[VertigoBE]

20 solids, 2x3 for shooting in (once for the ‘first time’ and once if difficulties arise), then 8 in the belt and 4 in the rifle. Add about 10 or 20 softs. That’s how I would do it.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Bring the max allowed. If you’re going to pay the trophy fee on the Ele, you can certainly afford to ship your relatives some ammo to pack in their bags.