Minimum caliber requirement in Eastern cape

[.45 colt hunter]

This question has popped up quite a few times, but after having studied all the threads i could find, i have not yet gotten a clear answer. Too often it ended up with personal opinions and rumors.
I do know the rules regarding minimum calibers for RSA and until recently i thought this was valid in all provinces.
But now i have been informed that there are "special" rules regarding minimum calibers in i.e. Eastern cape . The information came from a close friend that recently passed the PH exam in Eastern Cape. They were not shown the full text from the "law" but what i would call an interpretation of what was written.
So here is the question : can someone please show me the full content of the rules regarding min. calibers for rifle hunting in Eastern cape, if different from the general rule about bullet weight
Please no personal opinions about what should be the minimum, just the bare rules please.

 

[WRudman]

46.
PROHIBITION OF USE OF CERTAIN FIRE-ARMS TO HUNT CERTAIN WILD ANIMALS.
Section 30
No person shall use a fire-arm having a barrel of a calibre of six comma five millimetres or less to hunt any Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, Wildebeest, Orx or Red Hartebeest.

That's all I've got. Haven't heard of any changes.

Regards

 

[Areaonereal]

That ruling just eliminated the use of a 264 Win Mag, 6.5x284 and 6.5x06. All of which with the right(weight and design) would be more than adequate for Oryx, Hartebeast, Kudu and possibly Wildebeast. The ballistics on those three surpass most 270 and definitely most 7 mm ballistics, i.e 7x57, 7-08 that have proved so successful in Africa..7x57 being the most popular. The sectional density and fps of the heavier 6.5 bullets surpass those of many 270 and 7 mm loads utilized in many of the "legally acceptable" rounds. With that being said, I am still a believer in there is no such thing as overkill. Comes down to shot placement and that will always be the determining factor whether or not you used enough gun.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Eastern Cape Ordinance
Definitions
9. "firearm" includes an airgun having a barrel of a calibre of not less than five comma six millimetres.

18 "weapon" means -
(a) a fire-arm having a barrel exceeding one hundred millimetres in length and includes such ammunition for any such fire-arm , or...

Illegal hunting methods
Section 29
No person shall unless he is the holder of a permit authorizing him to do so, hunt any wild animal-
(g) by means of a fire-arm which discharges a run-fire cartridge of a calibre less than five comma six millimetres;


then Section 30 as noted above.

BUT this is the game changer.

Section 36
(a) at any time by any means other than by the use of fire or poison and on the land in respect of which....blah blah blah

 

[CAustin]

Interesting!

 

[.45 colt hunter]

Thanks for your interest in my thread, there are quite a few things to consider.
Rhinoster answered with something that looks right out the book. and it states that "No person shall use a fire-arm having a barrel of a calibre of six comma five millimetres or less to hunt any Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, Wildebeest, Orx or Red Hartebeest." That is also exactly what was told to my friend at Spring Valley School of Professional hunting.
In case you consider this to be absolutely correct, then i cannot see why someone would rule out the any of the .264 calibers !
A bullet or caliber of the barrel of .264 converted to mm. is .264 x 25,4 = 6,7056 ( 1 inch is 25,4 mm) , so that is in fact 0,2056 mm. larger than 6,5 mm.. and therefore legal.
Again i am not talking about what is recommended for hunting larger plains game , only the correct interpretation of the rules.
Sometimes the name of a caliber does not correspond directly to the actual diameter of the bullet or the barrel. I.E: the 30-06 , the 308, and the 300 win.mag. win use the same bullet. The 38 special use the same bullet dia. as the 357 magnum etc.
When you buy a box of 6,5 x ? .264 is always printed on it.
What is you opinions on this.

 

[WRudman]

Then you should be in the clear. Speak to your outfitter or Ph, they can also help you.
Areaonereal raised a good point on shot placement. Guys that do culling work use calibres like .223 or .243. Not within the law but effective and there has not been any problems.

 

[Areaonereal]

Metric is certainly not my strong suit, being located in the USA. Our nomenclature for 6.5 is a conversion for .264 caliber. Our head stamp noted on brass would reflect 6.5 x????, whether 6.5x47l, 6.5x284, 6.5x06, we could see .260 head stamp, but using a .264 bullet, also 6.5 creedmore, and 6.5 Remington Magnum....all head stamp as such, But all use a .264 bullet. Interpretation of the new ruling,, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To add to any concern the caliber markings on the barrel would reflect caliber....thus as the regulation is written what would be the status of a 6.5x55.... Legal or not? Leaving that interpretation up to enforcement officers could not be so beneficial if discussions got very technical regarding the diameter of the bullet being .264. The regulation needs to be more specific in its description of minimum caliber.

 

[.45 colt hunter]

Areaoneral, you are right about headstamps etc. but in my world the diameter for a certain caliber must be the correct and accurately measured
diameter given in either mm or inch. Should it be measured on the top of the lands or in the bottom of the grooves ?? There are rifles that are stamped with .300 win, does that mean the caliber is .300 or is it .308 as stamped on the .308 win ?, so it is not always that the stamp reflects the true caliber. The case with the 6,5 Swedish is the one that always comes up in a discussion around the campfire, the barrel is probably bored close to .264 and thus it is above 6,5 mm, that the barrel is stamped with 6,5 x55 can then be regarded as merely a name for that cartridge. I agree that leaving this up to law enforcement officers could turn out nasty and i would not like to take up that discussion on an expensive hunt.
Just for info: my personal favorite calibers are the 7mm rem mag. and the 30.06 and for larger game .375 H&H, so it is not because i want to promote the 6,5`s although that i consider them adequate with the 156 grain bullets for most plain game excluding eland.
I had hoped that the law text could have given me the answer to what is the exact minimum caliber, but it turns out that it is not that easy to say if the 6,5mm/.264 is legal or not.
I have already asked some PH from Eastern Cape, they all had their own personal interpretation, but most of them would let the clients take plains game up to the size of eland, some would also exclude Blue Wildebeest. I respect that.

 

[Areaonereal]

My favorite also is a 30 06, but for sake of discussion the regulation is certainly not that clear and the 6.5 in the right bullet and powder capacity is an extremely useful round for plains game, just need to,see how this is determined and any exceptions to the rule. I have thought of a 6.5 x 284 for Africa and have one currently, but with those new regs., I would be hesitant to bring it as my only rifle, Try explaining to a ranger that it is a 264 diameter bullet and all the technical jargon that it would entail...Not my idea of a good time...I would totally agree with the PH comments from above, I used a 338 06 on wildebeast last year, they are tough and full of energy after they are wounded.

 

[Code4]

6.5 is technically illegal in Namibia, however I have an acquaintance who took a 6.5x55 there 'for small game' and once the PH was happy with his marksmanship was able to use it on a variety of game. (insert evil grin icon)

I doubt things would be different in RSA once on private land. They certainly don't check at the airport.

Check with your outfitter/PH.

(my avatar was shot in the outback with a .264WM and 140 Woodleighs. An awesome combination for all non dangerous game world wide IMHO)

 

[BRICKBURN]

Thanks for your interest in my thread, there are quite a few things to consider.
Rhinoster answered with something that looks right out the book. and it states that "No person shall use a fire-arm having a barrel of a calibre of six comma five millimetres or less to hunt any Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, Wildebeest, Orx or Red Hartebeest." That is also exactly what was told to my friend at Spring Valley School of Professional hunting.
.....................

What I copied into the thread is precisely what the Eastern Cape Ordinance states.
The CAE changes everything.
Hence the opinions.
Inside a CAE there is no real minimum beyond COMMON SENSE.

 

[WRudman]

Check whether the area you are hunting falls under a CAE, sometimes outfitters get special permits to hunt on consevancies or non enclosed properties out of normal hunting season.
Note: The law is not strictly policed
What it boils down to, shot placement, superior body penetration and performance of the bullet (our animals are tough)
The Outfitter or PH will know the area, so give them a call

 

[lcq]

TIA the equivalent of Everything is Legal in Jersey

 

[Håkon Gjerde]

Farren Hunting has this nice overview: Minimum Calibers for Africa

We are often asked often to recommend a particular caliber for Africa. Aside from personal preference several countries have laws requiring minimums for certain species.
Below is a list of minimums by country.

Minimum Equipment Requirements for Rifle Hunting in Africa by Country
Joule = Divide Joule by 1.357 to get ft. lbs.

Zimbabwe
Class A game: Elephant, buffalo, hippo
A minimum bullet diameter of 9.2mm and energy level of 5,300 joules (3,910 ft-lbs) is required. Most outfitters consider the .375 to be a minimum

Class B game: Lion, giraffe, eland
A bullet diameter of at least 7mm (.284) and an energy level of 4,300 joules (3,170 ft-lbs) is necessary.
Most PH's will recommend a .338 mag as minimum on lion

Class C game: Leopard, crocodile, hyena, kudu, sable antelope, blue wildebeest, waterbuck, zebra, nyala, tsessebe, hartebeest, gemsbok, blesbok
A bullet diameter of at least 7mm (.284) and an energy level of 3,000 joules (2,115 ft-lbs) is necessary.

Class D game: Warthog, impala, reedbuck, bushbusk, sitatunga, jackal and animals smaller than 25 kg (56 lbs).
A bullet diameter of at least 5.56mm (.22) and an energy level of 850 joules (630 ft-lbs) is necessary.


South Africa

• Most provinces do not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting. I typically recommend nothing less than .270 or equivalent
• Some provinces require a minimum of .375 caliber for dangerous or big game hunting.


Mozambique

• There is no minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Mozambique. Like South Africa I would recommend nothing less than .270 or equivalent


Namibia

• Smallest caliber allowed 7 mm (.284).
• Minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity)

• Big Game, 5400 Joule
(Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, etc.)

• Large Game, 2700 Joule
(Greater Kudu, Cape Eland, Oryx / Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Hartmann's Zebra, Burchell's Zebra, Giraffe, Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, Leopard, etc.)

• Medium to Small Game, 1350 Joule
(Springbok, Impala, Blesbok, Gray Duiker, Steenbok, Ostrich, Caracal, Black-Faced Impala, Red Lechwe, Damara Dik-Dik, Klipspringer, Black-Backed Jackal, Warthog, Cheetah, Nyala, Chacma Baboon, Game Birds, etc.)


Tanzania

• The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Tanzania is .240 caliber for any game other than dangerous game.
• The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Tanzania is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting.


Zambia

• Zambia does not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting plains game and rely on common sense. Caliber in the .270 range will be well suited for some of the smaller plains game in Zambia.
• The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Zambia is .300 caliber for dangerous game such as Leopard and Lion. I would recommend .338 for lion as minimum
• The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Zambia is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting such as Elephant, Buffalo and Hippo.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Farren Hunting has this nice overview: Minimum Calibers for Africa

All of this information was copied straight from our site, the least they could have done is give us credit for it… Have a look at the articles in the section Hunting Info by Country: http://www.africahunting.com/community/hunting-info-country/.

By the way Namibia does not have a minimum caliber requirement for rifle hunting and rely by law on minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity). Smallest caliber recommended by NAPHA 7 mm (.284).

 

[.45 colt hunter]

No matter who has the copyright to the text in the 2 previous answers, i must say that i do not find it correct what is written about South Africa:

Most provinces do not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting. I typically recommend nothing less than .270 or equivalent
• Some provinces require a minimum of .375 caliber for dangerous or big game hunting.

I have attached the official "Norms and standards for hunting methods for hunting in South Africa " and it clearly states that:
Minimum
"9,9 gram (150) bullet for hunting the species contemplated in subparagraph (1)(d), up to and including the size of blue wildebeest, kudu,gemsbok,sable,roan and leopard."
On top of that there are several provinces with special provincial rules I.E. Eastern Cape ordinance:
"46.
PROHIBITION OF USE OF CERTAIN FIRE-ARMS TO HUNT CERTAIN WILD ANIMALS.
Section 30
No person shall use a fire-arm having a barrel of a calibre of six comma five millimetres or less to hunt any Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, Wildebeest, Oryx or Red Hartebeest."
(this is a quote from Rhinoster Hoek Safaris and i have checked it to be absolutely correct)

So how can anyone claim that there is no specific rules regarding minimum equipment for hunting in RSA and its provinces !

My Thread was : Minimum caliber requirement in Eastern Cape : One of my conclusions is (and i may be wrong) that no one should use a fire arm with a calibre of 6,5 mm or less and the bullet must be of at least 9,9 gram if used on I.E. blue wildebeest. ?

 

[rnovi]

I'm curious: do you actually want to use a 6.5 on game that can weigh up to 2000#? Blue Wildebeest can go 550#...Kudu are just as big or bigger...Zebra to 650...Eland to 2000#. Leopard are just plain nasty if you don't kill the outright.

Depending on where you are hunting you may also be hunting in an area with dangerous game or in very close quarters. Extra bullet is a good thing.

I have a 6.5x55 in the safe and I know its reputation. Just because Swedes use it on their Moose doesn't make it an optimal round for the job. I do feel it's perfectly good for Impala, Springbok, Blesbok, Hartebeest. When the game gets over 400# the game starts to change. Shock value becomes less meaningful. Bigger holes with more bloodletting and generally faster bleed out. My kudu ate 3x 30 cal 180 gr TSXs and still took us on a lovely half mile chase.

Africa had to draw the line somewhere. They made it easy and simply picked a caliber.

 

[.45 colt hunter]

I'm curious: do you actually want to use a 6.5 on game that can weigh up to 2000#? Blue Wildebeest can go 550#...Kudu are just as big or bigger...Zebra to 650...Eland to 2000#. Leopard are just plain nasty if you don't kill the outright.

Depending on where you are hunting you may also be hunting in an area with dangerous game or in very close quarters. Extra bullet is a good thing.

I have a 6.5x55 in the safe and I know its reputation. Just because Swedes use it on their Moose doesn't make it an optimal round for the job. I do feel it's perfectly good for Impala, Springbok, Blesbok, Hartebeest. When the game gets over 400# the game starts to change. Shock value becomes less meaningful. Bigger holes with more bloodletting and generally faster bleed out. My kudu ate 3x 30 cal 180 gr TSXs and still took us on a lovely half mile chase.

Africa had to draw the line somewhere. They made it easy and simply picked a caliber.

My personal opinion is not really that important and i actually tried to avoid answers with personal opinions. The thread was: Minimum caliber requirement (legally) in Eastern Cape ?
I also have a 6,5 in the safe and i regard it capable of taking game the size of Kudu, not perfect, but capable and legal.
You say "Africa had to draw the line somewhere. They made it easy and simply picked a caliber" I say no they did not make it simple and picked a caliber, the made it complicated by stating that "No person shall use a fire-arm having a barrel of a calibre of six comma five millimetres or less to hunt any Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, Wildebeest, Oryx or Red Hartebeest." The 6,5 x 55 is above 6,5 mm. as the "caliber of the bore" is 6,7 mm or .264" just as the 270 winchester is above 7 mm as it measures .277 which is equal to 7,035. The "name" of a caliber does not always precisely indicate the correct diameter, which can be confusing.
I was well aware of the law text regarding RSA and minimum bullet weights, but just recently found out that there were a special ordinance for Eastern cape and other provinces, as i have quoted in a previous reply.
As i read the text, then the 6,5 x 55 SE perfectly legal for i.e. Eland, Kudu, Wildebeest, Oryx and Red Hartebeest, in Eastern Cape.
Would i personally use a 6,5 x55 on the species mentioned above ? NO probably not. I have used a 30.06 and a 7mm. rem mag. on that class of game in RSA with perfect result and i don`t see any reason to change that. If i had to go bigger, let´s say eland, i would definitely use a .375 (because i have one ), although i am well aware that they have been killed successfully with 7 x57 , .303 br. and the 30.06 maybe not the perfect choice, but capable and legal.
In my opinion bullet construction/weight/sectional density, and bullet placement is far more important than a few thousands of an inch in diameter. The "simple" African rule makes it perfectly legal to use the 30.30 on larger game and i cannot believe that anyone will find that a good choice. Maybe one day RSA will come up with a energy (joule) requirement as i understand they have in Zimbabwe and many countries in Europe.

Well I did not try to get into a discussion about choice of caliber, I was just trying to find the truth about the rules we have to follow when hunting in Eastern Cape.