Smaller animals?

[Ryanlo]

Daughter and I headed to SA in 2019 for our first trip. Wanted to get some advice on rifles calibers. Daughter wants a civit cat and a caracal cat. I was thinking of taking the wife's 6.5 creedmoor. But was wanting to use something a little more fur friendly. She has a gemsbuck and other planes game on the list. Any ideas of a good cal?

 

[enysse]

Ask your outfitter for his .22, that is plenty. Otherwise use solids.

The 6.5 Creedmor would be fine for plains game.

 

[Hank2211]

Enysse is right, if you can get a .22, although you need to shoot well with that gun.

I've had good luck with the bigger calibers using solids - I've shot small animals with a .375 (serval, among others), as well as a .416 (red duiker, among others). Most large calibers will whistle straight through and cause little damage.

Stay away from anything with high velocity. Even with solids they have a tendency to cause a lot of damage. With expanding bullets - even premium ones - the damage can be so severe it can be difficult to tell what you shot. I recently shot a Salt's dik-dik with a .300 win mag, and got to keep the skull. Body parts were spread over a large area.

 

[lcq]

my outfitter used a shotgun for the small cats

 

[Hank2211]

my outfitter used a shotgun for the small cats

This works, but you need to get pretty close - not always possible.

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

For the animals such as aardwolf and the smaller animals we've recently used a .243 shooting Impala bullets. They're essentially a solid with an edge that causes hydrostatic shock. A low velocity load leaves a small hole similar to a solid but with better knockdown. The results are impressive. If you could find impala or similar bullets that would be an option for you with your 6.5 creedmore. I wouldn't recommend an impala bullet for general plains game hunting however.

 

[lcq]

Enysse is right, if you can get a .22, although you need to shoot well with that gun.

I've had good luck with the bigger calibers using solids - I've shot small animals with a .375 (serval, among others), as well as a .416 (red duiker, among others). Most large calibers will whistle straight through and cause little damage.

Stay away from anything with high velocity. Even with solids they have a tendency to cause a lot of damage. With expanding bullets - even premium ones - the damage can be so severe it can be difficult to tell what you shot. I recently shot a Salt's dik-dik with a .300 win mag, and got to keep the skull. Body parts were spread over a large area.

hunted at night we got close

 

[CAustin]

The 6.5 should serve you well.

 

[spike.t]

.22 wmr for those 2, or as hank said a solid in a bigger cal.

 

[Ryanlo]

Thanks everyone. Hoping they have something smaller. Think we will be hunting at night for them. My wife shot a coyote with her 6.5 and if you hit bone it sure makes a mess.

 

[K-man]

Not to be crude, but you aren't going for meat. The taxidermist can sew it all back, you want a sure 1 shot kill. Use the 6.5 and a solid.

 

[sheephunterab]

.22 or shotgun or 375 with solid. Expanding bullets can blow huge holes on exit!

 

[lcq]

.22 or shotgun or 375 with solid. Expanding bullets can blow huge holes on exit!

and really fast bullets split skin with hydraulic expansion

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

For the small cats, could you get some solids and load them a little on the lighter side? Do you reload? This might be a great excuse to get a RCBS Rock Chucker kit... Just saying.

https://cuttingedgebullets.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=6.5mm

I love my 6.5 Creedmoors and was able to use one on a WY antelope last season. I used a Berger VLD Hunter and had a bang/flop at 200 yards and the bullet went clean through. And that little Creedmoor runs out to 1k+ very nicely.

I wonder what the real world performance difference between a .308 150 grain and a 143 grain 6.5 Creedmoor on appropriate African PG critters would be? I'm going to take the 6.5 CM on another big pig hunt in a few months. Hoping to shoot a tusker to euro and make sausage with. Are the bush pigs and warthogs that much more tough than the 150-300 lbs European oinkers that we have in CA? Bullet proof bacon? The largest PG I think I'd want much more gun than the 6.5 CM. Just me... and my excuse to buy a .375.

 

[Rule 303]

Daughter and I headed to SA in 2019 for our first trip. Wanted to get some advice on rifles calibers. Daughter wants a civit cat and a caracal cat. I was thinking of taking the wife's 6.5 creedmoor. But was wanting to use something a little more fur friendly. She has a gemsbuck and other planes game on the list. Any ideas of a good cal?

You mention Gemsbuck, I take it you mean Gemsbok and other plains game. I would contact your PH and see what calibre they recommend for these animals and borrow their 22 for the cats or solids/ heavy but slow soft point from her PG rifle.