The Perfect Plains Game Rifle

[ftrovato]

Most of my plains game hunting has been done (so far) with two calibers:

.30-06 Springfield loaded with 220Gr Remington Core Lokts
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7x57mm Mauser loaded with assorted 175Gr soft points (currently, I am using the 173Gr Sellier & Bellot SPCE factory load)
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If I could set up one “Plains Game Exclusive” rifle, it would have to be a .338 Winchester Magnum built by Griffin & Howe on a Springfield Model 1903A3 action with a 25” Douglas Premium barrel and a Grade 5 Turkish walnut stock (cheek piece included). It would have the factory two piece striker replaced by a titanium striker. It would wear a Weaver K5 telescopic sight on quick release mounts. And have an India rubber recoil pad fitted.

If I had to choose a commercially manufactured rifle, I’d personally be very happy with a Mauser Model 98 Diplomat chambered in 9.3x62mm Mauser.

Never too late to build that 338.... ;-)

 

[ftrovato]

Thanks to todays premium bullets there are many good/great Meat Stick calibers from 30 on up for whatever tickles your style and fancy.

 

[Philip Glass]

One thing that’s popular in the USA and our love of firearms is a specific gun for every situation. Hunters set up a perfect deer rifle, a perfect hog rifle, the perfect turkey shotgun, sheep rifle, elk rifle, etc. We have come a long way from the “fear a man with one gun, he probably knows how to use it” mindset.

So with that being said, if you could set up a gun for a singular plains game species, what would you do? I’m particularly interested in hearing about the “perfect” kudu rifle, the perfect klipspringer rifle, as well as anything else y’all think of.

If I had to buy a common rifle right now to take on safari for Kudu it would likely be Tikka T3X in .300Win. $700 and will outshoot and out kill (Barnes TTSX 180g) anything in that price range. It will not malfunction like many of the $4000+ custom guns I've seen on safari.

Now for your second question it is undoubtedly a .375 shooting solids. Klipspringer is the easiest animal I know of to damage beyond repair. Aim for the last rib and hope for the best!

 

[Philip Glass]

375H&H.

Because you never know when that trophy DG animal is going to walk out in front of you.

That was my first thought! If the question was posed "the perfect Kudu AND Klipspringer rifle" then for sure an R8 in .375.

 

[NoStepOnSnek]

That was my first thought! If the question was posed "the perfect Kudu AND Klipspringer rifle" then for sure an R8 in .375.

Yeah question was “if you were setting up a rifle to only hunt kudu” and “if you were setting up a rifle to only hunt klipspringer” what would you do. I worded it badly, and have gotten a lot of responses of “why would I only hunt one thing in Africa” when this was just supposed to be a fun thought experiment

 

[camperx]

There's a HUGE range of game that fall into the Plains Game category to cover everything from a .243 Winchester to a .375 H&H.

If I had to narrow it down to two for a hunt I make to cover it all, it would be either the .300 Weatherby Mag or the .338 Winchester Magnum. I'm also a big fan of the .340 WbyMag, but I'd probably pick one of the first two.

 

[ftrovato]

There's a HUGE range of game that fall into the Plains Game category to cover everything from a .243 Winchester to a .375 H&H.

If I had to narrow it down to two for a hunt I make to cover it all, it would be either the .300 Weatherby Mag or the .338 Winchester Magnum. I'm also a big fan of the .340 WbyMag, but I'd probably pick one of the first two.

I've used my 340 for most everything I've hunting in North America.

For me, safe to say, it works on most anything in the world best this side of the Big 5.

160 grain to 300 grain bullets give one a great deal of options.

 

[dchamp]

I am inclined to say the 8X57 followed by the 30-06. Both are quite capable. The 9.3x62 would be another possibility. All three of those will handily take care of Kudu, and with solids or heavy for caliber bullets for the Klipsinger.

 

[Newboomer]

I've used my 340 for most everything I've hunting in North America.

For me, safe to say, it works on most anything in the world best this side of the Big 5.

160 grain to 300 grain bullets give one a great deal of options.

With the wide variety of pg in Africa from the tiny 10 to eland I would choose a Win 70 in 375H&H for my one gun. There are cartridges to cover the spectrum from Barnes 235gTSX to 350gTSX as well as other brands. I used 235g TSXs for smaller stuff and 350gTSXs for sable, eland and larger critters(buf).
Same for North American game. 235TSX for everything up to brown bear. 350TSX for those guys.

 

[DLSJR]

Feel like I didn’t ask my question right. Assume you are only going to Africa after the one plains game species, and what would your perfect rifle be for that?

Your “One plains game species” question depends on what that one species is. Some, like the Tiny 10, are best hunted with a small caliber rifle, while an Eland should probably be shot with a .30 or bigger even though plenty have been killed with .270’s and 7mms. I’ve shot a .270 for plains game and a .300 Winchester as well, both worked great. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot most plains game with a .270 and 150 grain Partitions or other premium bullet.

But usually my plains game rifle has been a custom built .338 Winchester. It based on a post 64 model 70 action, Lilja barrel, Brown Precision stock, Timney trigger and topped with a Leupold VX5 in 2-10 with CDS/Firedot reticle. The only reason for that is it’s the rifle I do most of my hunting with no matter what I’m hunting that isn’t heavy dangerous game. But, there are exceptions…

One of my upcoming hunts will be for a Sitatunga and Johnny DuPlooy wants me to bring a flat shooting rifle so I’ll probably take my .264 Winchester. That’s about as flat shooting as I can get. I’m very comfortable out to 400 yards with that rifle and it’s unlikely I’d have to shoot that far.

If you take away the “one plains game species” qualifier I just use my .338 as it’s great, no matter what one is hunting.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

A Ruger No1 in 30-06 for everything PG.

 

[ftrovato]

With the wide variety of pg in Africa from the tiny 10 to eland I would choose a Win 70 in 375H&H for my one gun. There are cartridges to cover the spectrum from Barnes 235gTSX to 350gTSX as well as other brands. I used 235g TSXs for smaller stuff and 350gTSXs for sable, eland and larger critters(buf).
Same for North American game. 235TSX for everything up to brown bear. 350TSX for those guys.

Hard to argue with your logic!

 

[Velo Dog]

Yeah question was “if you were setting up a rifle to only hunt kudu” and “if you were setting up a rifle to only hunt klipspringer” what would you do. I worded it badly, and have gotten a lot of responses of “why would I only hunt one thing in Africa” when this was just supposed to be a fun thought experiment

Dedicated KUDU Rifle ?
In more flat or gently rolling geography with sparse foliage:
1.
Scoped repeater (express sights as well), Model ‘98 Mauser or reasonable descendant thereof, caliber .300 H&H, 25” barrel.
My very first time in Africa, I brought the above described rifle, with 4x Zeiss scope in low Talley brand lever rings.
Firing 180 gr Nosler Partition semi-spitzers, around 2,800 something FPS, I easily bagged animals from Kudu and zebra, down to springbok and steinbok.
My longest shot was 400-something meters on a standing broadside springbok.
(The PH used Leica brand binoculars with laser range finder).
And my shortest shot was perhaps about 30 ? paces as we spooked a steinbok while trying to stalk something else and I shot the steinbok from close range as it ran.

In thick foliage conditions:
1.
Express sighted SxS double rifle (including oversized white bead on the front sight), with 25” to 26” ejector barrels, caliber 9.3x74R, regulated for 286 gr round nose bullets @ about 2,300 fps.
2.
If I was unable to afford the double, I could be happy enough with an original (pre-war) Winchester Model ‘95, with 24” barrel, large white bead on the front sight blade and equally vintage Lyman receiver sight, shotgun flat buttplate.
Caliber .405 Winchester, firing 300 gr flat nose soft bullets hand loaded down just a tic (to about 2,200 fps).
I strongly dislike the extra recoil pain caused by crescent buttplates.
Admittedly, they look cool but, they bite like a crocodile with any hard kicking caliber.

3.
A fast handling 22” barrel, bolt action repeater.
The pre-war Mannlicher-Schoenaur appeals to me, complete with low magnification (around 3x or 4x) Austro-German scope, claw mounts or, vintage Griffin & Howe all steel side mount plus, express sights, chambered to caliber 8x57 Mauser, sighted in at 75 paces with round nose soft point bullets, at about 200 grains + or - in weight, approximate velocity of 2,300 fps (or even a little slower).

Dedicated KLIPSPRINGER Rifle:
1.
Pre-64 Model 70 Winchester, caliber .257 Roberts, 24” barrel, factory original sights, factory original walnut stock, flat steel buttplate, etc., equally vintage Unertl 10x target scope, in Unertl mounts, coil spring and all, firing 117 to 120 gr spitzers around 2,800 to 2,900 fps.
2.
Model ‘98 Mauser or reasonable descendant (Brno 600, CZ 550, etc), 24” barrel, express sights, minimum 6x but no more than about 10x (mirage-heat waves become annoying at super high magnification, in the sun) Austro-German scope in Alaska Arms brand lever rings, caliber 6.5x55 Mauser, firing 130 gr (2800 fps) to 140 grain (2700 fps) spitzers.

Anyway, cheers,
Velo Dog.