Which Bullet Weight For Eland?

[Professor Mawla]

I would personally opt for the .338 Winchester Magnum and 250 grain Nosler Partition soft nosed factory loads , were I to hunt eland bulls .

I have successfully used the aforementioned combination to secure my largest Himalayan ibex to date ( the rifle was a Blaser R-8 ) .

 

[Dr Ray]

I would suggest 338 with 225 grain Bullets that produce the highest energy in that caliber.
Suggest Woodleigh protected points.

 

[Capebuffalo]

I have shot a number of Eland bulls all with a 338 Win Mag using 225 Swift A-Frames.I have been with other people shooting 308 FMJ.The initial punch of the 338 was harder but in the end they all died.Eland are big but like Moose not the Toughest of the Plains game.

Gemsbok,
Great results with a great caliber! I would rather say eland are tough, but not aggressive.

 

[Capebuffalo]

I am taking two rifles on my hunt in April with Namibia Safari Corporation. They are:
New Ultra Light Arms M24 .338-06
Ruger Guide Gun .338 Win Mag.
The NULA will be loaded with a 210-grain Barnes TTSX at about 2775 fps and I hope to utilize this rifle for Springbok, Gemsbok, Warthog and Spotted Hyena. This bullet is accurate out of this rifle.
The Ruger will be used for Hartmann's Zebra and Eland.

The bigger question is what bullet weight should I use? I currently have an adequate load with a 250-grain Barnes TSX which shoots five rounds into 1.25" or less at about 2675 FPS. The 225-grain Barnes TTSX shoots under 1 MOA at about 2780 fps. I lean towards heavier bullets for any given game.

What would the learned gentlemen (and ladies) pick for a Cape Eland bull?

Vanguard2279,
You must have realized it already, that some African countries doesn't allow two rifles of the same caliber....so I guess the 338-06 and the 338 WM will not be allowed at the same time in some countries on a specific trip....

 

[Capebuffalo]

Whoa chaps! I think you would be either very cocky or named Chris Kyle to attempt a head shot at 180 m with a 375! The first shot was at 30-40m looking down at the eland. They were browsing scrub Mopane so a head shot made sense. In retrospect the short distance / scope parallax may have been my undoing. Nonetheless it was seen through and I learned a few lessons along the way!

John,
You might differ from me, but this is a good example why the 338 WM is an excellent choice for eland. All factors considered, I think it is the best choice for eland when using a 225-275 grain premium bullet. 250-275 grain for inside 150 yards and 225-230 for longer shots.

 

[IvW]

Vanguard2279,
You must have realized it already, that some African countries doesn't allow two rifles of the same caliber....so I guess the 338-06 and the 338 WM will not be allowed at the same time in some countries on a specific trip....

338=06 and 338WM are not the same caliber although they fire the same diameter bullet. You can bring both at the same time

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

For a 30-06 I am told by those who got fat on eland steaks that a 180 grain is perfect.

 

[DLSJR]

I have enjoyed great results using the 225 grain TTSX in my .338 win mag. I shot a Livingstone eland in Zambia (the one in my profile photo) with that bullet, the shot was right at 300 yards across very open ground. The eland went down perhaps 10-15 yards from where the bullet hit him. I found it under the off-side skin, perfectly opened and intact.

I always use 225 grain bullets in my 338, either Barnes TTSX’s or Trophy Bonded Bearclaws.

 

[Capebuffalo]

338=06 and 338WM are not the same caliber although they fire the same diameter bullet. You can bring both at the same time

If a person can bring a 338-06 and a 338 WM, then it is great news. I just thought the caliber is based on the barrel a rifle shoots, and not the case it is based on. So if both shoot .338 caliber bullets out of .338 caliber barrels, aren't they both considered .338 caliber cartridges by the African countries? Please help me out if I have the cat by its tail here, I would like to learn in this regard.

 

[MarkCZ]

For a 30-06 I am told by those who got fat on eland steaks that a 180 grain is perfect.

That,s what I used. No problem
Markcz

 

[AimSmall]

If a person can bring a 338-06 and a 338 WM, then it is great news. I just thought the caliber is based on the barrel a rifle shoots, and not the case it is based on. So if both shoot .338 caliber bullets out of .338 caliber barrels, aren't they both considered .338 caliber cartridges by the African countries? Please help me out if I have the cat by its tail here, I would like to learn in this regard.

Namibia is gun friendly. Some countries not-so-much. No worries (that I know of) with 2 338's in Namibia.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

250Gr hands down. I’ve used 250Gr Nosler factory loads out of a .338 Winchester Magnum (a pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70) to successfully down 2 bull elands over the years. Both were 1 shot kills in the heart-lung region.

I’ve also shot 1 bull eland with the old 300Gr Winchester Power-Point 300Gr factory load from the .338 Winchester Magnum. Broadside behind-the-shoulder shot into the heart. He gave out in mere seconds. Too bad Winchester stopped making this load for the .338 Magnum back in ‘85.

 

[IvW]

If a person can bring a 338-06 and a 338 WM, then it is great news. I just thought the caliber is based on the barrel a rifle shoots, and not the case it is based on. So if both shoot .338 caliber bullets out of .338 caliber barrels, aren't they both considered .338 caliber cartridges by the African countries? Please help me out if I have the cat by its tail here, I would like to learn in this regard.

Caliber is the chamber or the cartidge that is used for that rifle not the bullet size.

 

[IvW]

Otherwise our licences would just say 7mm and not 7x57mm for example....

 

[Vanguard2279]

Vanguard2279,
You must have realized it already, that some African countries doesn't allow two rifles of the same caliber....so I guess the 338-06 and the 338 WM will not be allowed at the same time in some countries on a specific trip....

Considering that this hunt was five years ago, I can tell you that there was absolutely no issue. In the end, I wound up using the .338-06 for the Eland. The 210-grain TTSX performed adequately, but I really should have used a heavier bullet. If I was making the trip now, I would just take my Forbes 9.3x62 and a 250-grain TTSX or a 285-grain A-frame.

 

[IvW]

Considering that this hunt was five years ago, I can tell you that there was absolutely no issue. In the end, I wound up using the .338-06 for the Eland. The 210-grain TTSX performed adequately, but I really should have used a heavier bullet. If I was making the trip now, I would just take my Forbes 9.3x62 and a 250-grain TTSX or a 285-grain A-frame.

The A- frame would be tops.......even for buffalo.....

 

[Nevada Mike]

Considering that this hunt was five years ago, I can tell you that there was absolutely no issue. In the end, I wound up using the .338-06 for the Eland. The 210-grain TTSX performed adequately, but I really should have used a heavier bullet. If I was making the trip now, I would just take my Forbes 9.3x62 and a 250-grain TTSX or a 285-grain A-frame.

Both the 338s are excellent cartridges. On my trip to TZ last fall I took a 7mmRM and a 404J and use the 7mm on multiple zebra, and the 404J(with 400 gr. SAFs) on my eland and a couple of buffalo. Next time I would bring my .375 H&H for everything up to buffalo and use my 404 for buff only. Using the 404J for an estimated 250 yard shot on the eland resulted in a low chest hit, which shattered the shoulder, but necessitated a short follow up. I believe that the 375 would have required only one shot.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Caliber is the chamber or the cartidge that is used for that rifle not the bullet size.

Otherwise our licences would just say 7mm and not 7x57mm for example....

Sorry, but I disagree...
"In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore matches that specification."

Caliber - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The name and model of the cartridge is based on the chamber, therefore the barrel diameter determine the caliber size. If the caliber would have been based on chamber, we would have had a lot of calibers then..... However, the issue here is that in the legislation of some African countries they stipulate specifically "no two rifles of the same caliber will be allowed", and that is where my original question came from.

 

[IvW]

Wikipedia does not work in Africa when it comes to caliber designation....what fits in the chamber and what is stamped on the rifle is the caliber not the bore size.....and yes you cannot take 2 x 375 H&H rifles but you can take a 375 H&H and a 375 H&H AI......if you want it is not the same caliber

 

[Capebuffalo]

Wikipedia does not work in Africa when it comes to caliber designation....what fits in the chamber and what is stamped on the rifle is the caliber not the bore size.....and yes you cannot take 2 x 375 H&H rifles but you can take a 375 H&H and a 375 H&H AI......if you want it is not the same caliber

Ok. Thanks, IvW. We over think it sometimes here in North America...Glad to hear then it is not that complicated because I plan a trip for the future where I can use a smaller (slower) and a faster 7mm..