What cartridges do you reccomend? If the .270 Win isn't addequate then what is? I understand that the 7X57 has the 175 grain bullet option, but if that is good how is the .270 bad? If the .270 is bad, how is the .30-06 good? The 150 grain .277 diameter actually has a slightly (and I mean slightly) higher SD than the 180 grain .308 diameter. IMO, there is not enough difference between the two to make one adequate and the other not. If the .270 is bad, then you need something bigger than the .30-06 or .300 Win mag.
BTW, why is the 8X57 more suitable for Europe than Africa? Norma loads its 196 grain Oryx at 2560 fps. That is plenty for Africa. The 8X57 has been used in Africa for a very long time, certainly it didn't stop being useful there.
Hi Christian,
I have shot wild oxen on my ranch which weighed over 1000 lbs with a 22LR. Single shot, center forehead, just above the eyes dropped in their tracks, but a 22 wouldn't be my recommended caliber for buffalo even though "it can do the job". I hunted deer in Michigan for years with a 30-30 Marlin lever action. Short range, heavy brush, and "slow" and "heavy" have been proven to work best. I missed a buck one year as the shot deflected off a twig and came back the next year with my Winchester mod 12 and slugs.
African plains game definately requires flatter shooting calibers. And remember it needs to do the job on everything from our pygmy antelope like steenbuck trouug bigger game like Wildebeest, Zebra, Kudu, Eland etc.. I'm not knocking the 270, as per the comments above it will do the job with "premium grade bullets". When I recommend a caliber for Africa, I assume "average hunter" bringing one rifle and factory ammo. Most gun shops will recommend fast, flat shooting, rifles. For a 270, 130gr ammo is recommended. Yes it looks good on the ballistics charts - close to 3000ft/sec - and that's the whole problem. Speed, muzzle energy, and trajectory are all misleading and too many rifles are are sold on these numbers. Shooting targets, or "varmits", off a deadrest is not hunting. We tracked many wounded animals with well placed shots from 270's and 7mm mags.
For hunting ignore the ballistics charts and consider the following:
1) You want a rifle that you can shoot confidently up to 200yds. If you shoot at an animal over 200yds you are taking a chance or your PH is not doing his job. No caliber is going to make you a good shot at 300+yds. And a goo quality 4X scope.
2) To have a clean kill the bullet has to do it's job. There are three factors here - penetration, mass retention, and expansion. The prefect bullet will be found just under the skin on the far side of the animal with a nice mushroom head and 90% or more of it's original weight. All of the energy has been absorbed.
3) Penetration is critical. 7X57was particularly favoured by noted ivory hunter W. D. M. Bell, who shot 1,011 elephants using a 7x57mm rifle, when most ivory hunters were using larger-caliber rifles. Shot placement plus penetration works. He was using a 175gr solid at around 2,300ft/sec.. The 7X57 was proven on many thousands of animals across the world. It worked then and still does.
4) Size matters. Bullet weight and diameter are more important than velocity and muzzle energy. In mathematical terms we use the diameter and weight to calculate the "ballistic coefficient" of a bullet. John "Pondoro" Taylor was an ivory hunter and PH who took thousands of animals in Africa. He hunted over thirty years on the African continent, Taylor is credited with over 1,000 elephant to his bag. He used a variety of calibers and and studied the performance and effectiveness of each. His book "African Rifles ans Cartriges" is the most informative book ever written on the subject. His formula the "Taylor KO Factor" uses bullet speed, weight, and dia. to calculate effectiveness.
5) Nothing will ruin your safari quicker than excessive recoil. The average hunter will not shoot a 300mag with confidence. They are good calibers but not necessary unless the hunter is alredy used to them. Anything up to 180gr and a 30-06 can do anything the 300mag can. The real advanatge is that a 300mag can handle a 200-220gr bullet just like a 30-06 handles a 165-180gr which can be an advantage in some circumstances but is rarely necessary. Most hunters handle a well built (not too light) 375H&H fine. Here you are talking about a 270-300gr bullet at 30-06 180gr speeds. It "pushes" more than a sharp kick.
Summary:
270 with 130gr heads does not work. Bullets break up on bone or sometimes fail to expand and sail straight through. 175 gr will work fine but it's no longer the 2900-3000ft/sec flat shooting rifle it was designed to be. 130gr heads not good under windy conditions either.
My recommendation for the "average hunter" is 30 cal 165-180gr. That's 30-06 or 308 - both great, proven calibers. If you are hunting dangerous game then 375H&H is the best.
Apologies - must have been late at night. I misread and was refering to a German client who brought his favorite 9X57 - great for boar and deer in the woods but not for here.
Regards,
Al
