7mm 08 for Eland

[DaveL]

You are better off using a .300 Win mag or .338 for eland. The eland is a big animal. Why risk it? Better to have a good entrance and exit hole = good blood trail.

 

[mdwest]

Will be with my hunting partner chasing eland in less than 3 weeks… she’ll be using a .35 Whelen loaded with 225gr accubonds…

While I’ve seen eland taken with 308 and 30-06, and heard of people taking them with 7x57, 7-08, etc… for me I think a 300 magnum, 338 or 358 of some sort is a much better choice…

The wife owns a beautiful 300 H&H and I built her a 35 Whelen maybe 4 or 5 years ago… when we decided eland was on the menu this year, we considered both.. she decided the .35 Whelen was the winner…

I think she made an excellent choice…

 

[BeeMaa]

My only Eland was shot on the point of the right shoulder with a 300 grain SAF 375H&H at 100 yards and broadside. This bullet was recovered under the skin of the left shoulder. The Eland turned left and started running quartering away at a 45 degree angle. I placed a second shot into the left rib area that again ripped through the lungs. This bullet was recovered in the neck area between the head and shoulder. The bull continued about 15 yards after the second shot and expired. Certainly a testament to how tough these animals can be. For a client hunter, my PH recommended a .338 caliber or larger. He was very happy I showed up with a 375 with SAF's.

 

[IvW]

You don't seem to understand reality. You just stated a 7x57 has a 175gr@2300. The 7mm-08 with the same bullet is STILL FASTER

ALiiant Powder website: 175gr Speer Grand Slam 44gr RL19 @ 2574 that's almost 300fps faster
175gr Speer SP 47gr RL19@ 2628 that's OVER 300fps faster

Hodgdon website: 175gr Nosler Partition 46gr IMR 4350 @ 2556, that's 256fps faster
44gr H100V @2518, that's 218fps faster

Sierra Manual: 175gr Gameking BT 45.1gr RL19@ 2600fps, that's 300fps faster

These are industry professionals' data, not my own trumped up or dreamed up data. My word man, you can pick and love the 7x57, and that is great, but it doesn't change reality. It doesn't matter about the cartridges "Impeccable" record. It's not as fast as a 7mm-08. Please show me data, from a legitimate source (not your back yard research lab) that states different. You won't, because you can't. I just knew this horse was gona take a severe beating... I knew it.

Neither do you a lot of blah blah without a clue what you are talking about......

Let me quess you own a 7mm08 and you think it is the cats whiskers...same as dudes that own Land Rovers and think they are comparable to Land Cruisers for work in the bush...some day you will come to your senses .....hopefully....

 

[Rubberhead]

I can't say whether that's right or wrong for someone else but my own thought process would include if going too light is worth the risk of 1) bloodying, losing and paying for a lost animal, 2) turning a fine animal into a suffering pin cushion before it finally succumbs, 3) having to leave it over night and hope the hyenas or lions don’t shred it before daylight, or 4) having someone else have to finish what I couldn’t finish and staring at “my” trophy for the rest of my life knowing someone else really killed it.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

7mm-08 for eland? Yes, it can kill it, but the big question is why? Why use a minimal caliber? You’re spending a lot of money to go on a hunt in Africa. Talk to your PH for recommendations, and then live a little. Use this as a valid reason/excuse to buy a new rifle.

safe travels

 

[Dr Ray]

The eland is a mighty big animal commanding a mighty big price.
Unlike fishing there’re no “brownie” points for taking the animal with a minimum caliber.
I suggest you use a much bigger and powerful cartridge such as a 338 for a humane and ethical kill.

 

[shark_za]

Another thing to consider is that when a "big game hunter" comes over to hunt and Eland he is not after the smaller cows and little bulls we shoot regularly for meat.
My gang of hunting mates are particularly Eland befok and its pretty much the main target animal on meat hunts.
404J , .375, 9.3x62 and .338WM are the main contenders but I have also seen many shot with a .308 and .30-06.
I would shoot a mid sized female with my 6.5x55 (Oryx/156gr) so sure a 7mm loaded the same will do, but when trophy hunters come over they are after the really BIG blue bulls and then something with a little more authority is needed.


PS, last years hunt was soured a little by spending 2 days looking for a wounded Eland shot badly with a .30-06.

 

[Tanks]

7mm-08 .375 for eland DG? Yes, it can kill it, but the big question is why? Why use a minimal caliber? You’re spending a lot of money to go on a hunt in Africa. Talk to your PH for recommendations, and then live a little. Use this as a valid reason/excuse to buy a new rifle.

This argument is applicable to a number of scenarios.

 

[xausa]

One of the responsibilities of a considerate hunter is to insure that the animal he kills experiences the minimum amount of suffering. Using a cartridge which is barely adequate for the purpose is to practically guarantee that the opposite will occur. A clean kill should be the object of every hunter and using a cartridge which can produce one only in special circumstances is an insult to the animal he is hunting.

I used my .375 H&H on both elands I took, and the result was a quick, clean death in both cases. "Use enough gun," is not just a concept applicable to dangerous game.

The Germans have a concept called "waidgerecht", which is difficult to translate, but includes respect for the animal being hunted. The concept should be universal.

 

[BeeMaa]

The Germans have a concept called "waidgerecht", which is difficult to translate, but includes respect for the animal being hunted. The concept should be universal.

For those looking for an English translation for "waidgerecht"....
http://bhejl.blogspot.com/2019/10/hunting-in-germany-waidgerechtigkeit.html

In short, be an honorable and respectful hunter.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

The 7mm-08 Remington is too light for an African bull eland . When I shot my first eland , I used a .30-06 ( BRNO ZKK600 ) and 220 Gr Remington Core Lokt soft points . Worked well enough . Took two shots , but the first would have eventually proved fatal ( because both the lungs were taken out ) .

But I’d recommend something along the lines of :
* .35 Whelen
* .338 Winchester Magnum
* 9.3x62 mm Mauser
* .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

My most recent one , I got with a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum ( a Kimber Caprivi ) and a 300 grain Swift A Frame . Wonderful performance .

 

[rookhawk]

Anecdote of a similar, but superior nature. My son shot an eland with his 7x64 brenneke using a 140gr Barnes ttsx.

eland ran off. Not a drop of blood. We chased the herd for a mile or more. Went back to the place of the shot, 12 people looked, not one drop of blood. A tracker decided to walk another direction and at 125 yards from the point of the shot, there laid the eland dead.

A 7mm bullet and a perfect shot will promptly kill an eland. With no blood trail from fat clogging the entry wound, recovery will be unpleasant.

 

[BeeMaa]

Anecdote of a similar, but superior nature. My son shot an eland with his 7x64 brenneke using a 140gr Barnes ttsx.

eland ran off. Not a drop of blood. We chased the herd for a mile or more. Went back to the place of the shot, 12 people looked, not one drop of blood. A tracker decided to walk another direction and at 125 yards from the point of the shot, there laid the eland dead.

A 7mm bullet and a perfect shot will promptly kill an eland. With no blood trail from fat clogging the entry wound, recovery will be unpleasant.

I know that what has happened can not be changed and I'm glad to hear you were able to recover the Eland. And it only going 125 yards from where it was shot shows that your son had good marksmanship with his rifle.

In the time you were hiking that mile looking for the Eland, were you secretly thinking that he should have used something bigger? Do you believe a larger caliber like the 338WM or 375H&H would have left a blood trail to follow or made the animal drop more quickly?

Just wondering if there was a lesson to be learned or if you were to hunt Eland again, if you would choose something different. Or did this cement the fact that a 7x64BER is in fact enough gun for Eland and you would easily choose it again.

 

[Spearhead]

Neither do you a lot of blah blah without a clue what you are talking about......

Let me quess you own a 7mm08 and you think it is the cats whiskers...same as dudes that own Land Rovers and think they are comparable to Land Cruisers for work in the bush...some day you will come to your senses .....hopefully....

That Land Rover line comparing them to Land Cruisers is outstanding and the TRUTH!

 

[Serbian Hunter]

I dont understand why anybody should be ready to pay thousands of dollars, travel thousands of miles and yet voluntarily risk to go back home without trophy of his life. Bringing light-for-the-game rifle is one way to do it. Is 7-08 capable of taking eland? YES! By all means but I hope that your PH can guarantee you that you will take a shot at perfectly still and fully visible broadside standing animal at short range. And then make sure that adrenalin, lack of rest and tiredness from chasing an eland for days (as I did mine) will not spoil your perfect shot placement. If you are planning to sit and wait at waterhole, bring your bow but if you prefer walk and stalk "bring enough gun". I took huge eland at 40m with my 9.3x62 (286grs Nosler Partition). It was quartering away, off hand (not ideal) shot yet dropped an animal some 50m or so away. I am not proud but I needed 3 more shots to finish him and not a single bullet made an exit wound! It was surprise for me since I took a lot of boars and red deer without capturing any of them.
If I would loose a bet and have to take 7-08 I would go for heaviest bullet which my barrel can stabilize. I would rather go with 9.3, .338 or 35 but that's just me

 

[rookhawk]

I know that what has happened can not be changed and I'm glad to hear you were able to recover the Eland. And it only going 125 yards from where it was shot shows that your son had good marksmanship with his rifle.

In the time you were hiking that mile looking for the Eland, were you secretly thinking that he should have used something bigger? Do you believe a larger caliber like the 338WM or 375H&H would have left a blood trail to follow or made the animal drop more quickly?

Just wondering if there was a lesson to be learned or if you were to hunt Eland again, if you would choose something different. Or did this cement the fact that a 7x64BER is in fact enough gun for Eland and you would easily choose it again.

the 7x64brenneke was selected with tremendous forethought as was the choice of ammunition. It was the most powerful weapon in the world my 9 year old son can shoot off sticks with pinpoint accuracy.

Since he was 7 his tally of wild game with that rifle has been impressive, but that’s as much gun as he can shoot.

But directly to the point of your question, yes, the second he is physically and mentally tough enough to shoot a 375 or 404 he will have one of those.

 

[rookhawk]

I might add, how many people are able to hunt everything on the planet with a .243, using good anatomy to neck shoot the big stuff perfectly? Very few.

How many people bring a giant gun they are afraid of on safari and screw up shots over and over again?

The danger of conversations like this thread is that we all tend to gravitate to the “ideal caliber” for the job at hand. What is ideal is not a gun most people can handle well.

577 NE is ideal for elephant, but I’d rather see a perfect shot from a 375

338 is ideal for elk, but I’d rather see a perfect shot from a 270.

25-06 is ideal for pronghorn and impala but I’d rather see a perfect shot from a 22-250.

In the case of the 7mm versus eland, with the right shot and a good bullet like a Barnes or a-frame, death is assured. However, no matter how powerful the 7mm is, the diameter of the hole made is less than desirable to obtain an adequate blood trail. Legitimately speaking, a 404J is probably ideal for eland.

 

[BeeMaa]

the 7x64brenneke was selected with tremendous forethought as was the choice of ammunition. It was the most powerful weapon in the world my 9 year old son can shoot off sticks with pinpoint accuracy.

Since he was 7 his tally of wild game with that rifle has been impressive, but that’s as much gun as he can shoot.

But directly to the point of your question, yes, the second he is physically and mentally tough enough to shoot a 375 or 404 he will have one of those.

From all of the postings I have read of yours, you do not strike me as a "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" kind of guy. You seem to be a very calculated, measured and reasonable hunter. I did not mean to imply that using a 7mm was not enough, when in fact it was exactly perfect. Both for your son to shoot and for the game being hunted. Granted, I didn't know he was 7 years old when he took the shot, but he still got the job done in short order.

I just wanted to know the lessons learned from your experience. Apologies if you took it otherwise. And yes, it is a slippery slope.

 

[rookhawk]

From all of the postings I have read of yours, you do not strike me as a "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" kind of guy. You seem to be a very calculated, measured and reasonable hunter. I did not mean to imply that using a 7mm was not enough, when in fact it was exactly perfect. Both for your son to shoot and for the game being hunted. Granted, I didn't know he was 7 years old when he took the shot, but he still got the job done in short order.

I just wanted to know the lessons learned from your experience. Apologies if you took it otherwise. And yes, it is a slippery slope.

BeeMaa, I took zero offense to your post, it was a good question, not a hostile one. To the contrary, I was giving context to why the shot was taken with a 7x64. (He was 9 when the shot was taken and weighed about 90lbs)

It’s a wonderful cartridge as are all the 7mms. I just ask the question to the friends on this post “is this the best caliber you can shoot well?”.