Advice on caliber selection for Zambia trip

[RayAtkinson]

I personally would take a 30-06 with 200 gr. Accubonds at 2700 FPS...but the .338 Win. is always a good bet, but the world is your oyster, the calibers you mention are fine..

 

[Scott CWO]

Th

I personally would take a 30-06 with 200 gr. Accubonds at 2700 FPS...but the .338 Win. is always a good bet, but the world is your oyster, the calibers you mention are fine..

Thanks but I don’t think a .30-06 with 200 grain bullets is my best choice for longer swamp shots.

 

[eyedok]

I hunted Zambia last year and took bushbuck, kafue lechwe, puku, hyena, roan , lion, buffalo, hippo and used a pre 64 model 70 300 H&H and a Ruger RSM 375 H&H. Am going back in July for leopard, elephant, buffalo, always bushbuck, hippo….. and am taking 30-06 and probably 375 H&H Interarms Whitworth. May take .416 Rem or Rigby, but with back problems the 375 is just easier

 

[Tanks]

Th

Thanks but I don’t think a .30-06 with 200 grain bullets is my best choice for longer swamp shots.

How about getting or building a .300 RUM. 200 grains @3,100 fps or 180 grains @3,240 will reach out as far as you need to shoot.

I am going with the 200 grainers in Zambia this year.

 

[C.W. Richter]

And you could run into overpressure issues w/ those 2700 fps max handloads (200 gr 06.) Most are 2550ish and some are 2650ish. 2700 is pushing it in hot climates. Have one set up w/ 200 NPs for short range bear/deer, have handloaded extensively for it. 2550 it is. Works just fine. Super accurate. Drop at 300 is 1' if i recall correctly, sighted in 2.5" high at 100 (and that's the end of the line for this gun/scope combo!) 300 WM or eq. is fine. An old timer at a 100 yd indoor range I sometimes go to was having issues with his RUM grouping (Rem Sendero...) 'Turns out they had issues w/ em. It couldn't shoot for S. Meanwhile the 300 WM shoots 0.5" w/ factory ammo and all shots touching w/ handloads. That's what kills game-placing the bullet where it needs to be. The Mags can effectively extend the range for doing that, but some are too clumsy and overscoped for carrying around at shorter ranges (typ. African PG.)

 

[shark_za]

Lots of good advice already been mentioned above.

I dont like high velocity and Berger being mentioned together and never in a hunting discussion.
The 165gr Accubond in the 300WSM would be my choice, you should just tune the load and or practice enough with it to shoot it well.
Stainless/Synthetic is perfect for the swamps, if its harder to hit with you need to shoot more and make up for it.

375 sounds perfect for your old man.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Lots of good advice already been mentioned above.

I dont like high velocity and Berger being mentioned together and never in a hunting discussion.
The 165gr Accubond in the 300WSM would be my choice, you should just tune the load and or practice enough with it to shoot it well.
Stainless/Synthetic is perfect for the swamps, if its harder to hit with you need to shoot more and make up for it.

375 sounds perfect for your old man.

I mentioned the bergers for cats, based upon my (not so good experience of them completely blowing to bits inside an animal.) Please read all of Kevin Robertson's prose on same, eval for yourself and get back to me on this! Low SD and/or lightly constructed bullets tend to expend all of their energy inside an animal. These are great things for cats!!! (a la A-Sq's old Lion Load bullets.)

 

[IvW]

I would take the 375 done and dusted.....definately not the 6.5 wannaby....

 

[IvW]

Cats??? What cats??? No cats on the list..?

 

[C.W. Richter]

meow. ? lol i saw the bergers comment-they are only proven for extreme long-range shooting (and they will kill thin-skinned NA game no problemo if you place the shot right. Berger has made their target bullets with a thicker jacket for the hunting variety, but they are not my go-to for typ hunting ranges and certainly not African PG.) 'Never used in Africa, but I noted on (apparently someone else's leopard post, that i'd give 'em a try on that-only!) i guess i said cats? lol Phenomenal accuracy out beyond 400 yds so just perfect for sheep/long range deer/antelope/varmints. Not African PG. Never DG (even in America.) Zambian lechwe, right! lol

 

[Scott CWO]

Lots of good advice already been mentioned above.

I dont like high velocity and Berger being mentioned together and never in a hunting discussion.
The 165gr Accubond in the 300WSM would be my choice, you should just tune the load and or practice enough with it to shoot it well.
Stainless/Synthetic is perfect for the swamps, if its harder to hit with you need to shoot more and make up for it.

375 sounds perfect for your old man.

The 300 WSM with the Accubonds already shoots really well. I once shot a 2.5” group at 400 yards with it off sand bags at our gun club range. The only issue with the rifle is it’s a lightweight mountain rifle that weighs only 5.5 pounds. I’ve never shot it off of standing sticks. At 6’1” barefoot and probably 6’2”+ in shoes, it takes a higher stick setup than some other people can use. The higher the sticks are placed by the PH, the less stability the sticks offer because they are narrower at the ground. I’ve also hunted with PHs with sticks too short for me. It can feel odd to spread my legs really far apart and hunch over enough to be on the sticks and then also get real steady. Combining that with a really light rifle could be tough. My 6.5 rifle is much heavier. I’m going to buy my own sticks and practice with both rifles to see how it goes.

 

[Flipper Dude]

375 for your Dad. 30-06 180g Barnes TSX for you. Done. Go hunt.

 

[Scott CWO]

We

meow. ? lol i saw the bergers comment-they are only proven for extreme long-range shooting (and they will kill thin-skinned NA game no problemo if you place the shot right. Berger has made their target bullets with a thicker jacket for the hunting variety, but they are not my go-to for typ hunting ranges and certainly not African PG.) 'Never used in Africa, but I noted on (apparently someone else's leopard post, that i'd give 'em a try on that-only!) i guess i said cats? lol Phenomenal accuracy out beyond 400 yds so just perfect for sheep/long range deer/antelope/varmints. Not African PG. Never DG (even in America.) Zambian lechwe, right! lol

We’ve killed several big bull elk with 6.5 GAP with Berger Hybrids so I’m not worried about lechwe or sitatunga at 300-400 yards shot through both lungs. It likely sounds foreign to guys like @IvW and others that are used to thicker, more close range terrain but after learning a lot about shooting stance, loading the bipod or sticks with forward pressure, holding a rifle with your thumb parallel to the stock (not over it) and other tips, it becomes fairly easy to make a 400 yard shot with a good rest when you have practiced at 1000 yards. To be clear, I’m not advocating 1000 yards shots on game animals but it’s definitely teachable on gongs and plates.