Asking for a friend...6.8 Western for PG

[Hooked Now]

Hi all,
Unbeknownst to me a friend booked a PG trip to RSA for next June. We caught up on it while devouring a brisket he had done. He's a fine shooter and I think a less traditional caliber guy. He has two choices for his PG rifle, a 6.8 Western and a .338 RPM. I did a cursory search and didn't find anyone on here who mentioned using either. He's hinting up to maybe a kudu. My advice was to use something with a 3 in front of it, but thr ballistics and downrange energy on thr 6.8 Western look pretty good. Me, I'd take a .300 WM and call it a day, but thats not in his battery. Any thoughts?
For what it matters this guy has loads of hunting experience and I have every confidence his placement will be as accurate as it can be.

 

[375Fox]

Where will he be hunting? I don’t see anything wrong with the cartridge or ballistics but I do see a lot wrong with the common bullet choices in that cartridge. Most are very soft. If he’s expecting long range shots it should be fine. If he’s hunting an area where most shots are under 200 yards I’d pair it with a tougher bullet like maybe Barnes to hold up on shoulder shots.

 

[Hooked Now]

He'll be in Limpopo. And hes a reloader. Which is handy if there are some good/bad/worse choices on bullet. I know on buff the common wisdom is Swift or Barnes or a few others, but it seems like the options are a little more broad on PG. I used TBTs on my hunt with the .300WM and had zero issues. To your range question I hope everything is under 200.

 

[375Fox]

He'll be in Limpopo. And hes a reloader. Which is handy if there are some good/bad/worse choices on bullet. I know on buff the common wisdom is Swift or Barnes or a few others, but it seems like the options are a little more broad on PG. I used TBTs on my hunt with the .300WM and had zero issues. To your range question I hope everything is under 200.

I’m assuming TBT stands for trophy bonded tip? That would be a very good choice too. Accubond would be decent choice too although still a bit soft. I’m not sure what heavy bullets are available for 6.8 western. I took a quick look at midway before I posted and it looked like many are non-bonded target bullets for long range. Tough reliable bullets are definitely needed for buffalo. There is flexibility with PG but still doesn’t mean I want bullets that will fragment on shoulder at high velocity and fail to penetrate.

 

[Hooked Now]

Good catch. I didn't think of checking what bullets were available. I think I'm maybe getting less smart as I get older. Maybe I wasnt all that sharp to start with. This realization is vexing. .338 definitely has a better list of options. Partitions, TSX, NF SS. Any of those would be solid options.

And yep, TBT was Trophy Bonded Tip. Rifle really liked those in a factory load and they definitely did the job.

 

[375Ruger416]

Either will be fine. For Limpopo - and sub 200 yard shots I’d go 338. 6.8 western shoots heavy for caliber bullets and is similar in bullet weight and velocity to a 7 PRC or 7 RM.

 

[txtrout75218]

You are a great friend to help!

I agree with 375. Either. I guess the question is which one would he normally use on mule deer and cow elk? That would be the one to take if it was me.

I think of the 6.8 Western as a 270 Winchester with a fast twist barrel and the option for longer/heavier bullets. I would look to use a 160 grain plus mono bullet in it. I thought that this cartridge would take off when it came out. But, I guess timing wasn't good.

I would go with the thought of strong tough bullets since as mentioned the shots will be close in Limpopo. Seriously, not more than 100 yards most of the time, many within 50 yards.

I would choose a 338 RPM if he is going to only focus on the big antelope species and use mono/bonded bullets so they don't fragment.

My all around choice for Limpopo is a 308 with 175 grain copper/180 bonded bullet there since the distance is short and I want a tough bullet. However, nothing wrong with the RPM and it would work fine.

Perspective, my daughter used a 7-08 for zebra at 100 yards with a 140 grain TSX and penetrated with a slight frontal quarter shot through the shoulder, bone and ribs of a stallion. I would not have trusted a long distance bullet like an ELD-X with that shot.

 

[Nhoro]

6.8 Western is a 7x57 wannabee. So anything the 7x57 has been doing for 100+ years, the western will do. I would say everything short of Eland. 338 is capable of all plainsgame and better suited to Eland than the western

 

[Muskox]

I would take that 338.

 

[curtism1234]

The 6.8 certainly hits well above what people would just guess about it since it's a magnum purposely not named a magnum. It will do anything a 264 win mag or 270 will do - for what he is looking to do is just fine. It will poke a heavy for caliber bullet real deep. He may just have to do a little convincing though

I'm not familiar with the 338 but I assume there are several choices of familiar bullets well into the 200gr's. If so, I would imagine that would be just fine too

I assume with him liking oddball cartridges he also likes these chassis. With Limpopo, I would pick the rifle with the cleanest lines. Otherwise he's going to be getting stuck everywhere