Eland Cartridges for recoil sensitive shooter?

[mdwest]

Previous recommendations for a suppressor are very good IMO..

Ive got a very light weight 308 that kicks like a rented mule.. Im a big guy.. plenty of meat on my bones to mitigate recoil.. and Im not recoil sensitive at all.. but that little 308 is painful to shoot..

I put a little YHM Resonator K on it.. and it now has substantially less recoil and noise than a .243 (less than a 7x57).. its an absolute joy to shoot..

If you could manage to either rent a suppressed camp rifle in 308, 30-06, etc... or purchase a suppressor for a 308, 30-06, etc.. I think you'd be in very good shape for eland shooting a 180gr out of a 308 or a 200 or 220 gr out of a 30-06..

If the suppressor is out of the question, then I agree with all of the 7x57 recommendations.. Thats a little on the light end for my personal tastes for eland.. But with the right bullet traveling at the right speed.. as long as the bullet is put where it belongs, I am absolutely certain it would kill an eland (and likely has killed thousands upon thousands of them over the years)..

 

[Philip Glass]

My boy is quite thin and recoil shy. He is currently shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor. I have been willing to let him hunt elk with it (he hasn’t harvested one yet), but it wouldn’t be my first choice. Now we are in the early stages of planning a Namibia or SA hunt. I’m on a quest to complete the tiny ten, but he really wants an Eland.

Without getting into the rifle weight or other recoil mitigation efforts, what are the lowest recoiling cartridges we should be looking at for Eland? I don’t know where exactly we will be hunting yet, but I Id like to have him shooting something that can ethically be expected to dispatch an eland at reasonably distance.

If you get a suppressor the problem is solved. He can easily (did this with my son) go with a 7mm Mag And shoot everything.

 

[ActionBob]

I agree a 7x57 or 275 Rigby with a heavy bullet is a great combo for Africa. Find or modify one to fit in fine walnut and blued steel and it will be a very classy and enjoyable, respectable rifle that is a joy to hunt with.

Not a fan of the 300 or even 7mm Magnums for a kid. They just have too much snap to the recoil.

If you want bigger than a 7mm Mauser (or 7mm-08), I'd definitely go to the most versatile caliber available, the venerable 30-06. You can most certainly find one in any configuration and level of fine weaponry you desire.

If you are wanting a practical rifle that will remain effective for a lifetime, a Ruger Guide Gun in 30-06. Ugly as sin. Accurate, but check the angle screw is tight. Comes with stock spacers so you can adjust length of pull. Has sights and rings as well as threaded barrel so suppressor ready, 20" barrel so suppressor friendly. Tough laminated stock and stainless steel so ready to go to Alaska or anywhere else you may care to take it. It is sturdy and on the heavy side but still very handy. Very reasonably priced for all the features. Mount up a Leupold VX 3 in 2.5-8 or a Swarovski Z3 in 3-10 or 3-9. And titanium suppressor. Good sling, ready to go.

But for Africa, if was me I'd go with a good looking 7x57.

 

[IvW]

A proper PH will also understand the needs involved and should perform accordingly.....ie not allowing a shot if the distance angle etc. Is not acceptable or appropriate to the young hunter......

 

[Zambezi]

It amazes me that the OP is never read fully.

I slightly built kid that is a little recoil shy doesn't want a snappy gun or a .338/.375

There is also this idea that you need a .700NE for a musk rat.

Stick with a 7x57 or 30.06 with 180gr.

Practice with it until you can hit what you're aiming at. Keep the the shot under 200/250m

Job done.

 

[uplander01]

308 or 30-06 in a properly weighted rifle. I would never show up with a brake on a gun over there. Get him shooting a bolt action 22 LR-ALOT and get rid of that flinch. If you don't do that now, he'll have it forever.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I started both of my boys out shooting on a youth sized .308W and very light bullets that were also very lightly loaded. Over time I increased the charge weight and bullet weights. Recoil is greatly mental in my opinion. It's not that there's no thump on your shoulder, but our minds seem to make more of it than it actually is. At least that's my thoughts.

Evenatually my older son ended up with a Tikka T3 in .308W. The process above was over a year plus and he grew during that time. I loaded his rifle with 165gr North Fork bonded cores and a medium charge of Varget that was lights out accurate. Not super fast, but fast enough. He killed an nice Eland bull with it.

Now my younger son was just a bit younger than his brother for his first African hunt and a little smaller. He ended up with a 7x57 shooting 140gr North Forks. That would be the very lightest I'd go on an Eland and I'd be extremely careful about shot selection and placement.

 

[Matthias5662]

First, congratulations on taking your son hunting in Africa. We all need to keep reminding ourselves that they are the future - our future. As previous posters have indicated, a 7x57 will do the job within sensible distances and good shot placement. With my own son, who is now 30, I found early on that when I moved him off the bench and began practicing with him off sticks and various shooting positions, he was much less sensitive to the recoil of a rifle. I also found that having him shoot with open sights first, before attaching a scope, seems to also have a positive effect regarding recoil sensitivity too. That of course works if the rifle has iron sights

The best of luck to you and your son in Africa!

 

[Red Leg]

A heavy for caliber (170-175 gr) A-Frame or Oryx bullet from a 7x57 (.275) will cleanly take eland. It will recoil less than a 180 gr from the typical '06, and it will be a lighter and more enjoyable rifle for him to carry around.

 

[IvW]

A heavy for caliber (170-175 gr) A-Frame or Oryx bullet from a 7x57 (.275) will cleanly take eland. It will recoil less than a 180 gr from the typical '06, and it will be a lighter and more enjoyable rifle for him to carry around.

And he can confidently kill anything else that comes up....

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Back in the day I loaded 30-06 with 190 gr Hornady bullets. Worked very well on moose. Sadly, Hornady discontinued making that bullet but I seem to recall someone has brought it out again? If I planned to hunt eland (and I don't have any aspirations), I would consider that combination bullet and caliber over my 404 Jeffery. Besides less recoil (which is no concern for me personally), 30-06 has more range and my Springfield 03A3 is a pound or so lighter to carry than the 404 Mauser. Eland may be tough customers but I think a 400 gr bullet might be overkill. On ther other hand, I would like to shoot SOMETHING with that rifle. Paper target euro mounts tend to fall apart in the pot.

I have hunted with my PH's long distance 270 WSM wearing a can. Very pleasant to shoot and it killed both animals I pointed it at (way out there too!) but I would not want to carry that awkward thing very far. If his boy is physically lightweight, that MIGHT be a concern.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

308 or 30-06 in a properly weighted rifle. I would never show up with a brake on a gun over there. Get him shooting a bolt action 22 LR-ALOT and get rid of that flinch. If you don't do that now, he'll have it forever.

My lodge now has suppressors on their loner rifles except the DGR thumper guns. Easier on the client's shoulder and easier on the PH's hearing. Looking at the YouTube videos, it appears many, if not most, other lodges are doing the same thing.

 

[Tra3]

My boy is quite thin and recoil shy. He is currently shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor. I have been willing to let him hunt elk with it (he hasn’t harvested one yet), but it wouldn’t be my first choice. Now we are in the early stages of planning a Namibia or SA hunt. I’m on a quest to complete the tiny ten, but he really wants an Eland.

Without getting into the rifle weight or other recoil mitigation efforts, what are the lowest recoiling cartridges we should be looking at for Eland? I don’t know where exactly we will be hunting yet, but I Id like to have him shooting something that can ethically be expected to dispatch an eland at reasonably distance.

My son was 12 when we did our first trip to Africa. He used a 6.5 CM and shot PG up to zebra with great results (5 pg with 1 shot each, I think the 6th took 2 shots)

We returned 3 years later and he used a .270 Win. He took eland and giraffe with the .270. He was recoil sensitive at age 12. He grew and by age 15 was very comfortable with a .270.

Whatever you get, keep in mind that if he has a combination of practice and physical growth, he can step up in caliber.

A 7mm 08 is also a nice mid range caliber.

 

[Nevada Mike]

7 X 57, 308W, 6.5 X 55… it’s the bullet and placement that kills. Practice getting on the sticks quickly and making the shot.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

First, congratulations on taking your son hunting in Africa. We all need to keep reminding ourselves that they are the future - our future. As previous posters have indicated, a 7x57 will do the job within sensible distances and good shot placement. With my own son, who is now 30, I found early on that when I moved him off the bench and began practicing with him off sticks and various shooting positions, he was much less sensitive to the recoil of a rifle. I also found that having him shoot with open sights first, before attaching a scope, seems to also have a positive effect regarding recoil sensitivity too. That of course works if the rifle has iron sights

The best of luck to you and your son in Africa!

All very good advice!!

First shot out of my 404 Jeffery this summer left me bleeding and dazed. It ain't a 30-06! Very dangerous as I have a history of retina problems and left eye is borderline legally blind. Must take care of that shooting eye!! I put another half box through the 06 at the range just to make sure I wasn't left flinching. Ammo components were too scarce to do that with the 404. Both guns can be QD switched to iron sights and I have used them just enough to get a decent pattern on paper at 70 yards.

Eventually, I will find a scope with better eye relief than the old Weaver 3x my 404 is wearing now. I actually moved the scope forward slightly so I am required to shove the gun more firmly into my shoulder to find full field of view. That helps ensure no loose handling = thumped in the face. Downside is acquisition is not instantaneous ... which it should be for dangerous game. Anyway, if the OP's son is recoil shy it's best to avoid him getting a Weatherby eyebrow. But I would not discourage scope altogether. Especially for a novice, scopes provide the best insurance for good bullet placement. In this situation I would consider a tactical scope of relatively low power (e.g. 1.5x5). These generally have very good eye relief, often 4". Look for low rings so the boy is down on the gun to find the crosshairs. You'll also need a low setup because most (if not all) tactical scopes have thicker 30mm tubes. Those are my thoughts for what it's worth ... which isn't much I guess because I don't care to hunt eland and I don't have a lightweight (physically) son. Good luck to OP and his boy. Looking forward to a report and photos.

 

[wesheltonj]

My two cents:

(1) .308 with 180g bullet.
(2) .300 WinMag 180g with a can.

 

[Nhoro]

I have seen a 308 with 180 gr ammo take a huge old Eland cow and a 30-06 with 180 gr ammo take a huge Mozambique bull. My boys have shot my 3006 with 220 gr ammo since the age of 9 or 10 just fine. Muzzle brakes are not a help- the muzzle blast and noise are more likely to cause flinching. A silencer can help. 7x 57 is another great calibre. Pick one of those or similar and you are good.

 

[IvW]

I have seen a 308 with 180 gr ammo take a huge old Eland cow and a 30-06 with 180 gr ammo take a huge Mozambique bull. My boys have shot my 3006 with 220 gr ammo since the age of 9 or 10 just fine. Muzzle brakes are not a help- the muzzle blast and noise are more likely to cause flinching. A silencer can help. 7x 57 is another great calibre. Pick one of those or similar and you are good.

Brakes are definately not the way to go as you mention they will compound the problem.....

 

[375er]

Have you made the gun his?? Recoil pad like a pachmyer decelerator? Past recoil pads for the shoulder? These go a long way to reducing recoil that I have used successfully. No extra muzzel blast and without adding mass weight to the gun with a can.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Have you made the gun his?? Recoil pad like a pachmyer decelerator? Past recoil pads for the shoulder? These go a long way to reducing recoil that I have used successfully. No extra muzzel blast and without adding mass weight to the gun with a can.

I also recommend Decelerator, especially for heavy recoil rifles. Limbsaver are too soft and shooter still gets more felt recoil than needed. However, for a medium recoil rifle like 30-06 the Limbsaver might be fine ... or even better. I don't like their slip-on pads. Sidewalls are to soft and the pad moves around too much.

What is a "past recoil pad"?