Eland Cartridges for recoil sensitive shooter?

[dchum]

Use 6.5 or 7mm or 308/306…. What ever you fancy

I’ve noticed a big difference in recoil from 150gr vs 180gr in my 06’

Use Barnes/copper bullets so you can be light for cal. Ex; 150gr Barnes in a 308 with a can… recoil is truly less than a 243.

6.5 mm with copper bullets would penetrate a large eland bull very adequately

Basically, I have found copper bullets help calibers and bullet weights punch past what many may expect from such loads.

100% weight retention is a special thing.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

@channelkat how old is your son, and what’s his current height/weight? When is your trip? It’s very possible you see a growth spurt between now and the trip. A rifle with an adjustable LOP might be a good idea.

What calibers do you own? You might be able to build him up to shooting something off sticks between now and then. Don’t burn him out but 1-3 shots with a 7-08, .308, or .30-06, as you’re already going to the range to shoot his 6.5 or a .22lr .

You’ve had some great advice on the suppressor front. Let him practice now with a can if you have one. It’ll take the noise and recoil out of practice. If you can’t hunt with one overseas, don’t sweat it he won’t feel the recoil while hunting. A suppressor is preferable to the brake in every situation.

My caliber recommendations would be
.308 Win
.30-06
.280 Rem or .280AI
You should be able to hunt almost everything in the world with a gun in these calibers paired with a good premium bullet barring a legal requirement or restriction.

 

[mdwest]

Just curious what a suppressor cost there? I’d consider this option with certain outfitters. I’ve always wanted a suppressor but never wanted the hassle on US side.

As low as a couple of hundred bucks.. as much as about $600 depending on what you want..

there are some pretty decent SA made suppressors available that come in on the low end of the price range.. theyre not the sort of can I'd want to run on a full auto 308 gun.. and they arent going to be "hollywood" quiet (especially not with supersonic ammo).. but they will certainly reduce recoil by a significant amount and bring the sound down pretty close to being hearing safe.. for a minimal investment.. and are durable enough that they will survive many years as a "hunting" suppressor on a bolt action type rifle..

 

[channelkat]

@channelkat how old is your son, and what’s his current height/weight? When is your trip? It’s very possible you see a growth spurt between now and the trip. A rifle with an adjustable LOP might be a good idea.

What calibers do you own? You might be able to build him up to shooting something off sticks between now and then. Don’t burn him out but 1-3 shots with a 7-08, .308, or .30-06, as you’re already going to the range to shoot his 6.5 or a .22lr .

You’ve had some great advice on the suppressor front. Let him practice now with a can if you have one. It’ll take the noise and recoil out of practice. If you can’t hunt with one overseas, don’t sweat it he won’t feel the recoil while hunting. A suppressor is preferable to the brake in every situation.

My caliber recommendations would be
.308 Win
.30-06
.280 Rem or .280AI
You should be able to hunt almost everything in the world with a gun in these calibers paired with a good premium bullet barring a legal requirement or restriction.

He is 13 now, and we haven't got anything booked yet, guessing we won't make it until 2025, so we have some time. I am expecting him to grow, physically and in confidence by then. He already has a longer reach and bigger feet than me, just like a 100lbs lighter. I don't have any bolt rifles that are appropriate for him yet, so he usually sticks with 22lr and his 6.5 at the range. A suppressor is definitely on the agenda as is a lighter rifle for me. I was thinking about selling my 300 RUM and picking up something between a 7mm-08 and 280 AI. Whatever caliber I settle on it will be threaded for suppressor.

 

[mdwest]

by 2025 I would imagine he will be able to handle most non magnum centerfires..

we took our thin/small framed daughter over for her first hunt when she was 16.. about all she was ready for was impala with a .243 (which she took brilliantly)..

when she went back the next year and was 17 she wasnt much bigger in terms of weight or frame.. but she was shooting a .308 like a champ.. we spent the year going to the range and slowing building her up to it.. at first the "bang" was as much of a problem as the actual recoil.. but it took very little time to get past that..

she's now hit a growth spurt and at 18 is a bit taller, but is still very much on the light side of things (I'd guess no more than 115lbs at about 5'6").. shooting the 308, unsuppressed, with 180gr bullets is no problem for her at all..

she's not ready to shoot game at 200 yards yet..

but anything inside about 125 yards should look out.. shes locked in solid out to about 150..

her PH knows her limitations and just sets her up for success.. I wouldnt have any concerns about her chasing an eland with her .308 and one of the PH's that now know her really well (she has hunted with 3)...

by July (our next trip).. assuming we make 3 or 4 more trips to the range (shes largely focused on shotgun right now and doesnt have a whole lot of time for rifle).. I dont think a 200 yard shot would be a problem..

 

[Inline6]

When my son turned 8 he shot a Bison on his birthday. It was shot with a 6.5CM. It was a 1 shot kill, like others have said bullet placement is everything.

@ActionBob has it right IMHO, use the rifle he knows well. Confidence is everything to a young shooter, knowing he can place the bullet in the correct spot means a good hit. Would also have him shooting off of sticks with a 22. After he is proficient in that, I would have him take a few with the 6.5CM and adjust accordingly. If he is making solid hits, back to the 22. If he shoots high (which is a common problem I have found) he needs to practice driving the rifle (suck it into his shoulder). Left or right watch his trigger finger he is probably slapping the trigger.

A suppressor will help in more than just recoil. They will not get the big blast of sound and pressure. We have seen noticeable improvements in young shooting going from none (even using a brake) to suppressor. Sound is a big deal to new shooters, more than most people understand.

We tend to get trapped in out though process, we look at things through the eye of adults that have forgotten what it's like to be a child. Would rather step down in caliber than up if it means placing the bullet in the right place.

It's interesting, my 8 year old son at the time was shoot 4" plates at 300 yards, some full grown men were not as successful. One factor is the adults know how far and small that target is, my son has no clue. He was just hitting the target I asked him to shoot.

We are going next year, he will be 11 (right now he is 75#s). We will have a 6.5CM that will be suppressed we are taking for him and my wife to use.

 

[C.W. Richter]

30 ought 6 with 220 grain bullets or 33806 or 35 whelen with 250 grain bullets would work just fine. On my second Safari long ago I took a big livingstone's eland using a 338 06 a square and 300 grain Barnes original bullets going 2440 ft per second. Ty Herring at Barnes provided old load data and advised that I not take shots over 150 yards and it worked! Just a shove not a sharp kick like many of the larger magnums. After that I graduated to a 375 and 416 for such tasks! Good luck to you and your boy. You'd be surprised how pleasant a 375hh is to shoot using factory non-dangerous game loads such as the 270 soft points!! I'm sure the PH would allow your boy to use his as well... Mine took a nice Buffalo and eland with his when he was a teen using factory Remington 270 SPs. Only now do I recall that I graduated to a 30-06 at age 12 and it was no problem to shoot and I was a little guy!

 

[channelkat]

A suppressor will help in more than just recoil. They will not get the big blast of sound and pressure. We have seen noticeable improvements in young shooting going from none (even using a brake) to suppressor. Sound is a big deal to new shooters, more than most people understand.

We tend to get trapped in out though process, we look at things through the eye of adults that have forgotten

Thank you. Some very good points. I certainly have learned a lot as I began training the children. You are right about having a tendency to see through adult eyes. I was also surprised to learn just how much the sound made a difference, maybe even more so than the actual recoil.

 

[channelkat]

30 ought 6 with 220 grain bullets or 33806 or 35 whelen with 250 grain bullets would work just fine. On my second Safari long ago I took a big livingstone's eland using a 338 06 a square and 300 grain Barnes original bullets going 2440 ft per second. Ty Herring at Barnes provided old load data and advised that I not take shots over 150 yards and it worked! Just a shove not a sharp kick like many of the larger magnums. After that I graduated to a 375 and 416 for such tasks! Good luck to you and your boy. You'd be surprised how pleasant a 375hh is to shoot using factory non-dangerous game loads such as the 270 soft points!! I'm sure the PH would allow your boy to use his as well... Mine took a nice Buffalo and eland with his when he was a teen using factory Remington 270 SPs. Only now do I recall that I graduated to a 30-06 at age 12 and it was no problem to shoot and I was a little guy!

I think back on my journey too and just never really remember having an aversion to big guns, recoil or noise. I was excited to fire whatever I could. I remember my front foot routinely being lifted off the ground and black and blue shoulders after trap shooting. It is amazing I didn't develop any irreversible bad habits.

 

[spike.t]

Exactly.....with the right bullet and weight 2300fps is the optimum killing speed.....no matter what caliber for Africa.....including DG....
Then you can add the old magic African calibers and you have a winning recipe....
Thats why the old classic calibers with heavy for caliber bullets have performed so well for well over 100 years...
Of course correct shot placement is needed(no matter the caliber)....but trust me the biggest Eland aint going nowhere with a 7mm 175gr Swift A frame broadside top of heart through plumbing and through both lungs and bullet under the skin on the far side.....I would not recommend a full frontal shot though.

Yup....more I shoot my 7x57 the more I love it....apart from going through ammo like its a .22lr.....

 

[spike.t]

My son used his .22 hornet to shoot a lechwe and puku think he was 8 at the time ...then his .223 year or so later on a bushbuck and waterbuck...the lechwe went straight down..Puku about 20 feet...bushbuck down and waterbuck just needed a finishing shot....a 7x57 or 275 as has been said will work....and will be a rifle he will love for hopefully a long time....with him being so young and a while to go before the hunt he is going to grow....so get a rifle now and have someone who knows what they are doing to alter it to his length...then keep the piece of wood and have it fitted back to the stock as he grows....then he can be shooting it for plenty of time before you go....it might cost you the price of a new stock in the end but worth it...you can start him with the 140 grn bullets which have very low recoil...then up him to 156 then ..170/175 grn as he gets used to it...even they are mild to shoot....but please nothing with holes in the end of the barrel...unless it's the one the bullet exits from..

Ps....get him one with iron sights as well so he can have fun shooting stuff at the range or wherever at closer distances....tin cans..water filled plastic bottles etc etc....make it fun

 

[WAB]

Yup....more I shoot my 7x57 the more I love it....apart from going through ammo like its a .22lr.....

My first deer rifle showed up in the mail in roughly 1984, a M70 in 7x57. I’ve never been without a rifle in 7x57 since. One of the greatest cartridges of all time.

 

[Tanner Lee]

300 Win Mag, with some good Barnes bullets. It will do perfect for an eland.

Anything smaller would probably be too small, I would not want to go smaller then a 300.

 

[Andrew62]

.308 with heavy for caliber bullets

 

[spike.t]

300 Win Mag, with some good Barnes bullets. It will do perfect for an eland.

Anything smaller would probably be too small, I would not want to go smaller then a 300.

As has been stated its for a kid who doesn't like recoil....so 300 win mag ain't exactly hitting the spot...

 

[Tanner Lee]

As has been stated its for a kid who doesn't like recoil....so 300 win mag ain't exactly hitting the spot...

I guess I have just grown up shooting 300 so I don’t notice any recoil anymore.

It is really the best caliber though in my opinion, all the eland hunts I have been on everyone has used 300.

 

[WAB]

I guess I have just grown up shooting 300 so I don’t notice any recoil anymore.

It is really the best caliber though in my opinion, all the eland hunts I have been on everyone has used 300.

Again, read the OP.

 

[WAB]

Not as good a choice with heavier bullets. It runs equal to the 7x57 with lighter bullets, but the heaviest are just too long for it.

 

[dchum]

Did anyone ask if he reloads?

Has anyone tried to buy 7x57 factory ammo in the states
Even check midway USA … nothing.

Not even choice ammunition loads it. So I guess it’s Hendershots customs as your last option at 100 dollars a box?

This has been a funny thread
More than one way to skin a cat we sure figured that out!

 

[375Fox]

Did anyone ask if he reloads?

Has anyone tried to buy 7x57 factory ammo in the states
Even check midway USA … nothing.

Not even choice ammunition loads it. So I guess it’s Hendershots customs as your last option at 100 dollars a box?

This has been a funny thread
More than one way to skin a cat we sure figured that out!

Or consider how few rifles are chambered in it? 30-06 gives so much more flexibility both in rifle choices, factory ammo, and bullet weights/choices. Going from 6.5 to 7 is very negligible. I’m really surprised how hard this thread went for 7x57.