Eland, is the .308 Winchester enough gun?

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Shot placement:
- minimum caliber 338Win
- recommendet caliber 9,3x62 or 375

 

[grand veneur]

Shot placement:
- minimum caliber 338Win
- recommendet caliber 9,3x62 or 375

Unfortunately there are no caliber requirement for hunting eland , only recommendations. Cartridges caliber .338 and up are certainly the best when it comes to shoot heavy game species.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Unfortunately there are no caliber requirement for hunting eland , only recommendations. Cartridges caliber .338 and up are certainly the best when it comes to shoot heavy game species.

But there is common sense.

 

[grand veneur]

But there is common sense.

But there is a common sense , do you mean , when it comes to choosing a suitable cartridge. Unfortunately it doesn't always seem for me to be the case , but in the end everyone can do what he want. There has rarely been unanimity in caliber and cartridge discussions.

 

[Hank2211]

But there is common sense.

See my post above. Obviously I don't agree that .338 is the minimum and that anyone using anything smaller lacks common sense. I've taken a number of eland with a .300 Win Mag and they all died quickly and cleanly.

How about we stick to legal and ethical? Then we're not needlessly getting people's backs up.

 

[Michael Dean]

I went on an African Safari last fall and took two rifles; a 270WSM and a 338 federal. Eight of the nine animals I took were with the 270WSM and the Eland was shot with the 338 federal. You can't appreciate how damn large those animals are until you stand next to one. You're talking 1,600-1,800 pounds of meat and bone. The shoulder bones are huge. They say that an Eland will start trotting and won't stop for anything if your first shot isn't a kill shot. I was lucky, I was presented with a perfect broadside shot at 150 yards. The bullet broke the right shoulder, clipped the top of the heart off and broke the second shoulder, exiting the left side. It was one and done.

When I saw the size of the animal and the size of the shoulders I was glad I opted for the 338. Remember, you pay for an animal if you draw blood. Elands are not cheep and a wounded Eland won't stop for anything. A 308 will kill an Eland with a perfect shot. Unfortunately most shots are in brushy terrain with the animal presenting an off angle shot.

 

[Newboomer]

Now that I think about it, in 70 years of hunting I don't think I've had more than a small handful of "perfect" broadside shots. Seems like there is always some little thing that prevents that shot. The animal is not quite broadside, quartering to or away, there is brush, he's behind a tree, he turns or moves just when I'm about to fire. In any case, the size of the caliber is not going to be the deciding factor. It's shot placement.

Case in point. Broadside shot at my sable at around 100 yards. Onto the sticks, line up my shot and start squeezing the trigger, all in about 3 seconds. What happens? Sable turns away and takes off. I fired just as he turned and caught him just behind the left ribs. Bullet exited through the right shoulder, tearing up some innards and lungs. This was with a 375HH and Barnes 235g TSX. Good internal damage and exit wound. We found him dead about 300 yards away. Not a shot I would normally take but he was turning just as I fired.

 

[crs]

It seems that my African hunts were in game rich areas with no worry about not getting another shot opportunity and no worries about long shots being necessary. I was also blessed with guides of considerable experience and skill who would work for a good shot rather than push me to take a bad one.
300 yards shot at an eland? Heck we turned down eland shots less than 50 yards.
I was also blessed on my recent Pronghorn hunt, my red deer hunt, my 6x6 elk hunt, etc. My DG PH and sharp eyed trackers led me to a 20 yard shot on my Cape buffalo. It always pays to work with good people.

Born lucky , I reckon.

 

[Divernhunter]

I used a 338win mag with 225gr A-Frames for a one shot kill on my Eland. "Personally" I think under certain conditions the 308 would work. BUT I want my choice to work in all conditions..

 

[WAB]

I’ve only shot two eland, one in Botswana, the other in Namibia, so I’m certainly no expert. I shot the first one with a .375 H&H, the second with a 9.3x62. If you are selective in your shots I suspect that you can have good success with a light rifle. However, if you are hunting truly wild areas and must take the shot provided, it may be wise to step up to one of the medium bores. Just my two cents worth and likely overvalued at that.

 

[Ryan]

Something no one has mentioned. What does your (or his) outfitter say? They know their game populations and conditions best to answer whether using a .308 is viable or not.

 

[MarkB]

Shot mine with 375 h&h but if you were on a PG hunt and eland was on list and you wanted to take 1 gun by all means, close in and "hunt" him, then good bullet in correct spot and I think = dead eland.

MB

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Don't take a knife to a gun fight! Yes you can kill a eland with a .308 and it is legal in Zimbabwe, but I would certainly recommend nothing less than a .338, a .375 even better. Then put the bullet where it supposed to go, the magic triangle!

 

[One Day...]

I do not know about "his" outfitter Ryan, but I can tell you the way our PHs think about this...

For Eland, we always prefer a hunter who shoots a .308 properly to a hunter who could not hit a barn from the inside with a .338 mag (and there are indeed plenty of them). Seriously, this is not an earth shattering answer, right? Who would not???

This being said, still for Eland, we also prefer a hunter who shoots a .300/200+ gr or .338/225+ gr or .375/235+ gr or 9.3/230+ gr, etc. properly over a hunter who shoots a .308/180 gr properly. That too is not an earth shattering answer, right? Who would not???

This business of comparing a good .308 shot with a bad .338 shot is childish...

Here is the reality: if a hunter cannot shoot properly anything bigger than a .308, sure we will let him use it on Eland, and we will make sure that if he uses it his chances of success are very good. But he should be prepared to possibly pass the only shot he may have at the Eland of his dreams that day. And if that day happens to be the last day of his Safari, then, well, a responsible PH will still not let him take a tough quartering shot at that Eland that would irresponsible with a .308/180 gr but that would have been responsible with a .300/200+ gr or .338/225+ gr or .375/235+ gr. That's all.

As mentioned previously by CoElkHunter, the difference between "him," the international client, and a local farmer or PH is that the local will be there the next day, and the next week, etc. to have a shot with his .308, but the international client will be back home and he will not have another shot for another couple of years, or maybe ever...

All of this should really not be hard to agree upon. A bigger gun with bigger bullet does not make a bad shot into a good shot - we all know that - but it seems a bit infantile to argue that a .300/200+ gr or .338/225+ gr or .375/235+ gr does not give you more options to take a proper shot than a .308/180 gr does.

To each their own, of course. I personally do not go often enough to Newfoundland or Africa to restrict my hunting to only perfect broadside shots at bayonet range, just because locals who live and hunt there their entire life have success with their .303 or 30/30 or .308 on 2,000 lbs animals.

 

[Red Leg]

It seems that my African hunts were in game rich areas with no worry about not getting another shot opportunity and no worries about long shots being necessary. I was also blessed with guides of considerable experience and skill who would work for a good shot rather than push me to take a bad one.
300 yards shot at an eland? Heck we turned down eland shots less than 50 yards.
I was also blessed on my recent Pronghorn hunt, my red deer hunt, my 6x6 elk hunt, etc. My DG PH and sharp eyed trackers led me to a 20 yard shot on my Cape buffalo. It always pays to work with good people.

Born lucky , I reckon.

For the moment, I’ll assume you were not deliberately trying to be condescending. I am curious where were these game rich areas of Africa where you worked with the best and eland lolled around at fifty yards - a game ranch or a wilderness area? I would simply note, in my meager experience, that there are eland hunts and there are eland hunts. Walking down a free range eland somewhere in Namibia or Mozambique, is a different experience than most game ranches in South Africa. One picks up a bull’s track at dawn and sets off. Several hours and many miles later one may or may not make contact. When one does, it will likely be a fleeting opportunity at anything but a perfect presentation at an animal standing around at 50 meters. Indeed, walking down an eland in a wild environment is one of the more challenging experiences on the continent. It is not something I would remotely compare to the same animal behind a fence, and I would not prefer to do it with a .308. Those experiences obviously color my perspective of what constitutes an adequate rifle for such a hunt.

I also don’t mean to imply an eland hunt can’t be a great experience in, let’s say, the Limpopo. But a wilderness hunt will typically be under different conditions which may demand shooting at more marginal, distant, or angled animals necessitating a caliber sufficient to successfully conclude the hunt. For me, in that sort of environment, an adequate caliber starts with a .338 or 9.3.

 

[Timbo]

I figure if I ever am able to hunt PG in Africa, time will be on the animals side...

Absolutely correct!! From the moment you first shake hands in greeting your PH - the race is on - as the clock has already begun ticking down.

 

[Ryan]

I do not know about "his" outfitter Ryan, but I can tell you the way our PHs think about this...

For Eland, we always prefer a hunter who shoots a .308 properly to a hunter who could not hit a barn from the inside with a .338 mag (and there are indeed plenty of them). Seriously, this is not an earth shattering answer, right? Who would not???

This being said, still for Eland, we also prefer a hunter who shoots a .300/200+ gr or .338/225+ gr or .375/235+ gr or 9.3/230+ gr, etc. properly over a hunter who shoots a .308/180 gr properly. That too is not an earth shattering answer, right? Who would not???

This business of comparing a good .308 shot with a bad .338 shot is childish...

Here is the reality: if a hunter cannot shoot properly anything bigger than a .308, sure we will let him use it on Eland, and we will make sure that if he uses it his chances of success are very good. But he should be prepared to possibly pass the only shot he may have at the Eland of his dreams that day. And if that day happens to be the last day of his Safari, then, well, a responsible PH will still not let him take a tough quartering shot at that Eland that would irresponsible with a .308/180 gr but that would have been responsible with a .300/200+ gr or .338/225+ gr or .375/235+ gr. That's all.

As mentioned previously by CoElkHunter, the difference between "him," the international client, and a local farmer or PH is that the local will be there the next day, and the next week, etc. to have a shot with his .308, but the international client will be back home and he will not have another shot for another couple of years, or maybe ever...

All of this should really not be hard to agree upon. A bigger gun with bigger bullet does not make a bad shot into a good shot - we all know that - but it seems a bit infantile to argue that a .300/200+ gr or .338/225+ gr or .375/235+ gr does not give you more options to take a proper shot than a .308/180 gr does.

To each their own, of course. I personally do not go often enough to Newfoundland or Africa to restrict my hunting to only perfect broadside shots at bayonet range, just because locals who live and hunt there their entire life have success with their .303 or 30/30 or .308 on 2,000 lbs animals.

You took that WAY out of context. My statement was simple, while we all have a lot of good experience and advise the first and most important people to get an answer to this question is the outfitter and PH. If they are hunting with Huntershill then they now have the answer. If not, contact them.

 

[mdwest]

I've been in camp when a hunter took a very large eland with a 30-06 shooting a 165gr TSX (very similar ballistics to a 308 shooting the same projectile).. didnt report any problems at all.. he took the shot at about 125 yards from what he and his PH said..

When I hunt an eland (havent done that yet), it will be with my .375 H&H though...

I dont see any reason to put that sort of money on the table, and then hamstring myself and limit my options by taking one of my smaller caliber rifles like my 308,30-06, 7mm etc..

 

[archer36]

I think he’s saying that a bone which might stop a 308 bullet, probably won’t stop a 338 or 375 bullet.

So why stop there. Use a .460 Nitro.
We can talk about what is the best and we can talk about what is adequate. It's a always a good idea to err on the upside. I am not advocating hunting Eland with a .308 as your caliber of choice, but if you encounter one at a reasonable range that your PH has confidence in, there is no proof that a .308 with the proper bullet will not do the job if placed properly. A Magnum placed improperly will not do the same. A person should shoot a reasonable caliber accurately rather than a big bore inaccurately. You don't need many years of Africa hunting experience to figure that out, It's common sense. So, all things being equal, if you can shoot a .338 and .308 the same, by all means choose the larger caliber. That also is common sense. To say 'NO", to a .308 is not responsible. To say you would choose a larger caliber is a great suggestion.
I will be hunting Eland with my Crossbow in September. Let's see if it takes this thread to another level. LOL

 

[Red Leg]

So why stop there. Use a .460 Nitro.
We can talk about what is the best and we can talk about what is adequate. It's a always a good idea to err on the upside. I am not advocating hunting Eland with a .308 as your caliber of choice, but if you encounter one at a reasonable range that your PH has confidence in, there is no proof that a .308 with the proper bullet will not do the job if placed properly. A Magnum placed improperly will not do the same. A person should shoot a reasonable caliber accurately rather than a big bore inaccurately. You don't need many years of Africa hunting experience to figure that out, It's common sense. So, all things being equal, if you can shoot a .338 and .308 the same, by all means choose the larger caliber. That also is common sense. To say 'NO", to a .308 is not responsible. To say you would choose a larger caliber is a great suggestion.
I will be hunting Eland with my Crossbow in September. Let's see if it takes this thread to another level. LOL

Probably from a waterhole blind and not in a wilderness area? I and a few others are simply making the point that the conditions under which the shot is taken make a huge difference in caliber selection.