Eland

[Ryan]

What are the "recommended" calibers for eland?

A 338 Federal using a 180 grain bullet is shooting around 2800 fps. That's slightly better than a 30-06, which I'd use, but isn't all that different than your 270 WSM to something the size of an eland. Personally I ended up taking mine with a 300 Win Mag. A 300 Win mag using a 180 grain bullet is in the 3100 fps range for a noticable increase in energy. Since you mention a 338, the 338 Win Mag using a 225 grain bullet in the 2800 fps range will be more effective than the Federal on an eland. I'd chat with your outfitter and get their opinion too.

 

[bruce moulds]

a bit of history.
I used to shoot horses for petmeat and to eliminate them from an area.
the 2 of us involved used a 25/06 and a 30/06.
both rifles could be relied on for set shots, usually the first shot, but after that a lot of wounding went on due to moving targets.
the 30/06 showed no real advantage over the 25/06.
this suggests that both calibres are not sufficient to reliably drop animals up to maybe 1000 lb in weight.
in that life, culling goats was also an issue.
308 and 270 worked wonderfully well.
the problem was that donkeys also inhabited the area, and were a problem to pastoralists as well.
the 2 calibres in question were again good for set shots, but when things got western, they had met their match due to difficulty in placing bullets.
donkeys are smaller than horses.
a 7 mag with heavy for calibre bullets was certainly an improvement, but it was still hard to take pride in the percentage of instant deaths.
trials with a 375 h&h really showed what could be done in the way of humane killing - as though they received an instant 10,000 volts to the brain. problem solved.
this gun had too much recoil for the number of shots required on goats.
now we come to eland.
I have never shot one, but believe them to weigh up to a ton.
that will take serious penetration, energy to do that, frontal area, and the ability to bust bone if necessary.
to me, the nostalgia of using a 275 rigby because the old dead guys did is overridden by the desire for a quick kill.
the biggest thing I have shot other than domestic cattle is camels, which weigh about 1300 lb.
the 9.3x64 and 375 have proven to take them down emphatically with anything like a decent shot out to 300 yds, the closer the better.
nosler partitions have proven to be a lesser killer than both Woodleigh and swift, to the extent that they take the rifles up a notch over the nosler.
they shoot flatter than 45 and 40 cals, giving a full useable 300 yds useable with a bit of aiming high still on fur from 250 to 300.
guess what direction I would go for my first eland and other big plains game hunt?
bruce.

 

[rnovi]

I can only give evidence from my Eland hunt. I used a 7mm Rem Mag with a 150gr. Nosler E-Tip driven at 3,000 fps.

My PH and I got to about 200 yards away, with little chance to get closer. I got on the sticks at maybe 8am in the morning and it was 10 minutes before the Eland gave us a shot.

The first shot was as perfect as it could be. I was calm, cool, dialed in and taking my time. The shot rang out and the bullet hit home...sorta. The big "humorous" bone shattered maybe 3" below the socket, hit dead center by the bullet. Completely destroyed the bone. The bullet punched right into a rib (damn big ribs!), shattering it and heading into the lungs.

It stopped short of the heart.

I saw the Eland leap into the air before crashing down. 2000# of Eland hit the deck. As excited as my PH and I were the Eland picked its head up and all I could see was its nose and it's horns. Nothing but brush...and a nose. Damnit. No second shot...

New round in the chamber, I stayed on the sticks for a solid 15 minutes, on that Eland. PH and Tracker were looking around, chatting. We couldn't approach as there were a dozen other Eland there and we wanted to make certain that my Eland was done.

He wasn't. My Eland eventually stood up, shaky as can be on three legs. The right front was obviously shattered. "He's UP! HE'S UP!" I stated, rather loudly. I let fly the second round and the high shoulder broke the spine this time. Both PH and Tracker were shocked I had fired...they hadn't seen the animal stand up. I let their ears ring...

At that point we were able to walk up to the Eland, the others having scattered on the second shot.

The point is this: two inches left and that first bullet would have penetrated without breaking bone...hitting the heart and I'm sure taking out much of the offside lungs. But that didn't happen. I center punched the big bone - about a 3" thick bone. I was right on target to the heart but just didn't have the horsepower to get there. It could have gone very, very wrong from that point forward.

Yes, the 270 can work if you hit it right. Get it even a little wrong and stuff goes pear shaped fast.

When I go again, I'll use my 9.3x62 or .375 H&H with a heavy 286 or 300 gr. bullet on Eland. Yes, you can get away with lighter...I've proven it. I'd rather not do that again. Eland deserve some degree of respect. Hit them poorly and you can be chasing them for miles...

Good Luck to you.

 

[1dirthawker]

@rnovi
i would like that post twice ifs could! well said.

 

[bruce moulds]

rnovi,
hitting that bone with an adequate calibre and bullet would have been as good a shot as you could get.
just because some people have scratched something down with a gun does not make it adequate.
then you see the video of the professional hunter smiling with joy while congratulating a shooter (not hunter) who has just scratched something down instead of poleaxing it.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

just another thought.
we often read about the possible need for 2 dangerous game rifles.
why?
where 2 rifles might be of more use is for plains game.
a 7mm is ideal for the smaller species, and is easy to shoot accurately.
but plains game comes in many sizes, as exemplified by the eland.
a rifle like the 375 is far more suited here, as is the 9.3.
decent bullets like swift aframe expand rapidly, yet penetrate without losing weight, killing smaller game as effectively as bigger species.
nosler partitions cannot be included in this class, although they can make a big gun into a smaller gun for certain applications.
the 9.3x62, while not having the point blank range of the 375 is easier to shoot, and should never be overlooked as a bigger plains game rifle where its trajectory suits.
bruce.

 

[tarbe]

When I head to the BVC in August, Eland is my second most sought after animal, after Cape Buffalo.

At the moment, my intended Cape Buffalo rifle is my No 1 in 450/400 NE, with 400gr A-Frame.

I plan to use the same rifle/load on Eland! Perhaps a little more than is necessary, but if I had two rifles to choose from, a good 450/400 or a 270, there's no question I'd use the heavier rifle.

The Eland in my avatar took a 180gr TTSX from a hot-loaded 300 mag through both shoulders and still had enough vitality to take two more through the boiler room before finally giving up the ghost. And he was still on his hooves for the second one that came about 3 minutes after the first. The third was probably unnecessary but I wanted lights out asap!

Tough critters.

 

[Timbo]

If you can't shoot the heavy calibres like a 375, then why not get a 9.3x62 instead? It was the all round rifle in Africa before the 375HH came on the scene - and power-wise it gives the 375 a good run for it's money - with a felt recoil similar to the 30/06. The 286gr soft point bullet is the standard weight upon which the 9.3x62 made its reputation with Pondoro saying there was nothing much to say about the 9.3x62 because everyone knew it did a good job on game. The calibre is meant for all plains game and is ideally suited for larger game up to eland. Good luck!!

 

[meigsbucks]

When I head to the BVC in August, Eland is my second most sought after animal, after Cape Buffalo.

At the moment, my intended Cape Buffalo rifle is my No 1 in 450/400 NE, with 400gr A-Frame.

I plan to use the same rifle/load on Eland! Perhaps a little more than is necessary, but if I had two rifles to choose from, a good 450/400 or a 270, there's no question I'd use the heavier rifle.

The Eland in my avatar took a 180gr TTSX from a hot-loaded 300 mag through both shoulders and still had enough vitality to take two more through the boiler room before finally giving up the ghost. And he was still on his hooves for the second one that came about 3 minutes after the first. The third was probably unnecessary but I wanted lights out asap!

Tough critters.

Tarbe: You’ll have a lot of eland to choose from in the BVC. I was there in ‘13 and saw eland every day. Good luck.
The main thing is shot placement. On that Zim hunt, day one I shot and lost an eland I hit too low with a .375.
I did take my eland in Namibia last year. I used a 225 gr. Swift AF out of a .338 RUM @ 3070 fps. My PH thought that bullet would be a little light for eland. At 90 yds it took the bullet square in the shoulder and just stood there. A second shot put it down. One exited and the other that went went thru the shoulder lodged under the hide. They are tough.

 

[tarbe]

Tarbe: You’ll have a lot of eland to choose from in the BVC. I was there in ‘13 and saw eland every day. Good luck.

You know, you may have just guaranteed me not seeing a single Eland!!

 

[Ridgewalker]

Approximately 125 yards frontal shot quartering using 250 gr Barnes TTSX at over 2,800fps from a 375 H&H. Broke the left front leg and ended up in the right shoulder straight to the left of the scope adjustments under the skin.

 

[tarbe]

Approximately 125 yards frontal shot quartering using 250 gr Barnes TTSX at over 2,800fps from a 375 H&H. Broke the left front leg and ended up in the right shoulder straight to the left of the scope adjustments under the skin.
View attachment 272713 View attachment 272714
View attachment 272715

What a brute!

"I think I need a bigger truck".

 

[bruce moulds]

ridgewalker,
you just might have convinced me to try that weight barnes in the 9.3x64.
I have tended toward the 286 - 300 gn swifts, and they have been good.
but the lighter barnes will shoot a little flatter in our aust desert country, and that penetration that you describe sounds good.
do you notice a difference in recoil compared to say a 300 gn bullet?
bruce.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Bruce, I developed this load for my croc hunt because my MRC shoots it into 1/2” groups. Then suddenly Africa offered me this big boy and I couldn’t resist! He hobbled 20-25 yards and it was over. Shoulder broken, top of heart and both lungs hit.

 

[Michael Dean]

It's been decided that I'll be using my 338 Federal for the Eland. THe only thing left is to decide which bullet. I'm going to be shooting Hammers, I just have to decide if I'm going to shoot the 213 grain Hammer or the 236 grain Hammer Hunter. I'm leaning towards the heavier bullet. I just have to make certain that I have a 1-10 twist to stabilize them.

I don't leave for Africa until October. This is going to be the longest 7 months of my life. Ever since I made the decision to go Africa has been on my mind non-stop! I should have booked an earlier trip.

 

[bruce moulds]

ridgewalker,
if you can get that frontal quartering shot and break the shoulder going in it is one of the better shots.
but don't try it with a toy gun and a toy bullet.
bruce.

 

[BeeMaa]

I don't leave for Africa until October. This is going to be the longest 7 months of my life. Ever since I made the decision to go Africa has been on my mind non-stop! I should have booked an earlier trip.

You will be shooting every week, dry fire practice every day, working up a ballistic chart...etc
The next thing you know it will be September and you will wonder where it went.
This is going to be the shortest 7 months of your life.
Enjoy the preparation for the hunt.

 

[Timbo]

It's been decided that I'll be using my 338 Federal for the Eland. THe only thing left is to decide which bullet. I'm going to be shooting Hammers, I just have to decide if I'm going to shoot the 213 grain Hammer or the 236 grain Hammer Hunter. I'm leaning towards the heavier bullet. I just have to make certain that I have a 1-10 twist to stabilize them.

I don't leave for Africa until October. This is going to be the longest 7 months of my life. Ever since I made the decision to go Africa has been on my mind non-stop! I should have booked an earlier trip.

Michael, the felt anticipation (much like recoil!! Lol) is all part of the experience and fun!! So enjoy it mate!!

 

[Timbo]

Approximately 125 yards frontal shot quartering using 250 gr Barnes TTSX at over 2,800fps from a 375 H&H. Broke the left front leg and ended up in the right shoulder straight to the left of the scope adjustments under the skin.
View attachment 272713 View attachment 272714
View attachment 272715

What a beautiful trophy!!! The contrasts in colour (rug/mane and hide) is amazing - so are the twists, length, angles and colouring of those horns! That's the kind of eland I'd want to get. Great trophy!

 

[Ridgewalker]

Ever since I made the decision to go Africa has been on my mind non-stop!

You’ve got the “Africa adventure fever”! Welcome to the club!