First Safari - I’ll hunt plains game - What caliber?

[steve white]

I missed the "lowest recoiling" part...change to 308...(unless you wear a man bun...)

 

[LimbNoMo]

Why the Anchutz 1782?

 

[BlueFlyer]

For this trip, I would like to buy a nice bolt action rifle such as the Anchutz 1782 D, which comes in 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, and 30-06.

Also comes in 9.3X62 (1782DG9362) which would be a great choice, but recoil is more than your listed calibres

 

[MS 9x56]

30.06 is the obvious choice. You might look at the 7PRC as well. Just purchase quality bullets, exercise, and shoot whatever caliber you choose a lot. Please be sure to give a hunt report!

Not as well as a 35 Whelen or a 9.3x62.

 

[DillonG]

Not as well as a 35 Whelen or a 9.3x62.

Sure, I just don’t think the caliber matters as much as being a good shot and in shape. I would rather be the best shot in the country and use a 22.250 to hunt whitetails than be shit and use a 500NE. Just pick one that has decent ballistics and go practice far more than you think necessary.

Apologies, my opinion might not have been clear in my first post.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

.243 for plains game up to Roan and .375H&H for Tiny Ten and Small cats!

Most are giving very succinct advice. Become the best shot you can with either the 30-06 or 308. I like Barnes Bullets because they have served me well. Knowing how your rifle shoots, aided by good shot placement, is paramount. If you flinch, cant your rifle, yank the trigger, rush a shot, compromise due to duress, the largest caliber or most powerful will not bail you out.

I love the idea of being lucky, and the more I practice, the luckier I get…

 

[Daisy]

A "raking shot" that might actually strike the rear leg may not make it all the way into the boiler room if it comes from a smaller, lighter caliber. Or a strike from say a.243 on a heavy shoulder bone may not penetrate to the heart/lungs of a kudu sized animal. A .300 Win Mag with 180 or 200:grains surely will.

Having said that, you are right that a broken leg doesn't much matter if the rifle is a .22-250 or a .458 Lott. Same with a broadside gut shot.

Thanks. I agree with you.

Bad shots don’t often work with any caliber.

A millimeter more is diameter doesn’t kill any better. Often worse.

 

[Deepfork]

Like many have said making a good shot is the most important.

On my first hunting trip to Africa I chose the rifle I was most comfortable and proficient with instead of more power, a 308 with a 165gr Federal Trophy Bonded Tip bullet at 2680fps. Between one of my sons and I we took 13 trophies with that rifle. Kudu, Wildebeest, Zebra, Waterbuck down to Springbok. 60-310 yards all clean one shot kills, never put our tracker to work.

So a .308 will get it done, but I still don't think its ideal for larger plains game. None of our bullets managed to exit the larger animals, little or no blood on the ground in a few cases. So since my focus has shifted from local game to Africa I have also changed what I practice with and carry in the woods most of the time. For my up coming plains game hunt I am taking a .338-06AI pushing a 186gr Hammer bullet at 3127. I may take a second rifle, if i do it will be in .35 Whelen, 245gr Hammer at 2800fps.

 

[Daisy]

Exactly! A shot in.the right place is almost b always more effective with a larger, heavier bullet than lighter, slower bullet.

I disagree fully here. That’s where bullet selection comes into play.

Also it’s proven that smaller calibers are put into the right place more often than a larger caliber.

Less rexoil
Much much more practice

 

[Ridge Runner]

.243 for plains game up to Roan and .375H&H for Tiny Ten and Small cats!

Most are giving very succinct advice. Become the best shot you can with either the 30-06 or 308. I like Barnes Bullets because they have served me well. Knowing how your rifle shoots, aided by good shot placement, is paramount. If you flinch, cant your rifle, yank the trigger, rush a shot, compromise due to duress, the largest caliber or most powerful will not bail you out.

I love the idea of being lucky, and the more I practice, the luckier I get…

Oh man...Come on....(I couldnt resist Sleepy Joe)
Here we go again.

You just couldn't resist giving that "tomato stake" .243 cartridge a plug.

Knowing @Bob Nelson 35Whelen has and will chime back in to tell @Dessert_Eagle he needs a proper caliber and a proper bullet and plenty of range practice shooting off sticks.

We all know 30-06 and 375H&H are kings for PG anything else.....pure fairy tails (Yes! I meant tails not tales). Duh. IYKYK. LMFAOAT.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

Oh man...Come on....(I couldnt resist Sleepy Joe)
Here we go again.

You just couldn't resist giving that "tomato stake" .243 cartridge a plug.

Knowing @Bob Nelson 35Whelen has and will chime back in to tell @Dessert_Eagle he needs a proper caliber and a proper bullet and plenty of range practice shooting off sticks.

We all know 30-06 and 375H&H are kings for PG anything else.....pure fairy tails (Yes! I meant tails not tales). Duh. IYKYK. LMFAOAT.

You may know that I’m here with it again… 3rd tour… Lots of animals in the salt now. More pictures will be posted soon, along with my hunting report. Tonight is my last night. Setting in the blind for Serval with the SAKO .375H&H right now because my PH was irritated that I was shooting too many .243 rounds (which he knows I intend to give him the remainder of) on PG, warthog, and Jackal. A big badger was dispatched 2 nights ago with the .243

User discretion may apply…

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I disagree fully here. That’s where bullet selection comes into play.

Also it’s proven that smaller calibers are put into the right place more often than a larger caliber.

Less rexoil
Much much more practice

Proven? By who? Using comparable bullets, a .243 is never going to be as effective as a .300:Win Mag on large animals. Unless you just can't shoot the bigger rifle, in which case you need more practice. A shot in the right place is always the !most important thing, but it is not the only thing.

 

[IvW]

Proven? By who? Using comparable bullets, a .243 is never going to be as effective as a .300:Win Mag on large animals. Unless you just can't shoot the bigger rifle, in which case you need more practice. A shot in the right place is always the !most important thing, but it is not the only thing.

Exactly.......
Also not legal for the stated species.......

 

[PARA45]

After you decide which caliber to get. Make sure you pick up a set of shooting sticks, and practice with them. I would suggest asking the PH what kind of shooting sticks they have, and I would consider taking the ones you've practice with.

In 2022 I went to the Eastern Cape and practiced with a set of Rudolph quad shooting sticks. I practiced and took those sticks with me. I ended up giving them to my PH. Best set of shooting sticks for the money.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Exactly.......
Also not legal for the stated species.......

And there are good reasons for minimum requirements.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Unfortunately the perspective is light rifles, aka small calibers, are better than larger calibers.

Point Taken...But, a larger caliber, heavy bullet? debatable. It solely depends on so many variables to be met. And even the variables have variables.

To be successful period, exclamation point. Every Hunter, Shooter Must Know THEIR and Their Weapon's LIMITATIONS!!! to including the shooter's choice of bullet selection(s)!!

One gun.....means one caliber.....and one specific bullet to do all......No Such Thing!!!. Never will be!!.

Perhaps my standards are too high for AYO (ALL YOU OTHERS). I DON'T give a Sh*t!! My standards are 10, 20, 30+ bullets in a 1 inch circle, with 3 fliers within a 1/2" outside the 1 inch circle at 100 yards. "Pie Plates" , 8-10" circles are for idiots that don't need to be in the woods....... .period!!.

Be it small, medium, large; standard or magnum; short or long; The paramount is: To select a caliber with a reasonable amount of recoil, with a reputable bullet, To Be Lethal within ITS maximum Humainatary KILL range; To minimize the target's (animal's) suffering.

Example Only:

If a hunter can't handle the recoil of a 308 caliber then any large/big game should not be considered by the hunter . The should stick to lesser, smaller game animals!!.

If the hunter can't handle the recoil of the minimum legal .375 caliber for Dangerous Game in Africa then the hunter should stick to hunting the smaller Plains Game to which they are more comfortable with the recoil of their rifle.

My Rant isn't over..... just paused.....to hear responses. Also My thread has gone long enough and a somewhat a distraction from the OP.

For the OP 308 or 30-06 should be your minimum caliber, with a minimum 165-168 grain bullet. TIA- This Is Africa. Always expect the unexpected. Be proficient with your rifle.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Oh man...Come on....(I couldnt resist Sleepy Joe)
Here we go again.

You just couldn't resist giving that "tomato stake" .243 cartridge a plug.

Knowing @Bob Nelson 35Whelen has and will chime back in to tell @Dessert_Eagle he needs a proper caliber and a proper bullet and plenty of range practice shooting off sticks.

We all know 30-06 and 375H&H are kings for PG anything else.....pure fairy tails (Yes! I meant tails not tales). Duh. IYKYK. LMFAOAT.

@Ridge Runner
Nothing beats plenty of range time in ALL field positions including off sticks. My son went thru something like a few thousand rounds of 22lr in range practice then his 308. Shooting became instinctive, fast and accurate.
Using an adequate calibre with the correct bullet along with the required skills equals a successful hunt.
Forget a 243 anything. Might make a good address number but a lousy cartridge.
Bob

 

[WyoBull]

You know what they say about opinions… yes, everybody has one. Any caliber around and on either side of the 30.06 or 270 Win will be just fine for plains game. Hell, between just those two calibers they have probably accounted for more plains game in the salt than every thing else combined.
With the advancement of bullet technology, it makes them even better today.
I believe we way overthink what is the “right” caliber for plains game. Whatever you use here in the US for elk and deer will serve you well for plains game.

 

[shootist~]

Ummm, six pages already (so far). What was that question again?

 

[Slider]

Ask your PH. The only time I hunted S.A. I used a Bow. The rest of the Hunts in Africa I used a 264 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag a 375 H&H Mag a 450-400 Nitro and a 500 Nitro