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

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I got my first gun when I was 10. It was a Benjiman 177 air rifle. I soon learnt that I had to get within 10m and shoot rabbits in the head to prevent them from getting down the hole before they died. That gun taught me how to stalk.

Then I moved up to a Browning 22LR BAR. I learnt that with correct bullet placement and a 40gr solid I could take medium sized game.

BUT
Animals are not static targets, Unfortunately I learnt the hard way, when they moved as I squeezed off the shot. Vitals not penetrated and no blood trail. I found 1 such animal 2 weeks later in a very bad way but still alive - never again.

My cousin had his 358NM stolen last year. He has been using a 30/06 in the interim. He shot a young Sambar stag with the 30/06, it ran at least 50m to get into a gully full of blackberries. The local farmer had 1080 baits out to control dingoes and foxes so he could not use his dogs to find the deer. Luckily his has just found himself another 358NM. 358NM has alot more margin for error than a 30/06.

PS. I do give a shit about other peoples opinions and experience - how else do we learn.

@BlueFlyer
If he wanted a good sambar rifle I have a lovely 35 Whelen AI that I'm willing to part with for a reasonable price. Complete with formed brass and dies.
Bob

 

[BlueFlyer]

If he wanted a good sambar rifle I have a lovely 35 Whelen AI

Thanks Bob, his permit to purchase has come through for the 358NM.
I personally use 9.3X64B on Sambar. Agree the 35Whelen is great for Sambar and all large game.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

Lots would. You need to branch out.

Also your quote had absolutely nothing to do with what we were talking about. It’s stone cold fact that people shoot smaller calibers better than larger ones. Thats not the end all be all of hunting. But it stands as fact.

A shooting instructor would be 1000 times better to verify that than a ph.

You’re slipping a bit.

“375Fox said:
Shooting instructors shoot at paper. PHs hunt animals. If I want advice on shooting tight groups at 1000 yards I’d go to shooting instructor. If I wanted advice on caliber selection for hunting I’ll ask a PH. You’ll need to look hard to find the PH who will recommend a 243 over a 300 for large plains game.”

It’s interesting to note that I had two PH’s (Henk my PH and the concession owner) on this recent hunt in the Free States request that I shoot my Roan, Lechwe, and Barbary Ram with a .243. And that request wasn’t a challenge, just a matter of assessing the situation and advising on their experience. Even though I had my .375H&H available, but not with us at that moment. I’m not the least bit recoil shy or sensitive with my .375H&H. **The concession owner said the average kill shots on Springbok and Blesbok was 4 shots! He also said it was very common for hunters to hit or nick legs, gut shots, flat out missing, and occasionally hit horn! Most of these shots are 275 yards or better. He also said the record was 22 shots at a Blesbok; wounding it several times. I didn’t ask for details…

I’ve attended several long range shooting schools and rung the 2,000 yard target, in progression from 400 yards, on two different occasions and the mile target on 2 other occasions with my custom 300 RUM hunting rifle. I’ve also attended the advanced school, where you shoot every animal target (real scale) at different angles, cross canyons, in wind and sometimes rain, out to 1,500 yards. The long range shooting schools I’ve attended require prone shooting. Always at elevation and never flat shooting; except to set 100 yard zero’s.

I’m not challenging either of your opinions or experience, just providing that in my experience, a well practiced hunter and a well placed shot, will result in good kill shots with what some will assume “too small a caliber”…

For the record, I don’t like to target shoot at the bench. Only to validate that my own custom loads are shooting where I expect them too. I don’t experiment much with load development either. I go with what I know works.

I also load and shoot primarily Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets in everything except my 300 RUM, which uses a Hybrid Berger Hunting VLD bullet in 210 grain. Yes, I’ve killed several elk with that bullet out to 350 yards… Kills them dead too. I do have some Barnes LRX bullets that I want to develop for that 300 RUM. Just need to check required spin rate…

If I only had one rifle to bring to Africa hunting PG, it would be a 7MM REM MAG. Because I’ve taken a lot of PG with it, including a 1 shot kill on an Eland. I know… “It’s a Magnum”