THOUGHTS ON TWO CLASSIC RIFLE CARTRIDGES FOR AFRICA?

[sestoppelman]

If concerned about bullet weight, load up some 175's in the .280 and that will be just as good as an '06 180gr all day long. You should be able to drive the 175 to well over 2800 fps in the AI round.

 

[enysse]

If I had a choice between a .280 AI and a 30-06, I'd take the 30-06, bigger sectional bullet, and a lot more selections for bullet choices. Plus you can find 30-06 ammo anywhere...which makes it the caliber of choice! As far as recoil...they are pretty even. I care to bet more game has been taken with a 30-06 than most people could ever think of and believe.

 

[ILCAPO]

Thanks. Good info. I have a .300 Winchester Magnum... Model 70 Winchester on a maple stock with a Burris Signature Series 3-9x40mm electrodot. I'm sure it would serve me fine, but since I have the Whelen, and I'm mainly looking at Bushveld hunting for my first trip, I don't see the point in using a magnum. With the right ammuntion, the .30 Whelen is a good 300 yard gun, which I understand is longer range than I'm likely to ever see in such a hunt.

The 375 RUM would NOT be fun for me. I'm not a fan of recoil at all. LOL! My .30-06 suits me fine, but is about all I care to put up with. I haven't fired the .35 Whelen yet, but will see whether it's just a big PUSH like a 12 gauge, as a friend tells me, or more of the slam than I care to put up with. I might look into a kickezz or even a muzzle break if it comes to that, but first things first.

Depending on the kind of hunting, I could bring different ammo for different kinds of animals and hunting conditions. For example, I could bring a standard .35 Whelen round for rather close range, medium game, (these are from 2750 to over 3,000 ft/lbs) and a heavier hitting round, like the Federal Premium Vital Shok (providing 3377 ft/lbs.) at the muzzle. I'm thinking on Kudu or lower, in the bush, I wouldn't need to go all the way up to the Double Taps at over 3600 ft/lbs. Does that sound reasonable? At those energy levels, we're talking the Whelen getting up to the .300 Win Mag levels of energy so the recoil would be significant.

There's also the bullets like you said. What do you think of the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw? That's what Federal uses on its hot round. The Nosler Accubond is available in a standard Whelen load by Nosler (2750 ft/lbs) or the Double Tap hot load which claims to come in at 2700 fps and 3643 ft/lbs?

I'm just not well versed in shooting guns bigger than my .30-06. The 7mm Rem Mag is the hottest gun I've fired to date. I understand overdoing it with velocity doesn't make sense for closer ranges. Tell me if I'm wrong, but once the bullet exits the animal, all that excess energy is lost. How much more energy it hits with is pretty much a moot point. The only thing you get is a bigger, nastier hole. Yes?

 

[ILCAPO]

Yep. I'm going to have to set up for reloading for that first. I used to reload handguns. I got rid of my H-press years ago in favor of a Lee Progressive loader for my handguns. But I never used it. Was on the move with the military alot living in apartments and didn't have a chance to set up. Couldn't bring my guns oveseas also. So, now I wish I still had that H-press, which is better for rifles. Anyone want to buy a brand new Lee pistol progressive loader cheap? LOL! With the cost of ammo these days, I should really get back into reloading.

 

[sestoppelman]

Velocity numbers are fun to fling around, but if you dont have a chronograph to verify claims that often are outlandish, you dont know what the loads are doing. For 200 bucks or so you can buy a good chrony and separate the fact from the BS. And the Whelen kicks pretty hard, but again felt recoil is subjective, but no doubt its more than the standard '06.

 

[ILCAPO]

Yeah, that's the advantage of the '06. I'm told that, and the .303 British, are the two calibers which have been used to take every animal on every continent, that's ever been hunted, and with great success. The PH I was corresponding with said the two calibers he's noted used over all others were the .308 Winchester and .30-06. You really can't go wrong with either one, but I'd think the .30-06 would be the better bet for the longer range shots. There's not a HUGE difference in these cartridges, but sure enough to help at longer ranges.

 

[ILCAPO]

sestopleman,

The Whelen is bound to kick harder. It's pushing a much heavier bullet. But again, I have no personal esperience yet. I intend to learn the ground truth of how hard it kicks in the next couple months. Unfortunately, I do not have any rifle range close by. Only pistol. So, it's a chore to get out. Yes, I have the NRA range rather close -- 20 miles -- but it's 50 yards only and hardly worth going to if I plan to site in the gun, which is my plan. I have to head out about 40 miles to get to a 100 yard range, out in Warrenton, VA. Pain in the butt. Quantico is closer, but the range useage is very restrictive.

 

[enysse]

I am going to play the devil's advocate...for this post. Having super velocity...means nothing to me? For the simple reason, shot placement and the bullet mean the most to me. I think most people would benefit from less gun powder. I assure you the animals won't know the difference. Most bullets today are adequate for broadside shots on animals. I think shooting heavier bullets for the caliber helps...because wind drift is less and a heavy bullet transfers more energy to the target.

I would use the 35 Whelen for eland, kudu, and waterbuck....the rest of the plains game only needs a 180 gr. 30-06 bullet.

 

[ILCAPO]

Thanks Enysse,

That's been my train of thought, but wanted to get some feedback by those who have personal experience, especially in Africa hunting.

As I've said before, I'm not a member of the Elmer Keith "cannon club" nor do I favor guns which kill on one end, and maim on the other. : ) I prefer a lesser recoiling gun, sufficient for the job to ensure a quick clean kill as any ethical hunter would want, but something I can practice with effectively.

This said, I have certainly practiced enough with my .30-06, and taken a few animals with it, but found it's too much for the white tails I've hunted in Alabama and hunt here in Virginia. They rarely get over 150 pounds and it really doesn't take that much gun to take them. My .250 Savage does the trick in the rather close proximity of the woods I hunt and if I want a little more, I have my .257 Roberts or now the 7x57 Mauser or even the little 6mm Remington if I chose. Nothing more is needed for this size animal and I can shoot these guns all day without roughing myself up. : )

For bear, I've added a 760 Gamemaster pump in .35 Remington, which I've cut down into a carbine. Lovely little gun for close range black bear work. It thumps, but doesn't hurt. That's what I like. Basically my philosphy is, "No pain? No pain!" ; )

 

[sestoppelman]

enysse is spot on.