What is your light Plains Game rifle (sub .30 cal)?

[Divernhunter]

My daughter used a 257Roberts with 120gr Swift A-Frames and took Red Hartebeest/Kudu/Impalas/Warthogs /Zebra all with one shot little to no tracking.
When I go back I have to decide which rifle to take to go along with my 338Win mag. I have a 257Weatherby shooting 120gr Swift A-Frames or a custom 264win mag shooting 140gr Swift A-Frames. Wish I could take them all.

 

[JimP]

If I would be restricted to a light rifle under .30 caliber I would bring my .25-06 shooting 100 grain Barnes TTSX bullets at 3300fps.

Other than that I would take my 7mm Rem mag shooting 120 grain Barnes TTSX at 3300fps or

I'd drag out the Ruger #1 in 270 Weatherby Mag shooting Barnes 130 grain TTSX at 3300fps

I never noticed it before but I like bullets at 3300fps.

 

[Bruce]

25-06 with 120gr bullets... has dealt with up to gemsbok size PG very well indeed.

 

[ActionBob]

6.5 Creedmoor first in a very accurate Savage but I just did not like the action so traded it on a Ruger Predator. The Ruger came with a nice two stage trigger that I love on the bench and it will do 1/2" 3 shot patterns with 120 grain match grade ammo.

I have the Ruger Predator topped with a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 with adjustable turret. My best/luckiest shot was on a springbuck at 524 yards. Would never have made that shot with my 375 or 30-06. I use 129 grain Hornady Interbonds for hunting but plan to give the 120 grain GMX bullets a try sometime.

 

[Philip Glass]

I also have the Ruger Predator in 6.5 Creedmore and was considering taking it along with my .375 Ruger to Zim. 140 gr Hornady are devastating on Texas Whitetails. I just worry about the damage it does. I may be better to just use the .375 on everything? They say just use the big bore with solids on small game. Thoughts?
Regards
Philip

 

[ActionBob]

Yea the Creedmoor can blow a big hole in small critters! A 375 with solids would be a good choice, slower moving and non expanding is a good way to go to prevent major pelt damage. The Creedmoor comes into it's own at longer ranges and mid sized critters, in my opinion. About perfect for things like springbok and pronghorn. I used it on a vervet monkey and blew it in half with the 129 grain interbond. I am curious if the GMX would expand slower and do less damage on the little stuff?

Aren't the Hornady 140 grain loads all taget loads? A Max? I would expect those to be way too soft, blowing up and not penatrating well on mid to larger animals and blowing big holes in little soft ones.

 

[Odinsraven]

For plains game I use 275Rigby.
Witold

Keeping it classy

 

[Odinsraven]

Have a varberger 7x64 with 120 gr which has accounted for 20+ warthog ...........

However not to go off topic I usually use my 8mm remington for culling loading down or up as the situation requires ......

Though the next 275 rigby circa 1930's I come across will probably be mine .......and will become my light rifle .....

 

[Divernhunter]

Using Swift A-Frames we did not tear up the small stuff and the bigger stuff just died quickly also. The Hornady bullets are more explosive and would destroy more.

All you should really care about is the hide since you cannot bring the meat to the USA. Our PH told us to aim to take out a shoulder so if we had to track it would be easier. He did not care about any meat loss due to a shoulder shot. That was excellent advise. Same goes if you take another shot if the animal does not drop. We did not need more than one shot except for one animal that I shot too high the first shot. Corrected that real fast and now I have a nice Gemsbok on the living room on a pedestal.

 

[Heym 450/400]

For sub .30 cal I've used 7mmRem mag, 7-08, 25-06, 243.....all but the 243 used barnes ttsx or tsx. The 243 was a camp gun and can't remember the ammo used. Scopes were all some flavor of Swarovski or Leupold.

Next PG trip I'll be using a 6.5x55 for no other reason than nostalgia...

Depending on the type of PG to be hunted my preference would be to stay .30 cal +...

 

[JGRaider]

I've used my 7mm Rem Mag the last couple of trips, but am planning on using my McWhorter 7mm08 next July, 2016 with either 140 partitions or 140 TTSX at 2840 fps.

 

[DM Shooting]

Currently been using a lakelander (also sold as a Varberger or Norma) in 7x64 which was good but wore out the barrel it's now rebarreled as a 30-06 but going to be supportered replaced by a Mauser in 275 Rigby or 308 Win the mirrors my 375 H&H to keep it all familiar.

 

[enysse]

I am curious if the GMX would expand slower and do less damage on the little stuff?

It would be the better choice since it's controlled expansion like the Barnes bullets.

 

[Rule 303]

For plains game I use 275Rigby.
Witold

Good move as you shoot a classier animal with the 275Rigby then the common run of the mill 7X57mm.

 

[Slugs Away]

When .........

It will be a 30-06 mauser 180 grain hornady interlock 2700 fps.

 

[buffybr]

I used a Rem 700 ADL in 7 mm Rem mag shooting 140 grain Ballistic Tips on my first hunt in South Africa. It worked OK, making one shot kills on Kudu, Gemsbok, and Blue Wildebeest.

I later "upgraded" that rifle to a stainless Rem 700 BDL in 7 mm Rem mag, and used it with 160 grain Accubonds on another South African hunt. I hunted properties in KZN and the Free State on that trip, and one PH was very impressed with the large internal wound cavities that those bullets made.

I wouldn't hesitate to use my 7 mm RM on another PG hunt, if I didn't like my .300 Weatherby so much.

 

[BRICKBURN]

............ if I didn't like my .300 Weatherby so much.

I like his Weatherby a lot too!