Will my Professional Hunter want me to bring more than a .270

[greyfox]

I thought it was bathroom activities/noises after All you can eat at the Mexican Buffet?

 

[Upton O. Good]

My question for you that doubt the .270 and recommend the .30 calibers, why stop at the .30's? If the .30 is better than the .27's lets go up to the .338's or .375's.

The .270 with proper bullets is just as capable as the .30 calibers on plains game unless you start talking the magnums but then you can throw in the .270 Weatherby into that fight.

Truthfully? The .375 is the finest all around caliber made. I just didn't want to take him to graduate school yet.

 

[johnnyblues]

I took pg in Africa with a 270 using 130 grain federal loads. All one shot kills. It a whole lot more about shot placement than caliber. If you shoot it well and have confidence in it, go for it and you'll do just fine.

Excatly right. I'll throw my 2 cents in on this thread and judging by past threads it can't get heated. I personally used a 270 for 90% of my big game trophies taken here in the states. My bullet of choice was federal premium 150 grain noslers. I've taken moose , several caribou ,elk , and numerous deer as well as tahr , blue wildebeest and several different species of sheep. That being said would I be comfortable shooting and eland at 300 yds?...No. Would I shoot one at 75 yards yes. Shot placement has and will always be critical. Want more validation....read some hunting stories by the late great Jack O' Connor. If you have a 300 mag by all means bring it along it will be helpful if you need to reach out a bit.

 

[yidava25]

Ha if I had a .300 mag I wouldn't have started this thread...

 

[Rolf_T]

Ask and discuss this with your PH and do research on the concession to be hunted (ie brush, kong range, plains etc).
A 270 will work fine for heart/double lung shots/head/neck-shots within normal distances with a good bonded bullet for PG. Your PH will guide you to good shot situations (and probably not risky/difficult ones as quartering away shots etc). With another rifle and excellent shooting this could mean more chances to bag more trophies and a "shorter safari" or a more expensive one (speaking of experience after bagging the must-have list very early on safari)
You decide and take the shots

 

[Dwight Beagle]

I haven't been to Africa hunting, but it is #1 on my list, hence the reason I read this forum. I've read for years that African game is tougher than game on any other continent. Is there any scientific basis for people stating this mantra so often? If so I would like to read it.

It is also stated that elk are very tough animals, and feral hogs are quite often given status as having toughness of mythological stature.

My experience with feral hogs is extensive, due to the fact I live in Texas and hunt a lot. I own land and numerous family members own land, I've killed a bunch of hogs. If you have proper shot placement a hog goes down. My daughter uses a .243 on hogs and is deadly. Many people think a .243 is not enough on large feral hogs, I disagree. My one elk was killed with a .270. I won a raffle in 1983 for an elk hunt and in 1983 I was two years removed from college and a .270 was all I owned. My .270 worked great. I've seen whitetail run for miles when shot by a 300 WM poorly placed and I've seen whitetail DRT when shot with a .223 on many occasions. I'm not a proponent of hunting deer and hog with a .223 though.

One of these days I will get an AR in .260 Remington but until that time I'll hunt feral hogs with a Marlin 336 30-30 that I've invested quite a bit of time with. I've definitely had some runners when shooting hogs with a 30-30. If recovered I noticed my shot placement wasn't very good. If my shot placement is good then I don't have to track.

When I get to Africa for plains game I'll either take my old .270 or my 6.5x55 in a modern action. Why? Those are the two rifles I use the most. They are superbly accurate and I'm very comfortable with them. I have two 30-06's that are accurate enough but I've found the less recoil the more accurate I am, no exceptions. And muzzle brakes are not for me.

I also do 90% of my practice standing with a bipod. I find it very easy to hit targets when I'm sitting and have a good rest. Standing I am 2MOA at 100 yards on good days, 3-3.5 on bad days. I hope to shrink my groups to 1.5 eventually, which gives me four years. For that is when I plan on going to Africa. If a PH doesn't want me because of the cartridge I use then I guess I won't go.

 

[K-man]

Your choice of calibers will work just fine. If you boil all this down, its bullet selection and shot placement. If you had started this thread with bowhunting or a muzzleloader, would people try to talk you into a .30/06? You are limiting yourself to certain shots and distances, and marginal will not work. You are the one paying the trophy fees, and the fee is the same if you wound. It is your time in Africa. Be prepared to work extra hard, pass up marginal shots, and possibly not come home with all your list. BUT what you have done will be yours and you will be proud of your accomplishments. Good luck and practice, practice.

 

[johnnyblues]

Ha if I had a .300 mag I wouldn't have started this thread...

Good point, blonde moment.

 

[Desert Dog]

I haven't been to Africa hunting, but it is #1 on my list, hence the reason I read this forum. I've read for years that African game is tougher than game on any other continent. Is there any scientific basis for people stating this mantra so often? If so I would like to read it.

It is also stated that elk are very tough animals, and feral hogs are quite often given status as having toughness of mythological stature.

No definitive scientific data, but consider the following from my own research.

1) The vitals of African plains game are typically in a different area than North American/Euro species. The vitals tend to be tucked forward right between the shoulders rather than mostly behind the shoulder like a deer or elk. This means that you must penetrate the shoulder to hit the vitals, and penetrate both shoulders to leave a blood trail on African Game.

2) Due to the very harsh, thorny, and predator infested land that African animals evolved to live in, they generally have thicker/tougher hide than American species.

Both of these factors combined make penetration, energy delivery, expansion. and weight retention more important when hunting African critters compared to their American counterparts. I highly doubt that a Namibian Kudu has a stronger will to live than a Rocky Mountain elk, its just that the vitals of the Kudu are better protected from your bullet/broadhead. Once the death blow is delivered sufficiently, I am sure they all die the same.

Also consider habitat. The Kalahari or East Cape will allow many shots on very exposed animals and it may be very easy to set up that perfect shot with a smaller caliber. The same will be true if your outfitter prefers to hunt over bait or a water hole from a blind. But what about hunting in Limpopo in March when the bushveld is almost too thick to walk through? You will probably get small windows of opportunity and you probably will not get to wait for the animal to present a perfect broadside shot. Quartering shots may be your only option. shots through brush may be your only option. A lot of Africans prefer big slow calibers for this reason, just as my grandfather could never part with his lever guns when hunting in the thick forests. The big calibers really do make a better gun when things are less than perfect.

Your .270 may be just right or not enough depending on circumstances.

 

[JimP]

If you look at this forums Shot Placement forum and compare African animals to North American animals you will see very little difference in where their vitals are located at. On 99% of both of them the heart is protected by heavy shoulder bone and the lungs are just behind the front shoulder and angle up towards the spine. Now the spine is going to be different on each animal, but then who takes a deliberate spine shot?

I can understand where you would want to only take one shot on each animal and deliver a bullet to the heart to eliminate anything other than a short blood trail just for the more predator factor. You don't want to have to track your kudu 200 yards and then find a lion or leopard sitting on it which could happen on a lung shot animal.

I also think that a lot of hunters have formed their ideas of bullet performance back in the days where most all bullets were cup and core or solids. The older cup and core bullets did and still do shed a lot of weight fairly fast and even the magnums have a hard time pushing one of them through a animal the size of a North American elk, and quite often all you find are bits and pieces of lead and copper inside the animal. That is one of the reasons that John Nosler developed the partition bullet, it will shed weight as it enters a animal but then the back half holds together and causes a deep penetrating wound channel. The solid bullet on non dangerous game would just zip straight through them causing very little damage as it passed through unless it hit a bone or the spine. This is where I think the premium bullets of today are more effective than any bullets in the past. The Barnes line of bullets will retain over 95% of their weight while mushrooming as they enter the animal and cause quite a bit of damage as they zip through muscle and bone. Other premium bullets will do the same as the Barnes line will so I personally believe that bullet choice is paramount for a African plains game hunt more so than the caliber now days.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

You make some interesting points Desert Dog. I still hold to my view that a .270 is okay for plains game. Maybe not the best but plenty good. What cartridges have you used on plains game?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

No definitive scientific data, but consider the following from my own research.

1) The vitals of African plains game are typically in a different area than North American/Euro species. The vitals tend to be tucked forward right between the shoulders rather than mostly behind the shoulder like a deer or elk. This means that you must penetrate the shoulder to hit the vitals, and penetrate both shoulders to leave a blood trail on African Game.

2) Due to the very harsh, thorny, and predator infested land that African animals evolved to live in, they generally have thicker/tougher hide than American species.

Both of these factors combined make penetration, energy delivery, expansion. and weight retention more important when hunting African critters compared to their American counterparts. I highly doubt that a Namibian Kudu has a stronger will to live than a Rocky Mountain elk, its just that the vitals of the Kudu are better protected from your bullet/broadhead. Once the death blow is delivered sufficiently, I am sure they all die the same.

Also consider habitat. The Kalahari or East Cape will allow many shots on very exposed animals and it may be very easy to set up that perfect shot with a smaller caliber. The same will be true if your outfitter prefers to hunt over bait or a water hole from a blind. But what about hunting in Limpopo in March when the bushveld is almost too thick to walk through? You will probably get small windows of opportunity and you probably will not get to wait for the animal to present a perfect broadside shot. Quartering shots may be your only option. shots through brush may be your only option. A lot of Africans prefer big slow calibers for this reason, just as my grandfather could never part with his lever guns when hunting in the thick forests. The big calibers really do make a better gun when things are less than perfect.

Your .270 may be just right or not enough depending on circumstances.

No disrespect intended but I have to disagree with number 2. Most of the African game I've seen have very thin skin in comparison to deer, elk or especially moose. I attribute this to colder climates thos animals live in.

Some notable exceptions would be giraffe and hippo. But both the hair and skin thickness on average are notably less on African game.

 

[lcq]

No disrespect intended but I have to disagree with number 2. Most of the African game I've seen have very thin skin in comparison to deer, elk or especially moose. I attribute this to colder climates thos animals live in.

Some notable exceptions would be giraffe and hippo. But both the hair and skin thickness on average are notably less on African game.

Can't really speak to skin thickness but unless you are hunting giraffe, elephant, buffalo, rhino or hippo where the hide will make a real difference I doubt that slightly thicker skin will make much difference. My biggest problem is instinctively shooting like I do for deer and moose and landing the shot too far back. One must make the conscious effort to aim for the point of the shoulder to be in the center of the vitals. Goes against a lifetime of north American hunting experience.

BTW moose hide is thick and a 270 is plenty for moose

 

[billc]

It is funny how things come up as we had this same kind of question ask just this week when pieter was over. The group I am taking over has one guy who has not taken a bunch of game and shoots a 270 with the rest of us shooting 300 win mags.

He asked pieter if the 270 would do the job or should he get a new gun. Pieter said a 270 he can shoot well is better then any 300 he could buy that he would not shoot as well. For his list of animals a 130 to 140 good bullet will do the job and if he decide to add anything bigger then a kudu like a eland then we would say do 150 grain and keep shoots under 200yds.

You have alot of guys saying you need to have a 300 mag for the big stuff but it is a myth. A kudu is no tougher then any elk and after hunting both I would honestly say the elk is tougher. How many African ph's can say they have hunted both and basing there choice by knowing how tough are game really is.

The gun you can shoot the best that is 270 or bigger is the best gun to take for any plains games in africa. The biggest part is good bullets and picking good shoots. Don't try to make your gun and yourself take shoots that your not able to do. Then practice practice and then practice some more.

 

[spike.t]

Ha if I had a .300 mag I wouldn't have started this thread...

 

[JGRaider]

I believe the toughness of African game is overstated as well. I don't have near the experience of some here, but after taking over 30 head of plains game, if you put a good bullet in the proper place they will die just as quickly as anything else.

 

[enysse]

Shot placement with a quality bullet, provides a deadly shot every time. I would take .270 Win. I'm not sure what I'll take on my trip this year..............

 

[Velo Dog]

Hello yidava25,

Your question is valid and definitely worth asking your PH (such a question will impress your PH because, he or she will then figure that you are a bright soul who, has desire to learn things about present day African Hunting Culture).

As for my opinion - being often unwilling or perhaps mentally unable, to keep my big mouth shut when things are going along just fine, the following is my two pennies worth:

Having been a former .270 Winchester fan and with it I've taken game in N. America, including Alaska and Hawaii, not to mention watching a hunting partner take a few Namibian species with his .270 / 140 gr A-Frame bullets, I agree with those who say essentially; "Put a sturdy bullet in just the right spot and your critter will tip over very soon thereafter." (shoot straight and avoid cheap/overly soft bullets in high velocity cartridges).

You do not need to run out and buy a dreaded .300 magnum for plains game hunting in Africa.

All that being said, after adding an African hunting safari into your list of life's experiences, you may or may not conclude that some other caliber is in order for inevitable return trips to Africa.

If so, I personally do not share the general N. American opinion that a .300 Winchester is the best "multi-purpose" cartridge, as it pertains to most southern African hunting conditions - beware of "Velocity Madness", same goes for today's "Gigantic Scope Mania" (Overly huge rifle scopes are definitely not user friendly in typical thick bush conditions).

For my rifle buying dollars, I would only consider a .300 magnum if I planned to do some very long range shooting of thin skinned game (so called "Plains Game" or "PG" as it were, or possibly Western USA/Canada long range elk hunting, etc.), and for this, I have used one in Namibia (.300 H&H - of course the best .300 Magnum of them all - LOL).

But again my friend used his .270 Winchester and did just about as well as I did on Namibian critters, including larger ones like kudu and gemsbok (one zebra proved a bit tougher for his 140 gr bullets than another zebra did against my 180 grain .30 bullets, but not by much).

If you plan to hunt The Eastern Cape of South Africa or most of Namibia, your .270 might turn out to be just the ticket as those areas are generally wide open geographically speaking - longer shots there are common.

Most of the common hunting areas in southern Africa are moderately to thickly festooned with thorn forest and brush, a "long shot" in many areas is 150 yards/meters, across a water hole or narrow canyon, etc., most shots probably average only about 75 and not rare to shoot something at 10 or 20 paces.

For those types of hunting conditions, I would rather recommend cartridges such as:

.30-06 / 220 grain
.338-06 / 250 gr.
.35 Whelen / 250 gr.
9.3x62 / 286 gr.

Rant almost over.

As long as your PH endorses your .270 plans, (I expect they will endorse it) do bring it but like any rifle or archery tackle - practice, practice, practice and then practice some more.

Best regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[Beans]

@yadava25 , take your 270 and do not worry about it. I have used myne for the last 27 years. I have my 4th barrel on it now and I will never be without one!

Have used it in many cases and use it on a daily basis of plains game.

Use a good quality bullet and you will be fine.

 

[johnnyblues]

Glad to see the 270 has a place in Africa. Lots of found memories with that caliber. You can bet next year when I'm on my " official " safari I'll be carrying one along with my 375.