Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Nilgai, How much gun is enough?

I have taken two Nilgai cows, one with a 7mm Rem Mag and the other with a 338 Win Mag. My son took two young bulls with his 7mm Rem Mag. We both shot the same RWS 177GR Torpedo High Shock factory loads in our 7 RMs. In my 338 I used a Nosler 210GR Partition in a Federal factory load. The cow I shot with my 7 mag, was hit behind the shoulder like I would shoot a deer. She had to be tracked with a dog to find her. After that hunt I got some advice and hit my second cow thru the shoulder with my 338, putting her down. The difference in results was not the guns or bullets but the placement. When my son shot his two bulls, our guide told us to shoot them in the neck. That is what Rick did. Both bulls went right down. Of course he was in a blind and both shots were only around 150 yards. I had to shoot using scrub bush for a rest and at over 250 yards. That guide told us to bring a 7mm or up magnum that we could keep our shots in a six inch group (neck shot) at 200 yards with a rest. He also said to pick a tough, heavy bullet.