Originally Posted by Mule Deer
Actually, I don't think Pondoro was the famous 7x57 elephant slayer....

Finn Aagaard remarked a number of times about how American safari hunters are frequently over-gunned, just like Don Heath pointed out in this article. In fact, as I recall Finn wrote that he'd seen more plains game killed with fewer shots with the .270 than any other cartridge. (Finn also wrote that he didn't know the .458 Winchester wasn't truly adequate for dangerous Africa game until moving to Texas after Kenya shut down safari hunting in 1977.)

I've hunted with a bunch of PH's, and the only one who made a big deal about cartridges like the .270, 7x57 and .30-06 being inadequate for plains game was 32 years old, and left the business two years later. The rest have all been pretty happy with "not optimum" rounds like the above three, including one of the two most experienced PH's I've hunted with, who's killed a number of eland with the 7x57--and buffalo with the .30-06.

This is starting to remind me to of the "minimum 'caliber' for Kodiak brown bear" thread.


Well anybody who says said those calibers were "inadequate" for PG was obviously mistaken and I'm being polite. My only caveat is PG includes from the 25lb dik-dik to a one ton eland, and an eland, regardless of caliber I would not take at 400 yards. And my mistake, it was Bell, but I think you got the gist of what I was trying to say. I've also seen a buffalo taken with a 303 as well:

[Linked Image]


which brings us back full circle; why have anything but a 270, 7X57 or a 3006 then?


A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”