Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .338 Win for PLAINS game ?

Hello , just curious if the .338 would be legal to use on plains game since it is barred for use on DG ? If legal has anyone here used one in Africa ?

JB used one on safari with me in '99

I would say yes. Since I used a .325 WSM I n Namibia. 2009 and the eastern cape 2015.

Load good bullets practice lots all will be fine.

Thanks alot gents , I love my Ruger and could not imagine leaving it behind ! 250gr A-Frames

.338WM would be and has been my main choice for a rifle on plains game. I used 225gr Swift bullets.

Not needed but it work just fine.

It's good insurance if Eland is on the menu.

I don't think that the 338WM is barred from DG use, depends on where you hunt and the PH.

All my PG hunts have been with the 308!Win and the 165 TSX bullet. It been more than adequate with all one shot kill including eland. DG were taken with 9.3x62.

Take your 338WM, practice from sticks and have a great time.

Hunted Namibia with a friend I ran a 308 Norma he a 338WM loaded with 225 grain PP woodleighs. The 338 was a noticeable step up in performance on the 30 cal, pass throughs and large exit holes, no need for trackers. Probably more gun than required for plains game short of Eland but it's what I'll be taking next time.

Hmmm... That is interesting, but good to know..

What bullet were you using in the 308 Norma mag???

Humm....
Well of course the 338 will work well on plains game BUT ONLY IF YOU CAN SHOOT IT WELL multiple times a day, day after day, for many days.
Not like hunting in NA were you make one shot after days of hunting and then go home.

200gr PP SN Woodleighs (65E) they mushroomed well, held together and penetrated to the opposite side most found just under the hide.

THIS. And BTW, that caliber restriction has all but been relegated to myth status.

My 338 Win Mag has made two trips to South Africa and one to Namibia.

From Impala to Eland it did a great job with 210 grain Barnes TSX. Even took a Jackal at 300 yards and a neck shot on a guinea fowl at 60 yards.

One of my favorite rifles!

donsm70

Thank you all for your feedback , I shoot my .338 very often and I am comfy off the sticks. I am glad to hear that others love this round as I do ! I now have one more thing checked off my list

Couple of things:
One well known and very well regarded PH prefers that his clients use a 338 on buffalo because he believes that, on average, they get better placement compared to anything bigger.
The same guy prefers that his plains game hunters use something with much less recoil for day to day use on plains game.
It is all about placement.
Very few can shoot it precisely day after day.

day after day... how many days and how many rounds a day are we talking on average? I'm sort of curious now?

I got your point but your wallet must be a lot fatter than mine to get multiple shots a day for many days!

It's pretty easy to take multiple shots per day if you're on a cull hunt, and they're becoming more common in Africa. Cull animals have minimal fees, and often there's even a lower daily rate on cull hunts; the difference is made up by selling the meat, which is legal in much of Africa. Of course, you'll have to pay the full fee for a real trophy, but I've been on a number of cull hunts and only a small percentage of the animals taken were trophies.