Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Cartridge and Bullet Choice

I have a friend headed to Africa for the first time. He has time to purchase a rifle and get comfortable if necessary. He has a .270 that shoots well (Tikka). He is not a handloader. Game would be typical plains game including Kudu, Waterbuck, Zebra, Gemsbok, and down to Impala. No Eland or larger. I've been once, used a 338 Federal shooting TTSXs and it worked fabulously. What cartridge would those of you with significant experience recommend? He will stick to a premium bullets per the PH's guidance. (Bonded, A-Frame, Mono, etc.). I believe all of these cartridges listed below would work, but I'm tossing this out there to gain any unique insights I haven't thought of.

Stay with his .270 using a heavy, premium bullet? or...

308 Win
7RM
280
30-06
300WM

from that list - .30-06 with 180 grain slugs

That was my initial recommendation to him with the only caveat that I included a 168 mono or 180 bonded.

To add: not intended to be limited to the list I made, those just seemed like the most likely alternatives to me.

The 270 with good 150gr bullets will suffice...

Yup.

I agree use the 270 and use the money to get another animal or two.

.300 Win. Mag. with 180gr.--200gr. Partitions or TTSXs.


RS

For the .270 guys, do you feel it is merely adequate, or absolutely suitable (i.e. performance on game is no step down from an -06 in this scenario)? Based on actual experience?

Some of us, and I probably include myself at times, tend to take a minimalist approach. I'm looking for those not-minimal, but not overkill either options. As I have zero experience with the .270 I am making no judgement on it one way or the other.

I'll also add, shots there are typically less than 200, doubtfully ever 300. (... gets expensive over there if you take bad shots).

.270 will work just fine. Anything he shoots with a good 130 or 150 grain bullet in the chest will die.

Some say that Wildebeeste and Gemsbok are hard to kill. This is not true. Actually, their spines are lower so one tends to shoot too high, missing vitals. Get a copy of "The Perfect Shot" and look at the diagrams.

Does he own either the 30-06 or 300WM? If not, I would not go out and buy one. He he really wants to buy new gun, I would suggest a 375H&H. Then he can legally take any animal Africa has to offer when he is there.

Otherwise take the 270 and buy some Norma Oryx or Sako Hammerhead 150g ammo.

I've never used a .270 in Africa (I used a .375 for everything because I was also hunting buffalo) but the animals you list are basically medium game so a .270 should work fine as long as reasonably stout bullets are used.

If I were looking for a new rifle for this hunt it would be hard to beat a .30-06 with good 180 grain bullets.

prm,

Yes, a .270 will work fine with good bullets.

30-06 or 300 win with 168 Barnes TTSX.

I have cleanly taken the game you listed with a .280. There is not much difference between a .270 and a .280 with a 150 grain pill.

Usually a .30-06 is my light rifle in Africa but the .280 works just as well. The only reason I take the .30-06 is that it is a common cartridge nearly everywhere and the .280 is not. The .270 is a very common plains game cartridge in most places.

I have run into people that think the minimum legal caliber in Namibia is 7mm. That is wrong. The 7mm is the recommended minimum caliber by the guides association but it is not a law, as the real law only requires minimum energy levels. It might be easier to carry a 7mm or larger just to avoid explaining this to people. Sometimes people are thick headed.

in 1969 and 70, my uncle hunted Mozambique and Angola, taking all manner of Plains Game (including sable) and a lion! with his 270 and old style Winchester Silvertips.

Thanks. Your insights all help to create a more informed opinion.

Ask RinB on here.

He as killed 200-300 (maybe more) head of African game from eland on down with 270's and various 130-140 gr bullets.

Double it up for what he's killed with a 280 or 7 Rem Mag.

He's a great source for what a 270 will do in Africa,and specific bullet performance.

I remember a tale from an outdoor writer back in the day; I don't know if it was Ross Seyfried or another, but, a farmer, complete with his suspended overalls, and his son arrived to hunt the Dark continent. With a 270 or maybe two.

At first, nonplussed the PH, watched the farmer precisely lay in 150-gr NPs (IIRC) one after another after another, taking all the game with one deadly placed round.

Finally, when it came to lion, the storyteller thought "I think this guy can do it." They found Leo and, again, the farmer in his overalls calmly laced a partition surgically through its chest whereupon the huge cat slowly sank down in a cloud of dust. True story.

IIRC.

If I were to go back to Africa again, for the species listed, I would once again be taking my .300 Weatherby, this time with 165 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets. Second choice would be my .30-06, again with the 165 gr. TTSX. Either will work wonderfully well, as well as any other .300 mag. cartridge. Check out some of JJ Hack's past posts regarding caliber and bullet choices for African plains game, he knows whereof he speaks.

Jack O'Conner was the writer. The overalls were dyed a " bilous green" and the farmer carried the 270 while plowing and shot varmints on a regular basis with it.

I would take the 270 but use premium ammo probably 130 TSX or 150 Partitions. As others noted anatomy and shot placement are the keys to talking game not the cartridge.

So many people get a magnum for an African hunt that they are not familiar with and don't shoot as well as their tried and true deer rifle.

That's it. Thanks. Bilious green -- I remember that now.

As to the OP, I wouldn't hesitate for PG and the 150-gr NP would work well.

George,

Another true story: A few years ago an older friend from Montana was going on his long dreamed-of African hunt, planning to take the standard selection of plains game, including kudu, blue wilderbeest and gemsbok. He asked if the .270 he'd used in Montana for many years on everything from antelope to elk was enough, or if he needed a bigger rifle. I said the .270 would work great, with good bullets, specifically suggesting either Barnes TTSX's or 150 Partitions.
When he came back he insisted on buying me and Eileen dinner as thanks, because his .270 had worked so well, and due to not having to buy another rifle he could also afford another animal over there.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly what bullet he used, but have seen both work fine over there.

Till I got to the part about the .270, I thought for sure you were talking about that old fellow from Montana, Ingwe. Didn't he do a "Texas Brain Shot" on a zebra with a NP?

RM

Hi there RM.

John, I believe it. I believe Hemingway used an '06 on lion which would probably not be in anybody's top ten picks now.

He also used his .30-06 on black rhino.

Howdy.

I'm slogging through Roosevelt's account of his safari right now, and with the exception of the big double he carried, I'm not sure that anyone today would consider either his .30-06 or .405 as in the top ten for most of the game he and Kermit took with them.

RM

That's right. Pretty amazing safari at three months long, I don't know how many porters anymore or other support, and at such a tidy some of only $80k. You could drop that in two weeks now on just an ele and lion hunt.

I may have to read that book again though it is a slog; that safari was a slog.

Back to the OP--

I agree with the preponderance of advice that a tried and true .270 would be an excellent choice. In terms of bullet choice, I would be torn between two different strategies. I think a 130 mono (like a TTSX) could be great. But I might also think the 160 grain Nosler Partition would be dandy. Probably the topography/vegetation would make my choice for me--if he is going somewhere open with shots in the 200 yd+ range, then I would go light and fast. Otherwise the predictable expansion and penetration of the Partition could make more sense.

Also tell him to spend some time with Robertson's book "The Perfect Shot."

In the 1957 Gun Digest, for a light rifle, (for Africa) Jack O'Connor recommends a 300 H&H, 300 Weathery Magnum, 30/06, 300 Savage, 308 Winchester and a 270 Winchester.

Quite the spread, 300 Savage to 300 Wea Mag.

Our own Hatari has taken quite a few animals with a Savage 99 in 300.

I have hunted Africa with my own rifles in 270, 30-06, 338 and 416. Depending on game they all worked great. The 270 would have been "enough gun" for at least 90% of the species hunted.
That said, I no longer haul firearms overseas. The hassle and expense is simply not worth it. Many PH's will only charge you for the ammo, some will rent suitable rifles. By the time you pay excess baggage fees, firearms permit charges, handling fees, ammo taxes etc., it is not the best route to take IMO. If you want to sight-see where are your guns? Who has access? Hotel security? Many outfitters and PHs have excellent arms. My experiences with this policy include Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Scotland and England and I used some of the finest, even custom firearms I can only dream of owning. JM2C

I can reassure all that the .300 Savage in the Model 99 will perform quite well on all things from springbok to bush buck to black wildebest to zebra. Remember, the .300 Savage has the same external ballistics that the 30-06 had when TR went to Africa, but with the advantage of Tsx and Ttsx bullets. I used 150gr TSXs with good result

While a lot of my pleasure is in developing my own loads in my own rifles and then hunting with them, this is the way I'd also go in the future.

While my trip to RSA was painless, I can appreciate how that would make a trip easier, especially if you have other items on the agenda. However, I can't fathom not hunting with my rifle. The character of a rifle is built by the times together in the field and I'd never be able to miss that opportunity to hunt with my rifle.

The .270 with a 150gr bullet should do just fine for any plains game less than 1000lbs. I would go with a Swift A-frame or similar bullet. JMO.

BH63

My thoughts exactly!

Holding your rifle and remembering the game you killed with it, is almost as good as having a shoulder mount IMO.

BH63

I have used a 270 on lots of plains game in RSA, Namibia, and Zim. More than most here are willing to believe. Used it on 15+ trips. Used a 280 on three trips and a 7RM on three trips.

I have used lots of the 130 TTSX. I have used a few 160 Partitions and am going to use 150 Partitions this year. Those are my first choices.

Most shooting is 75-150 yards and never over 250. However, most shots are not broadside so penetration is important.

I have been with lots of first and second timers who use bigger guns but have less success cause they can't "shoot straight". Practice with the 270 and don't worry.

I have concluded that the perfect big game battery for 99% of hunting is ONE 270. If buffalo or brown bears in the alders are hunted then go 375 maybe 416. Same for lions. Grizzly bears in tundra, 270.

You can spend lots of $$'s dragging a 270 around the planet.

270 with 130 handloads, My son took his, 3 shots three animals from duiker to zebra.

However, as always, tell your friend to ask his PH!

I love the 243, I know a PH who abhors it!

One of my friends took his wife on her first safari a couple of years ago--actually her first big game hunt. Her rifle was a .243 Winchester loaded with 85-grain Nosler Partitions, and three shots later she had an impala, gemsbok and blue wildebeest.

No argument there Mule Deer, but I know of one PH who insists on 6.5 minimum.

I used a 300 H&H with 180gr. TSX's at 2900 fps on my first safari. My buddy used a 30-06 with the same TSX at 2,650.

They both worked fine. The animals that were shot better died faster.

I used a 7mm Rem Mag with 150 E-Tips on my second safari. Again, everything that was shot well died quickly.

All of the cartridges you have listed will work just fine. Just put the bullet on target correctly and you will have great success.

In my experience, if he can shoot it well, you can't beat a .30/06 for plains game (excluding Eland).

My load of choice, based on personal experience, would be a 165-168 grain Barnes TSX or TTSX factory load or equivalent, such as the 168 grain Remington "Hog Hammer", which is a 168 grain TSX. The 180 grain TSX or TTSX would be a good choice as well. I would select whichever one groups best in his rifle.

My reasoning is moderate recoil, good accuracy, fairly flat trajectory, deep penetration and the ability to put PG down fairly decisively with a well placed shot. The '06 has been doing just that in Africa for a century. It is tried and proven.

Another consideration is that should you and your ammunition get separated in transit, most PH's have a supply of .30/06 on hand.

I don't think he would go wrong with that setup and a quality rifle of moderate weight, such as a Model 70 featherweight. For scopes, a Swaro Z3 or Zeiss HD5 in 2.5-10 is a good match for that combo.

My last trip to Zim I "borrowed" my wife's .270 Ruger Number 1 to shoot a bunch of bait animals including Zebra, Kudu, and Impala. She used it to kill a crocodile. Loaded with 150 grain A-Frames at a modest 2750 fps, it shot right through everything. Having a rifle that you're familiar with and shoot well is 100X more important than your cartridge selection.

talentrec just gave the best advice.

"Having a rifle that you're familiar with and shoot well is 100X more important than your cartridge selection."


270 will work just fine with a light quality bullet.

Don