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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

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

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Originally Posted by duckster
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. wink

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

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


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Originally Posted by jorgeI
The 270 with good 150gr bullets will suffice...
Yup.


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

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


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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).

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.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.


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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.

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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.

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prm,

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


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30-06 or 300 win with 168 Barnes TTSX.

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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.

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Originally Posted by prm
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).


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.


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

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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.




The 280 Remington is overbore.

The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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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.

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Originally Posted by prm
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


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.


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Originally Posted by George_De_Vries_3rd

I remember a tale from an outdoor writer back in the day; I don't know if it was Ross Seyfried or another,

IIRC.


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.


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