Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Thoughts on a 6.5 creedmoor for African plains game including eland

It can be done but wouldn't be my first choice especially in brush country.
When you hang a mature eland bull next to a mature cape buffalo bull the eland is larger.
I witnessed a mature eland bull soak up three rapid shots in the heart lungs zone from a 6.5 SAUM pushing 140 gr. Northforks at 260 yards with no reaction to the impacts.
He died but I remember thinking a larger caliber with more energy would be a good thing.

How were his heart and lungs after that?

So can we assume "no reaction" means he didn't go anywhere after the first shot?

Have seen a number of eland and Cape buffalo "hanging." Whether the eland is bigger depends on where each animal is hunted. Both vary considerably in average size and weight in different areas--and of course age. Buffalo have heavier bones, especially ribs and shoulders, also much thicker hide.

In general, eland are a lot like moose, big but not that hard to kill. Both also often stand there after being shot in a vital area, or wander a relatively short distance, apparently stunned, after being shot, allowing two or even "three rapid shots" to be taken. Have seen it happen with cartridges from the 7x57 up to some that, according to common assumptions, would drop them immediately. Once saw an Alaskan bull moose dropped with a good shot from .375 H&H--and then stand up again, but not go anywhere. Have seen the same sort of thing with eland.

Have a friend who, after the PH saw him shoot, was asked to cull eland on a Namibian ranch. He killed around 30, from young cows to big bulls. His rifle was a combination gun with a 7x57 barrel, and the bullet he used was the 154-grain Hornady Interlock Spire Point.

Rick,

In recent years I have encountered more PHs with the same basic opinion. In fact, the one who guided me on to my first Cape buffalo firmly believed the .30-06 and .375 are all that a safari hunter should bring for anything--and he was a very experienced Zimbabwean. That's because he'd seen too many bad shots on everything, including elephants, from guys who were over-gunned. He was especially suspicious of any client who showed up with an iron-sighted, big-bore double rifle in anything who firmly believed nothing less with would kill a buffalo or elephant. Often he had "adventures" with wounded game when guiding such clients. The PH I've hunted with most says he was often "seriously outgunned" by his buffalo clients, yet still often had to follow up wounded bulls and finish them off with his .375 H&H.

Used to run into more PHs who believe African game is much harder to kill back when I started hunting over there. Of course none of them had ever hunted in North America, and many had only a vague idea of bullet construction. In fact some still insisted on clients using only solids on buffalo--which in my experience is a major reason buffalo acquired such a reputation for being so tough.

John,
Had an hour long visit via What’s App with one of my PH pals this morning. We had a discussion about COVID, the lockdown, kudu populations, and so on.
We had a very brief discussion about cartridges primarily because the topic had been discussed before. As always, he thinks anything will work provided the hunter can hit the right spot with a good bullet. He mentioned that many local hunters favor the 308 for collecting their plains game. Early on, he used a 30/06 as his camp rifle but now uses a 270 after watching one perform successfully on many occasions.
He thinks a 375 H&H is fully capable on buffalo. A few years ago he won a 470 double and promptly traded it for a new Land Cruiser. He has a great deal of respect for wounded buffalo having had several of his friends killed by them. A well placed first shot is of primary importance.
Another PH from Namibia hunts Caprivi. He uses his 308 for everything including buffalo and has been doing so successfully in the 20+ years I have known him. He carries his 375 primarily to make his clients feel like they are with a “real” PH.
Incidentally, there is going to be some great plains game hunting as soon as the travel ban is lifted. Those animals are eating and reproducing and the numbers will be very high. My pal says he is seeing more big kudu bulls than in many years.
As you know I have used the 270 and 280 mostly. If I had a 6.5 CM I‘d load some ETip or TTSX and get going. I may drag my new 30/06 if I need a bigger “high powered” big game hunting rifle.
Let’s go!

Am not surprised about the .308, because that's been my experience as well. Part of the reason so many like it for plains game is cup-and-core 180s (or even 165s) work very reliably.

"A well placed first shot is of primary importance." Yep! Given that, not many buffalo seriously charge...

We would no doubt have a great time hunting plains game, but to tell the truth am pretty much done with Africa. Tend to prefer hunting locally these days, which does not require long plane flights, and allows me to bring the meat home!

John,
Have been thinking and the worst rodeo I have ever had involved a female impala that I hit too far back with my Echols Legend 7 Rem Mag using 160 Swift AFrame bullets. Surely an female impala should have been impressed with that rifle and cartridge and bullet combination. We chased that thing for around three hours before the rodeo ended. Poor shooting = not so much fun.
I did truly enjoy the very cold beer that ended that experience.

John,
On the 308, my Namibian pal likes Federal Fusion in either 165 or 180, I can’t recall which.

I the guy I made 4 hunts with liked his .308 and 300WM (both with 180 Speer Mag Tips) for everything. He liked the 300 in Namibia because it made head shooting farther out a lot easier ( he did alot of culling) This was in '95, right after the Apartheid Sanctions were lifted. At that time, he used a double 12ga and slugs (SA made) for backup on buffalo hunts. He then liked to use Winchester Failsafes and I took him some Barnes 180s on my '98 trip. I took him a 338WM and .375 H&H ( both SS Mod 70s) also on my '98 trip. He retired his 12ga, ha. My 2002 trip I took him a Custom .243 with a 27" barrel for his cull rifle. ( It was formerly a 6x47 that I had converted) and I left him a Whitworth Express .375 as partial hunt payment. It was fun.