Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 300 Win Mag for Eland?

One of these days I hope to hunt plains game in Africa. My most powerful cartridge is a 300 Win Mag. I am currently shooting the new Nosler 200 grain Accubond at 3030 fps. Would this be adequate for Eland? Rufous.

Rufous: The 300 is perfectly adequate for eland, especially with the bullet you are using. Although I used a 375 H&H on mine, I'm sure you'll get many posts attesting to that cartridge's potential on eland. jorge

I have written this here and on other forums before. The 300 mag of any type is the most common rifle I have ever seen used in Africa by American hunters. During some seasons there are more 300 mags then all other cartridges combined!

The 300 mag with a Premium bullet is a great rifle for plains game. I stress the Premium bullet because the distances are going to be on the short side for a 300 mag and the game in Africa is very strongly constructed. Using a heavy for bore diameter bullet will also slow it down just enough to make it penetrate well and still have the ability to mushroom and get the job done.

I have not seen a 300 mag or a .308 dia bullet fail to perform well on plains game when the shot was placed well. I have seen 458 and 375 fail to provide the killing power when the shot was poor. The Biggest struggle I have seen with the various hunters and 300 mags is with the way the rifle was set up. For instance they had a very high power scope with 50mm scope and very tall rings using a gun that weighed 10 pounds or more and a 26-28" barrel. Then they chose a 150 grain bullet because it's "so flat shooting". This set up was a real handicap to the guy hunting on foot in the bush for shots that average under 100 yards.

I think a 200 grain very well constructed bullet will be a great all around plains choice that will easily take an Eland with a proper shot. The only drawback if there is one to the 30 caliber rifles is the small blood trails. The.308 diameter is in my opinion the smallest daimater that will give blood trails and it's marginal much of the time. With the bigger bullets you chose and the "magnum" power you shou get exits on some of the medium size and maybe some larger game.

Animals like Zebra, wildebeast, eland, Waterbuck, Sable, roan, and maybe Kudu will likely stop your bullets inside the skin on a broadside "shoulder area" bullet placement. Game like Hartebeast, blesbok, tssesebe, Nyala, and Kudu probably will get you an exit wound. I mention Kudu in both because they are on the edge. They are certainly big but very soft and easy to kill compared to the other animals of equal size.

Most of the bigger animals I listed will stop a 338 and sometimes a 375HH bullet! Spend the money on trophy fees while you're there. You have plenty of firepower!

Thanks for the replies. I suppose I could work up a load with the 220 Nosler Partition and have it loaded in gun in case an Eland shows up and have some of the Accubond loads handy for other game. If there is no time to change loads I would just shoot the other game with the 220 grain loads, assuming point of impact is close enough. Might be worth a try. Rufous.

I can only speak for myself but I like to keep my options as simple as possible. I would pick one that shoots good practice with it and live with that choice. The 200's are excellent and should do all you want.

I have never been one for the multiple choice bullet and rifle cartridges option with big game hunting.

JJHack
I see the same thing here. Same folks, same rifles.....300 Ultra mag or a 30-378 Wby....10 pound rifle, 28 inch fluted barrel, I dont need to practice, I was "born good"...thumbhole stock, 6 x 18 power scope with a 50 mm objective...shooting 150 grain Ballistic Tips or Sierra"s because "it'll shoot 1/2 groups all day long "..well so what <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I tell them take a 338 Win, 225 Partition, 22 inch barrel, 2.5 x 8 Leupold with a stock sized so you can handle the rifle fast. Dont worry about a half inch group, the pupil of their eye's is larger than that. Learn to shoot standing on your hind legs and from "field " positions, not off the bench. Practice enough that you can "all day long" shoot into a 3 inch group from offhand and all field positions and you can sure enough hunt. Of course they ask me "have you ever been to Africa ? I say no, but I know folks who have.

They come back after season and say that rifle you built aint worth a damn for hunting....barrels too long,stock handling is slow, scopes too big , and those damn bullets just blow up and wont penetrate...not even with a gut shot... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

What's that guys name that has that video about "Here's your sign" ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

A few have the balls to say, hey you were right, lets take this action and make the rifle that you recommended the first time, but the majority say, I been thinking this over and I think I need a shorter barreled rifle in a 338 with a Partiton and a smaller scope ......dddduuuhhhh <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />...and can you load me up a few hundred practice loads ? I think I'll have a little more time to practice this year, they just opened a range close to my house...


End of the next season......
Phone rings...Hey Charlie, That rifle I speced out worked great....12 shots, 12 kills. Nothing went more than 50 yards....those Noslers at 2700 fps sure do kill good. All that practice paid off, never missed. Longest shot was about 175 yards.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />....guide was impressed, didnt go around mumbling like he did last year.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />..I guess him and his wife are getting along better... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Charlie

JJ, Charlie; I just want you to know that I've read you guys, and others, posts giving the same advice probably scores of times over the years. Your advice is sticking here.

Charlie,

Where in the heck did you see my Pre 64 .338? You just described it to a "T" and you're right on about the results on game and handling. I used it in Africa and will use it again next time, although I will have a McMillan stock on it by that time. My mirror finish stock didn't exactly impress the PH's over there, but it made a great signal device to have them bring the truck when I needed it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />- Sheister

Ditto.

BMT

I know this much: A good 180 gr. bullet out of a .300 Win. Mag., properly directed, isn't exactly going to bounce off of an eland, no matter how big that animal might be, and no matter how imaginatively anyone would care to paint the landscape concerning this topic. Nor do I think that 200 gr bullets are necessary in order to get all the penetration you'll need for plainsgame out of the .300 Winchester.

The first eland I took with a .300 Win. Mag. was a huge and ancient Patterson's in Tanzania. I shot him just behind the left shoulder at about 275 yards with a 180 gr. Winchester Fail-Safe bullet at an MV of 3050 fps. At the shot, this bull stumbled and went about fifty yards, then dropped for the count. The bullet was lodged just under the hide behind the right shoulder.

The last cape eland I took with a .300 Winchester was in Namibia. This was another huge and ancient bull that we bumped into at about 100 yds. very early one chilly morning. But before he could collect himself and run off, I shot him (once again) just behind the left shoulder with a 180 gr. Nosler Protected Point Partition with an MV of just under 3100 fps. At the shot, he ran about forty yards and fell over. From the place he stood where he took the bullet to the place he went down, there was a copious and vivid spray of blood. The bullet went clear through, but before it did it made a complete shambles of the lungs.

The eland I've taken with the .375 H&H didn't go down any quicker or any more convincingly than those I've taken with the .300 Winchester, and I simply can't spell it out any more honestly than that. If you require an airplane spin, topped off by a bodyslam-like, high-drama kill, you won't get it with the .300, but if you want solid, workmanlike performance, you'll get all you need on eland (or any other plainsgame animal) from the .300, plus a plenty flat enough trajectory when required. Just use a good, premium 180 gr. or, if you insist, 200 gr. bullets.

I started hunting with the .338 Win. Mag. for elk, mule deer, bear and stuff some twenty years ago, and to be honest, I've never seen a dime's worth of difference between it and the .300 Win. Mag., either, in terms of killing power. If you think the .338 is going to tie 'em in a knot and slam 'em down while the .300 is going to somehow bounce off or otherwise fail, you're kidding yourself.

For the fun of it, I'll be taking a .338 loaded with 250 gr. Nosler Partitions to Tanzania next season, but I doubt it'll serve any better than the .300 has for me over the years.

ADay

Thanks for the report Allen. I guess the question for me now is whether I would use the 200 Accubond or the 200 Partition. By the time I get to Africa there will be a great deal more game taken with the Accubond so I will have a better idea if it truly is a more accurate replacement of the Partition. Rufous.

Why not do just what Allen suggests (since you asked). Shoot 180 grain "premium" bullet, the nosler partition being an excelent choice, and call it a day.

Why mess with heresay and a "here's to hoping" phylosophy when there is a proven option available. Especially when an expensive hunt is on the line. It seems overly simple to me.

Chuck

Well said. Allen was a fine hunter and his advice is still correct.

I shot my 1 and only eland with a 300 win and 180 Nosler Accubonds. The animal did not drop on the 1st shot and although clearly hard hit it kept moving so I kept shooting. I think I hit him 4 times before he finally went down. I've used the same 300 win and Accubond combo on 10-12 other plains game animals and everything worked flawlessly. Bullet performance was textbook. I would not hesitate to hunt Eland again with the same combo. As with any big game animal shot placement with a well constructed bullet is the most important part. Eland are big and strong animals but if properly placed most any well constructed bullet from 300 win will do the job. Having said all that if I was hunting primarily Eland and had had a choice I would take my 375 H&H over the 300 Win. However if I only had a 300 Winchester I would load up with premium bullets and go hunting without worry. 163bc

I shot a wounded one that was hit very high in the shoulder a few days after he was hit. Killed it with my 257 weatherby at about 250 yds and a 110 accubond. He took couple steps and fell over. guess such a small caliber worked because he was already half dead. lol. tha;s why we jumped him and he didn't stop and ran for 250yds or so!

I would have zero reservations shooting an eland with my 300 Win Mag and 180 gr TSX bullets at a touch over 3100 fps. I would also expect penetration from one side of the eland to the other.

I wouldn't hesitate a split second to kill an Eland with my 30-06

Almost chose to drop one with my 308win/155 Berger but passed on spending the cash. Beautiful animal and heard the meat is top choice.

Rufous,

Your .300 Win. Mag. choice is excellent. I have limited experience with the Accubond but believe it would do a fine job on eland, especially in the 200 gr. weight. I am the U.S. rep for Hunters Namibia Safaris and for 30 years we have strongly recommended hunters bring .300 magnum rifles loaded with heavy Nosler Partitions. This combo does the job. You have your rifle and load sorted out so get a pair of shooting sticks and start practicing. Set your scope at 6X and work on making accurate shots. Then, as your proficiency grows, work on getting on the sticks and getting that accurate shot off faster.

Cheers, RS

I watched a 1600lb bison go down with one shot from a 300 win mag shooting a 180 gr accubond earlier this year. Shot 1/4 away behind the near shoulder at just over 100 yards moving slowly. I think it should work on an eland as well.