Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Best caliber and rifle type for plains game

I love to shoot the jackals!!

Ingwe

I have noticed! Hence why I sent ya the PM about them! It has already been arranged to do som Jackal callin!

Dats right! I remember now...Gawd I hate getting old.....

Ingwe

Ingwe, I really wanted one of the little dogs for a mount but only saw one in ten days and then dithered too long to do the deed.

I figured the 270-gr TSX would just poke a .375 cal hole though it..

I shot one with the .375....you are right...hole in/hole out...
The 7x57 popped them like a gourd...

Ingwe

I've gone to a one rifle approach now, an FN/Sako in 375 Wby with one scope zeroed for 250 yards and 260 AccuBonds, and the other scope for 100 yards with 300gr fodder.

Both scopes are Vari-X 2.5-8.

Ive taken just one rifle on a couple of safaris, and been happy...one of them was a .375 that would shoot 270 and 300 grainers into the same inch... It worked great!

Ingwe

Ingwe, do you think the 300 WSM with 168 TTSX or the .257 wby with 100 TTSX would do less damage on them little jackals? I dont plan on a mount, but a tanned hide.

I think the "water melon" affect would be probable with both of those loads when you consider the jackal to be a soft, very soft little critter. Of your choices I'd lean toward the 300 (on the ohter hand you are probably not going to make your rifle choice on the basis of taking a jackal); perhaps you could work up a reduced load that shoot to the same POI or close. Your jackal opportunity will likely come at fairly close range according to the PH I hunted with and that was true of my one opportunity.

The .257/TSX should be good....shoot one a midships and see what happens...if its not good, try to graze the top of the head on the next one


Ingwe

I can handle head shots on coyote like animals!

Best part of the hide is still intact!!


Ingwe

Bewdy!!!

I kind of chuckled when I read this. Someone is getting ready to drop 10-15 large and someone is concerned about "baggage charges." No offense meant.

I would like to hear form anyone who has hunted with a .350 Rem mag for plains game. That little Rem custom shop Model Seven MS is a light weight sweety-pie. Put an Aimpoint 9000L on there and it would seem you would have a very easy to carry, not to mention very potent package.

When I hunted in Zambia in 1969, I left home with a .270 and a 375 H&H. The .270 was stolen somewhere en route, leaving me with just the .375, which proved to be lethal for everthing, from tiny oribi to lion, three cape buffalo and an elephant. Longest shot was 225 paces on an eland. For plains game only, my choice would be a``flat'' shooter such at the .30-06 and my beloved .270.

The 300 H&H isn't a magnum??? Wow! news to me, I been handloading for one for about 20 plus years, and it can almost duplicate the 300 Wby with 200 and 220 gr. bullets and will best the 300 Win mag by a nominal margin..The heavier the bullet the better it works because it has such a long neck and you don't lose powder space like you do with a short magnum..

What it boils down to is most of the 300s are about equal for all practical purposes, the RUMs etc. being the exception, but with a lot of added blast and recoil.

I used a .35 Whelen with 225 gr. slugs and was extremely happy and my PH was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the Whelen.

It always amazes me as to how such a question can get do many replies when the simple answer is all you will get is opinnion as there is not a pat answer...

The closest you will come to an ideal plainsgame rifle and caliber and remove opinnion from the equasion is whatever works for you on deer and elk will work on African plainsgame.

I hate to say this, but that pretty well equates to a 30-06, M-70 Win pre 64, with 180 gr. Noslers!!!

25-06?

did you mean to say the ultra mags?

imho the 300H&H is one of the best plains game all rounder calibre and it has the best casing for reloading. the power of a 300mag with the recoil of a 30-06