Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Africa and the 30-06?

First, I shoot a ?51, FN Mauser 30-06. It shoots most H/Ls and F/Ls under 1.5?, 3 shot groups at 100yds. It shoots many better than that. I am hoping to go to Africa again in a few years. When I went before. I hunted with a M/L. This time I will probably go back to Namibia. A friend, who also shoots a 30-06 and I are contemplating on what bullet/bullets to use. We will be shooting from impala/springbok to Gemsbok. I would like to shoot a leopard if finances allow. We are considering 180 Accubonds, Partitions, or Interbonds. Or 200gn Accubonds or Partitions. We will not take shots over 300yds and probably not over 200 or so. We will not take running, severe raking nor Texas heart shots, unless at wounded animals. I am not too worried about how these bullets will perform on the bigger stuff. I wonder how they will perform on the smaller stuff. Also it seems to me that the 200s might be even better. Or would you take a heavier bullet for the bigger stuff and a lighter one for the lighter stuff? What is your opinion? thanks, capt david <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

CaptDavid,

The .30-'06 is all I've ever used in Africa. I've taken two rather long safaris and have killed fifty-some plains game animals, from duiker to eland. I "cleaned" the first safari, taking twenty-plus critters with precisely that many shots. On the second safari, I had to double-shoot a huge warthog and a water buck.

Anyway, the .30-'06 is wonderful in Africa. I used 180-grain Nosler Partitions on the first hunt and 180-grain Hornady Interlocked Spier Point Boat Tails on the second. Either bullet is a sure killer.

I would not recommend carrying two bullet weights because, sooner or later, you are gonna get screwed up. Just use 180s in a full load, one that gives 2700 fps, and you're going to be just fine.

Decent bullet placement with a good bullet is the essence of success.

Steve

I couldn't imagine finer advice...

Cap'n David,

I usually tote my .308 Win in Africa for plains game, and my wife favors her '06. I have tried a variety of 180 grain factory loads with premium bullets (Nosler Partition and "up"). They work fine.

As "Antelopezapper" writes above, the '06 will work fine given shot placement and good bullets.

The more I shoot Nosler Partitions the more I appreciate the effectiveness of the design.

Good hunting...jim

Stevie Elkzapper is of course exactly right.

My wife and I have used the .30-06 on several safaris and it works just fine on game small and large. Probably my favorite all-arounder is the 180 Partition, at the traditional muzzle velocity of 2700 or a little more, which shoots plenty flat enough and hits the bigger plains game sufficently, yet also expands very well on smaller game, so it is equally as convincing on springbok, bushbuck, impala, etc. I would chosoe it over some of the newer Wonder Bullets for leopard as well, because of that quick-expanding front end.

I have used this load for all sizes of African non-dangerous except eland (where it would work fine with anything resembling decent bullet placement), and also to make the longest shot I've ever attempted over there, on a Cape kudu almost 400 yards away. The kudu dropped right there, to a one shot, as has everything else except one springbok I stupidly shot right over on the first shot. (The second shot did the trick.)

MD

I've shot precisely one round at an eland; a 1069Kg (2,352 pound!!) bull. I really hadn't talked to the PH about the skelatal structure of eland, so I did the very best I could.

The bull was coming in angled and, at about fifty yards, I put the crosshair precisely centered at the junction of the neck and the left shoulder. At the shot, the bull simply flippped over and came to rest with all four feet straight up in the air. Probably the most instant and spectacular kill I've ever witnessed on big game.

My PH was fascinated and wanted to see what the heck I'd hit. In the butchery, we cut the eland lengthways with a big electric saw. We found that the 180-grain Hornady SPBT (sorry Ross, boattails DON'T slip) had coursed transversly through three of the huge vertabrae (inbetween the shoulders) and totally crushed the center one. The bullet was recovered under the far hide and, though it lost a bit of its petals, still weighed about 130-grains.

As an aside, my PH had been gored by an eland bull a few years before. And he'd never had any problems with cape buffalo. We approached the eland very carefully. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Eland tenderloin is fabulous. We cooked it on a stainless steel sheet over an ironwood fire. Add a kilo of butter, for frying grease, and you have a delight that few folks have experienced.

I'll attach a photo of the eland bull. Please bear in mind that I am fully six-feet tall and weigh 200 pounds. This is one very big critter my friends.

As you view the photo, please be aware that attached to the eland is the enormous nut-sack that Linda, the farm manager's wife, had made into a purse. Just imagine, somewhere in South Africa, my eland's scrotum is tooling around....stuffed full of lady crap. 'Taint no justice, my friends. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Steve

Captdavid
I have been to Africa once now so that makes me a expert ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I was there less than two months ago so my opinion is "fresher". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Dogzapper and Mule Deer and the others are right on, at least with what I saw when I was there. Kudu are similiar to elk, and die just like elk if hit properly. The part to focus on is "if hit properly". If I counted right there were 62 animals total killed on that trip. I took 10 myself. Save a big eland, your 30-06 will work fine. With a good bullet like a Partition in 6.5x55, if you shoot well, I wouldnt hesitate to use that. I didnt see those animals any tougher than the animals here. Put a hole in their heart and lungs and they die shortly.
If you are careful with your shots, I dont think you"ll see much if any difference between a 150 and a 180 grain bullet. Maybe a little , but if the 150 wont do it the 180 may not either. I like heavy bullets, so I would shoot everything with the 200 grain Partition. One fellow with us put a 200 grain Partiton end to end through a zebra using a 300 Ultra Mag.
The only thing I would really recommend to go with your choices, is practice, practice, practice. Then practice some more. Then practice on your practicing. Thats what I did before I went and I'm glad I did.
Charlie

Dogzapper
What a baby <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> ! Wipe the milk off its lips before you take the picture ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Nice bull, those look huge through a scope dont they ? We had some eland back strap and that is better than any beef I have ever ate. Kudu is mighty fine as well.
Charlie

Yeah, Friend Charlie, it's just a little bitty thing. I tried to wipe the milk off of the lips, but you found me out. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Six of us couldn't turn the durned thing over for the hero pictures. It was just lying on its back with all four feet in the air.....dead. And there wasn't a thing we could do about it.

We radioed out and the farm sent a bunch of farm hands, a truck, a tripod and a chain hoist. Heavy duty stuff for a heavy duty critter.

By the way, eland smell nice.

Steve

Hey Mule Deer
If the 06 is great is Africa why is obsolete in North America?? I see alot of big magnum this and big magnum that. then I read an artical in rifle mag on tough game and adequate rifles. what is the big fasination with speed and big magnums?? Is this some male mine is bigger than yours or is it more power arrrr arrr ?? please explain

Bearbeater

I took a .30/06 to Namibia in 2000 and killed five critters with five shots. I used 180-grain Fail-Safes at 2700. What more could you want? Some African game is tougher than others. Kudu drop if you breathe some bad breath at them, but roan and sable can take a real pounding, as can some of the smaller antelope. But shoot good and they all go down.

That eland is huge. Maybe you didn't wipe the milk from his lips, Dogzapper, but you certainly wiped the smile off his face.

Bearbeater--

Yeah. The truth is that the .30-06 is totally adequate for any non-dangerous game on earth, and even some dangerous stuff. This has been proven so many times that arguing against it is silly. At least two trophy hunters (not "meat hunters," as some call all those who use the .30-06) have taken ALL the big game animals in North American with a .30-06.

Wisegeezer--

While most experienced hunters consider kudu less tough than some other African game (here we should include blue wildebeest and gemsbok as well a sable and roan), some kudu do take quite a bit of punishment and carry on.

In Namibia in 1999 I saw one fall from a 165-grain Fail Safe that, on a quartering shot, went through the near shoulder and the chest cavity. It then GOT UP and took off again, whereupon it got an identical bullet that entered the ribs and went through the chest cavity and FAR shoulder. In essence the two bullets criss-crossed in the chest--and yes, bullet action was perfect. Have also seen kudu go 60-100 yards with a 300-grain Nosler Partition from a .375 H&H through both lungs.

So, as always, your mileage may vary.

MD

Thought you guys would like to see a photo of a little, bitty milk-on-the-lips impala. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Steve

Ironically, just last night I was reading Mule Deer's article "Not So Fast" from the May '04 "American Hunter."

It's a great piece, and pretty much sums up the whole "Standard vs. Magnum" debate.

RSY

My boss has an eland shoulder mount on his office wall, above the sofa. No one wants to sit under it. I know it's on a molded form but I still hope they did a good job on the framing and sheetrock!

John

Surely you jest! I once saw a 58-inch kudu knocked down with a well-thrown Krispy-Kreme doughnut, and if you think finding Krispy-Kremes in the middle of Zambia is easy, think again.

That guy in the picture does'nt look like you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, that butthead has dark hair and dark facial hair. Mine is white. Funny how that happens. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Karen and I celebrated our twenty-fifth anniversary on a lengthy stay in South Africa. We spent two full weeks on safari; then we rented a yellow VW bus and just drove all over the country (with totally no agenda) for the next three weeks. Spent about a week of that time between Blythdale Beach and Shaka's Rock, staying in an small hotel that was right on the Indian Ocean. It was a wonderful time and the photos were ones taken during the safari.

by the way, we hunted near Messina, in the Northern Transvaal. We were right off the Limpopo River and hunted a huge farm. The impala were the best I'd ever seen, the blue wildebeest were monsters (I shot a 29�" R&W and four others that were R&W), the warthogs were BIG and the greater kudu tended to have lazy, wide curls (yeah, I shot two).

The finest critter I shot on the hunt was a massive, long Limpopo bushbuck that is still my hero. When Karen and I shuffle off to the rest home, the bushbuck will be our one remaining trophy. I'll attach a photo of the bushbuck to this message.

Steve