Is this old news and I just missed it?

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/shooting_tips/rs_essentialrifle_200808/index.html

The 270 Winchester is "the winner in this category" for African plains game...? I like it!

and he also states...



I hypothesize that better bullets help out both the 300 mags and the 270. They should also have helped the 7mms so there must be another reason they aren't as popular, though a small survey sample could have squewed the results.

Thanks for the link, an interesting article. I wonder if the reason for the uptick in 270 Win popularity might not be more exposure of the PHs to good results on African game by American hunters. I suspect as more regular guys - like us - head to SA with our everyday rifles (30-06, 270 Win, 300 mags) that we're used to shooting, dead 'tough' critters may be changing some PHs' minds about the 'right' PG cartridges. It may be fun to shoot blesboks and impalas with 375s but hardly necessary.

From the article: "The plains game safari remains one of the greatest bargains in the hunting world, which is why it has become so popular. Even so, bag limits keep shrinking, and licenses and trophy fees keep going up, and on the typical 10-day plains game safari, there will not be unlimited opportunities at the most prized animals such as kudu, gemsbok, sable and nyala--and finding really good specimens of even the most common animals is far from a slam dunk. All this means you need to choose the plains game rifle wisely."

Which is why I take issue to take anything lighter than one of the 300s. Even Craig himself admits he passed on the "greatest kudu I've ever seen" because he was carrying a 30 06 that day and when the kudu gave him a one and only fleeting shot (going away) he made the judgment call the 06 might not suffice. By is own admission, had he been carrying a 300, 33s or a 375, a Texas heart shot would not have been an issue. He's been on over 90, 90! safaris to date, but most of us do 3 or four if we're lucky.

That is why I carry the biggest and flattest shooting caliber I can use and not trifle with "romantic" cartidges, BP or heaven forbid a bow when I'm chasing down a 3500 dollar trophy fee sable. jorge

To paraphrase an old dead scribe, hunting and shooting is about fun and games. And what better fun than discussing the tools we'll use in the games. So, if carrying 375s for PG sets a hunter's heart afire, then tally-ho! But, something to be said for a well placed round of sufficient - but not overwhelming - power bringing down a trophy. To each his own, IMO.

I consider the 375 a great caliber for a one rifle safari in "most" part of Africa, particularly if say, the big stuff's involved. But as a strictly PG cartridge, it leaves much to be desired, especially where the ranges are long. The 300s are plenty, but my ideal PG caliber is the 33(if eland is on the docket), and specifically the 340. jorge

Jorge, I can't argue about eland cartridges. The single eland bull I've shot fell within 75 yds from a 180 gn Nosler PT from a 300 WSM at a bit short of 200 yds. The bullet penetrated at a shallow angle through a shoulder, both lungs/aorta and lodged under the off-side hide. Maybe I should have been carrying my 338 RUM or 358 Mag, but the 300 seemed to be enough. But admittedly, a single anecdote.

Jorge,

I always have a .375 along, and lately I use a 270 gr premium bullet. Next trip will be a .375 Ruger, and that cartridge with a 270 gr bullet has plenty of long range capability.

jim

I'm with you. I use a .300 Win. mag. for most plains game & even use it for deer & elk. Now for Eland I move up to the .376 Steyr which is a dandy cartridge. For DG my .416 Rigby will do the job.

If you got one shoulder, both lungs and the aorta, it wasn't a shallow angle shot. To do all of that it couldn't have been too far from broad side, maybe either quarter on or quarter off.

A shallow angle shot in my book is one where there is only hope for one lung at best and the aorta or heart. Entrance would have to be well behind the last rib. Much less angle either way and you've got a Texas heart shot or a frontal shot.

I wouldn't hesitate to hunt any plains game with a 30-06 and 180 or 200gr Partitions. Eland and grysbok included.

But if you're hunting dangerous game too, your light rifle ought to be legal for the dangerous game, and so a 375H&H, or in some countries a 9.3x64 makes the DG grade and makes the common sense minimum.

Remove the DG and then, since two rifles are as easy to bring as one - ie, one case - might as well bring a 30-06 and any other rifle.

JPK

I put a lot of stock into what you guys say! the 300 WSM is a dandy cartridge and more than enough for eland. I'm a neophyte at this, but I was just relating Boddington's own words. The rifle he was carrying that day when he passed on that kudu was a 3006. Also, I need to qualify what I said about BP. Wrote too hastily. I am fully aware of the exploits of guys like Shockey and Sharpsguy who posts here also had great performance out of his 45-110 at ungodly distances, but the average guy (like me) needs every angle. I shot my eland at approx 175 yards (with a 375, not by design by happenstance (I also had a 300 Weatherby with me). It just so happened that he was partially hidden and I mistook the shoulder for the rear leg. The 375 whacked him and broke the pelvic girdle, effectively anchoring the animal. I don't believe an 06 or 270 would have bailed my ass out of that bad shooting, but I was glad that 300 grain Swift did it's job. The bottom line is that with my 300 Weatherby I'd be comfortable to take just about anything. If I hunted AFrica like Boddington I would "experiment" more with other cartridges, but as of right now, I want ALL the edge I can get. jorge

jorgeI as usuall you hit the nail right on the head. When travelling that far and spending that much the flattest and hardest hitting is the only choice. Regards Dan

My apologies if the description of 'shallow angle' was interpreted as anything but a slight quartering-on shot. Because of the lack of standardized terminology on the orientation of animals when shot, I offered an anatomical description that would clearly depict the bullet's trajectory. As you well pointed out it was close to broadside. My only point is that the cartridge used was enough. Infrequently, it may be warranted to take on an unfavorable shot, and if so, I would be the last to argue against a 375 or similar medium. However, I think that Boddington's judgment in passing up a Texas heart shot at his departing kudu - from the article Jorge cites - is a better solution than being overgunned for most animals on a PG safari. If DG is part of the trip obviously the choices would change. Last, as Boddington pointed out - echoes of JOC - with the rare exceptional recoil-proof shooter excluded, most of us shoot lighter recoil rifles more accurately than heavier recoil rifles.

Jorge,

Come on! You should have plenty of training and experience using light calibers and high angle of deflection shots. What's the muzzle energy to weight ratio between a 20 mm canon and a MIG 21? Seems like dangerous game hunting with light cailbers to me. (Please don't tell me you would just use your AIM-9. There is something unsporting about that.)

Seriously,

I have evolved into the bigger is better camp. 20 years ago, I took my first safari to RSA with a Ruger 7 mm Mag. Although it performed well, I was not pleased with how resistant Gemsbok seemed to be 160 Nosler Partitions. From the 7mm, I went to a 8mm Mag wildcat. Better, but not what I wanted. I found 9.3 X 62 and the search ended.

If the truth is to be known, the Texas Heart Shot on a big kudu is iffy with most calibers. It's just not a high percentage shot, and is likely to lead to a difficult follow up, or lost game. I've seen them work, but also spent a day and half tracking someone else's THS through the bush taking my time of the 2 X 1 safari.

The 7mm Mag will do fine in RSA. I have no trouble recommending it for all PG, including eland. I think it is a better choice than the .270 because of the choice of 160 grn bullets. It's flatter shooting than the 7 X 57, and that does make a difference if you are hunting in the Karoo or in Nambia where things are wide open. The PH's I know love the .300 Mags, and that's what they recommend.

Gentlemen:
I give the preface that I have been on precisely one safari. With full disclosure and disclaimer in place, I offer this experience.

I took a .325 to SA in the bushveld with JJHACK. My dad took a custom 9.3x62. My shots were not that difficult, with the longest being roughly 180 yds. Still, wildebeest, kudu, zebra, warthog, impala, waterbuck, gemsbok all perished with one shot (with zebra and waterbuck expiring within 25 steps, the rest DRT). I say this not as a testimony to bullet placement, but as an argument that for plains game only, the .325 was not only adequate but superb in its performance. It seems like a great compromise for those who want flat shooting but some mass with bullets (understanding my rudimentary physics of force= mass x acceleration).

By the way, is there anything more fun than recalling those experiences with your dad on the dark continent? Seeing game in their habitat? Leopard tracks? Baby rhinos? Getting cursed by baboons? Seeing the Southern Cross for the first time? Marvelous.

By the way, as a footnote: if you go on one safari in your lifetime for plains game, JJHACK is your man.

Out of necessity I used a borrowed .270 Winchester with 150gr PMP bullets on my last PG safari. Game ranged in size from mountain reedbuck up to blue wildebeest and, though the cartridge/bullet would not have been my first choice, it did the job. I will say that the .270 failed to exit on the larger species (partially due to bullet construction I'm certain) and required follow-up shots on the wildebeest.

I prefer a .300 WM with 200gr A-Frames (have yet to try the TSX in Africa) but the .270 killed everything just as dead.

Funny you should say that. A few years ago we pulled into Haifa for a port call and we had an opportunity to visit with the Israeli Air Force. Man talk about "head hunters" and the killer instinct, just look into an IAF Fighter Pilot's eyes! Anyhow we watched a bunch of gun camers films of their various target practice encounters with Arab MiGs. It was obvious that a lot of them were easy Sidewinder kills, but they chose to "Close to Guns". When asked, they with a sinister smile responded "It's more macho with guns"

Now back to reality, I find the 300 to be just about the perfect choice, particularly if longer ranges are involved. I'm sure the 9.3's a killer, but I lean towards a bit more speed as in the 340 Weatherby for example. I also like to add that I my uncle hunted Mozambique & Angola in the Colonial days with two rifles, a 458 Winchester Model 70 and a 270 of the same brand. except for elephant and buffalo, he took everything else, including lion with his 270 and old fashioned Winchester Silvertips. jorge

I've only been on 4 African hunts and purchased a .375 H&H for the first hunt, then took my .280 on the second and third hunts (always a one rifle hunt for me). The .280 performed excellently but... The .375 H&H screams Africa to me and it was my rifle of choice on the last hunt. The rifle worked great on everything I shot including tiny Steenbucks. Both PHs had .375 ammo in their glove box.

My hunts were all for plains game but we did see rhinos and elephants and I was glad to be carrying "...enough gun"

It's interesting to discuss what we think is "enough gun," but also interesting is the change among very experienced people - both Boddington and the PHs he surveyed.

Boddington, of the refused Kudu shot when he had "only" a 30-06, and the PHs who previously wanted clients to bring 7mm Rem Mags and up, both now recommending lighter calibers, is quite an opinion shift. Personally, I think the PHs are tired of tracking animals wounded by recoil-induced poor shooting, and I think Boddington himself saw the 270 and the 7mm-08 working under conditions he wouldn't have credited a few years earlier.

To paraphrase dogzapper, "It isn't energy that kills - it's holes."

As much as I like the 9.3, I wouldn't pick that out of my safe for Namibia or the Karoo. To open, too flat, too windy. I'd grab something that gave me 3000 fps at the muzzle and at least 140 grains on the pill. So I'd be back to the 7mm or 8mm Mag for that trip. 340 Roy is fine, but please, no muzzle break on that if you hunt with me!

Muzzle breaks are for democraps...jorge

As a long time 270 shooter (25 years plus), good bullets (old style Nosler partitions) have always been available for the 270 since I've owned one. I've never had any issues getting one shot kills on elk with my 270 and they didn't go far (less than 100 yards, usually less than 10 yards) either. If you hit them badly a larger caliber won't make up for bad placement but it will leave you a better blood trail.

Chuck

Jaywalker, please don't misunderstand me. I too believe a 7 mm bullet will work on all African game. I think Bell killed more elephants than anyone with a 7mm. BUT its Africa and while you're purchasing your khaki outfit you might as well pick up a new rifle. I, for one, would have pulled the trigger of my 06 loaded with premium bullets at the south end of a north traveling trophy Kudu. The tracker we had in camp would find the animal without a blood trail - as he demonstrated on my Springbok when I was given too short of a range and proceeded to blow off a front leg and it only took a couple of hours of tracking - I deviate from the issue.

My PH also complained about hunters showing up with high powered magnums and not being able to shoot them. He would encourage them to use his 06. I haven't heard any PHs recommending smaller calibers.

I am using a 25 caliber on antelope and deer this season, it has been working well.

My old friend Kevin Thomas (with whom I've hunted twice in South Africa) is quite happy to recommend the 7x57 and .308 for plains game. In fact those are the two cartridges my wife and I used when hunting with Kevin this year, and they did fine on on array of plains game, including kudu and zebra. I have also used the 7x57 on wildebeest with no problem, and have seen the .270 (both Win. and WSM) used on a lot of African plains game with good results, at all sane ranges with various bullets. The Partition still works as well as it ever did in those cartridges. I have seen the 150 Partition from the .270 Win. do fine work on such "tough" game as gemsbok--and never seen it fail with anything approaching decent bullet placement.

Of course if you want to shoot a .300 magnum and can aim it right, why not? But the notion that smaller cartridges won't work is simply not true. Placement is the main thing, especially with the wide variety of good bullets today.

As we know, democr**s don't have much common sense and so take their muzzle brakes with them on the hunt. The rest of us have the sense to use them from the bench on some rifles, sometimes when we practice in extended range sessions, but then take them off, re-sight and go hunt without them.

I hope the guys next to you on the bench are "democ@@ps". They won't be your friends!

This past summer I took my kids to RSA and we hunted the Karoo
with a 308 and I carried my 375 along as well.
The PH loves the 308, 7mm08, and praised the 6.5x55 as he had several clients bring this as well (his cull rifle is a 22 Hornet)
I took the 375 to try the 270 grain TSX. I could not say I had to have it but I like carrying this gun. The longest shot with the 375 was 450 yards. The longest with the 308 was from my 12 year old at 435 yards. Results the same.

The only problem I had was with a blessbuck shot at 80 yards with 150 gr Win XP3. It hit perfect on mid shoulder with a slight angle from the front. It went in an blew up everything inside but did not penetrate the chest cavity. It looked like the bullet went in and came out the same way it went in. I found no fragments of the bullet but I did find alot of bone chips. It was a mess. I would expect a bullet to work on this shot. We tracked for 1-1/2 hr before we could cut it off with a 335 yard shot. This time a hard angle from the rear and it dropped at the shot. My son made two good shots and if we had not found the animal I would have thought he messed up. I switched to 168 gr TSX for the remainder of the hunt.
The reason I relate this is that The 375 can be used at long distance, the 308 is more than enough gun, but sometimes bullets do things that make it impossible to trust them on an expensive hunt. You have to be comfortable that the bullet will be up to the task you are asking of it. This bullet did good at long range but failed at "normal hunting ranges". Maybe it falls into the category of sometimes things happen but my trust for the bullet is gone.

Africa is a fun place to go. Use a gun you like to hunt with or would like to try. You do not need two guns but if you are a rifle loony then by all means this is a great place for you. Take two and get some shooting in.

I suspect Boddingtons figures are correct, but really don't know what difference it makes..

The difference in any of these good calibers is actually less than most folks think, and in fact they all work pretty darn well..I have used them all I suspect and the one thing I am sure of is that caliber is the least important factor in killing within reason for the game hunted, meaning for instance that we all know the .270 isn't the best choice for a buffalo gun.

The answer lies in placing a properly constructed premium bullet in a vital part of the animal..Do this and even the lowly the lowly 270 might make a pretty good buffalo rifle.

My choice of a plainsgame rifle for all African plainsgame and that includes Eland and the larger antelope is the .338 Win with 210 Nosler to 300 gr. Woodleighs..Why such a big caliber after the above statement? Because I will take a going South shot in a heartbeat and the .338 will stick their nose in the dirt. Another reason is I feel a little better in dangerous game country with a .338, but that's probably a mental thing with me as I have successfully shot Buffalo with a borrowed 8x57 and old WW2 green gummy milsurp ammo much of which misfired. Pretty exciting btw. but it worked if you stuck it in the right spot. I have seen elephant culled with the 308 and milsurp ammo and very effectively I might add, mostly cows and young stuff and someone was around with a big bore for the bulls, but they both did the job if used properly.

It's all subjective and arguementive and a heck of a good way to pass the time of day..

My take on the survey is during the time he took the original the 7 Mags were the rage.We have just come off a 300 trend.I think this is reflected in the survey. Next one will probably show more modest rounds like Mule Deer used.
GreggH

I get this real warm feeling in my heart if a client arrives in camp and brings a 338 loaded with 200gr + bullets. The bigger caliber and bullet just adds a margin to mistakes for plainsgame but then again if the hunter does bring a magnum and cannot shoot with it, it doesnt matter what he uses. Another combo I really enjoy in bushveld is the 220gr bullets in the 30-06 and 300's you can just see it hits hard.

Call me a lazy PH if you want but I do enjoy when animals drop close to where they have been shot and clients also has much less stress or concerns over loosing an animal. It is the worst part of our game to tell someone we tried our best but the animal is lost, and I hate it. Hunting is still hunting and I have seen clients who perform flawlessly just have a bad shot that cannot be explained it happens to everyone.

Well said

As you said as well about it being part mental. For me if I find a need for something bigger than a 308 or 7 mag I have a habit of skipping over the 300 mag and starting with the 338 or 375.
The reason being as has been stated about difficult shot positioning. I have used the 300 mags but that dang mental thing tells me that if I think I need a big gun then in my mind the big guns start with the 338 and 375.

Also Boddington and others list light, medium, and large plains game categories. I think these days that at the most you will bring two rifles and if it was not for us rifle loonies we would only need one rifle. Do we really need to think of rifle needs for 3 sizes of plains game. Would not it be better to refer to plains game based on the type of range we are hunting?
As far as size of game if you want to make categories then we have the large stuff like zebra, oryx, wildbeast, and eland with just about everything else taking the next category. We really do not really need a light, medium, and large classification in regards to plainsgame.

Probably a good arguement for the bigger bores is that they seldom do as much meat distruction (blood shot shoulders, gut shots etc.) as the faster lighter calibers..Blood shot meat makes the carcass worth less money at the butcher where the animals are sold by the outfitter in RSA, so it is favorable to him to take that into consideration.

I usually take a 404 or 416 to RSA, as my next stop is normally to our camp in Tanzania where I usually shoot one to more than a few buffalo..Hauling one gun around the worlds airports is appealing to me to say the least..and the big bores work great, even on the smaller antelope.

I'm just a newbe. Been twice killed 16 animals including Buff. Brought a O/U 12 ga. and my 375HH. Barnes 270 gr. triple shocks at 2800 fps. next time I go I'm bringing the same thing. It just works. Smallest springbok largest buffalo only Texas heart shots keep the bullet in the animal. My PH loves the 375. Iv'e put 2000 rds. thru it.

So how`s my 8x57 with 180 grn TSXs` going to do? Enough gun?

CGPaul,
It will work great if you stick one of those bullets in the right spot, if you don't it will do the same thing a 375 will do in the wrong spot, give you a long tracking job and waste good hunting time...

I ran into an interesting perspective on hunting and shooting when in the Selous last month. First of all, like most American hunters, all my life I've been conditioned to only take a clean-kill shot and to bring down whatever I'm hunting quickly and efficiently. On my most recent trip to Africa, I ran into a different view.
We were heading to go check some leopard baits when a herd of eland crossed the road a good ways in front of us. In the group was spotted a truly huge eland bull. He was almost black and they guessed his horns were in the 42-43" range. The only eland I've ever shot was 38 1/4", which isn't bad, but nothing like this guy. We got on his trail and finally found them loitering under some trees about 300 yards away. The area between us was too open to get any closer and the wind was starting to swirl. The overhang of the trees was covering the top two-thirds of the eland's body, leaving little room to slip in a bullet considering I was shooting a .375, which would have a good bit of arc in the bullet path at that distance. The shot was compounded by the cows wandering in front of and behind the bull.
With my US born ethics deeply engrained, I wanted to wait on a clear shot, and certainly didn't want to shoot through the branches. My PH wanted me to shoot; my ethos was saying "No." I felt fine with my decision.
The wind soon swirled and the eland were gone with it.
In the days ahead my PH let me know that I should have at least tried the shot. Here was his view, though he didn't say it directly: This was a truly awesome animal; a true rarity. Shoot through the branches or something and don't worry about the lack of a mortal shot. Some variety of a hit will slow the animal and the trackers are so good (I later learned they indeed were) that we would find it, blood or not.
I guess my point is that in Africa, the quality of the trackers can sometime overcome the lack of a pounding shot. This would allow a hunter that needs to err on the side of superior shooting with a smaller caliber, such as a .270, to be OK.
Personally, a .300WM would be the low end of my guns in Africa, but all things over there considered, for some people a .270 would be just fine.