Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Reloading for Africa - HELP!!!

I'm headed to South Africa in April. I've been doing some load development over the last while but lately haven't been able to get to the range as often as I'd like due to the cold, snow and 24 hr a day darkness (that problem's cured now). I got out the other day to test some loads with 200 gr Swift A Frames, the bullet I'd really like to take to Africa in my 30 Winchester an dsome 200 gr Partitions. Well the result was absolutely terrible. The Swifts managed a 2.5" group at 100 and the Partitions scattered all over into about a 6.5" pattern. These were 5 shot groups. Now I'm started to worry a bit. The rifle seems to have quite a long throat, COL 3.550" with the 200 gr A-Frame, 3.555 with the 200 gr NPT, 3.500 with the 200 gr TSX and 3.460 with the 180 NPT Protected Point which is my usual load. As we all know, max length is 3.340" and not much longer will fit in a standard mag box without surgery. So far, none of my 200 grain loads have shot worth a damn with the exception of one load with the 200 gr TSX which managed a 3 shot .642 group. I shot several other TSX loads that day and that was pretty much the only one that was half decent.

I want to use H4831 for the temperature insensitivity as I'm doing my load development at -20 C and I'll b ehunting in significantly warmer temps. I'm afraid that what works with IMR 4831 or 7828 won't be worth a damn when I get over there.

I'm running out of time as I leave on the 2nd of April. I'm wondering if I should keep trying with the Swifts or concentrate on the TSX and make sure that one load shoots consistently. If all else fails, what do you think about using my standard load of 180 gr NPT Protected Points in Africa? I'd feel better with a 200 gr bullet and preferrably a TSX or A-Frame, but maybe that's just too much Ruark as a kid?

The one good load with 72.0 gr of H4831 and 200 gr TSX only gave a 3 shot average velocity of 2709 FPS. Seems to me it should have been 2800 or so, but when I shot the next loads at 73.0 and 74.0 grains velocity only increased marginally (2720 avg for 73.0 gr and no readings for 74.0). Still not near what the manual says you should get. I guess at 2700 or thereabouts a 200 gr TSX isn't going to suddenly be ineffective but there seem to be a lot of unanswered questions with this rifle.

And what about that .210 jump to the rifling? That just strikes me as bad all around. I'd sure like to have a look down it with a scope some day to see if the throat is toast or what the story is. I know the rifle has a fair number of rounds through it as it was my father's before he traded me for a Sako 30-06 when I just needed a magnum. Maybe surgery is in order to give me a longer mag box and follower or even a new barrel? I don't want to have to do something that major with only 2 months between now and departure...my gunsmith would beat me to death, I'm sure. Not ot mention that wouldn't leave me much time to develop a load prior to departure.

Anyone have any thoughts?

If all else fails, I've got lots of ammo for my #2 rifle, the 416 Rigby!

If you have a load recipe that has proven, in the past, to be accurate in your rifle, test your rifle with that load for the time being.

If your rifle doesn't shoot well with your old, proven load, check the screws. If your action screws and scopemount screws are tight, get suspicious of your scope.

Poor accuracy is often the result of something other than the loads...........

AD

Biguglyman,
What results did you get with your regular load of 180 NPT protected points? It may be a little late in the game to change now.
What species are you chasing?
Model70guy

I think a lot depends on what you are going to be hunting. A 180 gr Partition will work on most plains game, I think.

Just so you know, I've clobbered everything from Vaal Rhrebok to Cape eland in the RSA with my 300 Win. Mag. and 180 gr. Nosler Partition Protected Points, and just about everything has gone down right away. Performance could not be faulted in any way, shape, or form.

Quite honestly, if there's nothing wrong with your rifle or scope, and it still shoots your NP PP loads better than the others, that's exactly what I'd shoot. You don't need anything else. I've used NP PP 180s out of my 300 Win. Mag. on safaris to three African countries thus far, and the results have been stellar every time.

I wouldn't waste any more time or powder if I were you with new loads. You don't need them............

AD

I just got a box of 180 Prot Pts so I'll have to load 'em up and shoot for a benchmark. Part of the curse of living up here is the inability to get components. And I must admit I cast a suspicious look at the scope rings and the screws on the rifle. In fact, I just dug out my torque wrench and the screws were a bit loose. Glad you mentionned it and reminded me to check that.

M70, I'm after Kudu, Gemsbok, Blesbok, Springbok, Impala, 'beest (both probably), and maybe Zebra. No Buff for me...booked this before I heard about the Campfire hunt! But there's always next year!

I have absolutely zero African experience, but just as a word of encouragement, Jack O'Connor once observed 180 grain bullets from a 30-06 completely penetrating the shoulders of a grizzly bear and hitting the sand bar behind the bear. Allen Day, who has tons of experience says the 180s will do fine from your 300wm ... I say check everything out, try your favorite load, and go live the dream. Oh, and post pics to the campfire when you're done!!

All the best,
Liam

In the latest American Rifleman there is an interesting article on Finn Aagaard's .375 and in it it said that in Kenya, handloading was a crime punishable by death. So, any way you look at it, you are better off.

BigUglyMan,
I shot five out the seven on your list last year,plus a few others, although I used a .375 on all of them. My backup gun happened to be a .300 Win Mag with 180 Protected points seated on RL22. It was supposed to be the main rifle, truth to be told but nothing whispered Africa in my ear as nice as the H&H. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I was planning a return to South Africa when the campfire hunt first came up for discussion, so I'm doing both back to back. Between the two hunts the animals of interest are(In no particular order) Eland, Red hartebeeste, Blesbuck, Warthog, steinbuck, duiker, zebra, buffalo and giraffe. Others may get added as opportunity presents. It would be hard to let a big kudu walk away for instance.
I'm predicting many "Next years" for both you and the 24 Hour Campfire hunt.

What AD said. 180 is more than adequate and tightening all rifle and mount screws may have solved your problem. H4350 is also temp insensitive. And as much as I hate to say it, a 2" group will work, although none of us would be happy with it.
t

Relax, it will all be OK. You can count on your PH having a functional rifle.

I've shoot all but the Zebra on your list with 150 gr. partitions out of a .280. I had a very similar experience where my rifle when to hell. I ran out of X bullets and had to resort to factory ammo.

To fix my rifle I had to strip it completely down. Remount the scope, bases and all, and torque my action screws. I THINK the problem was a bad scope base. The base didn't match the reciever radius. Can't be sure exactly which step fixed my problem.

Good luck,
Rick

I like reloder 22 in my 300, it gave me much btter results with all bulelts than H4831. I'm doing the same hunt in July and I will be shooting the 168 gr TSX in mine. My rifle has a long enough magazine so I can get out near the lands, at 3.544. If I can help with components send me a PM.
Martin

Thanks for all the help and advice. I'll be trying to get out to the range again in the near future, but I think that work and travel will prevent that from happening until the end of the first week of February.

BigUglyMan,

FWIW, I shot every animal you mentioned on my safari last summer except only one of the two kinds of "beeste" but also a warthog. I used a 300 Wby with 180 grain Partitions handloaded with H4831. Every animal was a one-shot kill. African game is not hard to kill. Just remember that the heart-lung area lies a little lower in the chest than North American game. For instance, about half of the Wildebeeste's chest height is actually above the spine. Same with Gemsbok.

Take your 180 grain Partitions, if your rifle shoots them, and read a copy of Kevin Robertson's "The Perfect Shot." You'll do fine.

I don't think your throat is that much of an issue. Weatherby freebores all their rifles and accuracy is fine.

Get a box of factory ammo and see what your accuracy is. If the groups are wild as your handloads, then look elsewhere. Same with a proven load.

-20�c is cold! Makes me wonder if it has affected the bedding on your rifle. Check the stock screws.

Then check the scope mounting screws and bases. If that reveals nothing of interest, switch scopes. A broken scope has caused more than one handloader to pull his hair out.

180 partitions will absolutely do a righteous job on plainsgame. I took gemsbok, kudu, black wildebest, blesbok, and springbok all with a 7mm mag with 160 partitions.

I think you are pissing in the wind to put it planely (grin). It is wasted effort working up loads in cold temps, then hunting in warm temps regardless of how temperature insensitive the powder is. There are FAR more entities at work here than just powder. The cold substantially slows the lock time on the firing mechanism. The vast changes in humidity, altitude, air density, brass temperature, bullet temps, gun steel temps....etc. etc. They all have a far greater affect on accuracy than just the powder. I have wasted hundreds, even thousands of dollars doing load development in the winter, only to find that a fantastic load in the winter totally sucked in the spring and summer. I also used the temperature sensitive powders and they made little difference when you have all the other factors going on. Like many have said, if a 180 grain bullet won't do it, neither will a 200 grain bullet. 20 grains of bullet in a 30 caliber magnum makes very little difference. Flinch

If you live in Inuvuk, you have precious little choice but to develop loads in the cold and BTW -20c isn't actually that cold, I shoot regularly at that temperature without huge differences in POI in well bedded rifles.

Re: O'Connor reference above - I don't believe he wrote about shooting grizzly through the shoulders with an '06, but rather through the ribs. I'm a big '06 fan, but that's what I'm pretty sure he wrote. With some of today's bullets, maybe...

If you live in Inuvuk, you have precious little choice but to develop loads in the cold and BTW -20c isn't actually that cold, [/quote]

-20�C not that cold? Dude, where I come from +20�C is shooting weather! I guess global warming hasn't caught up to you yet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hatari,
We Canadians are looking forward to global warming with great anticipation. Bring it on! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />