Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game What bullet would you use

I run 147 ELDM in my 6.5 GAP at 3060fps and would not hesitate to use it on any of the larger plains game out a long way. 1650 ft-lbs at 600yds at 2150fps
No hesitation from 40-600+ yards with deer to elk and mostly bang flops or wobble flops every time. May make for nasty exit wounds on the smaller stuff though.
SnT

A 130 Accubond might be good.

Have you talked with your PH about using a 6.5mm on Eland?

He likely will severely limit your shot opportunities with such a light rifle.

If you are hunting a game farm, this might not matter, ie plenty of opportunities.

I have hunted Eland on a game farm in RSA (with a 300 mag) and in the wild in Zim and I would not hunt them in the wild with anything less than a 375...just because with the limited opportunities you cannot demand such a particular presentation.

Just my $0.02

I would use a heavy-for-caliber Barnes, Swift, Woodlie or Norma. Bonded of solid-expanding.

140 Partition

I am partial to monometal bullets. I would start with a T/TSX.

I've used nothing but Barnes XBT, and Failsafe bullets on Plains Game, lightest rifle was a 300WM/180, then 338WM, 340Wby , 35 Whelen AI, 375 H&H. But the heaviest game we all killed were zebra. There were lots of Cape Eland on these "farms" ( we would call them ranches) but we never hunted them. Indeed, they are big. I had a missionary friend who lived in SA back in the 90's and early 2000s. I had given him a 30-06 and a bunch of the old Federal High Energy 180 partition loads. They went 2970fps in that rifle! He had no trouble with Cape Eland. His friend did make a wrong first shot on Blue Wildebeast and it took all day and many shots later to get him! So, "if it were me" and I wanted to use that 6.5 SAUM I would use a heavy mono, shoot him at the base of the neck ( where it joins the shoulders) or base of the skull. I once shot a zebra through the head ( 210 xbt form 340Wby) and it did not ruin the cape.

On Eland I think I would step up a little in cartridge. The others good to go.
GreggH

I don’t know the first thing about hunting plains game in Aferca, but I would question taking a 6.5 oddball cartridge on such a hunt that far from your loading bench. Happy Trails