Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Plains Game rifle choice

Don’t forget to bring your snipe pod:

https://kramerdesignscorp.com/V2SnipePod.html

Cascade

My family hunted Namibia this year in August and September with Osombahe Nord safaris run and owned by Harold and Liezel.
My son used a 308Howa loaded it with 150gn accubonds and 140grain outer edge projectiles. He had no problems dropping game out to 200 yards, game he shot included a big Hartman zebra and Oryx. My son Jirrah is almost 15 and aquitted himself well.
I used a Stevens 200rebarreled to 35Whelan loaded with 225gn accubonds and woodleigh projectiles at 2,900fps nothing walked away from it. Game included Hartman zebra and Oryx as well as black wildebeest (poor man's buffalo).
In hindsight the 308 would have been plenty but as I had the Whelan built for Africa it had to go too.
We experienced no problems traveling with the rifles and ammo from oz to Namibia.
Great trip fantastic hosts unreal game. Take your favorite suitable rifle and enjoy.
Listen to your PH and guide on bullet placement and learn to shoot off sticks beforehand and what you shoot should be going home with you.

The most important thing I can tell you is they are your trophies to be proud of. Some may shoot bigger but they ain't yours. My 52inches of kudu will get pride of place in my home. It may not be the big 58 inches of others but it is MINE and I had to work for him. Just wish I could upload photos for everyone.

Some of the game my son shot

I am more thankful that the Lord also doth not desire that people remain ignorant.
"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant....lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;" Romans 11:25

"Over promise always results in under delivery." Some Greek
Sage

So in the case of the 6.5 Creedmoor you have some overly
optimistic and often misleading claims, backed by hype from gun writers,
that eventually prove to be unfounded or untrue.

(Remember the Creedmoor was built as a
competition round not a hunting round and did not live up to
expectations since cartridges such as the 6mm Dasher remained a "better
mouse trap". IMO)

Given that you have a 6.5 CM group that has over promised how
should one respond to that.

Well there are two ways to respond to that, three actually.

Choice One. You can say the 6.5 Creedmoor is a terrible cartridge
that does not do anything above any other and "I wouldn't
have one!" etc. etc. (Hard to believe the hatred for this cartridge. Some
become absolutely unglued over it... like the Dems for Trump.)

Choice Two. You can say the 6.5 Creedmoor does not fulfill all that
was claimed for it but does have some redeeming characteristics that
may be worth investigating.

Now I think we can all agree that Choice One folks, in response to Choice Two folks,
have a rabid almost hysterical following on social media.They are often so biased in
their hatred for the little guy that they refuse all claims of any praise for it and wait in the bushes to
ambush any who claim to admire the little six five.

How odd that and how human.

As reasoning adults we should know that there are three kinds of ignorance,
(well most of us anyway)
Normal, Willful, and Terminal.
Normal can be fixed by the acquisition of knowledge. Willful is a choice made
despite knowledge to the contrary and Terminal is the end result of Willful.
Terminal... like stupid...can't be fixed.


Perhaps a lesson in history would make the 6.5 CM be a bit less threatening
and a bit more capable than some would think or desire. Let's consider
Africa as an example. Lot's of very big game and lot's of hunters over lot's
of decades and lot's of 6.5's and 7mm's about.

Lesson1: Enter the 6.5mmx54 mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer in Africa.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/walter-d-m-bell-aka-karamojo-bell.3161/
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/5/15/handloading-the-65x54-mm-mannlicher-schoenauer/
https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/02/shooting-65-creedmoor-african-safari/

Lesson2: Now it should have become apparent that the 6.5mmx54 was very capable as a hunting cartridge
in Africa up to and including elephants. Furthermore it should have become apparent that the 6.5 Creedmoor is
superior to the 6.5x54 in every ballistic category. You can check that out on your own. If you decide otherwise,
consider getting help with cognition or glasses.

Now. Would I take a 6.5 Creedmoor to Africa. Of course not! Why? Many countries have
7mm as minimum bore size and there are much better cartridge choices available...but that does
not make the 6.5 Creedmoor not enough gun for plains game. To persist in that opinion would
probably give evidence of...well...something Terminal.

Mule deer
My son used a Howa 308 with 150grain accubonds for all his plains game. Loaded to 2,900 fps with Hogdon CFE223. 10 animals 12 shots from impala to Hartman zebra and Oryx.
I used my 35 Whelen with 225 grain accubonds and woodleigh 225 grain PPSP @ 2,950fps with a healthy dose of cfe223 and shot my Oryx with a 250 grain Speer hotcore at 2,700fps and cfe223 using Speer reloading site.
In hindsight the plain old 308 would have been enough but I had my Whelen built just for Namibia.
Bob Nelson

Dirt farmer
Your impala is the exact copy of mine right down to the beautiful lyre shaped horns. I wish I could post a photo of mine to show you
Mine went 24 inches even on both sides
Bob Nelson [img]http://[/img]

Dirt farmer
A 35 Whelen with a 225 grain accubond @close on 2,900fps is deadly on plains game as well. Hit my black wildebeest at around 180 yards quatrtering away, left a golf ball size exit hole in the offside shoulder. He ran 20 yards and nose dived.
I love the 7mm but the 35 leaves a bigger hole
Bob

Well, I went ahead and booked, but with Mike Birch in South Africa instead of Namibia.

Thanks for all the great advice on rifles, cartridges, bullets, scopes and more.

Hunt will be about a year from now. Emphasis on gemsbok.

Still not sure which of my rifles will make the trip, but feeling really good about a couple of them. They've done well here, why not there as well?

Thanks all!

Guy

I used a Kimber Montana in 7-08 and 120 Barnes TTSX to take warthog, impala and blesbuck, all one shot kills. I used a Sako A7S in 270 Winchester and Sako factory 156 Hammerheads to take my Kudu and Gemsbok, both dropped at the shot but both needed finishers. Most of the group that I was hunting with were using 30-06's and did well. My partner used a Winchester Featherweight in 270 and 150 grain bullets, I don't remember the flavor. If I go again, I will take a pair of Nosler Outfitters in 35 Whelen and 30-06 both shooting 180 grain bullets. Good luck.

If you take the .30/06, you will be hunting with a friend.
That means you will not waste concentration on how it performs and your total attention with be on the animal you are targeting and that is the way your hunt should be prioritized.

Your .30-06 will work dandy. Pick a premium bullet that it shoot the best and go! I have been twice to Africa, both times with a .35 Whelen and 225 grain bullets. First trip with TBBC and the second with Nosler Partitions.

Your 30-06 is more than enough to harvest the game animals you are after. I went there 3 years ago with my 280Rem shooting Nosler 150gr TEZ bullets and my Kudu and Zebra both taken at about 230 yards went only a few yards. My Impala dropped on the spot. In fact the outfitter lets hunters use his 30-06 so they don't have to deal with customs etc. etc. So that should answer your question.