Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Plains game rifle choice.

It’s either the 300Rum with 200 partitions(have 150 on hand), 7 mag and 143 Hammer Hunters/160 partitions or 6.5PRC with 140 partitions/grand slams. All shoot exceptionally well. Trip isn’t till next aug so lots of time to get ready. Menu includes Kudu, Waterbuck, zebra, blue wildebeast, impala, warthog. MAYBE Eland. Leaning toward the RUM and the 6.5 as the second gun. Appreciate the responses.


Thanks Roy

Roy:

Congrats on booking a safari. I've got a number of them under my belt. Be advised/cautious that depending on what country you're going to or even what province within a country, the 6.5 may not meet the minimum caliber legal requirement. Most, not all, have a minimum caliber requirement of anything 7mm diameter or larger for PG. Some countries or provinces MAY allow for the smallest species, like springbok, duiker and up to impala it may be a wiser choice to meet the 7mm min so there is no potential problems.

While "local" hunters may be allowed to use smaller caliber rifles, the rules can be a good bit different for the foreign/international hunter. Best to contact your PH/Outfitter directly for their recommendation. It's not so much an issue of the 6.5 being effective or not, it's more of a legal issue.

Michael

Leave the 300 RUM at home...

Michael I appreciate the info. It will be the Eastern Cape.


Roy

7RM with 160 gr. NAB over 67 gr. RL-26 at around 3K out of a 26" Sendero was a winner for my hunting bud last year. Lots of game, mostly DRT or DROT (dead right over there).

I did the loads; gun was sub MOA at 400 yds. He was pleased as was his PH. He said he could have sold that rig several times. One fellow hunter even borrowed it for a 300 yd. Impala shot. Boom, plop.

Although a bit heavy, he likes Senderos, has one in .270 for WT's. He said he knows what they'll do when he gets them there, doesn't mind packing them. Hard to argue with success. Ya gotta go with what you have confidence in and can handle well. I've read that outfitters aren't that impressed when a client pulls out a brand new, super stomper magnum. That sorta profiles a client, and not for the better.

DF.

Thanks DF. The 160 Nabs are difficult to come by at the moment. The 300 Rum and myself have been acquainted for 25+ years and have taken it all over the US and Canada. I can shoot it just as well as any of my rifles. I practice with all my rifles including the RUM fairly regularly out to 600. The 7mag is new to me(just picked up from Kurt/30338 here last yr) so that is a very good contender if I can get the right Bullets. I have the upmost confidence in any of them. I guess it depends what I have quality bullet wide on hand I guess.


Roy

Since you and that 300 RUM are "old friends", that's the one to take. Make more memories my friend, Life is short. Now, if you just want an new adventure, well, jump on that 7mm mag and make a "new friend". Personally, I like the Barnes monos in a Plains Game rifle, as you can take some pretty angling shots on a Trophy that (a) you went a long way to even get an opportunity for (b) expensive and you pay if you wound/lose it and (c) sometimes you the only shot you get will be one you would pass on with a less penetrating bullet. Thats been my experience anyhow, worth all of what you paid for it, ha. PM me, I know of a shop that has several boxes of 160 NAB!

Good advice, Jim.

If Roy is comfortable with his RUM and has the right bullets, why not.

The 7RM is always a good PG choice, so to me it would depend on what ammo/bullets are available and the gun he prefers.

Good luck, Roy.

Let us know how it goes. Pictures or it didn't happen...

DF

Roy:

No worries. The EC is beautiful province and a bit varied in terrain and cover. Tends to be a bit more open but again, huge variation depending on what specific area.

GENERALLY, most shooting in most of Africa is "generally" inside 200m. Most hunters/US clients don't practice nearly enough on standing shooting sticks before they go and honestly can not reliably hit the vitals very much beyond that - generality and there are always exceptions. Your PH may let you shoot beyond that, depending on the proficiency you demonstrate. Next, you have to ask yourself are you willing to pay the trophy fee if you wound the animal and it's not recovered because YOU buggered the shot. Can get a bit expensive and it may count against your "quota".

I kind of have to agree with JorgeI regarding the 300 RUM. No question, it is a fine caliber and you'll not be "under gunned" if you take it. Question will be more of how you handle the recoil and the shooting sticks. Just to give you an idea, a simple 308 Win with a 150gr TSX (not the TTSX they open too fast) at 2950 fps will do complete broadside shoulder pass thrus on everything on your list except eland out to 200m. On eland, inside 125m it may pass thru and beyond it will likely be just under the offside skin.

African PG have a reputation for being "tough". That is somewhat deserved and maybe a little myth. There are a couple of reasons they've obtained this reputation.

One is, depending on the species, they do have somewhat thicker skins than a typical American deer species. Mostly because they retain their horns year round and don't just fight during the rut. If you ever get a chance to see a couple of big gemsbok bulls REALLY go at it, it is seriously vicious!!!

The next reason is all PG species have a very thick "subcutaneous membrane". This is a white kind of fatty layer of tissue that lays between the skin and the muscles and covers their entire body. The purpose of this membrane is, it acts a bit like puncture sealant in a car tire. If the skin is broken/scratched/punctured etc it fills in to help stop bleeding/infection etc. So, sometimes with very small caliber bullets, you could make a perfect heart shot that passes completely thru but, there won't be a visible drop of blood on either side or on the ground.

Third reason is....hate to say this but....it's due to poor shot placement by the client. They don't actually take the time to study the bone structure and organ placement in PG. They simply "think" it's just like all the whitetail deer they've shot and end up putting the bullets too far back and hitting between the lungs and guts and nothing "vital" and the rodeo is on. Give the afore mentioned subcutaneous membrane sealing up holes, unless you happen to hit the liver and it bleeds out over the course of several kilometres, it's gone. And if you clipped the stomach or guts, it will be dead in a week but not before a lot of suffering.

Another reason for pour shot placement is, not enough time practicing off standing sticks and not being confident in being able to put the bullet where it is supposed to go and ending up just trying for a "center of mass" hit thinking that just putting a bullet anywhere in the critter will be fine. Again, can be a very expensive trigger pull for you and a prolonged and agonizing death for the animal.

Just my simple thoughts and others will have other opines and thoughts too.

Michael

Of the three, the 7mmRM will be the easiest to find in Africa, or your PH may have some backup ammo to help you out, in the event of lost ammo with the airlines.

Having said that, I have taken a 35 Whelen twice to Africa, so the odds of losing my ammo was worth the risk, since I really wanted to use it.

Enjoy your safari!

RTSJ,

Of the three you mention, my own choice would be the 7mm, IF no other options were to be considered.
I have taken, and used, several rifles on 4 safaris to Africa, including my .300 Weatherby on the first trip to Namibia, my guide's 7x57 for a number of plains game as well in S. Africa, a .375 Ruger for everything from Springbok to Lion, and on my last hunt, a .30-06, with 165 gr. Barnes TSX bullets, for the tiny antelopes.

Were I to return to Africa for another plains game hunt, for anything and everything from duiker to eland, my choice would unquestionably be the .30-06, again. In my own personal experience, nothing is as versatile or capable for any and every situation you might encounter- and with a bullet like the TSX, you are ready for any game that might be presented. Ammo for the '06 is likely to be more available than for most calibers you might be using, as well. My choice of rifle was a Browning X-Bolt, topped with a Leupold 2.5-8x VX3 in Talley LW mounts, all-up weight of 7.5 lbs- a real joy to carry around, and crazy accurate with the Barnes bullet.

You don't need the RUM for any of the species you mention, and in general, long range shooting is not a necessity.

If you have lots of time before your trip, enjoy the preparation- it's half the fun of the experience! I would also recommend Craig Boddington's book, 'Safari Rifles II', as an excellent read regarding all things safari rifle related.

7mag and 160 partition at 2900+ fps is never a bad choice. I'd take that in a heartbeat.

A Remington KS in 300 RUM with 200gr Accubonds was my rifle on my first safari, and that was in the Eastern Cape as well. If you plan on including Eland, or Wildebeast at long range, you'll appreciate the extra horsepower. I took 16 animals with 17 rounds on that trip.

I have two that have killed all of my plains game. A custom shop M70 in .375 H&H and an M70 classic in 7x57 Mauser.

One thing I've seen happen several times with various hunters on plains game hunts is while they may shoot a .300+ magnum of whatever sort well on a typical North American hunt (which generally only involves one, or maybe 2-3 animals) they can get little weary of the recoil on a safari, where 4-6 to maybe a dozen may be taken. Some who brought a second, less powerful rifle often ended up using it more effectively as the safari went on.

This isn't always true, by any means--one of my hunting partners in RSA in 2007 used a .375 H&H throughout the 2-week safari, and another used a .338 Winchester Magnum very effectively. But quite a few do grow weary of even a .300 after several days.

Well guys I guess I’m gonna be taking a new one. I just bought a lefty Sako AV Deluxe in 375 H&H. Has nothing to do with need but oh man did I want one and this trip for sure will just be more special using it. Now to find Ammo and or reloading supplies and some glass to top it with.


Roy.

^^^^^What MuleDeer said!!!

I have experienced multi shot multi day magnum fatigue…my shooting began degrading after a few days and got much worse and I wasn’t using a mega magnum 30. This is a really good reason to buy that new rifle.

RTSJ
You are officially out of the frying pan….

I will second MD's sound advice. I would take the 7 RM and have. Ammo will be available, recoil is moderate. Can be easily shot off of sticks where a rifle with more recoil becomes more challenging. One rifle is a lot easier than two at airports and customs. Countries like England require a bonded agent to handle rifles and ammo while you are there, charges are per rifle. Baggage fees will add up. I like to take down my rifles and carry them inside a single duffel bag with all my other clothing. Essentials go in a small carry on.

You posted while I was writing this. A 375 is made for Africa, I find the recoil less objectionable than some of the bigger 300 magnums. For soft skinned game the 250-260 grain bullets have done well, either monos or Noslers.

Hope you can find some components.

Easy, 7 mag and 160 partitions.