Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Minimum cartridge for elephant.

James Sutherland used a .577 NE for his elephant hunting and IIRC he killed more elephants than W.D.M. Bell.

.475 Linebaugh, loaded up with 410 gr. hardcast WFNGC bullets at 1250 fps.....

I was gonna say 6.5 Creedmoor but then some guys on here might think you’re over gunned! 😁

If that .460 seems a bit anemic and for something bigger than NM Jackwabbits......

Yeah, if ya gonna go Fudd, go big....

DF

I am sure your right but wtf anyone would pay big money to shoot a cow elephant is beyond me. Hair off the tail for bracelets, feet for trash cans , meat for the locals and no ivory. Nope don't see it pics would be better. Mb

You guys don't understand! Use the smallest cartridge that'll do the job. This guy successfully used a 22 LR. Ha ha.

Perhaos, you feel that use enough for the job and using a little more than absolute necessary is OK?

I was only in Africa once -1998 in Cameroon. One village I stayed in had an issue with elephants. The elephants would at times decide to visit the village. They would smash much of the housing and leave. The villagers didn’t admit to anything that would have upset the elephants? Furthermore the villagers didn’t have a 22 handy.

(My experience with the big beasts is only what I have read.)

I get a kick out of how someone uses a way too small a cartridge to do something and then promote their accomplishment.

I will likely never go back to the dark continent. But if I do, I’ll be carrying something bigger than a 22.

I have a 375 H&H AI. That might be ‘overkill’ or it might be marginal. My cousin is organizing a trip for Cape. I want to go and I’m thinking it might work OK and it will likely be filled with TSX or something that might work ok.

Bugger, you make too much common sense. Why people want to shoot something with the smallest gun possible is a stupid stunt.

Thus the label, “stunt shooter”….

DF

Bugger, when I built mine in ‘90…….Africa was part of the driving force for the build. Sadly, it will never see Africa.

Good Luck with your hunt! memtb

Send South Dakota’s governor over there and the elephant problem is solved…

I believe most countries require a 375 or larger. I hope to hunt one in '26 and have a 416 Rigby sitting here waiting for some work

Maybe a little off track but.....

I have read in an old book, can't remember the title, that was an early historical account of the first permanent European settlers in 1652 AD (the Huguenots) and later, that more or less established the Cape Colony at the Cape of Good Hope, that became Cape Town. They were also mostly part of what made up the old "Voortrekkers" that spread out throughout and settled southern Africa. Anyway....

In one of the written accounts, they talked about being amazed at how the natives killed elephant with just spears and their little poison tipped arrows. It claimed the most common technique was for a small hunting party to find a lone "sleeping" animal and for one hunter to sneak up on it and spear/cut one of its hind leg Achilles tendons. It basically "anchored" the animal in place and allowed the rest of the hunting party to then approach close enough to use repeated spears into the vitals until it was brought down.

I can't say it's true or not but.......

She could probably turn that into a commercial.

Bet she can shoot.

DF

Reading Mahohboh by Ron Thomson, who killed more than 5000 elephants and was a smart, educated hunter and Rhodesian/Zimbabwean senior Parks ranger will dispel many of the harmful myths stated in this thread. In addition, Thomson was an expert who understood that elephant overpopulation, especially bulls, destroy habitat for all species and create sterile deserts.

Anyone who’s hunted elephants around Hwange or in most of Zim’s prime elephant country can attest to the mistaken notion of “letting nature take its course.” That was the type of stupidity which ruined Kenya’s hunting fields and which leads to the permanent decimation of much sub-Saharan African populated habitat through inefficient subsistence farming and domestic cattle, goat, etc raising by rural Africans.

Hunting elephants in sufficient numbers yields the most return for rural Africans and fulfills the maxim that, in Africa the only wild game that stays is that which pays. If there’s no tangible benefit to the rural population from sport hunting, the game will quickly and ruthlessly be wiped out.

Elephant hunting and control of the herds is absolutely necessary. Sport hunting returns the greatest benefit and reduces the numbers that need to be culled, if done correcltly. The current problem in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, especially in the national parks and reserves, is too many elephants, not too few.

Thank you! Everybody needs to pay attention to this post.

Who here has actually hunted elephant? I have, and am scheduled to do so once again in July in Zambia. Let's face it, no sport hunter these days has enough elephant kills under his belt to to an expert, especially comparing to experience that hunters/poachers and game control officers had a century ago. (or half a century ago in some cases)

That said, listen to the PH's who guide hunter for elephant. Universally, they rather a client shoot a .375 well, and place the bullet where it belongs than a .458 that they are shy of. Recoil isn't for everyone.

Apparently it was something of a stunt. He knew where the artery was, and tried it once just to see, and did not further recommend it. That's my understanding of the story.

Hatari,

While you do your part in Zambia this Summer/Winter, I’ll be back in Zimbabwe. Elephant hunting is necessary for the survival of the species. For the dedicated sports hunter, it’s the pinnacle of hunting dangerous game. It’s a chess game when hunting the herds and IMHO, African hunting at its best.

Returning with the same expert PH and his team provides an opportunity to hunt with professionals who know and respect the elephants. As long as I can walk on the tracks and shoot an adequate caliber DGR, I’ll keep going back.

BTW, after reading and watching many videos on shot placement on elephants, Thomson’s photos and description illustrating and explaining the anatomy of the frontal brain shot is the best. It shows that he was clearly an expert on elephant hunting and provides the practical explanation which is quite useful in the field, when the action is close and needs to be decisive. He makes it clear that this is not the preferred shot for the inexperienced. But should it become necessary, especially in a close encounter, the practical use of external anatomical landmarks as the elephant’s head position changes is the best I’ve seen.

Cheers!

If that's your choice good on you. I would love to hunt them or anything else in Africa, but then I love to hunt North American game too.

If properly backed up I would use my 9.3x62 with a well made solid.