Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Serious question for plains game, 338 Fed, 338/06, and 9.3s

Never hunted Africa, but read JB say alot of animals are under 200 yds. That said, would a say 338 Federal with proper bullet do as well as say a 338/06, or even 9.3 given good bullets and placement.

Thinking, 185 TTSX, 200s ie. Fusion, 210 Partition and Barnes.

Just wondering how a short 338 round might fare there on say Kudu, and the like since ranges may typically be short.

If anyone here has used a 338F, or those bullets above chime in if you will. Seems a light short carbine in a good custom or Kimber w/small light quality scope might be a handy rifle for this type of hunting.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

IMO, the 338 Federal would be OK. My thinking here is that many of the locals hunt with their 308's and they seem to do just fine. The 338Federal is just a larger version so should be, all things being equal which they are not, also do well.

You mention light and handy, and I know some of the Kimbers can be quite light,less then 6lbs. I prefer a rifle in the 7.5-8.5lbs, it just seem to "settle" better on target and the weight is a none issue. Now if I was sheep or goat hunting the steep cliffs of Alaska, lighter may be better, but most of the terrain is fairly flat so the walking is easy.

You mentioned kudu, but what other game might you hunt?

The old 9.3 was made for Africa......If I ever get to go again, I would sure give it major consideration.

Africa is like any other country, it would depend on where you hunted in Africa..Both RSA, Namibia and Zimbabwe have some mountainous country that is probably better suited for long range rifles..

For an all around African plainsgame rifle I would opt for either a 300 or 338 Win with 200 and 210 Noslers respectively and be well armed for whatever including Eland, and the 30-06 is no slouch with 180 or 200 gr. bullets at 2700 FPS nor is the 338-06 with 210 Noslers.

For the Bushveld I have use and liked the 30-06, 338 Win., 9.3x62, 338-06, 35 Whelan, 375 H&H, 416 Rem, and many others and they all suited me.

For plainsgame take your favorite deer and elk rifle and your good to go..I would be satisfied with about any decent caliber..but never think you don't get some damn long shots in Africa just like any place else that has desert or Mountains and Africa has some real desert and some awesome mountains.

The PH may not allow you to take that kind of a shot but that is something between you and him to be cleared up before you go.

A 338 Fed. would be just fine, IMO. You had better practice on some 250 and 300 yd shots with it, however. Blesbok tend to stand off a bit, if they are on your menu.

A 338/06 would be a super choice (!), and I can't fault the 9,3's in any way.

To me, where you hunt and, to a lesser degree, what you hunt will determine what cartridge to use. The 338-06 and the 9.3 x 62 (I'm guessing this is the 9.3 you're referring to) are more versatile, especially the 338-06.

Assuming proper load development, you'd be set for all but the largest Plains Game, IMO, with the 338-06. This would be the best "compromise" out of the three you've mentioned.

Big bullet, no doubt, I like a handy rifle, that settles in, and have not owned a Kimber, but figured scoped and loaded, w/sling might be alright. 7-7.5 might be a target weight if I build a rifle. No immediate plans, but I can foresee a possible trip in the coming years, will see.

Any other thoughts on cartridges, I am all ears, have shot many, not much into heavy recoiling magnums and avoid them when possible. Just never a big 30 cal fan, so tend to look to the 338 bore, like the 350 RM (short action Whelen performance), and then 9.3s.

Thanks all.

Atkinsonhunting mirrors my African experience on several fronts. First, I had shots on all sizes of animals from steenbok (273 yards) up to kudu (115 yards) and gemsbok (347 yards) in environments ranging from completely flat, desolate desert-type conditions to lush, green mountains, to a lot of in-between conditions. So, indeed, never assume or prepare only to shoot 200 yards and under. My personal advice would be to stretch your training out to at least 300 yards. If that doesn't feel comfortable, no problem. Stick to shorter ranges and make sure you PH knows your preferred distances.

As far as caliber, I believe that a .338 Federal will be just fine. I used a "measly" 7mm-08 pushing a 140 gr. AccuBond @ just 2769 fps on all of my African game and it smoked them dead. Here are some vids from my hunt - a springbok at 200 yards even and the kudu at 115 yards:

Springbok:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yl3Fwys368

Kudu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9ejJnZrkV0

With the .338 Federal, you're looking at a heavier bullet (say, a 180 gr. bullet doing 2830 per Wikipedia's sample load) going even faster than my 7mm-08. While nothing is perfect, I can't see where there would be an issue.

it is true that a lot of animals are under 200yards. but dont count on it. our hunting season just ended and of the about 50 heads of game i took i would say about 10-15 were under 200yards. not much will beat the good old 30-06 for an all rounder over here. 30-06's with 150grn's are very popular with local hunters.

a friend of mine, owns a butchery that is well known for it's venison, uses a 270 with Game king 130grn on everything from sringbok to eland.

LoisL, some fine video's, congrats, i must admit you have made me interested in the 7-08.

+1

Lt Dan -

Thank you very much. I had a really talented videographer following me around on that hunt and the video quality was all him. As for the 7mm-08, it's become my new all around favorite round. It's got plenty of killing power and very little recoil. If you decide you want to pick one up, shoot me a PM and I'll help you get going if you handload. I got the impression that it's not a very well-known round over in RSA, but I promise you that you will like it.

The 338 Federal seems like a very good choice, but I agree that the 30-06 is an all-around outstanding option. My PH was a huge proponent of it and, like you said, the local hunters over there tend to love it. The other thing 65BR mentioned that my PH loves is Barnes bullets. That high retained weight can definitely improve penetration versus like-weighted bullets that are shedding weight rapidly.

Well, I do not own nor will I own the 338F as I am satisfied with the 338-06/338WM, for the moment.

I took the 338-06 to Zim last May and had one shot kills on zebra, wildebeest, impala, sable, waterbuck, bushbuck and bushpig. All were within 150 yards and all were exits with the exception of the sable. Bullet was the fantastic 210 TTSX. It was a pleasure carrying the 7.5lb pre 64 vs having to haul around the 9+lb WM for sure.

Will the 338F work, certainly.

I used the 338-06 for a number of years as did Elmer Keith, but like Elmer when the 338 Win. came out I tried it and found out it would do anything the 338-06 would do plus a bunch more and at the same recoil levels in the same size action. Being a practical minded kinda guy, I never went back to the 338-06..
a 210 Nosler at 3005 FPS, a 300 Gr. Woodleigh at 2500 FPS is a combo that simply cannot be beat and that is the 338 Win. IMO.

I have played with the 9.3x62 for years..I settled on the 26 inch barrel as it drags out every little bit of velocity the cartridge can come up with..addes to this is a very long magazine box so that I can seat the bullets way out yonder, then I matched my barrel throat to that magazine...

The results of the above gave me 2553 FPS with a 286 Nosler partition, 2740 FPS with a 250 gr. GS Customs monlithic HP, and 2488 FPS with a 320 gr. Woodleigh and I can get 2500 FPS but see no need as accuracy is really good with these loads. The 9.3x62 set up in such a manor walks on the heels of the 9.3x64, and of course one could just use the 9.3x64 case and get the same thing without all the fuss, but brass comes and goes with the 9.3x64 and that disturbs me as brass is difficult and time consuming to make out of .338 cases in that you must trim the belts off..

I have ofter considered building a 9.3x338 Win. I think that would be a neat wildcat, but its still a wildcat and problematic.

When I go to So. Africa for plainsgame with no intention of hunting buffalo or DG, then I personally would take my old 300 H&H with 200 gr. Nosler at 3000 FPS, its ideal for any situation.Besides I love that bloody old beat to hell rifle.

A Safari cost a lot of money, it's probably not exactly the place to experiment unless you just dont' care about the results, and thats fine and I have done it many times..I have also had to pass up on some real fine trophies because of my choice of guns. I can live with that but I have been so many times has a bearing on that I am sure.

Good stuff guys, Luis thanks for the videos, like to hear about your rifle specs, custom? OR? Leftie correct. Nice shooting btw. Little Springbok are beautiful animals to say the least. Looked like a heart shot on the Kudu. The AB would be a consideration for me depending on round chosen, I don't typically use ultra fast rounds so blowing bullets in game are not as much a concern, even up close, for me.

Thanks much also Ray, I am ALWAYS experimenting based purely on the fact I am always changing rifles, cartridges, bullets, etc. but for a hunt like that, no doubt, I would definitely have in chamber, bullets that are proven it their cal for game being hunted.

I concur, not a time or place to take risks, and I am not about that when conducting my own personal 'research'

Ray, certainly we can agree to disagree on the 338-06/338WM issue but there is no disagreement on the sweetness of the ole 300 H&H. I had mine ready to go on the last trip across the big pond and it was tack driving 200 AFR's when I had a "bad day" at the range with her - turned out to be a scope screw had loosened on the ole girl but threw enough doubt in my mind to switch off to the 338-06. Now it will be a tough choice on the next trip. This H&H a pre 64 26" bbl had previously knocked a wonderful NM oryx off his feet at 300 yards, well maybe not off his feet but DRT in any event - yeeeeeeeeha gotta luv her!

CHIT guys, the only thing an animal would tell IMHO about the 338/06 vs. a 338 Win mag, he might say this when hit:

Think that Dirty Harry line:

Did that 210 Partition hitting me just come from a 338 Win Mag from 375 yds, or is the hunter using a a 338/06 from 325 yds

65BR -

That's for the compliment, buddy. I indeed shoot a lefty rifle. That 7mm-08 in the video is actually a completely stock Savage Model 16 FLHSS Weather Warrior. It shot right at 1" just before I left for Africa with very little load work. That was plenty good with the short timeline (literally 2 months) that I had from planning to executing my Africa trip. I'm sure one could easily tweak it into a 3/4-MOA or better rifle with a little more time and load work, but it's hard to justify after seeing it perform as is.

It's funny - the kudu is the only animal where I didn't ask to see the vitals during the skinning/meat prep, but based on the impact angle (the bullet entered right at the last rib and to the left shoulder) and how fast he went down after being hit, I agree that it probably passed through the heart.

The AccuBond did its job at the speeds I listed above and I don't see having any issues with it if you're keeping it at fairly sane velocities. You don't see it in that clip, but I actually hit that kudu with a second shot as he was running away. I didn't lead him anywhere near enough and it hit him back in the haunch. Obviously, it was the first shot that did him in, I just went with the "shoot until the PH tells you to stop" philosophy (and you hear him tell me to do just that on the vid right after the unheard second shot). What was amazing is that both bullets that landed in that kudu, despite hitting in totally different areas, retained exactly the same amount of weight: 75% of their original weight.

300H&H now there is a masterpiece and a true African legend, to think the 300wm is about 40 years younger than the 300H&H and the H&H beats the wmag, however slightly. but i dont want to hi-jack this thread, so i stand with my opinion that a 30-06 is more than enough for plains game. the 300H&H is just that bit better.

When I mentioned 200-250 yard shot being on the long side, that would be in typical bushveld country--and probably 75% of plains game safaris take place in that kind of country.

There are a lot of places where 300-400 yard opportunities are common, but even there a .30-06 or one of the "average" .300 magnums is plenty.

A lot depends on the hunter. My wife Eileen has been to Africa twice, in very different kinds of country (flat semi-open bushveld in Namibia, and much more open-country, up-and-down terrain in the Eastern Cape of South Africa) and has taken everything she went after neatly with a .30-06 with 165 Fail Safes and a .308 with 150 E-Tips, both at about 2800-2900 fps.

The animals included blue wildebeest, zebra, kudu, gemsbok and several smaller animals including red haartebeest, impala, warthog, bushbuck, springbok, etc. The longest shot she's taken was at most 300 yards. She is quite capable of 400-yard shots but has never felt the need to take one that far in very varied African terrain.