Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa bullet weight for 30 cal ?

What would you say for 30-06 on Greater Kudu, 165gr or 180gr ?
I almost always like to use the 165gr,,,but I have never hunted in Africa, so what is the general view?
thanks, John H.

Either will work fine. Kudu are not that tough, about like a whitetail. I prefer 180s because you never know what you may run into- like a zebra, oryx, or wildebeast.

From Kudu to Whitetail is long way to go...LOL therefore 180gr is much better option. ...have shoot myself two kudu..one with 9,3x64 293gr RWS UC and other with 30-06 and 180gr Nosler AccuBond...both faild same place where take hit...
Same time my friend run after Kudu long way even he shoot with 180gr Norma Oryx in very right place (shoulder).
30-06 and 165gr might be enough but better is to be sure and use 180gr...

If you shoot a good premium like the TSX, the 168 will work fine, Either way the 06 is a good selection.

Keep it simple and "use enough gun", 180 gr. Why would you go lighter? You never know what steps out instead of kudu.

I don't think it matters.

Kudu are in fact easy to kill. Wildebeeste and Gemsbok (oryx) have a reputation of being hard to kill but this is probably because their organs sit low in the chest. Hit a Wildebeeste in the center of the chest and you've passed above the spine (see "The Perfect Shot" by Kevin Robertson). It might make a difference on Eland.

I use 180 grain Partitions for all game in my .300 Weatherby simply because I don't have to think about it then. I have only recovered one bullet, an angling who at a Wildebeeste. All kills have been one shot kills.

I just returned and had eight one shot kills using 165 grain TTSX from a 300 WSM. i recovered one bullet from a blesbuck shot stern to stem; all others were pass throughs. Animals were kudu, gemsbok, blesbuck, impala, zebra. I see no reason to be concerned with the right 165 grain bullet.

Like Bob33, I used nothing but 165s in my 06, when I went the first time. Took Kudu, Oryx, Eland, wildebeeste, Zebra, Impala and Sable. Used the 165gr Nosler partition. On the Eland went from behind the last rib on the left side, to the right shoulder. My wife took her Sable with the 06 and I took mine with the 45/70. Her Zebra was a head on shot at a 100 yds, hit where the v comes together. It turned and ran a little ways and fell over. The Impala, Springbok, duikers, warthogs, are all small animals, and the 180s contructed for bigger animals, like the Eland, and don't always work as well. The 165s will drop them where they are most of the time. I never use 180s in the 06 here, either, as whitetails small and light, and need a quick opening bullet. If I go for Elk or Moose with the 06, might use a heavier bullet. As noted, my Eland shot with the 165, and worked perfect.

165-168gr TTSX's will take them all cleanly, and better penetration than a 180 PArtition or other more conventional bullet. Easy choice and answer.

Good luck and where are you going? And when?

Kudu are MUCH larger than a whitetail,BTW. Closer in size to a cow Elk.

My son used 180 gr. nosler part., for his 1 shot kudu kill out of the 06. Having said that, any of the premium bullets will get the job done. Pick the most accurate for your rifle. Personally, I lean to the heavier bullets for Africa, all else being equal.


maddog

This thread has raised the question of using either 165 or 180 gr. bullets. Folks have offered that when the hit is right the 165 is enough but no one has offered why you wouldn't use a 180 gr. bullet. I honestly don't see why you go with a lighter bullet weight given the variety of game to be encountered and the issue to bullet placement. So why would you use the 165?

Safariman, thanks for the info.
I am going to RSA, not to far north of Port Elizabeth.
I will be hunting the first week of October.

" So why would you use the 165?"

It is very accurate, a bit flatter shooting, lighter recoil, and superb on game performance. Why not use it?

I used 168TTSX and it performed as described, in my .30-06!

Having a 30/06 used by myself and many of my hunters for hundreds of animals now from steenbok and jackal to eland and giraffe the 165 tsx is the bullet of choice. The tsx is the best plains game bullet I've ever seen used. They also operate at their best when driven as fast as possible. The 165 shoots faster then the 180 so that answers that!

Sure a 180 works but it's slower. The weight becomes irrelevant when the 165s exit 90% of the time. The 165s recoil less and exit as often and open better at their higher velocity. The only reason to use the 180 is with a 3000plus fps cartridge.

JJ, I agree 165's work and work well. With that said for me I have settled on the 180's and they have worked to perfection for me. With 57.5 grains of H-4350 I get 2880 out of my 06


I also agree about the TSX's bullets

Uptonwood: Because the 180s are TOO heavily constructed for light stuff like Impala, Springbok, etc. They are made to work on HEAVY, animals. So, they don't work particularly well on Impala, whitetails, mule deer, etc. A 165 will, however, open quickly and provide a good wound, as well as the "shock" of it opening faster. The 165s, especially in the Ttsx bullets, also will penetrate as much as the 180s. Last year, when hunting the East Cape, I used 150s in my 308, and they worked very well. A guy near me was telling me a year or so back about having to track or look for deer shot with the 180s. I told him , use the 150s or 165s and you won't have to do that.

So far any animal I have shot with the 168 gr tsx has been a one step tracking session as they have dropped in their tracks. Closest shot 65 yards, fsrthest 360 yards as measured by lazer range finder.

Animals range in size from 200 to 1000 pound. One round recovered and surprizingly that was a 65 yd gemsbok through both humerus and protruding 1/8 inch through skin. two petals remaining but flattened, two missing. Both front legs shattered and lungs shredded. A pretty spectacular failure.

Randy

Ghost, I understand you point but I was chatting with my outfitter and my PH, I asked them what they thought the best caliber rifle was for hunting African game and both were clear: .375. I said that seemed really heavy, what if you want to shoot a duiker? Their response was "Use solids."

If I lived in South Africa or another country in that continent and was targeting springbok, or duiker, or bushbuck I would probably use a .270 with high quality 140 gr bullets. However, trudging through dense thickets which may produce a huge kudu or elant, or a good duiker, I guess the rationale for using any bullet weight lighter than 180 gr. eludes me.

In the U.S. I think 168 gr. are more than enough punch for our antelope, mule deer, and whitetails, but using my rationale above, I would use 180 gr. if I thought that I might run up on a black bear while hunting these animals. I would also use 180 gr. if I ever become crazy enough to start hunting elk.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I think your point is that the quality of the round is the most important part of taking game in Africa, more important than quibbling between .300 magnums, 30.06, or 7mm. And I would agree with you on that issue. I appreciate your comments and I am going to look closely at the 168 tsx for more consideration.

Both the 165 and the 180 grain bullets in .30 caliber are .308 inches in diameter. Higher velocity means a 165 grain will usually expand more quickly than 180 grain of equivalent construction, creating a larger wound channel.

A 165 grain TSX will, a very high percentage of the time completely pass through small and medium sized animals up to 1000 pounds or more.

It has less recoil.

To rephrase an earlier question, why would anyone choose to use a 180 grain?

If 180 grains are better than a 165, then why not use a 200 or 220 grain?