Africa Hunt - bullet help needed

[Scaupstopper]

I am headed to Africa next fall and am starting to experiment with bullets and loads. I am going to be using a .30-06 that has been in my family for three generations, and to date has killed EVERY big game animal it has been fired at.

I will be hunting Kudu and Gemsbuck as two of the larger species on my list. The Kudu can go 600 pounds, similar to a cow elk.

I have looked into Barnes, Nosler and Swift bullets. My PH recommends 150 gn. Nosler partitions. He says shots will be less than 300yds.

Not to knock his experience, but here are some questions:

Who manufactures 150 gn NP factory loads? He indicated Federal did, but Federal catalog does not list that weight.

Is 150 too light????? I was thinking 180gn, but being a recoil sensitive shooter want to use as light a bullet as possible that is still effective. Is there any reason i shouldnt experiment with say a 165, splitting the difference?

What about Barnes XXX? I have a box of 180 Barnes, which my gun dealer recommended for the trip (before I wrote the PH) I know this is a Nosler site, so I hope to hear the other side of the story on these miracle bullets.

What about Partition gold bullets? I have had tremendous success with them in my slug gun. Unreal to be honest. Who loads .30-06 Partition gold rounds?

Finally, I do and can handload, but only if neccesary. Do Partition gold bullets use different load data than regular partitions? Where can I buy these if I do handload.

 

[FOTIS]

I woupd go 168 TSX and or 180 Partitions in the 30-06.

 

[Charlie-NY]

I like both of the bullets that Pop recommended. I'd add the 180gr AccuBond to that list.

For what its worth, my gun dealer recently came back from Africa on his plains game hunt. He shot some pretty big animals on this trip. When I asked him what he used I ws expecting to hear that he used the latest wizz-bang rifle and super sexy, semi-mag, ulta something cartridge.

To my surprise, he shot every single animal with the same gun and load. He used a Win model 70 in .308win and a 150gr Nosler Partition. Plain Jane, no frills, get the job done combo.

So much for Blaser rifles and WSSSSM cartridges. :grin:

 

[JD338]

I would also recomend either the 180 gr PT or AB. The Barnes 168 gr TSX
would also work if you could find an accurate load.

JD338

 

[147 Grain]

I agree:

150-gr. is too light! Upgrade to 180-gr. Nosler Partitions or the outstanding AccuBond and use whatever your rifle shoots best.

 

[7mmfan]

Agree, if shots are less than 350 yards, the 180s are your better choices in case you get a quartering shot at a kudu bull in the brush. You'll find African game is tougher than North American game.....must be all those lions.

 

[Scaupstopper]

How does recoil differ between a 150, 165, and 180? I assume it will be nominal. I have notice that the data suggests that the difference in energy is not very much between the three. 1500 pounds of energy (300 yds with a 150 gn.) is still enough to down a 600 pound animal from what I understand. In fact, when looking at the charts, it seems that there really is not a big difference between the three bullets in any of the stats.

My shots will be less than 300 yds. That is the extent of my comfort level. I am from Ohio, and a long shot here is 200 yds, having to use slug guns. I killed an antelope in WY this past fall at just under 300yds and felt like I was shooting a mile.

I figure the biggest factor will be practice. I have a .223 that is a duplicate of my .30-06 that I can take to the range and practice with without fatigue.

Still looking for opinions!

Thanks

 

[JD338]

The 180 gr will out penetrate the 150 gr bullut. African game can be tough so you should ues enough bullet to get the job done, even if the angle is bad (follow up shot).
If recoil is a concern, get yourself a good quality recoil pad like the Pachmyer Decelerator or Limbsaver. A PAST recoil shooting pad will also be a big help. If this doesn't help, consider porting such as Mag-na-Port.
When it comes to be "show time", chanches are you will never feel or hear the rifle shot.

JD338

 

[fredj338]

A 150grNP is too light for heavier PG in the bush IMO. The Gemsbok is a sturdy fellow. I've seen one them take a real pounding by bigger calibers & keep going. I would at least move to a 165gr premium, recoil is little diff. than the 150gr. I would prefer 180gr for Kudu & Gemsbok though.
The other thing to think about is your shot presentations will be varied. You will seldom get a classic broadside shot especially on a big trophy animal. You are going to see many hard 1/4 shots & will want/need the extra penetration. Remeber, anything you hit & draw blood from, you pay for so no such thing as overgunned IMO.

 

[Charlie-NY]

If I ever get to Africa it will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With that in mind I would use a more capable cartridge. Not that the 30-06 isn't up to the task but I'd feel much better on the dark continent with one of the 300 mags.

A 300Wby mag and some 180-200gr Partition/AccuBond bullets would give a hunter a lot of confidence when things don't go exactly as planned.

Just a thought

 

[fredj338]

Really, the 06 with the right bullet is plenty for any PG except maybe Eland or Giraff. The 30mags only extend your range a bit & most shots will be under 250yds. The advantage of the 30mags woul d be pushing a 200gr bullet faster for even better penetration. :grin:

 

[Silent Hunter]

I'm a Professional Hunter from South Africa, with ample hunting experience in Africa. Firstly I'd like to indicate that there's different hunting areas with vastly different vegetation in South / Southern Africa.

When hunting in the Kalahari desert or the Northern Cape, one could be required to take longer shots at game, and in that case I'd propose a 165gr premium bullet. When hunting in the "bushveld", where the vegetation is thicker, shooting distances might be as close as 30yds, and there one can look at a 180gr premium bullet. Sometimes you might be required to shoot 200-300yds though from a rocky outcrop to get your big 'ol kudu bull. A 165gr premium bullet would be more versatile in the 30-06.

I own 3 rifles with which I generally hunt, namely: 375 H&H Mag, 7 WSM and a 308 Win. Myself as well as clients used my 308 to harvest over 200 Medium to Large sized game animals, including Greater Kudu, Blue Wildebeest and Waterbuck. A mature Kudu bull can weight between 600 and 800 pounds. The point I would like to make is that even with a relatively "low-energy" calibre like the 308 win, with a proper premium grade bullet and correct bullet placement, you could kill even the largest Afican antelope, the Eland.

I prefer Nosler Partition or AccuBond bullets for all hunting conditions. Last year a client and good friend took a 42" Cape Buffalo with a single Partition. We've also had huge success with the Accubonds, both at close and long range. (7mm Rem Mag)

Final piece of advice: Settle on one bullet weight and load, practise with this specific load and get to know the trajectory. It is my personal oppinion that it's not ethical to shoot game animals at greater than 300yd ranges, and if you know your rifle, load, etc, you could then comfortably hunt at ranges from 0-300yds. good hunting

 

[TBASTIAN]

I would seriously look into the 165 Partition. In my opinion it's the perfect bullet for the .30-06. It's got long range capabilities and the structural integrity and weight to penetrate deep at all ranges. I've killed countless deer and elk with this bullet/caliber combo.
-TB

 

[gunkingdom]

I am going on a plains game safari in the Limpopo region of South Africa April the 15th 2007. I spoke with the PH about possibly buying another gun for this hunt but after a long conversation he told me that my .308 Win. was big enough. Living in the Uk it is very hard to justify to the Government why I need a .338 type caliber rifle. Gun laws in the UK are rediculas. He recommends Nosler 165 grain Partitions will more than do the job. As he said shot placement is more important than the caliber. I will be hunting for Gembuck, Kudu, Impala, Blesbuck, Warthog, and Duiker. I will let you know my results.

 

[FOTIS]

I am going on a plains game safari in the Limpopo region of South Africa April the 15th 2007. I spoke with the PH about possibly buying another gun for this hunt but after a long conversation he told me that my .308 Win. was big enough. Living in the Uk it is very hard to justify to the Government why I need a .338 type caliber rifle. Gun laws in the UK are rediculas. He recommends Nosler 165 grain Partitions will more than do the job. As he said shot placement is more important than the caliber. I will be hunting for Gembuck, Kudu, Impala, Blesbuck, Warthog, and Duiker. I will let you know my results.

There you go. So a 30-06 with 180 Premiums, as was mostly suggested here, should be more than enough.

 

[llsierra]

I took my .30-06 to South Africa in 2004, largely because of arthritis. I used 220 grain Nosler Partitions to kill a 56 inch Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Blesbok, Zebra, and alas, even a Steenbok. Every animal was a one shot kill, no having to hunt them down, cause they went straight down. Also, no bullets were recovered, shot thru and thru every time at ranges from 100-225 yards.

This year I'm going back to the RSA and Namibia with a .270 and Nosler Partitions, looking for smaller game.

The 180 Partition would be the lightest I'd go for African game, which is surprisingly tough, and I think the 200 Partition is probably ideal, even though my PH keeps pinging on me to use a 9.3x62mm.

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