Speaking of penetration; alot depends on the type of bullet you are shooting. I shot a buck this season using my .270 with a 130gr Barnes TSX bullet. The bullet entered the right shoulder, traveled 28" through the vitals & ended up in the left hindquarter. The shot was taken from about 30 yrds.
The Great Eland Debate
- Thread starter sheephunter
- Start date
Speaking of penetration; alot depends on the type of bullet you are shooting. I shot a buck this season using my .270 with a 130gr Barnes TSX bullet. The bullet entered the right shoulder, traveled 28" through the vitals & ended up in the left hindquarter. The shot was taken from about 30 yrds.
I shot a buck last year at 385 yards, bullet entered front chest, travelled full length of deer and exited via the hindquarter. 180gr TSX 300WSM.
I'm thinking that bullet could get through to an elands vitals.
I shot a buck last year at 385 yards, bullet entered front chest, travelled full length of deer and exited via the hindquarter. 180gr TSX 300WSM.
I'm thinking that bullet could get through to an elands vitals.
Mine didn't. It would have broadside, but that shot didn't present itself. Mine was the 168gr version from a 300 winny at about 100 yards.
Martin, I appreciate the fact that losing an eland is not something anyone wants to experience, but is it not possible you just made a bad shot? It happens to all of us. Countless eland have been killed with 270, 7mm, 308, 6.5 and 30-06 so to blame the loss of your eland solely on bullet or cartridge performance seems a bit narrow sighted. It is very possible that had you been shooting a .375 or .416 that the results could have been the same. Without recovering an animal you never know how the bullet or cartridge performed. It's a hard pill to swallow but regardless of how good of a shot we are are and I have no doubt you are a good one, that sometimes we place a bullet where we shouldn't have. I learned very long ago that 99.9% of lost animals can be chalked up to poor shot placement........
You can kill an elephant with an arrow too. As far as that goes you can kill anything with anything. The question becomes, when does it quit being a good idea? When are you pushing it? Why would you want to?
The list of animals in the world that are bigger than eland is pretty short. Elephant, rhino, hippo, giraffe, bison and I believe there is an Asiatic buffalo or gar as well.
I was pointing out that in Gatehouse's deer story the bullet traversed the length of a deer and from that he assumes it will go deep enough into an eland to get to the vitals. In order for the bullet in Clark's story to go lengthwise through the deer had to be shot from the front, the same angle I shot the eland with. Clearly the almost identical bullet with near identical ballistics didnt penetrate far enough on the eland.
I've said this to you before, if you want to shoot an eland with a 165gr bullet because your expertise says it's a good idea, go ahead. Clearly being a professional you have vast experience and nothing could possibly go wrong, I don't have that degree confidence in my abilities. I shot a very big eland with what I thought was lots of gun, a nice clean hit and it just trotted away. The eland wasn't recovered and survived to rejoin the herd. I haven't said it can't be done with the load you are planning, just that it's a stupid idea.
So again take your girlfriend, shoot an eland, come back, show us the pics
and tell us again how we are wrong and you are right...enjoy.
- Location
- calgary alberta
I suspect an 06 with a decent bullet would kill an Eland at reasonably close range, but from my experience I found these animals are fairly tough. Shot placement ofcourse is everything but light bullets loose penetration fairly fast. To have a bullet that expands but still holds together I believe is vital.
This guy took a 325 gr bonded 338 cal bullet about 18" ahead of his tail, he had places to be and at 550 yards away went down HARD. I did some gut pile digging and found the bullet had penetrated about 5 feet as the bullet was sitting inside his dewlap.
These critters DO have some structure to them, I believe more so than the Gembock, just not the great will to survive that the Gemsbock seem to have.
Apparently it wasn't a clean hit or you'd have a dead eland. How do you know how far the bullet penetrated? You are making a lot of assumptions based on a live, non fatally hit eland that many others have killed with the same and lesser cartridges. Curious how those other eland were killed with sub .338 cartridges when yours survived a perfect hit with a high quality bullet. Even you have to see the folly in your logic.
She'll be shooting a 180 grain TTSX and of course things could go wrong...just as they could with a magnum. I don't have confidence other than she shoots very well with her .30-06, she'll wait for a broadside shot or not take it and a well placed shot from a .30-06, at a reasonable distance will kill an eland. Unfortunately, more power is not the miracle cure for human error that you think it is. I find it amusing that you are clinging so desperately to the fact that it was lack of cartridge and nothing else that caused your eland to "live" another day. I lost a whitetail several years ago....I could blame it on the bullet or the cartridge or human error. I choose the last because that's the most likely cause. Some of us realize we are failable....others don't.
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- Location
- Back in the Peace Country
If the animal lived to go rejoin the herd, than no, it was not a good hit.
The reality is, without the animal, you have no idea where your bullet went, or how it performed ...
The reality is, without the animal, you have no idea where your bullet went, or how it performed ...
Will you pleasssssssse put me on ignore and stop responding to posts I make to other posters. I look forward to seeing pictures of a dead eland you guys shoot when you make your trip to Africa. After you put me on ignore, get someone else to start the thread and make sure they name the thread Dead Eland.
- Location
- Dah Soo,ON
- Location
- Dah Soo,ON
I mean...Eland are great!! You got the 338 dialed in?
Ya, it's flinging 225-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws pretty darned fine. It really didn't like the 210 grain Nosler Partitions though. Still praticing lots off the shooting sticks. I'm a bipod guy here in North America and the sticks do take some practice.
- Location
- Dah Soo,ON
I'd certainly imagine so. Do they fall down after te first relaxed shto on the win mag?
PS: My previous post was just messing around...no offence
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I'd certainly imagine so. Do they fall down after te first relaxed shto on the win mag?
PS: My previous post was just messing around...no offence
Oh, none taken.......
We are shooting off the two-legged version now and you need to hold them steady while you shoot so no, they don't fall over but I just ordered a set of the three legged ones so we can get some time on those as well. Lots to learn and lots to practice!
