There are many people with 100 plus hunting rifles and a shortage of hunting trips. There's nothing illegal about that, but sometimes you wonder. I'm just as guilty as the next guy, but someday the conversion process will begin.
375h&h, one do it all African load..?
- Thread starter liberty
- Start date
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Therein lies the the problem.I don't know that I'm ready for that big 'D' word. To start with, my focus is and has been decent hunting quality long guns and decent quality handguns. While the field application for some of what I have 'may' be somewhat unlikely, I still enjoy the shooting of them, even just punching paper. Also, the work on loads and reloading for 'them' is part on the enjoyment for me.
With Africa as a possibility, I'd go for plains game. I don't knock it but the likes of Elephant, Rhino, Hippo or the big cats isn't something of interest to me. As I recall,
Even here in NA, Bear isn't something on my list. Deer, Moose and this year, Antelope as 'table fare' my wife enjoys but I don't think, rather I know she wouldn't be willing to go for Bear. I can live with that.
Keep me in mind for that beauty of an RSI SS...
Tell you guys what. If I win the lottery, everyone of the gang goes to Africa. I don't buy lotto tickets, but I absolutely mean it in saying if I win everyone goes.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Keep me in mind for that beauty of an RSI SS...
Tell you guys what. If I win the lottery, everyone of the gang goes to Africa. I don't buy lotto tickets, but I absolutely mean it in saying if I win everyone goes.
Okay, you're down as #1 on the list if it comes available. In the meantime,
it's slated for giant Vancouver Island Blacktail this coming season.
How about 10 extras? or 5 extras with good scopes? Or several thousands of dollars a year in working up loads for more guns than the owner could hunt? I'm not saying that any of this applies to you specifically, but it does apply to a lot of people.
Its a hard step from paying money for a possession to paying money for a memory. Some can never make that leap and some don't have any problem with it.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
You're quite correct in what you've said and your assessment. I guess, in addition, it depends a lot on what you want and your priorities. I don't offer any excuses or regrets with the following, but rather state as an explanation. Earlier on, with the requirements of a young family and work, much of my R&R concerning shooting and hunting revolved around weekend Deer & Grouse hunting and the one or two trips a year for my favorite, Moose. As in going to Africa, for me, my interest would be plains game as mentioned earlier. That being so, at my age and at todays retirement income level, I'd probably go for more opportunities at Mr. Moose. With the good fortune of 'some' success at Lotto 649, the thoughts of Africa would become of more interest. At present, acquiring a few more decent quality firearms to 'enjoy' and the fairly recent Mule Deer and Antelope hunts in Alberta with my Daughter and S.I.L. are quite satisfying. And, in the not too distant future, I look forward to the chance to hunt with my Granddaughters. Hopefully, I'll get that chance.
no need to post two times ...
your family that go hunting with you Johnn will always remember those days. i still remember when i was 5yo and went with my dad ....
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
When my wife & I were out to AB for a visit years ago, I thought I'd get our Granddaughter a bit of a head start. With
a little help from Walmart, I helped her get her first Bear.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I'll vote, based on very very limited .375 H&H experience and about as much African experience. I used my .375 H&H Ruger RSM loaded with 260 NP for two elk and one black bear. The bullet didn't have any surprises or drama for one elk or the bear, but the first elk was enough to shake my confidence in the whole concept. I shot a medium sized bull elk on the point of the oncoming shoulder as he walked towards me at just over 100 M. The bullet hit the point of the shoulder, where the scapula/ humerus meet. I thought a perfect hit. But it bounced off and deflected outwards. Another quick running shot put the bull down, although a bit far back but through the spine. The first shot shattered the scapula, ranged back along the ribs, and exited on the same (near) side. Not at ALL what i expected! Maybe a heavier/tougher bullet would have worked better...
In the Eastern Cape of South Africa I shot an Eland with a nice accurate 30-06 Sako. Eland was walking, at about 260 meters. Eland are not built like moose, and my Canadian aim was bad as a result. I shot too far back. The tiny 165 gr. TSX caught only a bit of the liver, the diaphragm, and the far side lung before exiting. The rest was not nice and both frustrating and sadly exciting. A tracking job that took almost an hour and 5 more shots through the lungs. My advice on Eland? Don't screw up the first shot and use a bullet that is fully adequate. both wide wound channel AND penetration!
I killed lots of other stuff on that first hunting safari with one shot using that 30-06 and 165 grain tsx bullets. But this is what I got as a " take away" message -
Use a bullet that expand easily, penetrates deeply, and does not deflect when given a severe challenge. (oh, and I don't normally shoot at stuff over 250-300 M away)
Gleaning from what I have read, and from my Canadian experience of a hundred of so head of game with a variety of cartridges, and zero experience with hippos or elephant that would mean ...
.375 H & H with 300 gr. TBBC, Swift A Frame, or 270 TSX, or the 300 NP.
In the Eastern Cape of South Africa I shot an Eland with a nice accurate 30-06 Sako. Eland was walking, at about 260 meters. Eland are not built like moose, and my Canadian aim was bad as a result. I shot too far back. The tiny 165 gr. TSX caught only a bit of the liver, the diaphragm, and the far side lung before exiting. The rest was not nice and both frustrating and sadly exciting. A tracking job that took almost an hour and 5 more shots through the lungs. My advice on Eland? Don't screw up the first shot and use a bullet that is fully adequate. both wide wound channel AND penetration!
I killed lots of other stuff on that first hunting safari with one shot using that 30-06 and 165 grain tsx bullets. But this is what I got as a " take away" message -
Use a bullet that expand easily, penetrates deeply, and does not deflect when given a severe challenge. (oh, and I don't normally shoot at stuff over 250-300 M away)
Gleaning from what I have read, and from my Canadian experience of a hundred of so head of game with a variety of cartridges, and zero experience with hippos or elephant that would mean ...
.375 H & H with 300 gr. TBBC, Swift A Frame, or 270 TSX, or the 300 NP.
Last edited:
- Location
- Saskatchewan
here's a pic of the eland,
and the elk
and the elk
Thanks for all the replies so far.
That's an interesting account of bullet, or should I say non bullet performance Longwalker.
Never could have imagined a Nosler Partiton bullet bouncing off the shoulder of an elk, although under the right conditions and I suppose anything's possible regardless of bullet.
I was with my buddy who shot a bull moose at about 20 yards away with the 225 grain partition out of a 338 win mag... hit him square in the chest ..darn thing turned and ran... granted it didn't go far but I would have thought it would have knocked it right off its feet but it didn't.
So you never know how an animal is going to react after being hit.
.
That's an interesting account of bullet, or should I say non bullet performance Longwalker.
Never could have imagined a Nosler Partiton bullet bouncing off the shoulder of an elk, although under the right conditions and I suppose anything's possible regardless of bullet.
I was with my buddy who shot a bull moose at about 20 yards away with the 225 grain partition out of a 338 win mag... hit him square in the chest ..darn thing turned and ran... granted it didn't go far but I would have thought it would have knocked it right off its feet but it didn't.
So you never know how an animal is going to react after being hit.
.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Indeed, and last fall's Moose I made the same shot as your friend liberty but with a little 7x57 and a 160gr TSX, square in the chest and he dropped on the spot. No sure things in the terminal ballistics world for sure, and shoot enough game and you'll definitely see strange things happen. I'm beating well travelled ground in this thread but as wiser voices have already stated make your bullet selection based on the toughest animal you'll hunt, it will work on everything else too. The TSX performed very well on buffalo for me, and decent on plains game.
Shoot everything through the shoulders if possible to give those hard buffalo bullets some resistance to work with on the smaller animals. On the other hand watching trackers at work is part of the experience, so that can go either way.
When my wife & I were out to AB for a visit years ago, I thought I'd get our Granddaughter a bit of a head start. With
eishh, beautiful!
- Location
- Center of Oil Country
Might as well add to the comments as this is a favorite caliber of mine. Any good quality 300 grain bullet will work quite nicely on all the plains game my preference is the 300 grain partition. Advice from earlier posts by members are all good - yes everyone has their choice. I would personally opt for a tougher bullet on a buffalo - used a 350 grain Woodleigh SP and solid on mine - Trade Ex stocks these now - years ago had to bring these in special from the US. You don't realize how tough a dugga boy is until he absorbs all that energy from your rifle and runs off - have to experience it first hand.
