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Hi, a silly question. One day I hope to go to Africa to hunt and if I could choose only one animal to hunt it would be Kudu. In my mind the most beautyfull antilope there is. So what caliber is recomended for Kudu Sauer and Zeiss, perfect match. Sherpi | ||
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Any 6,5 and upwards will be fine for kudu. L | |||
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sherpi, You have opened a hornets nets!  I know [knew] some old timers who, while they were mere boys, were given one sinlge Peters .22LR round by their father every week with the instruction: "Go shoot a big kudu." This was in the bushveld 1903- just after the English War and money, ammo and resources, barring game, were very scarce. The two boys would set out, find and stalk a kudu bull to about 50 yards and then shoot it "between two ribs". They would then wait a bit and then quietly walk back to the house to fetch a pair of oxen yolked to a sled. Once back at the point where they took the shot they would track the kudu to where it lay dead. I have absolutely no doubt that the Late Oom Willem de Kok was tellingh the truth about this. So, an expert shot and excellent hunter can hunt kudu with a .22LR. I would not do it at all! I have personally seen a number of kudu [mostly cows, but some bulls too] being shot high in the neck with a 45 grain bullet from a .22 Hornet with DRT results. I would not do it at all! I have personally shot a few kudu with a 100 grian bullet from a .234 win. After wounding and loosing one, I would not do it at all again! IMNSHO the minimum that the average good hunter and good shot should consider is a 6.5 mm with 140 grain premium bullets at about 2500 ft/sec. I would however recommend at least a .270 with 150 grain bullets, also at about 2500 ft/s. I would be happy to act as a PH for anyone who uses a .30 cal with 165 grains + bullets at about 2500 ft/sec. This "translates" to a well-loaded .308 win. You don't need a magnum at all. Just my opinion on this In good hunting. Andrew McLaren. | |||
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I say the bigger the better. I used 300 win mag, one shot thru the lungs and the kudu went about 50 yds. before going down. | |||
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I think the guys are spot on with the 6.5 minimum recommendation. As boring as it is the 30-06 still does it as well as anything. | |||
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Certain countries have minimum requiremnets. And I think in Zimbabwe the 270 is the minimum for kudu and similar animals. I have shot quite a number of plains game with various 270 calibers. Including sable, zebra, kudu and eland. My suggestion is to use a premium bullet. | |||
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In a discussion I had with a PH, he said a .223 would do the job on Kudu. Allegedly, they aren't as tenacious in holding on to life as the other plains game. | |||
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.22 Hornet will kill kudu just a .308 has killed thoudands of elephants...but is it to be recommended as a sensible choice for a once off hunt, not really! I say your minimum start point is 6.5 mm and a 140gr bullet, move up from there....also check the country/province legal requirements! Many Kudu are shot in SA with .270's....probably most with .308/.30-06/.303 I have had no problem killing them cleanly with a .308/165gr partition. If I was visiting for once off hunt with a kudu, I would go with a 7mm/175gr or .30cal/180gr bullet as a benchmark. As a visiting hunter, why mess with borderline calibres? You may want to take a slight rear angled shot and want to be confident of penetration and an ethical kill. | |||
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Have probably shot over 25 Kudu in Zim and have used 375,30-06,and 7x57. Have really noticed little difference in results from any of the three. All three have been most effective out to 250 yds. Of the 3 I prefer the 7x57 with 175gr Nosler Partition. Very effective ,light weight and accurate to distances I will shoot. SCI Life Member NRA Patron Life Member DRSS | |||
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Like most bigger animals in the world, I would advise you take the biggest rifle (within reason, you don't need a cannon to kill a Kudu) that you shoot the best. Load it with the best bullets you can, I like Barnes X. I agree with the Zim rules and personally would not shoot a Kudu with anything lighter than a 270. GO TO AFRICA AS SOON AS YOU CAN, you won't regret it!!!!!!!!! | |||
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.270 would be my minimum, .308 and .3006 no problems... You hit em right and they go down. | |||
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I had no problem with the 7x57 with a 160 Nosler partition, one shot, dead kudu. Most of the PH's consider hartebeest, gemsbuck, and of course zebra much harder to kill than a kudu. A shot not taken is always a miss | |||
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I killed my kudu with a 30-06 at about 135 yds with a 168g aframe. One shot one kill | |||
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.30-06/.308 or larger (preferably) you owe it to the animal to kill it not torture it with your ego. | |||
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an arrow!  577 BME 3"500 KILL ALL 358 GREMLIN 404-375 *we band of 45-70ers* (Founder) Single Shot Shooters Society S.S.S.S. (Founder) | |||
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One suggestion I would make, if you choose to go with a larger caliber, is to take some solids with you. I blundered into a very nice kudu in Zim, feeding in very dense mopane, at about 75 yards. Problem is he was facing away from us and the the wind was swirling all over the place and we couldn't wait for a better shot. I unloaded the 286 Barnes X bullet, loaded a solid and made a Texas heart shot, down in 20 yards, minimal meat damage, the bullet went straight thru and exited out the chest. I probably could have made the shot with the X bullet, just felt better with the solid. | |||
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.30-06 with a 200 grain Barnes original at 2500 ft/sec worked for me 57.5 x 57.25, 10.75 & 10.75 deep curls.  Still happy after all these years! Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
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Sherpi, I just returned from a hunt with Mike Kibble of Progress Safaris in Namibia. I had my favourite 264 Win Mag loaded with 140XLCs. The kudu was almost broadside at 90 yards......placed the shot well, through the shoulder 1/3 the way up...knocked the bull down. When we approached for the finsher, the bugger jumped up and pissed off, a neck/spine shot finally put him down for keeps. He was a HOG of a kudu. Moral of the story: I'm buying a 338 Magnum  | |||
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A 308Win did it for me. One shot at 50meters with a 165gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. It was a 11 Oclock 5 Oclock shot that took out the heart, lungs, liver and into the stomach. He ran about 30 to 40 meters. | |||
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