Any thoughts on what would be an optimium caliber for Kudu in Namibia? I have a wide range of choices, but am leaning toward the .338 WinMag. It will reach out if need be and I shoot it well.

Very good choice...I like the 210 Noslers myself...kudu are soft and not hard to kill as compared to a Bull Elk, Moose or Eland...

Holly and I will be also be hunting kudu, mtn. zebra, gemsbok, springbok and leopard in Namibia next April.

We've used my .300 Jarrett with 200 gr. Nosler Partitions @ 3050 fps to take over 30 African plains game animals, including several large kudu bulls.

Our Namibian PH thinks a .300 Magnum shooting heavy, premium bullets, is one of the best choices for Namibian plains game hunts where shots can often be longer than normally encountered in South Africa.

That said, we will have the a .30/06, the .300 Jarrett, a .338 Win. Mag. and a .375 H&H in our Tuff-paks when we arrive in Windhoek!

Any one of these rifles, with proper bullets, would probably suffice to hunt everything on our trophy list; but, to use a golf analogy (I HATE golf, BTW), why play all your shots with the same club when you've got a bag full to choose from?

Take your .338 and a .300 Mag and you'll be prepared for anything, and have a backup on hand if one of them suffers a mishap enroute or in the field.

The .300Wby. with super-premium 180gr. bullets is about perfect for this class of animals. The .338Win.Mag. is also a fine choice, and as Ray says, the 210gr. Nosler is just about right.

Shots in Namibia can be long.

George

In Sept. I used a 30-06 load with Federal High Energy 180gr TBBCs. One shot at 70 yards and he was done.

akpls,

I used a .375 H&H last trip in Namibia to shoot kudu (and everything else for that matter). Your .338 Win Mag will do fine, several friends have used it on kudu and other heavy plains game.

Ranges in Namibia can be longer, but I shot my kudu at about 90 yards in the thorn bush. I find them somewhat easy to spot as their horns throw flashes of light as they move their heads around -- it really draws the eye to them when glassing hillsides.

jim dodd

The .338 should be great. I used .264 for all plains game the one and only time I was there.

The 338 Win Mag is a winner. I used my 338 for Kudu, Mt. Zebra, Gemsbok, Springbok and Hartebeest shooting 250 Woodleigh Weldcores. Now looking back on it, I agree with Ray, the 210 Partition is suitable and will use them next time. Any gun you shoot well and are familiar with should be your choice.

Jim

The .338 is very good, but I don't think you could do better than the .375with 300 gr bullets. Kudu, by their nature, will be in the thick bush and the slower, heavier bullet will be of benefit. It always seems like they are looking over their shoulder at you and may require pushing through a little paunch towards the vitals on a quartering shot. Try a 250 gr bullet for the more open country for springbok and gemsbok.
Good luck,
Jim

I am sure a .338 would work well, but I know that a good broad head on a good shaft flying off a good bow at around 275 feet per second worked well for me !!!!
Sorry to all y'all "thunder stickers" but I could not help myself!

Back in '94 I dropped a kudu with a 175 grain Nosler Partition fired from a 95 Mauser chambered in 7X57. The bullet left the muzzle somewhere between 2300-2400 f/s. Later measured the distance at 200 yards. The bullet entered just behind the shoulder and exited just behind the far shoulder. Animal dropped in his tracks, but was trying to get up. I let loose and second shot that hit fairly close to the first and it, too, exited the far side burying itself in the ground. By the time we got the beest he had quit breathing.

Not saying this is the ideal round for kudu, just saying it worked for me. It was a pretty good sized animal.

I like the .300 magnums best for all-around Namibian hunting. I've used the .300 Win. Mag. loaded with 180 gr. Noslers on everything in that country from Damaraland dik dik to Cape eland. That includes a 56" kudu, which went down so hard when the rifle went off that he seemingly bounced. I'd rather take a flatter shooting .300 instead of a .338 or .375, and you're not giving up anything the way of killing power.

AD

I September, 2001, I used a Federal Premium High Energy 338 Win. Mag., 225 grain TBBC, and this combo worked just fine on impala, kudu, wildebeast, two kudus, and several others. Sneak in as close as you can and have fun!
Jeff in Texas and off to chase birds and deer!

I used a .300 H&H with 200 grain Swift A-Frames and had no trouble. If I was to return for Kudu, I'd pick a shorter and lighter .30-06 with 180 Grain SAF. Your .338 will be fine however.

I hope you have as much fun as I did.

I used a .338 Win. Mag. for Kudu and it worked very well. However, my PH wanted me to use my .30-06 instead stating it was more than enough gun for the task. I've noticed some of my PH's have some sort of prejudice against the .338 Win. Mag. (and just about anything Weatherby). I think anything with velocities higher than the .375 H&H is too fast in their collective books.

I used a 338 with Federal 250gr NP for Kudu, Zebra, Eland, Wildebeast, and a Warthog. All were one shot kills.

.375 w/ 270 grain "X" @ 2,750-2,850fps.

The .338 is a fine choice, as is any caliber from .30 up through .375. Just use a good bullet, and practice, practice, practice.

Another vote for the 338, mine likes 225 X and they do the job, eh.

I have to agree with Nickudu, that is the exact load I shoot for plains game.

Mike

I suggest a 270 with premium bullets. You do not need anything bigger. Most of the South African hunters I know will tell you that the 243 work just fine.

I took a nice Namibian kudu last year using a 270 Weatherby Mag with 150-gr Nosler factory load - he was facing me from 80-90 yards away and the bullet entered the chest, putting him down quickly. I saw another kudu taken with a 300Win/200 Nosler with about the same effect.

I had a 375 along, but my PH suggested I use the 270 WM. His rifle was (is) a 300 Win.