I saw that in the Africa Reference regarding this topic, that minimum calibre for plains game is 7mm. My question therefore is, if the .270 is allowed, as it is the REAL 7m

Thanks

The 270 Winchester is allowed.

Thanks.

Too bad though, otherwise I would've just found my new excuse for another gun..

Cheers

If this was the reason, of course .270 is ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN

I knew this would happen. Deon, the "7mm minimum" for Namibia is bad information, completely incorrect.

See here.

Whether to get another rifle is up to you, however!

NAPHA (Namibian Professional Hunting Association) lists "7mm" as being the "minimum caliber" for game animals. This is apparently erroneous shorthand for the actual regulation which requires a cartridge generating a minimum amount of energy for certain categories of game. Calibers smaller than 7mm (.284" bullet) are commonly used for game in Namibia. So far as I am aware, no one checks on or enforces the regulation as it is pretty much up to the owner of the private land where most hunting is done as to what firearms he deems sufficient.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Calibers smaller than 7mm (.284" bullet)...

The 'minimum .284" bullet diameter' is nothing but an interpretation of the statement "calibers smaller than 7mm". It is correct that the calibers we commonly think of as "7mm" (7x57, 7 mm Rem Mag, 7x64) are normally shot with .284 cal bullets (note: there is a difference in bullet diameter between SAAMI and CIP spec). But the interpretation "7mm = .284 cal" simply comes from traditional caliber designations.

In reality, the .277 cal bullets exceed 7mm diameter - something like 7.04mm - and if bullet diameter is accepted as the easiest and most common way to measure "caliber", the .277 calibers are rightly the "true" 7mm-s.

The .284 cal bullets measure about 7.21mm.

The problem with the above, is that there is no unified way of defining "caliber". Over time, this concept has been defined in a multitude of ways, e.g. bullet diameter (the easiest and most commonly used definition), barrel diameter over lands, barrel diameter over grooves etc etc. "Caliber" is not a very well defined property, yet people happily use this concept in regulations (e.g. in the Swiss Canton of Glarus) and then expect their regulations to be unambiguous - which is clearly not the case.

- mike

Mike, let's not detour from the subject, which is whether there is a minimum caliber requirement in Namibia, and don't obfuscate things with how the term "caliber" is or is not defined.

There is no minimum caliber requirement -- there is only a minimum energy requirement, which is approximately 1,000 ft. lbs. for springbok and smaller game, 2,000 ft. lbs. for game up to eland, and 4,000 ft. lbs for buffalo and larger. Typically, the .243 is considered legal for most non-dangerous game.

As to whether anyone actually enforces these regulations I am not informed.

Energy, expressed in joules, is it in Namibia.

Of interest is that I've used a .22 k-hornet in Southern Africa with a 60 grain Nosler partition (just under 1,000 joules). The round cleanly took small antelope and a young warthog female (all through and through) at distances up to about 50 metres... Now, if I wanted to use it in Namibia and make the energy requirements, I'd drop to the 45 grain bullet with much increased velocity and risk bullet failure on such game.

Regards

It would be pretty tough to get a .22 Hornet up to the Namibia requisite 1,350 Joules (995.7 ft. lbs.) with any bullet; but I agree that it would quite nicely take small antelope/duikers with a 60 grain Nosler, and much better than with a 45 grain Hornet-type bullet.

Clearly, energy isn't everything when it comes to inflicting sufficient trauma to anchor game (nor is bullet weight, bullet diameter, velocity, momentum or any other single measurment by itself).

Well I did it, three years ago I took with me in Namibia my Anschutz .22k-hornet as second rifle.
Steenbuck and hirax have been hunted with it, but we often used it to finish the animals. I did not have problems at the border check.

I have used a .22-250 with a 55gr Hornady on a number of animals in RSA---Vaal Rhebok, Oribi, Klippie, Springbok(s), Red Duiker, Grysbok, etc....all went down nicely.Have no idea how many joules it produces as I took physics about 50 years ago....

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
It would be pretty tough to get a .22 Hornet up to the Namibia requisite 1,350 Joules (995.7 ft. lbs.) with any bullet;....).

SC,

Remember we're talking the k-Hornet at this point. I've used the kinetic energy joules calculator and it's not a problem to go over 1,350 joules with the 45 gr bullet at 800 or so m/sec.

Regards, Tim

A 45 grain bullet would have to travel at a little better than 3150 fps, or 960 m/s in order to produce 1,350 joules or 995 ft. lbs. That's a pretty ambitious speed, even for a K-Hornet. Regardless, the 900 or so ft. lbs. it might realistically produce is plenty of energy for the small antelopes if properly applied.