First, I shoot a ’51, FN Mauser 30-06. It shoots most H/Ls and F/Ls under 1.5â€, 3 shot groups at 100yds. It shoots many better than that. I am hoping to go to Africa again in a few years. When I went before. I hunted with a M/L. This time I will probably go back to Namibia. A friend, who also shoots a 30-06 and I are contemplating on what bullet/bullets to use. We will be shooting from impala/springbok to Gemsbok. I would like to shoot a leopard if finances allow. We are considering 180 Accubonds, Partitions, or Interbonds. Or 200gn Accubonds or Partitions. We will not take shots over 300yds and probably not over 200 or so. We will not take running, severe raking nor Texas heart shots, unless at wounded animals. I am not too worried about how these bullets will perform on the bigger stuff. I wonder how they will perform on the smaller stuff. Also it seems to me that the 200s might be even better. Or would you take a heavier bullet for the bigger stuff and a lighter one for the lighter stuff? What is your opinion? thanks, capt david

I took all of my "plains game" with my 9,3x74R double rifle. A 30-06 with 180 or 200 gr Nosler Partitions should do fine.
I would take two rifles, just in case. what other rifles do you own.?

My heart lies with my 7x57 with 160 Partition H/Ls, but my brain lends toward HE 180 Partitions in my 308. capt david

C D...You are correct making the shot is better then just shooting...I would not hesitate taking an 06 with a premium bullet...Being a ground hunter aim small miss small..Works every time...Good luck...

Mike

When one considers that a .30-06 can push a premium (bonded) 200 grain bullet to nearly 2,800'/sec by a shovelful of RL22 and do it in a featherweight 6 1/2 pound rifle with a 22" barrel, it gets very hard to leave it home.

Load it and shoot it with the 200 grain bullets for everything from steenbok to Eland and forget the dual bullet theory. The big bullets work fine on even small targets as well.

The older I get the more I appreciate the (nearly) 100 year old .30-06

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Originally posted by vapodog:
When one considers that a .30-06 can push a premium (bonded) 200 grain bullet to nearly 2,800'/sec by a shovelful of RL22 and do it in a featherweight 6 1/2 pound rifle with a 22" barrel, it gets very hard to leave it home.

Load it and shoot it with the 200 grain bullets for everything from steenbok to Eland and forget the dual bullet theory. The big bullets work fine on even small targets as well.

The older I get the more I appreciate the (nearly) 100 year old .30-06

I'm taking my .06 to Zambia for P/G as my second gun because of exactly what you described.
However will most likely use 180 grain Noslers instead of 200's.
It simply is hard to overlook the merits of the 30.06 for (almost) everything.

quote:

However will most likely use 180 grain Noslers instead of 200's.

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Test fire a few Swift A-Frames....they don't shed the lead in the front partition like the Noslers do.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

However will most likely use 180 grain Noslers instead of 200's.

\
Test fire a few Swift A-Frames....they don't shed the lead in the front partition like the Noslers do.

Funny you say that because I was thinking of doing that very thing. I used Aframes for my 338 but the NOSLER 180's are just do damn accurate in my A-Bolt.
I think I will take your suggestion and test some.

quote:

Originally posted by captdavid:
A friend, who also shoots a 30-06 and I are contemplating on what bullet/bullets to use.

On an expensive trip, use the best. Nosler Partitions have about 60% weight retention, and Nosler Accubonds have 50-60% weight retention. These days that makes them second class bullets. I would use something with substantially higher weight retention for deeper penetration in case you end up taking a shot from a difficult angle. Swifts are definitely better than Nosler, but Swifts can foul a bore quickly unless your barrel has match grade smoothness to it. Same problem with Barnes. My personal preference would be North Fork.



www.northforkbullets.com

Captdavid
I would take Barnes 168 gr TSX. It will retain 98% of its weight and preform like a 200 gr lead core, no matter how it's bonded or partitioned.

Barrel fouling that 500 gr mentioned was a problem with the old Barnes X bullets, but the new TSX dosen't foul the barrel anymore than a standard lead core bullet.

The TSX is also the most accurate Hunting bullet on the market today.

CapD,
YOUR '06 WITH A GOOD QUALITY 180GR BULLET @ 2750-2800FPS IS ADEQUATE.
IN 30 YRS HAVE SHOT BASICALLY EVERY TYPE OF PLAINS GAME OVER HERE FROM STEENBOK TO ELAND WITH MY OLD PRE'64.
DUE TO BULLET AVALABILITY HASSLES I HAVE HAD TO USE AT TIMES SIERRA, HORNADY, NOSLER AND NORMA.
I HAD ONE BATCH OF NOSLER THAT WOULD NOT EXPAND. I HAD SOME SIERRAS THAT FRAGMENTED TOO EASILY. fORTUNATELY OTHER THAN AN EXTENDED TRACKING EXERCISE, THE OUTCOME WAS ALWAYS THE SAME, MEAT ON THE TABLE AND BILTONG ON THE RACK.

CD,

I used a 30-06 and 180gr TBBCs on our trip to Namibia. They worked just fine. BTW our PH recommend Barnes X bullets, which is what LaRita was useing in her 270win.

quote:

Originally posted by captdavid:
.... I am not too worried about how these bullets will perform on the bigger stuff. I wonder how they will perform on the smaller stuff. Also it seems to me that the 200s might be even better. ....

captdavid,

A thread you may find of interest Heavy Bullet Loads for the '06.

But, for Namibia, where I've read that ranges can be longer at times, I think a good 180 gr bullet would be hard to beat out of your .30-06. (Just for clarification, I've never hunted in Namibia.) Although I have not tried them yet, the new Barnes TSX bullets look very promising. Also, the 200 gr bullets (the ones that have fairly high ballistic coefficients) at around 2550-2600 fps will shot flatter than many people realize.

Just my two cents worth....
-Bob F.

Dai Uy,

The FN Mauser of that early 50s vintage is an uncommonly good rifle and we'd love to hear how you do with it on the Dark Continent. My father gave me one when I turned 15 and I damn near shot out the barrel using surplus military ammo with corrosive primers. Now I have another and it's really an indefatigable workhorse for sure. Not as smooth as a Model 70 nor does it have the instantaneous lock time of a Model 700 but it definitely gets the job done -- with class.

The 06 and others in the bore size/power group is more that enough for African plains game or anywhere else if the right bullets are used for the animal hunted. There probably has been more game bagged by the 303 than all the calibers put together. The only thing i do not like about hunting with cartridges in this catogorey is you never know whats around the next corner,or rise. It might be nothing or it might be Old George in a very bad mood and then you have a siutation that will not be setteled by a 06 unless you have nerves of steel and are a very good shot. Many hunters have been surprised in this manner, some got away with it and some relied on their P.H. to handle it. If you ask one he will tell you the paperwork needed to explain the situation and the dreaded radio call is not pleasent at all. charlie

I have used many types of bullets in Africa. On my first trip I used a 375h&h with Failsafe 270g bullets. I lost a Red Hartebeast on that trip and nearly lost a Gemsbuck because of high shots and bullets that would not expand. Similar results on Zebra however the bullet was in the correct place and the animal died quickly. I will never use that bullet again even though I know others have had great success with them. On trip # 2 I used a 338-06 with 210 XBT's anlong with 200g Nosler BT's. Finaly got that Hartebeast along with several other animals. No problems with anything. Trip #3 I hunted with a 7mm-08 and used nothing but Core Lock factory ammo. Yes the cheap stuff. Killed Kudu, Zebra, Wildebeast and lots of other plains game. Never any trouble. Trip #4 I took a 257 Weatherby with Partitions and 115G XLC's. Killed over 30 animals with that rifle and had not one problem. I also did a lot of hunting with a 22Mag on that trip and used it for Pigs,Impala,and any other creatures that were found. Never lost a single animal. Shots were close and I stayed away from any less than ideal angles. Where I am going is that on trip #1 I felt the need to go big and was way overguned. That was the only trip I ever had any issues. Since then I have taken guns that I enjoyed shooting and shot well. If I place the bullet on it mark the animals die. When people ask me what to bring on their first trip to Africa I always suggest the same thing experienced people told me prior to my first African adventure. Use the gun you hunt deer or elk with here in the States. The rifle you shoot most efficiently. Like me, most people dont listen and bring a 375 or super fast, heavy magnum. On trip #2, and there always is a trip #2, they usually bring their favorite deer rig.

Have fun!

Your pushing the string with a 200 gr. bullet at 2800 FPS if your in the high heat season of Africa, just my opine...

I would prefer a 180 Northfork or Nosler at 2700 FPS myself and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference..A 200gr. at 2600 would be an option I suppose, especially in the low veld country..

I save my 200 and 220 gr. bullets for my 300 H&H, they serve me better in the larger case.

I've used Federal TBBC - 180 gr on two prior trips, and will be taking them again this summer. Simply put - they work.

I used rem 140 gr core lokt rounds in my 7X57 on my last Deer hunt. Granted Whitetail deer are smaller than many species of plainsgame, but based on their performance I'd feel real comfortable using them on anything upto and including Kudu.

Just my 2 cents.

TerryR

My wife has used 30-06 on 3 trips to Africa and most hunts in North America. She's taken everything from Steenbok to Moose with 180 Gr. Partitions. Anything hit near the vitals died quickly. The only animal that was shot through the vitals that required extra shooting was a Zebra which was shot with a Swift A-Frame.

Use Nosler 180 grain Partitions and you wil not have any problems, I have shot a large number of animals with the 30-06 and it work well when I do my part

quote:

Your pushing the string with a 200 gr. bullet at 2800 FPS if your in the high heat season of Africa, just my opine...

This is likely a proper statement. I am basing my (about 2,800'/sec comment) on the data from the Alliant data book that shows a 200 grain bullet at 2680 and a 190 grain bullet at 2755'/sec and the pressures are 58,400 and 56,600 PSI respectively.

It's not much of a stretch to say (about) 2,800'/sec by raising the pressure to 61,000 PSI (same as the .25-06 and .270 and others) on a 200 grain bullet. Yes, I admit that I'm guessing about the pressure but the performance level is not far from the .300 Magnums and it makes the .30-06 a spectacular performer in a very lightweight package.

I fully agree that backing it off 100'/sec will not diminish it's capability measurably and afford some amount of warm climate insurance.

No matter how we cut it the .30-06 is a true performer in an easy to handle package.

I like Noslers. However, when hunting in the Oomkamas(sp) Valley my friend shot a huge kudu with 180 grain partitions. The shot was quarting on and he the bull perfectly in the shoulder. The bullet simply came apart and failed to adequately penetrate the chest. It required a long follow-up with several more shots. I would go for Swifts or Barnes in 200 grain.