gentlemen, I intend to go to Africa for the first time, in Central African Republic. Nothing bigger than wildebeest/kuku class.
They ask the hunter to bring a rifle in a caliber "Bigger than 7mm.", without further specifications. Certainly they don't think about a 30.30...
The point is I hava a CZ601 in .308 I am very fond of, am well used to it. I intend, also for sentimental reasons, to take it there, with 165gr softpoints of good quality.
do you think it will do?
thanks.

Graff,

Your 308 will do just fine for hunting in the CAR.

I would recommend that you use only premium bullets though.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

I agree with the premium bullets advice and would personally choose heavier ones, especially for kudu, say 200-gr. Nosler Partitions or Swift A-Frames.
Sarge

Hi Graff

Although my experience is somewhat limited compared to the regulars on this forum, I would concur that a heavy-for-calibre bullet is the way to go. I think a 180 gr premium bullet in your 308 would do well.

On Saturday I picked up some trophies from Heathrow Airport, including a big Kudu bull. Looking at the pelt reminds me what a big animal they are.

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Regards

Richard

the 308 with 180 gr. premium bullets is very popular in all of Africa....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Thank you, gentlemen. My rifle shoots Federal Premiums partition 180s quite well. I think they'll do!

Graff,

Your .308 Win will do fine for you, with that old prescription proper bullet placement of course.

I have used a .308 Win on three hunts now, most recently in Zimbabwe in September, 2001. The rifle is a Steyr Scout.

I used Winchester FailSafe 180 grain and Speer Nitrex 180 grain Grand Slam loads.

jim

Graff and Hunter Jim - Welcome to the Forum!The .308 Winchester is as appropriate for use in Africa as it is anywhere else. There are few species a quality 180 or 200 grain bullet of .30 caliber can't handle. It's an accurate and user friendly cartridge of good power.

If one was to build the "Perfect African Antelope rifle" what would one want ?

I ask this because the stalking of African antelope is first rate sport and desrves a dedicated rifle. Would you want the heavy "balanced" weight of a DG rifle ? or something more "carryable" ?

Say for critter's up to Sable, or Kudu ? Would 300mag be best ? Will the traditionalist's demand the return of the 300H&H for this "perfect rifle"? Is the .338 overkill for a Antelope rifle ?

And what bullet/load ? Saeed you shoot a 7mm WC for much of your African 'lope hunting dont you ?...........thanx.........10

I have used the 308 Win for "Antelope" in Africa too.

Certainly it requires great shot placement, and premium bullets.

The 308 is the "lightest" I would consider.

On the other end of the spectrum, the 338 Mag is now my favorite, and it is NOT overkill.

It just kills 'em.

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May I be half the man my dog thinks I am.

10point,
Given the fairly short ranges that antelope are hunted at (oryx and mtn nyala excepted) I would lke a bit more bullet diameter than the .300 but the velocity of the .338 Win isn't necessary. That would leave me wanting either my old .318 WR, a .338/'06, a .35 Whelen, 9.3x62, etc. Sable are tough and eland are big. Those are the reasons for the bigger bullet. If you aren't going for eland (you silly person, they're the best eating on Earth) then careful shooting with an '06 or .300 will do nicely.
Sarge

How big are Eland Sarge ? in LB's ? Thanx.......10

What I understand is 1800 lbs up...weigh more than a buff.

Though they are reputedly not hard to kill, the darned things are the size of a moose, and I mean the Alaskan version! 1600-1800 lbs sounds, right, Bill, but I swear that my partner lost one that could easily have topped a ton. That ol' boy was HUGE. Jim tracked him for two days and he was going faster the evening of the second day than he was the first. Like anything, with a properly placed shot, they go down but anything that big can really carry lead. Our PH swore that he would never again let anyone shoot an eland with a "small bore" (.300 H&H!) again. As far as he was concerned, for the biggest antelope in the world, a .338 was a minimum. Think about that, the best meat that walks and it comes in packages near the size of the bakkie. Mmmm-mm!
Sarge

Since most safari shooting is at plains species, it only makes good sense to tailor the rifle to the conditions and game. It might be more important here than to worry over which big bore you'll take to shoot once or twice at a buffalo!
Since the bulk of my plains shooting has taken place in East Africa, I have found a flat shooting rifle the best for my own purposes. Having tried the bigger and slower numbers, I came away very unimpressed with their supposed advantages. The 300magnum with 180-200gr bullets beats them hands down for me, and in fact impressed my PH so much that he bought one for himself! To date, I have never lost an animal shot with the 300mag, and that includes several eland, sable, gemsbok, kudu and leopard.

John I used a 300 winnie and it worked well on most things. I did blow up a steenbuck and my kudu did a bit of walking when my bullet hit a limb on the way to target. I now like to hit them with about 270-300 gr of 375. If you are shooting under eland sized game the 308 with good bullet placement should be fine. Have fun in he CAR. "D"