Okay, here we go...

I am heading to South Africa, eastern side. The outfit I will be hunting with has a "free, no limit, shoot all you want please" policy RE baboons. Caveat, the shots will be 300-400+ yards. What would you all take, and why?

NO PISSING CONTESTS, PLEASE!!

Rich

I wish I had my old model 264 Westerner with it's 26" barrel back

Shot most of my Baboons with the 257 Ackley... worked nicely. They are fairly tough.

Hmm Africa long distance perhaps other game. I'm thinking a classic. 300H&H works with lite bullets and the heavy ones for plains game.

The most accurate rifle you have above 25 caliber and launches a bullet above 2800 fps with an SD of.248 or greater.

25-06 100 grns
270 win 150
6.5x55 in 130
7x57 140
30-06 165
338 win mag 210

quote:

What would you all take

.30-378 Wby loaded with S&H 135 grain Mil-Tac SHARRC. 400 yards - 1000 yards - Baboon - Buff - whatever ..... yawn ..... too easy Rich.

Chances are you won't get that many shots, take your plains game rifle, know the drop, and be done with it.

I'm guessing that after the first shot the Baboons will be red rumping it way out of site.

I would carry a very accurate 308 WCF with a Leuopld 2.5 to 8x Mark 4 M3 or a 3.5to 10x Mark 4 M3 [the ones with a Ballistic Cam] and a good rangefinder. Ammo would be 168gr Winchester Ballistic Silvertip, as it ranges great with the 168 Match cam that comes with the Leupolds.

For the bigger plains game I would use the Fderal 165 Trophy Bonded Bearclaws. In most 308's with good barrels they hit close enough together to use the same zero out to at least 200 yards. After 200 yards just use the Ballistic Tips on plains game.

Shooting baboons is great fun.

Rich,
not very sexy, but a 300 win mag with 168 gr. tsx's or accubonds gives you and honest 3100 fps and zeroed around 4"high at 100 will put you pretty much dead on around 300 and you should be able to hold over or use a mil-dot or ballistic reticle to do more.
GWB

Nothing that the 300H&H won't do, when you get to the heavier bullets then you will see where shines.

I've been meaning to do a 300 H&H. Keep on getting distracted.
GWB

A gun you are handy with.....

I wouldn't pacjk a 2nd rifle just for baboons, not worth the hassle. Any 2800fps+ round is flat enough for 350yd shots if you are capable. If yo uare taking a light rifle like a 270 or 280 for PG, that would be fine. You might want to go w/ a bullet like the NBT, at those distance they'll perform well.

Rich

you going all the way to Africa.

Take what ever is your favorite "Plains game rifle", and the 308 I mentioned in my previous post.

Either rifle can do the job of the other.... But being able to lazer a baboon at 425 yards, and immediately twist the BC to 425, aim, account for the wind and shoot, and get the hit...

Makes having the dedicated 308 baboon rifle worth the trouble...


Not that I have any "Personal Knowledge" of shooting Primates...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
The outfit I will be hunting with has a "free, no limit, shoot all you want please" policy RE baboons. Caveat, the shots will be 300-400+ yards. What would you all take, and why?

The few times I hunted in the RSA my hosts had "shoot every jackal and wildcat you see" policies but I didn't bring a varmint rifle. The one jackal I encountered under these rules of engagement fell to a 220 soft from my 30'06.

.280

I'd take my 264WM. But then, I probably don't have as many rifles as you do.

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:

Ezekiel 23:20

Hey, this is supposed to be a kid-friendly site! Gotta' love the Old Testament; nobody punishes inequity like YHVH.

Rich- If I were you I would take a smaller caliber rifle that you shoot well. Remember that you are restricted on the ammount of ammo you can take and smaller caliber means more ammo. The tracker I had shoots baboons out of an orchard in the off season and uses a 223 with great success.

300 winmag, 130 or 150gr tsx ot ttsx, 3100 fps, 4-16 scope, laser range finder, ballastics taped to buttstock

the 150gr ttsx would be my "hunt everything" but my 300 win is WICKED accurate, light enough to carry all day, and one of my least expensive rifles.

baring that... a 270 with 130 ttsx or my 7x64 with 140 gr ttsx .. all of them loaded mild, with fast powders ... i shoot better with less muzzle flash (everyone does)

Me?

My 270 Bee 130 Accubonds at almost 3500 fps.