I have a nilgai hunt upcoming. My rifles available are a 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 404 Jeffrey. The 375 is an old friend and we have hunted everywhere. It has had some sighting issues that I am not sure are resolved. Need some more range time. Some days my elderly eyes are not as good as they once were. Is it me or is it the 375?


The 416 shoots well. The guide shoots a 416 so ammo loss on airlines will be a non issue.

The 404 is unblooded and I would like to take it. Howsomever, if there are any hitches with ammo I do not expect to find 404 Jeffrey ammo in just any hardware store in south Texas. Which rifle?

D,
since you are in the us, and going in the US, send a box of extra ammo (or 2) to your guide, and have them hold it.(them)

Normally , nilgai are taken at 150-300 yards ... if they stuck around they would be dangerous game!!

You can get 404 in South Texas, btw, just have to know which store.. you'd be surprised.

So, if it were me, with these 3 choices, I would take all 3, sending the ammo ahead a month before, and rotate them on each hunt.. morning, afternoon, evening.

want to stick it to one gun? the 416 rigby

jeffe

Couple of friends just returned from a South Texas nilgai hunt. Two one-shot kills. One used a 35 Whelen, the other a 9.3x62.

I would take the 404 just because.

I used a .375H&H w/300gr. Swift A-Frames on my nilgai hunt. One shot through both lungs, and it died within 50yds.

Any of the three cartridges you mention will work just fine; as nilgai hunting can involve long stalks and crawls in hot weather, take the one you can carry and handle most easily.

George

any of your caliber choices would work well. i shot mine broadside with a 300 win with 180gr fialsafes at about 100-yards. it ran about 30-yards and fell over.

I would take the .416 Rigby and load a 340 gr woodleigh protected point, I would probably mount a 2-7 leupold for the purposes you have mentioned. This would be a flat shooting combo !!

How close are you hunting to the McAllen/Pharr area? "Glick Twins" sporting goods store may have a box of 404. If not, they can have one there in time for your hunt.

D. Hunter,
All good choices and fun to hunt with. I've taken blue bulls with the .416 Remington and .375 H&H. Both were more than adequate but nilgai are tough and shots can be on the longish side at times, especially if you find yourself in the dunes. I would probably opt for the .375 and keep working on her to get comfortable with the gun if I were serious about shooting a big bull. I would use the 270 grain Failsafe or 260 Accubond.

If I were just having fun I would take the .404 and christen her properly! You might worry about the ammo but unless you have several plane changes there shouldn't be a huge worry.

Here is what you have to look forward to:

I have killed 4 Nilgai with my 375 H&H and 3 with my 300 Win Mag. My preference is the 375 with 270 gr Barnes X bullets.A close friend has killed over 70 Nilgai-split about equal between a 300 Win and a 416 REM.Only bullet failure was a Nosler partition in the 300.
Do noy shoot too far forward in the shoulder. This is the #1 mistake we see. Bueno suerte!!

Take the .416 Rigby.........Of Course!!!

I have 35W-250gr NP and 300 H&H-200gr NP that I
am comfortable shooting. What I have not found is an anatomy chart of Nilgai. I have been told that Elk is about the same and I am not 100% satisfied with that. Do any of you know where I can get an anatomy chart of Nilgai? Or possibly show a spot on a picture where to place a quick
kill shot?

TIA

Deans

No anatomy chart, but try to break both shoulders. That will puncture both lungs, and keep the nilgai from running too far.

George

upright crosshair between front legs
horizontal crosshairs 1/3 to 1/2 to way up
aiming through the space between the legs, trying to get that even.

1/2 way up, high lung/heart ..
1/3 way up, mostly heart

kills any 4 legged animal

jeffe

[QUOTE]Originally posted by D Hunter:
I have a nilgai hunt upcoming.

(QUOTE]

D Hunter,

if you don't mind my asking, where are you going to be hunting in South Texas?

I'd like to do one of these hunts one of these days.

We hunt the Ytturria ranch. Though some times they put us on one of the adjacent ranches for various reasons.

As to shot placement I think the best place3 is 9-12 inches under the top of the hump on the back. They fall right there if you do your part. If you think you aim high and the go down, get a heart lung shot in for insurance asap. Those dead ones sometimes get up and runnoft. Good hunting. I need to play at the range a bit to find out which I will take. Right now I think the 404.

D Hunter,
Which Yturria Ranch do you hunt? The pictures I posted above came off of Frank's place. I will be hunting there again this month on the 18th and 19th. I've hunted the Armstrong twice, Norias Division of the King Ranch twice and the Yturria three times and feel the Yturria is better "hands down".

Do you have contact info for the Ytturia Ranch? I am only 45 miles away. I have used my 338 Win Mag, 225 grain Core-Lokt and both dropped! Shots were lungs and frontal.

I hear Nilgai are exceptional eating. What is the cost of a hunt?

a 404 should kill them stright up. If you put the bullet right. My 350 RM did just fine.

505ED

505ED What bullet did you use in you 350RM? I have a 35W with a 250gr NP load. Would a Swift A-Frame be more suitable? I know Nilgai hide is
tough.

TIA

Deans

quote:

Do you have contact info for the Ytturia Ranch? I am only 45 miles away. I have used my 338 Win Mag, 225 grain Core-Lokt and both dropped! Shots were lungs and frontal

Call Lendall Laxton of L&L Hunting at 361.550.6532.

BwanaMRM, Have you hunted Franks place all three times? We hunt Danny's place. I guess it is just south of Frank's. I am curious about how long Frank's has been open to nilgai hunting? It has been implied that Franks has been closed to hunting until recently. Thanks. "D"

lost ammo should is not an issue. Put it in your locked gun case. If you have a gun, you have ammo. That is the way the TSA wants you to do it nowadays.

In years past after arriving in other countries, I have had a both a rifle and no ammo, and ammo and no rifle. Now I don't have to woory about it. It i sall or nothing! DOn't worry too much about it. I have no idea how many miles I have flown with guns and only had 3 problems (and one of those was a flight back home, so really did not matter).

Deans,

I used a Horandy 250 RN pushed to a little over 2430 fps worked like a charm.

Ed

.375 is a good choice.

How much does a hunt like that cost?

quote:

BwanaMRM, Have you hunted Franks place all three times? We hunt Danny's place. I guess it is just south of Frank's. I am curious about how long Frank's has been open to nilgai hunting? It has been implied that Franks has been closed to hunting until recently. Thanks. "D"

D,
Yes I have. There is a very limited number of bulls that are allowed off of Frank's and the outfitter I posted is the only one allowed in.
Good Hunting!

Hmm... We have used Fred every time. We are paying about 2K. If we get to Franks place they are asking a bit more. It has been told that Franks should have bigger bulls as it is a relatively unhunted place. Was this how you found it? I really don't care that much about a big bull. Nice to whack one. Nice to have meat in the freezer. I have killed several now and don't have one mounted. Don't plan to. Not very impressive horns as the horned critters go. Thanks "D"