I have a trip booked for June 2016 for Tahr and Red Stag on the south island. I want to bring but one rifle. My question, is the 6.5 and adequate caliber? I have a Rem. 700 mountain rifle in 260AI (6.5x308x40) that I load 130 grain Berger VLD hunting and 120 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. Both are very accurate and chronograph at 2950 plus. I do have a 300WSM that I load 180 grain Accubonds accurately. I prefer the 260AI as it has accounted for many deer, feral hogs, Red Lechwe and two Blesbok. I shot the Red Lechwe, 120 BT, in the chest and it exited near the anus. Stem to stern you might say. What think you all? MTG

it'll work just fine so long as you hit vital areas

At risk of starting a small range war - the 6.5 caliber is perfect for all-round big-game hunting in New Zealand. Bullet placement is very important , as is being hill-fit and capable of shooting at steep angles.

Have at it .

Yep. Use the rifle of the two you have most confidence in. That will be the more important factor. if its The 6.5 it will be fine. I dont know the projectiles you are useing, but I would not be worried with anything in the 120-140 gr class.

Just returned from New Zealand, I used a .300 Win Mag with perfect results, as expected. A couple that went with us ,and I hand loaded their ammo, used .270 Win. One used 140 gr Barnes TSX, the other used 140 gr Nosler
Ballistic Tips. Both loads were very accurate in their respective rifles but I had told them I thought the Ballistic Tips might not be a good choice for a big stag at long range. They insisted, and found out I was correct, for once, as it took 4 shots to kill a big stag. Three of the shots were well placed but the bullet didn't penetrate to the vitals. One didn't even make it thru the shoulder.
I know one instance isn't proof positive but I think if I were using a 6.5 I would try and use a TTSX or similar. Having said that, I admit I have not used Berger bullets for hunting and they might perform splendidly, but I know I wouldn't use a Ballistic Tip.
Good hunting.

I just returned from New Zealand on June 9th and took Red Stag along with free range Himalayan Tahr. I was with two other folks who did not take guns but borrowed rifles from the outfitter. One shot his stag at 289 yards with a 270 and 150 gr. Federal Factory loads. He shot the stage 5 times before it went down. His tahr was shot at 165 yards and ran a short distance before succumbing. The other used a 7mm-08 with 140 grain Remington factory loads and was a 4 shot kill. All of the bullets stayed inside the animal and most found under the skin on the far side. Both of the stags moved off and one moved into an area that was tough to recover. Yes both died and were recovered. I shot my stag and tahr with a .300 Weatherby Mag. using 180 gr Nosler Accubonds in my own handloads and had two one shot kills. Stag went straight down and the tahr died right there but fell/rolled as the area was quite steep. I have a 260 also but prefer to use the added firepower of a 300 most of the time when I travel. Personally, I could have been happy with a 7mm mag on tahr, but I am glad I had a 300 for stag. All commented on how tough the stag were.

I am beginning to think a two gun battery may be the solution on my trip to New Zealand. Yet, I took two rifles to RSA this past April and ended up using only my 260AI on seven plains game animals which one was a mountain Zebra, Hartmans' Zebra, that took two shots to kill. All others were one shot kills. But, I did ask for input and believe the smart thing would be to heed the advice of those with experience. Thank you gentlemen for you valued input. MTG

I didn't mention in my earlier post that a female hunter at the same lodge (only a week before we arrived) took a huge stag with the outfitters .260...her husbands .30-06 kicked too much. She was, however, using ammo loaded with premium bullets.
If you take your own firearms and fly on NZ1 out of LA, the wait at the NZ Police was pretty long and the wait at customs was even longer, we missed our connecting flight to Christchurch. Our fault, should have allowed a bit more time between flights.
If I had a .260 I wouldn't hesitate to shoot the biggest stag around as long as I had good bullets. My wife shot a big stag at over 300 yards with the outfitters 7mm-08 loaded with Barnes ammo and it went right down (we told her it was 150 yards, otherwise she probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger).

I'd play it safe and use the 300 WSM with 165 or 180gr premium bullets. These trips are expensive, why risk it.

Choice is yours, from what you have read in the posts to date you should be able to take either or and have all that you need; accuracy and confidence.
Taking 2 guns isn't any great problem so that could be your solution.
Getting back to the NZ Police and Customs issue that was described,
go online to NZ Police and find there visitors firearms permit procedures, let NZ police (email) know when you are arriving ,exact date and flt, have the visitors form filled in (online) and with $25NZ cash in your pocket it will take 2 minutes to have the process completed.
NZ1 or NZ5 get in around 5-5.30am so you should comfortable make any connections around 10.am.
Talk to your outfitter, they know(should) exactly how Auckland International works.
Enjoy..bring the 260

quote:

Originally posted by highlander:
Choice is yours, from what you have read in the posts to date you should be able to take either or and have all that you need; accuracy and confidence.
Taking 2 guns isn't any great problem so that could be your solution.
Getting back to the NZ Police and Customs issue that was described,
go online to NZ Police and find there visitors firearms permit procedures, let NZ police (email) know when you are arriving ,exact date and flt, have the visitors form filled in (online) and with $25NZ cash in your pocket it will take 2 minutes to have the process completed.
NZ1 or NZ5 get in around 5-5.30am so you should comfortable make any connections around 10.am.
Talk to your outfitter, they know(should) exactly how Auckland International works.
Enjoy..bring the 260

Correct in my experience except for the time to get firearms permit. Last two trips the Police were working in other areas of the airport. There is a police "station" next to the baggage claim carousels, there is a phone next to the police counter. When you pick up the phone you are connected to the NZ Police, just tell them what you want and they will send someone and it took about 30 minutes for them to show up. Lines thru customs are long and slow, but walking to the domestic terminal instead of taking the shuttle bus is a nice way to get a bit of exercise and fresh air, just follow the green line painted on the sidewalk, takes about 10 minutes.
Brings to mind a couple of other hints...wash the hell out of your boots. Clean. First trip over mine weren't clean enough (and my wife's were filthy) so I got to "hot wash" two pairs of boots in their cleaning area. If they have any mud or dirt on them, they will make you wash them before releasing you. Declare any foodstuffs in your bags as they are serious about that as well. they had a couple of beagles sniffing bags and found Pop Tarts in one bag (undeclared) and threatened to put the poor lady in jail and give her an "instant" $400.00 fine. Really gave her a hard time for a few minutes.
Be sure and notify the airline well in advance that you are carrying a firearm (I always ask them to put a note on my itinerary) and ammo both directions.
Still much easier than taking a firearm to SA or Zim...NZ cops don't ask you to buy them a "coke".
Have fun.

True on the bio security front. We /they take our border control very seriously. As an agricultural producing nation to the world we have too, and having had more than our historical share of clusters fu.ks. with introduced species our customs/bio security people are unrelentingly with their work.
Really good advise to thoroughly clean your boots, if in doubt declare it, guys aren't nasty just efficient.
I deliberately pack my boots and any declarable items for easy access for the customs guys, saves time and the embarrassment of having your dirty laundry spread out for all the world to see!
Those beagles are darn good sniffer dogs.

Have to second the information on food imported to NZ - especially fruit and honey products. If you want to see what fun is - stand and watch as a plane load of people from Polynesia or china arrive with their bags bulging full of undeclared food. It might seem brutal the way everything is upended but the reality , as Highlander said , is that we are a food exporting nation and we cannot allow plant or insect pests to cross our borders.If in doubt , declare it , or leave it at home .