“What rifle calibre should I bring?” is still the most

“What rifle calibre should I bring?” is still the most
frequently asked question from hunters coming to Africa
for the first time.
The answer really needs to be qualified beyond just firing back a suitable
number. As long as there are hunters
around the campfire there will be heated
debate about what constitutes the best
rifle calibre and yet the same enthusiasm
does not seem to extend to bullets,
sighting devices and anything else that
will influence and ultimately determine
the success or failure of the shot.
Like a team, the combination is only
as good as the weakest member and this
even extends to the rifle case entrusted
with protecting the integrity of the now
carefully chosen combination. Personal
preference will ultimately sway your final
selection, but the following guidelines
are offered to simplify the decision
process for a typical plains game safari
and hopefully improve your chances of
success.
Plains game hunting refers to all
cialised safari, there is no reason to
bring more than one rifle/calibre combination. With the security restrictions of
modern day travelling plus the fact that
you can only use one rifle at a time, it is
just simple common sense.
Apart from the type of terrain and
the hunting conditions, your choice will
also be guided by what animals you
have booked to hunt as well as the laws
of the country pertaining to rifle types
and minimum calibres for certain
species. Within the recommendations
offered by your outfitter, it is really
important to choose the rifle that you
are most confident with, that is both
comfortable to carry and shoot, and then
optimise it to best meet the specific conditions of your hunt.
Rifle types for hunting in South
Africa are restricted to bolt-action,
pump-action, lever-action, single shot
our non-dangerous game species and
covers animals from the tiny 4 kg blue
duiker up to eland, which can weigh in
at over 800 kg. These species cover
diverse terrains and habitats, from dense
jungle type undergrowth to deserts that
appear to be devoid of life, gentle rolling
hills, energy sapping mountains and
plains so flat that you can see the curvature of the earth. Unless you are hunting
all of these on an extended or spe-
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Rod Cockerill
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law, and may not be used for hunting.
The most common and sensible
choice is a strong and reliable bolt
action of which there are many fine
examples available off the shelf. If you
are purchasing a new rifle that will eventually lead you on to dangerous game,
controlled feed and large magazine
capacity are essential features.
Although some may appear to be
suitable, it could just let you down in the
field, and an example of this is my own
Mauser 66 in 9.3x64. The M 66 is a 2tier telescopic push feed action, designed
to accommodate relatively long cartridges in a short action. Flawlessly engineered with a crisp and precise trigger, it
is just the job for picking off pigs out of
a high seat in a European forest.
Spotlessly clean, it functions with unerring German efficiency, but it can fail horribly when exposed to the dusty conditions of the African bush. This is not the
type of information you need to discover
when something large is coming at you
with serious intent. Although you may
question what relevance this has for a
plains game rifle, never underestimate
anything that has been wounded, nor
suffer the “curse of the click” on a trophy of a lifetime.
Although my personal preference is
for a sexy stick of walnut, synthetic and
Perfect bullet performance left to right:
1. 180 gr Barnes X in 30-06 recovered from a massive zebra mare.
2. 400 gr Stewart Hi-Performer from my .404 Jeffery, which dropped a wounded blue
wildebeest after first passing through the trunk of a blue thorn-tree.
3. GS Custom FN monolithic solid in 9.3, which traversed almost the full length
of a zebra stallion.
and double rifles. Any action that feeds
another round automatically after discharging the one in the chamber (autoloader / semi-automatic) is against the
African
O ut fi tt e r April/May 2007
laminated stocks are undoubtedly more
practical, require less maintenance and
are more forgiving and tolerant of abuse
in rough conditions. They are also unaf-
fected by climatic changes which is an
important consideration when travelling
from the cold and damp northern conditions to our dry warm climate.
If you prefer a wooden stock, then
have it glass bedded and the barrel free
floated as accuracy could be affected by
a tight metal to wood fit and climatic
change. Our glorious sunshine dictates
that blued or dull barrel coatings are
better than the now more popular stainless steel. Reflection from these shiny
surfaces could give away your position
and ruin a great trophy opportunity. I am
always amused to see hunters covered
from head to toe in the latest “3D
supreme hardwood” camouflage kit
waving a polished mirror shiny barrel
and scope. You may as well announce
your arrival in the bush with a brass
band. If you have the perfect combination with a stainless barrel and scope,
use burlap sacking and/or cammo tape
to temporarily cover the shine.
Personally I am no fan of muzzle
brakes, my hearing is damaged enough,
and they add unwieldy length to already
over-long barrels. Bushveld hunting
requires a lot of stepping around bushes,
stooping under thorn trees and stalking
may even require a leopard crawl.
Shorter barrels are just much more prac-
tical and a barrel length of between 20
and 22 inches will have very little effect
on muzzle velocities and/or accuracy. My
own .375 H&H Magnum Winchester 70
became more accurate after reducing the
barrel length from 26 to 21 inches. This is
a simple job for a competent gunsmith
but re-crowning the barrel is essential.
Sights are often a commonly neglected element. If you use a scope, don’t go
cheap on the scope or the mounts. Buy
the best, even if it hurts. I have found
variable power scopes to be the most
troublesome, and in bushveld hunting
too much magnification is more of a hindrance than a help. The best recommendation I can make for these conditions is
a fixed 4 x (6 x at most). If you must
have a variable, a very practical setup is
a 1.5 to 4 x 20. Messing with scopes and
mounts whilst on safari will not only
undermine your confidence, but will take
away valuable hunting time. I have had
more than a few clients pack away >>
Not 1st choice for Africa: Mauser 66 action.
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O ut fi t te r April/May 2007
39
>> their rifles and continue hunting
with my 30-06 due to scope and mount
problems. Most return on their second
safari with a more practical setup.
Scope mounts should be as low as
possible to enable the eye to align perfectly down the scope tube with the
cheekbone resting on the comb of the
stock. Test this by shouldering the rifle
with eyes closed. When you open your
sighting eye, you should see the
crosshairs without any adjustment to
either the rifle or your head position. You
may get away with it off the bench, but
you will never be consistently accurate in
the field if you have to crane your neck
to get a sight picture.
If you want a recommendation on
iron sights, there is none better than the
excellent wide V express which come
standard on the CZ/Brno rifles, and for a
front bead I use a fibre optic Williams
Firesight.
Bullet failure beats shot placement
2:1 on reasons why we have to track
down wounded game. As the primary
Ed Zimmer from Maryland, USA, with
his gold medal kudu taken with .375
JDJ. Note the short barrel, laminated
stock and low scope mount. Note
also the cammo clothing and
stainless steel barrel!
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O u tf i tt e r April/May 2007
responsibility of the hunter is to kill as
quickly and cleanly as possible, bullet
selection is vital. Not only do follow-ups
waste valuable hunting time, but you risk
losing your trophy to scavengers or just
good old fashioned hair-slip when not
recovered in good time.
I am always astounded as to how
much research and technical mumbo
jumbo the average hunter goes into
when choosing a new rifle and calibre,
and how little consideration is given to
the choice of the actual bullet. Thankfully
there does appear to be an upsurge of
awareness on this very important factor.
In choosing the best and strongest
bullets available, it is also important to
choose one with a consistent history of
reliable expansion. Too strong a bullet is
as much of a problem as one that breaks
up and does not penetrate through to
the vitals. There are so many top quality
premium bullets available to us today
that I would go so far as to say that we
are really spoilt for choice.
For expanding bullets I have nothing
African Classics
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. .404 Jeffery loaded with 400 gr Goodnel Brass Solid at 2250 fps is powerful
enough for anything that roams African soil. Before Kynoch ceased production of ammunition in the 60’s, this was the first choice of African government game departments and
accounted for more elephant and buffalo than any other single calibre. Factory
ammunition is once again available from RWS.
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1.
2. .375 H&H loaded with 300 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw at 2500 fps can be considered for first shot on all African game excluding elephant and rhino where solids are
required. This versatile calibre can now be loaded with 380 gr bullets, which puts this
evergreen at the entry level of the charge stoppers.
3. 9.3x64 Brenneke loaded with 300 gr Claw RN at 2480 fps. The ballistics are similar to those of the .375 H&H, but like the .375, its early history was plagued with
reports of bullet failure on the tough stuff. The factory loaded TUG bullets were just too
fragile for the velocity but modern premium grade bullets make this calibre every bit as
versatile and effective as the .375 and the 9.3x62 Mauser is a true African classic.
4. 30-06 Springfield loaded with 200 gr Rhino Solid Shank at 2380 fps will account for
Africa’s largest antelope and is just so boringly efficient that there is not a lot to say
about it. It may be a little shy on speed with heavy bullets and not quite as flat shooting
as a .270 with light bullets, but the 30-06 has a place in every hunter’s arsenal. Mine
does regular duty with a variety of loads as a loan rifle for clients if they experience
problems with their own, and it has never failed me yet.
5. 7x57 Loaded with 175 gr Barnes X bullet at 2350 fps is a deadly combination for
bushveld hunting. Immortalised by Bell who used 173 gr solids on elephant, this 7 mm is
a true African legend. Legally you will not be able to use it on any thick-skinned dangerous game, but for everything else it has already proved itself.
but high praise for Rhino Solid Shank,
Stewart Hi-Performer, Trophy Bonded
Bear Claw, Swift A-Frame and Barnes X,
which have all performed consistently for
me and my clients in various calibres and
bullet weights launched between 2150
and 2900 fps, and if recovered, consistently over 80% weight retention.
At muzzle velocities below 2500 fps,
Nosler Partition, Woodleigh Weldcore and
Claw have all proved to be consistent
and reliable performers.
With today’s choice of factory loads
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O ut fi t t e r April/May 2007
and specialist reloaded ammunition,
there is no reason not to bring out different loads for one rifle even if you do not
reload yourself. At 100 metres, my 30-06
prints a 140 gr Barnes X bullet leaving
the barrel at 2940 fps 3" directly above
a 200 gr Rhino Solid Shank bullet doing
2380 fps. Admittedly not all rifles are as
forgiving as my Krico, but the point is
that this rifle, with these two loads, can
account for all our plains game in diverse
conditions without any scope or sight
adjustments. >>
41
plains game is more important because
of trajectories than actual killing power,
and your choice is simply a matter of
suitability for the species hunted and
expected shooting distances. I study the
wound channels and bullet performance
of almost everything our clients shoot.
Accurate shot placement and optimum
bullet performance are far more important than the calibre used. Consider the
.270 Win as the lightest calibre to bring
on a general plains game hunt. Loaded
with 160 gr premium bullets, the .270 is
adequate for everything up to kudu. If
42
PH David Botha and client posing with
impressive kudu bull – proper
preparation ensures results in
Africa.
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>> Calibre choice in the context of
toughies like blue wildebeest and zebra
are on your list, 7 mm should be considered your lightest calibre choice and for
close encounters in the bushveld, the
7x57 (7 mm Mauser) loaded with 175 gr
bullets is a great combination.
Close range bushveld hunting
requires heavy, slow bullets and in standard factory loads, legends were made of
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O ut fi t t e r April/May 2007
Deadly combination: Scott
Denicourt from Virginia USA took
this 371/2 " eland bull with his
CZ 550 in .375 H&H and a
300 gr Swift A-frame.
such calibres as the 7x57, 8x57, .308
Win, .303 British and the 9.3x62 Mauser.
What they all have in common is their
heavy and long for calibre bullets at
moderate velocities. They punch through
the cabbage and provide sufficient
momentum to maintain straight-line
penetration and optimum bullet performance. I recently hunted with a client and
his .375 JDJ. This short-barrelled single
shot with low scope mount proved to
be a deadly combination in his hands
with 8/8 one shot kills including gold
medals for his red hartebeest, kudu and
nyala.
Although not well known in Africa, I
was also very impressed with a client’s
.35 Whelen, which proved more than
powerful enough for our biggest and
toughest plains game.
Only if you are hunting in open terrain where long shots are required,
would any of the 7 mm Magnums be
required and if you are predominantly
after larger antelope such as eland, move
up to the heavier bullets offered by the
.30 calibres. If you own an 8x68 or .338
“anything”, you unfortunately need not
go shopping for a new rifle, and the .375
H&H loaded with 235 gr bullets at
around 2900 fps also makes it an excellent and versatile choice for long-range
plains game.
If you want to see a PH shudder and
turn pale, try turning up for a bushveld
hunt with any of the ultra-fast Magnums.
As average shooting distances are very
much shorter than these cartridges and
bullets are designed for, results are definitely less than satisfactory, and I can
cite many instances of ruined and lost
trophies. If there is absolutely no other
option for you, have a reloading specialist cook up some reduced loads with
heavier premium grade bullets.
I have had clients hunt with calibres
from .270 to .470, and when used
sensibly and within their design limits,
there are no bad calibres. If you are
planning an African safari or just looking
for an excuse to buy a new rifle, you will
not go wrong with any of the mentioned
or those that offer similar ballistics.