Guns for Africa?

[Mr. 16 gauge]

O.K., we here tell that most hunters are using .375 H&H, or 416 Remington. While I like buying new firearms, it seems to me that most African plains game run the gammut (size wise) from our elk to deer. I'm thinking that any reasonable caliber (.30-06, .270, 7mm Rem. mag) will do the job with a decently constructed bullet (Speer, Hornady, Sierra).

Do those of you who have hunted Africa concur, or do you really need those magnum boomers?

Also, I understand that some places do not allow semiauto rifles....sporting or otherwise. This eliminates some fine hunting rifles, such as the Remington 742 and Browning BAR.
What about pumps and lever actions? Also, what about side arms? are they verboten, or are you allowed to carry pistols/revolvers while out in the bush?
Thanks in advance.............

[Bushwack_007]

Semi-Auto rifle's are illigal in South Africa and if my memory serves me right in Namibia and Botswana also. Pump and lever action rifle wouldn't be a problem, but your side arm if not registered for use as a hunting weapon and hunting alone will be.

Depending on what type of animal you going to hunt - plains or dangerous game. The .375 (min. required calibre for dangerous game) and .416 will be and in conjuction with quality bullets (GS, Barness, Rhino, Woodleights, Swiff-a-Frame etc.) be excellent weapons to use for dangerous (thick skin)(Elephant, Hippo, Rhino, Buffalo, Croc etc.) animals. Plains game on the other hand does not require powerfull rifles, and most South Africans hunt with .30-06, .308, .270, .243, .303, .300.

I think that your .270, 7mm and .30-06 calibre will be more than enough gun for the purpose.

[grayghost]

I take a .280 and a .223 and have had no problems with any plains game and Leopard.

[MacD37]

Originally Posted by Mr. 16 gauge

O.K., we here tell that most hunters are using .375 H&H, or 416 Remington. While I like buying new firearms, it seems to me that most African plains game run the gammut (size wise) from our elk to deer. I'm thinking that any reasonable caliber (.30-06, .270, 7mm Rem. mag) will do the job with a decently constructed bullet (Speer, Hornady, Sierra).

Do those of you who have hunted Africa concur, or do you really need those magnum boomers?

Most of what you say is correct, but it depends what plains game you are hunting! Things like Eland are a full 800 punds bigger than a cape Buffalo. A Giraffe can go over 3000 pounds, and he is 4 feet thick through the shoulders. Simply because the animals have evolved over thousads of years being chased by lions even little impala are very tenatious of life, and can runn amazing distances with horrendous wounds. So IMO, Something like the 338 Win Mag is a far better choice.

Also, I understand that some places do not allow semiauto rifles....sporting or otherwise. This eliminates some fine hunting rifles, such as the Remington 742 and Browning BAR.
What about pumps and lever actions? Also, what about side arms? are they verboten, or are you allowed to carry pistols/revolvers while out in the bush?
Thanks in advance.............

Simiautos rifles, and handguns are not allowed in any country in Africa for a client to hunt with, and even residents are not allowed them.

Pump rifles are not allowed in most countries either, but with pre requested simiauto shotguns are allowed, and most countries do not allow handguns, but the ones that do, require them to be fitted with long barrels, and single shots, or revolvers only, and must have a special permit for hunting with the handgun.
.....................................Mac

[Larryjk]

I have been told that if you show up with a 30-06 and a .375 H&H, your ph will ask you if you have hunted Africe before. Some fellows use a .375 for everything. Let your ph tell you which he feels is the appropriate one to use. Take them both in the safari vehicle.

[wrenchman]

grayghost deals a lot with africe i would have to beleave what he is to tell me.
A freind of mine that has been to africe and i have talked with his p.h. a few times and had dinner with him sayed bring the gun you hunt deer with i was thinking of hunting plains game with him.
He sayed he wanted guys to hunt with what they hunt with all the time.
welcome to the sight bushwack

[grayghost]

Shot placement is everything, here and abroad. In fact, my first two Leopards were taken with the .223 Remington. Both were one shot kills and the cats were dead within seconds. One didn't move from the spot, the other ran about 20 yards. It was shot placement with the right bullet. My last Leopard was taken with a .280 and my PH had his doubts and wanted me to bring something in the .30 caliber range. He's since changed his mind. Again, it was shot placement. This cat ran about 40-50 yards before falling. I keep my .223 shots limited to nothing bigger than Impala, Blesbok etc. I mainly use it for Steenbok, Duiker, Oribi, Springbok etc. As far as all the rest, I use the .280 on everything else. Eland is one of the few animals I haven't taken, and I'm in no great rush to do so. I plan on hunting Livingstone Eland on my next trip to Zimbabwe. I would recommend using a .30 caliber heavy weight. As Mac says, they are big and very tenacious animals. They can run all day with one lung gone. They are like Elk on steroids. The only time I've used a .375 H&H was on Lion. My PH said "No" to my .300 RUM. I had no concerns about it, but when in Rome.........

[Mr. 16 gauge]

O.K., this post is kind of an addendum to the earlier post I had made entitled "Guns for Africa". My friend and I have been talking and it looks like we will attempt to hunt 'the dark continent' in a couple of years.
Having said that, I've been checking some websites. We are planning on doing plains game only (for our first hunt...who knows, we might go back!) and the species list contains the following: Kudu, Gemsbok (Oryx), wildebeest, Red Harebeest, Zebra, springbok, and steenbok. I realize that the smaller antelope will fold readily to my trusty '06, but I am wondering if the bigger antelope (kudu, oryx, ect.) ...........would my .30-06 with 200 grain Nosler partitions be up to the job? I really don't want to have to buy a bigger rifle; I am a bit recoil sensetive. The above mentioned load I have worked up will shoot a 1/2" group at 100 yards from a bench.
Some of the stuff I've read on other sites makes it seem that the .338 is minimum. Some of the websites say "30 cal minimum", but I don't know if they are talking 30 caliber magnums, or something along the lines of the .308/30-06.
There is also a lot of crap out there.....a lot of the '.375 H&H minimum" opinions are from people who have never been to Africa, let alone hunted there.
I don't want to go and look foolish....or worse yet, loose a wounded animal. I guess I"m also intimidated by the potential recoil of the bigger guns....does a .338 kick much more than my slug guns?
At any rate, thanks for taking a look at this post and expressing an opinion.

[jplonghunter]

Mr 16 Gauge

Grayghost is our resident expert on hunting Africa. I'm sure if you contact him he can provide the info you require.

jplonghunter

[grayghost]

Don't know about being an expert at anything but your 30-06 is ample for any African plains game Mr. 16. In fact, I'd recommend the 165 grain bullet if your rifle shoots it well. That said, use a quality bullet and one designed for big game. You should feel less recoil with that bullet weight, and they do well in the accuracy dept. If your rifle doesn't shoot those well, and you just prefer the 200 gr bullet, no problem, but depending upon where you hunt, your average shots may be 50-100 yards or 200-300 yards. RSA for example has extreme variations in topography: flat, open plains; dense riverine, high mountain ranges or deep, brush covered valleys. Match your rifles zero with the right bullet for the estimated ranges and you can take anything from Springbok to Eland. If you plan on hunting any of the small, pygmy antelopes, I'd recommend either taking a 223 or borrow a rifle from your PH. You can email me if you have any questions on where/when to hunt.
Good hunting,
grayghost

[tim416]

This might help a little regarding your questions on recommended calibers.
As greyghost has said the best gun is the one you shoot well. I personally have used a 30-06 for typical plains game hunting handloaded with 180 Nosler partitions and over sixteen years have had no issues. The chart below gives minimum requirements for some of the countries within Africa. Even in South Africa where there is no legal minimum requirement the charts recommendations can give you a good idea of what's recommended for certain species.

Minimum Equipment Requirements for Rifle Hunting in Africa by Country

Joule = Divide Joule by 1.357 to get ft. lbs.

Zimbabwe
Class A game
Elephant, buffalo, hippo
A minimum bullet diameter of 9.2mm and energy level of 5,300 joules (3,910 ft-lbs) is required. Most outfitters consider the .375 to be a minimum

Class B game
Lion, giraffe, eland
A bullet diameter of at least 7mm (.284) and an energy level of 4,300 joules (3,170 ft-lbs) is necessary.
Most PH's will recommend a .338 mag as minimum on lion

Class C game
Leopard, crocodile, hyena, kudu, sable antelope, blue wildebeest, waterbuck, zebra, nyala, tsessebe, hartebeest, gemsbok, blesbok
A bullet diameter of at least 7mm (.284) and an energy level of 3,000 joules (2,115 ft-lbs) is necessary.

Class D game
Warthog, impala, reedbuck, bushbusk, sitatunga, jackal and animals smaller than 25 kg (56 lbs).
A bullet diameter of at least 5.56mm (.22) and an energy level of 850 joules (630 ft-lbs) is necessary.

South Africa
***8226; Most provinces do not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting. I typically recommend nothing less than .270 or equivalant
***8226; Some provinces require a minimum of .375 caliber for dangerous or big game hunting.

Mozambique
***8226; There is no minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Mozambique. Like South Africa I would recommend nothing less than .270 or equivalant

Namibia
***8226; Smallest caliber allowed 7 mm (.284).
***8226; Minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity)
***8226; Big Game
5400 Joule
(Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, etc.)

***8226; Large Game
2700 Joule
(Greater Kudu, Cape Eland, Oryx / Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Hartmann's Zebra, Burchell's Zebra, Giraffe, Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, Leopard, etc.)

***8226; Medium to Small Game
1350 Joule
(Springbok, Impala, Blesbok, Gray Duiker, Steenbok, Ostrich, Caracal, Black-Faced Impala, Red Lechwe, Damara Dik-Dik, Klipspringer, Black-Backed Jackal, Warthog, Cheetah, Nyala, Chacma Baboon, Game Birds, etc.)

Tanzania
***8226; The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Tanzania is .240 caliber for any game other than dangerous game.
***8226; The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Tanzania is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting.

Zambia
***8226; Zambia does not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting plains game and rely on common sense. Caliber in the .270 range will be well suited for some of the smaller plains game in Zambia.
***8226; The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Zambia is .300 caliber for dangerous game such as Leopard and Lion. I would recommend .338 for lion as minimum
***8226; The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Zambia is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting such as Elephant, Buffalo and Hippo.

[grayghost]

Mr.16 gauge, as mentioned, nothing on your wish list is too big for your 30-06. However, unless you want only a skull mount, I'd avoid taking a Steenbok with it. You can attempt a mid-body shot and that usually will leave enough for a shoulder mount, but watch your shot angle. You'll need a perfect broadside shot to avoid hitting the shoulder. Those little guys tear apart easily. Many PH's will lend you a small caliber rifle to hunt the pygmy antelopes. Just check with your booking agent, he should be able to sort this out for you. Anything in the .22 Hornet - .223 is perfect but avoid the rapid expanding "varmint" bullets. I use Nosler Partitions (60 gr) in my .223. I would advise you to buy a book: "The Perfect Shot." It covers Africa's game animals and is excellent to show shot placement on African game. You'll feel a lot more confident on your first trip if you understand the differences between North American and African vital organs, and how they are shaped. Broadside shots that would quickly kill a deer, may only wound an African animal. Lungs are located differently.
Good hunting,
grayghost

[tim416]

Greyghost is giving good advice regarding shot placement.
Most african game animals have vitals that are typically further forward and in some cases higher than most North American game.
This sometimes causes problems for North American deer hunters who typically shoot just behind the shoulder. Most African species are better taken with a shot on the shoulder as opposed to behind. You need to remember in Africa if you draw blood on game you pay for it whether recovered or not. It pays to do your homework and know the kill zones on the species you are hunting. Your PH is there to help you along as well.