African safari rifle

H

hillbillyboy

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My mom works for an airline that just teamed up with air ethiopia, so i can fly to Africa for 100 bucks. I then got in my head the idea of going there to hunt because Ive seen some prices, and they are relatively cheap. I am wondering if a 30-06 with the heaviest bullets I can find will do. Since this will most likely be a one time trip and I don't have a very big income I don't want to shell out a lot of money for a safari rifle. If I do have to buy a bigger rifle, i was thinking of maybe something chambered in .300 win mag. Would this work? If not, could you reccomend a cheap rifle that i could get in a large caliber.
 
I don't know too much about all the whole safari deal, but I can offer a few things I've picked up. A .30-06 is probably enough gun for most of the plains game if you load it with good, heavy bullets, though there still might be some animals you probably ethically shouldn't try to take. However, most countries require a .375 or larger caliber for dangerous game. That said, if you are going to buy a rifle for the hunt, I'd go with the tried and true .375 H&H (the ammo is among the cheapest for the power, but it's still $$$). Some food for thought!
 
Plains game hunt, I think you could get away with 165 or 180 grain premium bullets like Nosler Accubond/Partition or Barnes TSX. These bullets should perform well out of your 06, and there shouldn't be any need to go to a magnum caliber. You will have to use a PH anyway so talk to them and see what they would recommend as well.
 
If you're after dangerous game, then many countries have a .375 minimum. If it's elephant, others have a .40 minimum. But if it's just plains game, then whatever deer rifle you use here should be fine.
 
A 30.06 ought to be fine for any plains game. Each country I believe has their own bore restrictions so you'll certainly need to check with your PH prior to setting any thing up.

If you must purchase another caliber, I'd certainly look hard a .375. Good accuracy and distance. Ammo isn't cheap, around $50 a box for green/yellow box Remingtons. Recoil on a .375 is harsh but not as bad as I thought it would be.
 
Very few PHs in Africa would rather have you show up with a .300 Win Mag you can't shoot well, than the .30-06 you have experience with.

Place the shot right.... the '06 will do just fine for plains game.

As stated; if you need to step up to a larger caliber for the hunt...

I would say .338 Win Mag if you only plan for this to be a once-in-a-lifetime deal. If you might have another chance in the future for foriegn game (China, South America, Russia, India, Europe); buy a .375 H&H. You will not regret it. Ammo is expensive, but so is the cost of a tag for an animal you wound and do not find.
 
I went hunting & fishing in Africa last christmas. I hunted plains game & since I was travelling to several different countries sight seeing, I didn't want to take my own rifle. My guide provided me with a 308 bolt action rifle fitted with a 4x scope. All the game I hunted dropped to one shot from the 308 including a big bull Eland, using 180 grain factory ammo. I paid $300 per day which included accomodation, guide, all food & drinks(including alcohol), laundry, skinners. On top of this you pay a trophy fee for what you shoot. Trophy fees varied from $250 for Impala & warthog up to $1600 for Eland. I think the hunting part of my African trip costed around $4,500, but the skys the limit, you just have to remember that every time you pull the trigger it costs you money. As I was hunting in thick bush on foot, it was satisfying just to stalk close to a number of species of animals, just to observe & photograph them.
 
africa safari, this sounds fantastic. having been part of this forum for a while
i have learned a lot about american hunting and hunters. a lot of misconceptions i had was put right by the friendly people of this forum.

now that you are coming over here let me return the favour. for plains game hunting the 30-06 is not correct it is perfect.(allthough the 300wm will be better).some of the game you will hunt will be long range. so we use 150grn in the 30 calibres. i will consider 180grn when you take a gemsbuck,kudu or eland. though most of my fellow plains hunters will strongly dissagree- they will stay with 150grn. but if 180grn will give you more peace of mind than go with it for everything.

for plains game hunting a PH is not nessasary and he will cost you a lot. rather speak to a game farmer and tell him about your budget. beware of people exploiting you becuase you are a "rich" american. this(verifying prices) can be sorted out with a few phone calls before leaving. usaully you pay overnight fees and then you pay for what you kill. you will also pay for trackers if you choose to use one. this i will strongly recommend.

hunting ethics in africa does not differ much from what i have seen on this forum to us ethics. but there is a few you should pay extra attention to: if you have wounded an animal show your commitment to go after this animal, listen to the trackers and dont drink and hunt and do have a drink around the fire at night.

if there are more questions feel free to ask them if i dont know the answer i will ask around. having said all this the african hunting safari is a very,very relaxed enviroment, the people are very fiendly and the game are in abundance. you are in for the hunting experience of a life time.

T.I.A
p.s i see you are cattle farmer, you will get along well in africa
 
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ok, now that i know i dont need to buy a new rifle, i need to start looking for a guide service. Does anybody know of a good cheap one. I dont need trophy animals and fancy accomodations, just put me in the field and give me somewhere to sleep at night with a meal or 2 in between and i'll be set. or would it be possible to do kind of a self guided hunt there. That would be fun, and challenging.
 
I hunted with Kabrasafaris.com. Check out their website for pricing. I would suggest using a guide/ safari outfitter for an international hunt as they will organise everything for you, from airport transfers, to driving you to different hunting locations. They will also organise the appropriate paperwork for you to bring your rifles into Africa ,& will organise taxidermist & paperwork to get your trophys home.
 
If you go to Africa for a hunt, stick with either South Africa or Namibia. Don't dare go to Zimbabwe. That country is in complete political chaos right now, and is ripe for a bloody civil war breaking out.

The country's President is virtually insane with power.

.
 
Dont Listen to BoneHeads

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa126/BIGJOHN69_2007/Hunting/

I used a 338 Win Mag for all these critters. For smaller game 243 works just fine. Give yourself at least 2 hours extra at the airport for checking guns in and out. My 338 is for sale. Not many KUDU around here. If you buy a new rifle get a 300 Win Mag in Stainless Steel and paint it tan and green. Drop me an email if you have any questions. Getting a threaded barrel is nice too. Silencers are legal and only $100 over there. You can leave it with the PH as part of his tip.
 
The 30-06 will do just fine for any of the plains game animals. I would probably want something a little bigger if I was going for an Eland though. I hunted in S. Africa last year and took everything with a 300 Win Mag. I was using 180 gr. Nosler Partitions. My brother in law had the same set up with 180 gr Accubonds. Both worked great. Our PH was carrying a 30-06 with 180 gr bullets as well. He said that he has used his 06 for everything including a few dangerous game animals as well, although not recommended. Some other guys that were out there as well borrowed guns from the outfitter and they were given 270's, 308's, and 7mm's, although the way they shot, they needed a cannon
 
trooper, in africa the 30-06 is the most common rifle. some guys have learned to do some amazing stuff with the 06. it is an open secret that elephant are being culled in Botswana with 30-06 with full metal jacket.

if in s-africa you tell a local hunter that a 30-06 cant kill an eland bull he will be ofended. in africa a 375 is either seen as the smalest big game rifle or the largest plain game rifle.

the question is about an african safari rifle. the word safari is an afrikaans word meaning a long hunting adventure by the nature of this word it sugests that you need a couple of rifles. take note that in africa a 300 and a 338 are seen as medium rifles.

so take a 243 a 300wm and a 416. then you can take anything.
 
375 H&H. 30-06. 9.3 X 62. I like the last one, or, a 9.3 x 74R, but that takes a double rifle and they aren't cheap.

The 9.3's will take anything, including elephant, and, I think recoil less then high pressure 30-06 loads.

286 grain bullet, around 2400 fps. Solid will penetrate an elephants brain, softs work on cape buffalo.

While a bit less popular, the 375 H&H does a bit more velocity, a ton more recoil, and requires a magnum action, meaning heavier rifle.

You can rebarrel your 30-06 to 9.3 x 62, but, ammo is expensive, unless you reload.

How accurate is your 30-06?

35 Whelan is real close to the same ballistics as the 9.3 X 62, but, doesn't move the heavier bullets as well.

The 286 gran bullet, at 2400 fps just seems to work.http://www.ganyana.com/hunting guns.html

http://huntnetwork.net/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=494

http://huntnetwork.net/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=543
stop by accuratereloading.com
and see what you can find...
 
ja phill you are right . my father hunted with a 308 until his death. i went along once when he shot an eland. no problem. he allso shot a lot of kudu. anyway congrats on the eland it still is an overwhelming peace of meat. where was this?
 
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