Will a .270 be a good choice for Africa?

R

rr4406pak

New member
My brother and I got into an argument last night.
He thinks his rifle chambered in .270 is the best thing since sliced bread.
We were sitting around the table talking about calibers and he says: "My .270 can take any animal in Africa. If I went there for a hunt I'd take that rifle in a second!":eek:
I told him a .270 would be a poor choice and he bah-humbuged me and thought me jealous of his .270.
There's no way I'd take a .270 if I was going to hunt dangerous game like Cape Buffalo or something in Africa!
What are your opinions?:)
 
.270 on Cape buffalo or lion? No thanks. It could no doubt be done, and I'm sure it has, but that's reeeaallly toying with your life. There are reasons why .375 H&H is considered the minimum for big cats. As a light rifle, for the game meat, the .270 would be superb, but when I'm looking down the throat of a lion, I'd prefer something a little bigger.
 
Been there...more than once. Shot everything from Red Duiker to Cape Buff. Shot .308, .338 WinMag and 45/70.

I've had a .338 Winmag Gold Dot literally dissolve on the breastbone of a huge Eland.

Personally, I'm tired of some of the, "Is this poodle shooter enough to stop a battle ship" discussions. If he goes to Africa, it's his money, his gun, his reputation, his memories and his life. If he thinks a .270 will handle the game there, who am I to argue? Course, he should be aware that he'll likely be the laughing stock of his PH's and Trackers when his back is turned. And no self respecting PH will allow him to even contemplate that caliber on dangerous or large game without demonstrating the knowledge and skill of a Karamojo Bell.
To MY mind, hunting is supposed to be sporting. Killing is supposed to be humane, not a penis measuring experiment in pissant bullet caliber.

I'm going to Zimbabwe in the Fall. My rifles:
- .338 WinMag for Plains Game
- 50 Alaskan for the big stuff

Even those two could rightfully be argued to be marginal by many.

YMMV
Rich
 
Sorry Rich,
Did not mean to make you mad. I just thought I'd get some good replies here that I could use in defense of my point of view when my brother brings up this silly argument again.
I agree with the dude that said .416 Rigby. $10 a shot with that bad boy. Whoa!
 
.357 ROBERTS OR A .375 H&W I will argue aganst anybody that the .270 is one of the greatest North American game calibers ever built but to thak to the aficrian game that would be plain stupid to all of you that wached the viedo on the thread called lion they were useing a .270 and if you missed it go to www.ttha.com and check it out on the jj's weird and wild it explains why I would choose something alot heavyer than a .270 to the .416 at $ 10 a pop thats when you check your shots and only fire when you must the .357 and .375 are much cheaper to shoot :D :D :D
 
Sorry Rich,
Did not mean to make you mad.
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Didn't make me mad at all. Just that we repeatedly see shooters who think their capabilities far better than they really are. You can't argue with a man's false image of himself without showing him how silly his assertions are under simulated hunting conditions.

Take him out in the field to bang 2"-3" plates at 100 yards...while you only have to hit 8 inchers. Now do it with the plates gently swinging. Because that's the comparative precision he'll need on big game with a Mouse Caliber vs your Appropriate Rifle. Let him maintain the scorecard. Say little.
Rich
 
last i checked most countries won't even let you hunt one of the big 5 with less than a .375. some require even more...

rules may have changed since...........
 
Nope, I'm pretty sure your right and they haven't changed them. Most require a certain caliber and energy amount IIRC. The .375 H&H usually doesn't meet that requirement, but is allowed usually because of its proven track record.
 
Depending on what you are shooting.....

but the other guys are right...375 h&h or Bigger for any dangerous game. I have shot Impala to Eland with a 7 mm mag...160 grain TB and the pro hunter said it was a good choice. If you go ask your pro hunter what he thinks...he will give it to you straight.....personally...I think it is a tiny bit light. One other HUGE consideration....you pay a trophy fee if you kill it or wound it....I would sure hate to pay for 2 or 3 cripples trying to shw off!!
 
If I ever take it to Africa I'm gonna take my .270 win... But it will not be my main gun and it will only go if the logistics of multiple rifles aren't to burdensome. I'd use it on Gazelle, Impalla, Dik Dik, etc. cause I love it. Everything else would be with something big, mean, and a pain in the shoulder to shoot!

An African Safari sounds like a neat excuse to buy that exotic rifle that you'll never get a better excuse for!
 
I'm by no means any meaure of anything close to an expert, but after reading Death in the Long Grass (which a lot of people hate, I know, another time, another place for that), I wouldn't even THINK of using a .270 on any of the big five (MAYBE on leopard? But I sure wouldn't want to go in after one wounded from a .270, no way!)
 
Frankly, I don't understand why it ever came up. The brother clearly has never faced a creature that can actually kill you whether wounded or not. Would he hunt grizzly's with the 270? I wouldn't. If I spent the money for an African hunt, the lowest powered rifle I would consider is a 300 Win Mag for some of the non-dangerous African game. On dangerous game, it would be 375 H&H or larger, and probably larger for me. Last thing I want to do is face a wounded elephant or lion and be undergunned.
 
I used a 150gr and 180 gr 30-06 for a lot of the things i shot when I was there, worked fine. BUT I was shooting stuff no bigger than a small elk. I was not shooting anything that would eat me, except for a couple of hyena that were around camp. for this a 30 -06 was fine, any bi gger I would have used a bigger gun, I had a 375 RUM and I was albe to use a 458 from the guide if I decided to run the credit card and go for something bigger. but for that a 30-06 was fine.
 
Just curious, are there any reputable, reliable ph's that don't charge something like $75,000 per safari for 3 animals? If so, please post, I'd LOVE to go to Africa on Safari...
 
Just curious, are there any reputable, reliable ph's that don't charge something like $75,000 per safari for 3 animals? If so, please post, I'd LOVE to go to Africa on Safari...
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Someone's lying to you, Scrap. 21 days for Lion, Leopard, Cape Buff and all the plains game you can name in the Selous; including First Class Air, taxidermy and having the entire camp to yourself: $45K

Average (5-7 mount) Plains Game hunt plus coach fare: < $10K
Rich
 
African Hunt Cost

Scrap5000,

I haven't hunted Africa, but have hunted the Alaskan bush three out of the past four years, and going back next year. I've bumped into several guys there who have hunted Africa, and most say it's cheaper than a guided Alaskan moose or bear hunt!

Good luck, hopefully someone can point you to some good info.

Michael
 
WOW, that's awesome, I really need to look into that, then. If 21 days was only 45k, 7 days would be about 15k?

Rich, would you please be able to send me some info on the guide service you used? I've always dreamed of hunting in Africa, would be a dream come true...

Thanks!
 
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