African Plains Game

[RyeGuy74]

Do you think a .270 is a large enough caliber, obviously good shot placement is everything, for African Plains Game such as Zebra?

 

[Stay Sharp]

I doubt you will find much insight here. Im planning an African archery hunt and after visiting many of their web sites and talking to a few as all the shows I do, You will learn far more from them as to min legal or recommended calibers for certain game animals.

 

[dgc1963]

As far as I know most of the PH in Africa you talk with will recommend a 30/06 min for hunting plains game the ones Ive talked with all know their business very well and will give you good info on guns and bullet types Africa hunting is a bit different than us here in the USA
I dont want to open up a debate of 270 vs 30/06 Just saying what I was told by the PH Ive talked with

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Yes, with good bullets and shot placement.

 

[rjthehunter]

On my grandpas 3 trips he made there, he brought his 338 and 416, he hunted plains game and dangerous game. Speak with the outfitter you're going through and see what their PH reccomends/requires

 

[geetar]

Maybe @buffybr will chime in. He has done some Africa hunting.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Look on Africahunting.com. Its a forum on hunting in Africa. Probably find some good info on there.

 

[Arcus Venator]

Yes it will work just fine, but the country may have legal requirements and your PH may require or prefer something bigger.

My first trip to Namibia the, outfitter suggested 300 magnums as a minimum. I took my 300 H&H. A 330 Dakota, 2-338 Win Mags, and 2-375 H&H's rounded out the group's rifles.
My second trip to Zambia, buffalo was included, so 404 Jeffery and 375 H&H tagged along.
If I go back again for some plains game, I want to take a 338-06.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Went to SA last summer. Did lots of research in advance and spent tons of hours picking the brains of the PHs we worked with. Everybody gets to have their own opinion, but here is what I learned. .308Win was a PH favorite because it is plenty of gun to cleanly take any plains game but the recoil is managable enough that most guys can shoot it. The PHs hate when guys bring thundersticks they can't shoot well - that leads to bad hits and long tracking. I love my .270, but I prefer the extra dia. of the .308 in this situation. I used a .308Win and a 300WSM exclusively and nothing went very far including a very large zebra and big kudu buck. Never felt undergunned. The PHs also love TTSX, TSX and Partitions for bullet choices - a tough bullet is called for. For the most part your shots will be under 225 yards (but my son did take a nice blesbok at about 300y) so "flat shooting, high BC" are not a big deal.

Also, you will want to talk to your specific outfitter, some countries/regions have minimums - I have seen .270Win as OK, I have also seen places that stated 7mm bullet is a minimum.

In the end, I would take a 308Win, 30-06, 300WSM or 300WinMag, whichever you shoot better. Zero reason for big magnums (and their recoil) going for plains game.

 

[JosephBrown]

Theodore Roosevelt killed a a hippo with a 30-06. Jack O'Connor dropped moose with 270s. If allowed by the outfitter it should be plenty with right placement.

 

[Foxtrot1]

When I hunted plains game in RSA, my PH's personal light rifle was a 270. He used it up to eland. He shot 150 gr bullets of tough construction, I think swift a-frames, but I am sure any bonded premium bullet would work.

 

[Harrier]

.270 is roughly equivalent to 7x57, and it’s difficult to find an Africa plains game hunter who will say anything bad about 7x57.

 

[Bambistew]

Yes, more than adequate. I killed a bunch of critters with a 280. The killing difference between a 308, 270, 30-06, etc is between your ears.

If you are implying that you need to buy a larger rifle... save your money and spend it on trophy fees.

 

[Jorge400]

If you shoot it well, it's plenty for most plains game (I'm not sure I would want to rely on it for eland though). However, some PHs get a little edgy with anything under a 30 cal. I wanted to take my 7mm-08 on the last hunt I went on in Africa for lechwe, which is not a particularly tough animal. The PH did not like the idea so I brought my 300 WM. Due to the circumstances at the time, I ended up shooting my lechwe with another hunter's 270 Weatherby that was loaded very light. No problem.

 

[Powpow]

I doubt you will find much insight here. Im planning an African archery hunt and after visiting many of their web sites and talking to a few as all the shows I do, You will learn far more from them as to min legal or recommended calibers for certain game animals.

Not really

 

[Stay Sharp]

While at the ATA Show today I talked with the PH from Rhinoland Safaris. He said its bases on the species but he would not recommend anything under 30 cal.

 

[Powpow]

Just left the Mejor Cazador kick off banquet. 270 is fine. Anybody seen the High Fence video by Delta Corn? HILARIOUS.

 

[fishing4sanity]

@RyeGuy74 your 270 will work, but PH's (like all of us here) have opinions, so ask them if you've picked who you're going with. Even with the same outfitter/company you'll have PH's with conflicting opinions. Last year I went with my brother for cape buffalo. We both took a mix of Swift A-Frames and solids. My PH wanted me to use A-Frames on the buffalo, my brother's PH didn't want anything but solids. I've used both my 300RUM and 375H&H for plains game, but magnums aren't always needed. If you've never been it should prove to be a very exciting adventure. Good luck!

 

[kansasdad]

Living in Kenya in the late 60's, my dad used .270 and 30-06 for "regular" hunting (dik-dik up to eland). The Win.458 was reserved for Cape buffalo and elephant.

 

[rookhawk]

.270 is roughly equivalent to 7x57, and it’s difficult to find an Africa plains game hunter who will say anything bad about 7x57.

A good shot on zebra with 175gr 7mm bullet still resulted in a 300+ yard search near dark in lion infested bush. I would not use a 270 with the 130-140gr options it provides.

Honestly, a 375hh is the perfect gun for every plains game, especially the tiny stuff with solids.