First real hunting rifle, may take to Africa eventually - is this a good one?

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JohnCrighton

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OK, I'm pretty new to larger game hunting. I've shot some squirrels, rabbit, quail, but never did get a deer. This was about 8 years ago.

Getting back in to hunting now with the goal in 2 years of going to Africa to hunt Eland, Blesbok, Kudu, Wildebeast, Impala, Springbuk, and Warthog.

I am used to tactical rifles (AR-15s, carbines, FALs) and am looking for a bolt action rifle that will allow me to hunt deer, elk, and the above-mentioned African game.

I want something that won't kick my butt with recoil, offer me a wide range of loadings, be reliable, lightweight, and get me on target at ranges of up to 300 yards.

I have a Tikka T3 Lite in .223 that is a joy to shot. I ran across a .30-06 Big Boar Tikka rifle that as a 19" barrel, is 6.1 pounds, 3 round detachable magazine, blued, synthetic stock, and also has Williams iron sights on it as well.

Would this meet my needs as described above?

Thanks!
 
Only a suggestion

Try contacting a professional guide for his opinion. Some countries limit the caliber to .375 as a minimum. that leaves .375 H&H as most logical choice for ammo availability, or maybe by then Ruger's newer 375 will have caught on. If smaller calibers can be used then I would suggest a .338 Win Mag
 
I think you may need 2 rifles. American game can be taken with a .308, Thats the round I use for dear, black bear, moose, elk and caribou and it always works at least out to 350 yards. As trstafford said above, most African countries require at least a .338 win mag or bigger to take into the field. This is because you may need to shoot a dangerous animal or be killed. Now, the .338 mag series, and the .375 H&H will also work for all American game, all-be-it, a little over kill with a harsh recoil.

If you were to buy 2 rifles, one in .308 and another in something for Africa....375H&H, .416 Weatherby... you would save lots of money over the long term. A box of .308 or similar, like .30-06, is like 18 bucks for 20, a box of big magnums will cost you an arm and a leg, like 60 bucks for 20 or more. Therefor it makes more since to buy 2 guns, even if money is no problem, the magnums will kick a lot more than a 308.
 
I did an almost identical hunt in SA about six years ago. For plains game a .30-06 is an excellent choice, and Tikka makes great rifles. I used 165 gr Hornady Light Magnums for Springbok, Blesbuck, Oryx, and Impalla, and Remington 180 gr for warthog and zebra...wish I could have afforded an eland, or I would have used the 180s on that too! My guide was very impressed with the Hornady ammo and was happy that I left him several boxes. The zebra was the only animal to need more than one round, it took two, but that was my fault....hey it was over 300 yards!

The iron sights are a great idea, you never know what can happen to your scope. Quick detach rings are nice too, just in case.

A six pound rifle is great to carry, mine was an FN Mauser and was probably eight or nine with the scope. I didn't mind the weight though, it made the hundreds of practice rounds I fired at the range prior to going a lot more comfortable; during the actual hunt recoil is a non issue.

What country are you planning on going to?

oryxsm.jpg
 
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Africa

Any of the .308 dia. Rounds will work fine. 30-06 , .308 win. even the .270 with 150gr loads. The PH will want you to prove your shooting ability.
They do not always look for instant kills like we do here. They have Professional TRACKERS. That as One famos rifleman said "can track a mouse across a cemment parking lot" The new trend toward smaller calibers is due to the fact that many are trophy hunting and do not want big holes in the hides. The PH will tell you where to place your shots. Beware . bad shots still cost. For most of the plains game the .30 calibers will do well. And Horandy does make good hunting bullets. I'm strickly a scope shooter so I cant help on the open sight thing ( my eyes aren't what they used to be).
I have simular plans. But, Black Powder guns ! They love that. No hunting license required. At least where we had plans on going.
I'm also strickly a Remington 700 nut. Ruger is also well made. I can't say that S word so I wont. S a v no I can't do it.
Have fun.
There may be caliber restrictions in some places. The out fit I dealt with said No. The .270 was fine. They carry guns too.
 
Wildfire is right, my PH had set up a target for me and had me "check my scope" as soon as we got to camp. It is a bit unnerving at first to have a target checker standing so close to the target while you are shooting...incentive to concentrate I guess. :)

Get a lot of shooting in with your new rifle before you go!
 
Remington is now making "Power Level Ammo" for the .300 Rem Ultra Mag. You can get three different levels of power to mimic, 1. .30-06, 2, Winchester 300 Mag, and 3. full power .300 Ultra Mag. There's an article on it in this month's Shooting Times.

Bullet selection, especially for .308 diameter is the greatest of any caliber and the bullet manufacturers are making the best bullets we've ever been able to buy in the 50 years I've been shooting.

I had been thinking of buying an Ultra Mag, downloading it for deer, then uploading for moose. I might just do that if and when I get drawn for a moose permit. Then again...oh darn, there are too many good choices.

Picher
 
For plains game a 30-06 is nearly perfect if it shoots the 180 gr. loads well. As is everything from .338 Win. to .308, 7x57, .270 etc. You generally do want to shoot heavier bullets than most would in the US, African game has the reputation of being tougher than whitetails.

I would stick to a common caliber, things happen and you may need to buy additional ammo in Africa. It might be difficult to find some .300 Super WhizzBanger Specials in the local shops.
 
Thanks for the replies so far, guys.

What do you think of the barrel length? I'm a little leery about a 19" barrel due to velocity loss, recoil, etc.

Would a 22"-24" do better for me in the long run, especially at longer ranges and effectiveness against larger game?
 
A longer barrel gives a better sight radius with irons, puts the muzzle blast further from your ears, and balances differently - better or worse is subjective. From a ballistic standpoint, 100 fps one way or the other doesn't matter.
 
...Eland, Blesbok, Kudu, Wildebeast, Impala, Springbuk, and Warthog.
Click to expand...
.30'06 - eland, kudu and wildebeest are large animals, so you'll want heavy bullets which deform but not fragment. Impala, springbok and warthog are smaller animals, so lighter bullets would be nice - although unnecessary. Also, good .30'06 ammo is easily procured over there - very common caliber.

You're not going after Cape Buffalo, so .375 and the like wouldn't be required ;)
 
I also hunt with a HK SLB 2000 carbine with a 19" barrel in 30-06, and a Ruger RSI in .308 with a 18" barrel. To be honest you'll never notice the velocity difference at normal hunting ranges. The only difference you would really notice is the shorter sighting plane if using iron sights.
 
Looking at a good deal on a new Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06 for my "go-to" plains rifle (for practice, deer hunting here, and possibly to bring with for my Africa trip unless I eventually get a .375).

I've been really debating getting a Tikka T3 Lite in .30-06, but that would be about $500 with no scope. This Vanguard is about 1 pound heavier (7.3 pounds vs. 6.3 pounds for the Tikka), but comes with a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope, and is $375 - I have more than enough scopes, and will probably just sell the scope for about $175 - so technically the rifle will cost $200.

I'm used to Tikka T3s (I have one in .223) and like them, but I figure this is a pretty good deal.

Will I appreciate the extra pound, the 90 degree bolt, the extra 2" barrel, raised cheek piece, fluted one-piece bolt, and seemingly heavier/safer features?
 
...extra pound, the 90 degree bolt, the extra 2" barrel, raised cheek piece, fluted one-piece bolt, and seemingly heavier/safer features...
Click to expand...

Really, none of that matters much. When you are there you won't be thinking about any of that. Thinking back, I am glad I had a longer barreled, heavier rifle just because many of my shots were at fairly long ranges and off of shooting sticks. I'm sure I wouldn't have been as steady with a shorter/lighter rifle. But that's just me, and I have no idea what kind of shooting you will be doing.
 
I have a 300 Win Mag that I'm hoping will do me for everything from deer to bear and elk. Remington makes reduced power loads for the 300 WM, so a 150 grain reduced recoil load is pretty easy to shoot and would be perfect for deer. I can go to 150 regular loads for larger deer, 180 grain for bear, elk, moose etc. I can even go up to a 200 grain bullet if I choose. I looked into the 300 RUM in the power levels, but didn't see that it offered much more than the 300 WM, and ammo is dramatically cheaper and easier to get. After all my research, the 300 WM seemed to be just about perfect.
 
You want what don't exist. For your plains game an 06 is probably OK with the exception of Eland, which is a big tough animal. I shot mine with 300 Wby Mag 3 times on the wink to put him down. Everything else on your list, with the exception of Wildebeest could be taken with a 243. I've been over 3 times and only carried a big bore on the last trip. Were it me I'd want to carry something at least as heavy as one of the 300 mags. Ranges will likely be long. Check with your outfitter. There may be restrictions on the Eland.
Be sure you use a bullet that's up to the job. Nosler Partitions or Swift A-Frames would be my pick. Stuff over there takes a lot more killing.

I'm not sure why everyone seems to worry so over getting ammo in Africa. Why would you need to. Pack 50 rounds into 2 different pcs. of luggage. For a 7 day plains game hunt you won't need more.

No matter what anyone tells you pack along some warmer clothes as it can be chilly in the am, and some lightweight rain gear. I know where of I speak.
I envy you going, you'll have the time of your life. Just soak it all in.
Mark
 
i have a vz 24 Mauser in o6 and Bruno also makes a 375 h&h i would go with the 375 h&h as my second rifle as the actions are the same as well the trajectories of the two calibers . i myself use a 180 grn.nos. part. with 58.5 grns.of h4831 and is very accurate in my rifle. they use the 416 rem 458 win and 375 h&h in canada for polar bears and work very well so i think it would work well for you as well have fun ;)
 
H&H Hunter is our resident expert, but as many have said, plains game only requires a good 30 cal rifle. My buddy dan did all his hunting with a Remington 7mm mag... that included Kudu, Zebra, Warthog, Wildebeast. Not sure if he got Gemsbok or not.
 
The 30-06 sounds like a good choice but I would check the regulations in advance.

If you buy the Tikka with the detachable mag I would make sure to buy a couple extra mags to take along. It would suck to get over there, lose a mag and not be able to get replacement.

I would also make sure that ammo for the caliber you pick is available over there in case yours gets lost in the way over there.
 
.308, .30'06 and .270 are all commonly available and are locally-produced by PMP in South Africa. Joe da Silva, owner of Parow Arms in Cape Town, is/was a Safari Club International member for many years and can source a lot of less-common ammo.
 
Will I appreciate the extra pound, the 90 degree bolt, the extra 2" barrel, raised cheek piece, fluted one-piece bolt, and seemingly heavier/safer features?
Click to expand...

Like mentioned before, when you're actually out on the hunt, you won't even have time to comprehend the above, but at home when you're practicing it will make a difference. The heavier the gun the easier it will be to stabilize the shot, but you'll most likely be shooting from a rest anyways so that might nullify that point. As far as the heavier rifle for walking, a good sling should take the burden away. Besides, you'll probably be so pumped over there you won't notice the rifle much.

Which ever rifle you decide to buy just practice, practice, practice.
 
Sublimaze.
Did you take an Eland, Wildebeest or Zebra with your 06? Just curious.
Mark
 
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