Nilgai Hunt

[baboon]

Maybe .505 gibs or 500 nitro express?

Dangerous game rifles tend to be regulate for very close shooting. 500 grain bullets have rainbow ballistics!

 

[Vaquero]

Cannons never beat well placed shots!

That's what she said........

 

[baboon]

I am not mistaken the venerable 12 Guage has taken the big 5

More of it was taken with .303 British then any other caliber!

 

[baboon]

Dunno. We had a black powder elephant double in the house growing up. That got traded for a 375HH, and somewhere in the mix was a Nitro Express.

These were all guns that I’m told my dad used against large game in Asia in the 50s. Don’t know how accurate that is as all of the rifles were sold off in the early 80s.

Karamojo Bell who killed more elephants the many used a .275 Rigby!

 

[pbratton]

Thanks for the comments guys.

After doing a lot of reading today, I think I’m centering on the .375 Ruger...

 

[baboon]

Thanks for the comments guys.

After doing a lot of reading today, I think I’m centering on the .375 Ruger...

Take my advice & scope it in standing, rather the hunched over a bench. Heavy recoil is better distributed standing. I seen mostly stand up benches in Africa & it does work.

 

[MTA]

When are you going to hunt??

 

[FireInTheWire]

So your buying a rifle just for this hunt? Do you have a 300WM? I'm assuming not.

Do you reload?

What's the biggest caliber you own?

It sounds silly you couldn't use another caliber close or below 300wm.... seems all dependent on distance the guide plans for you to shoot. It would be nice to know the max.

But again, I'm sure they see all shooters, good and bad come through. 6.5cm is doing some solid work with the correct bullet @ right distance.

 

[baboon]

Do you reload?

He might start once he starts buying factory loads!

 

[Texasjack]

Nilgai are interesting - unlike deer (that keep their heads low), Nilgai run with their heads up. They have great eyesight and can frequently see you before you see them. So it's not uncommon that you have to shoot at some distance. Also, they're big, so bigger calibers are recommended. Years ago, the consulting firm I was working for had a hunting lease down near the Kennedy ranch. There were lots of Nilgai on the property. The meat is excellent, but there's no cool trophy horns, so people just didn't want to hunt them. One of our customers decided he'd like to shoot one, so the guy who scouted for us led him around to a herd and he took down a nice, young cow (300+ lbs) with his 7x57 rifle at about 150 yards. (Good shot placement is always more important than caliber.)

That ranch had been divided up amongst some relatives in years back and one of the pieces was turned into a game preserve by the lady that owned it. The Nilgai would run there, jump the fence, and stop and just look back at us. They had learned that it was safe ground and they didn't mind driving us crazy.

I've got a .300WBY you can borrow, Phil. It's a little more powerful than the .300WIN. Also sub-MOA.

 

[Fishkiller]

Nilgai are interesting - unlike deer (that keep their heads low), Nilgai run with their heads up. They have great eyesight and can frequently see you before you see them. So it's not uncommon that you have to shoot at some distance. Also, they're big, so bigger calibers are recommended. Years ago, the consulting firm I was working for had a hunting lease down near the Kennedy ranch. There were lots of Nilgai on the property. The meat is excellent, but there's no cool trophy horns, so people just didn't want to hunt them. One of our customers decided he'd like to shoot one, so the guy who scouted for us led him around to a herd and he took down a nice, young cow (300+ lbs) with his 7x57 rifle at about 150 yards. (Good shot placement is always more important than caliber.)

That ranch had been divided up amongst some relatives in years back and one of the pieces was turned into a game preserve by the lady that owned it. The Nilgai would run there, jump the fence, and stop and just look back at us. They had learned that it was safe ground and they didn't mind driving us crazy.

I've got a .300WBY you can borrow, Phil. It's a little more powerful than the .300WIN. Also sub-MOA.

Late to this thread. I was going to recommend the same .300WBY

 

[pbratton]

When are you going to hunt??

March

 

[pbratton]

So your buying a rifle just for this hunt? Do you have a 300WM? I'm assuming not.

Do you reload?

What's the biggest caliber you own?

It sounds silly you couldn't use another caliber close or below 300wm.... seems all dependent on distance the guide plans for you to shoot. It would be nice to know the max.

But again, I'm sure they see all shooters, good and bad come through. 6.5cm is doing some solid work with the correct bullet @ right distance.

I do reload and do my .308 and 6.5CM loads.

The guides have been pretty clear that they consider .300WM as the minimum caliber for this game...

 

[FireInTheWire]

I do reload and do my .308 and 6.5CM loads.

The guides have been pretty clear that they consider .300WM as the minimum caliber for this game...

Awesome and understandable.

Best luck with the hunt. I'd sure like to try that meat

 

[MikePotts]

I'd be tempted to use this expedition as an excuse to get something kinda classy rather than a Ruger...….

GunBroker.com - Error

maybe something like that ^^

EDITED TO ADD: - unless you can find a Ruger No.1 in .375

 

[Hoji]

I do reload and do my .308 and 6.5CM loads.

The guides have been pretty clear that they consider .300WM as the minimum caliber for this game...

I know folks that take them with bows.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

I saw a Texas trophy hunter show and the guide let a kid shoot one with a 22-250 using a 60 grain Nosler Partition. So there’s that.

 

[GeorgeS]

I shot mine on the King Ranch in 1989, using a .375H&H bolt-action rifle. Range was 30yds., bullet was a 300gr. Swift A-Frame, placement was through both shoulders and lungs.

It was down before thew rifle came out of recoil.

If you can, just borrow a .300 Win. Mag. from someone and use 180gr. Swift A-Frames, Nosler Partitions, or some other bonded-core soft points. Practice with it and have fun.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I shot mine on the King Ranch in 1989, using a .375H&H bolt-action rifle. Range was 30yds., bullet was a 300gr. Swift A-Frame, placement was through both shoulders and lungs.

It was down before thew rifle came out of recoil.

If you can, just borrow a .300 Win. Mag. from someone and use 180gr. Swift A-Frames, Nosler Partitions, or some other bonded-core soft points. Practice with it and have fun.

Were you a guest, or was that a paid hunt?
That's probably close to the time they started selling hunts.

 

[GeorgeS]

It was a paid hunt on the Norias Division.