Advise on plains rifle, 7x64 vs 308 vs

[Messor]

Thinking about the scenario again, it's always possible to practice cheaply and hunt with confidence, with what we already know.

The OP mentioned he will have the 6.5 and the 375H&H.

If you load the 6.5 with cheap 140gr Hornady interlock(BC of .465) bullets during practice at about 2700ft/s, then you will damn near mirror a trajectory of 260gr Nosler accubond bullets(BC of .473) at 2700ft/s in the Holland.

And I don't think any of us would worry about the terminal performance of the latter on any antelope.
Meaning practice cheap, hit hard in the field.

[CW1]

For the meat hunter I think you already well equipped for you purposes and for the amount that you will hunt. As stated in the thread, for the smaller antelope, out to the distances you speak of, the 6.5mm with good shot placement would be sufficient. In the bush out to 200m the 7X57 will be great.

A bit of a side track-hi Jack, (sorry) what would you rate as the limits in terms of size of game and distance for the 6,5x55mm?

[Bonedoc]

Yes I might only hunt out to 250 on voorsit hunts and from the bakkie in the kalahari, but want to make sure that as soon as I am capable of going out to 350m that the gun is.

Thinking about the scenario again, it's always possible to practice cheaply and hunt with confidence, with what we already know.

The OP mentioned he will have the 6.5 and the 375H&H.

If you load the 6.5 with cheap 140gr Hornady interlock(BC of .465) bullets during practice at about 2700ft/s, then you will damn near mirror a trajectory of 260gr Nosler accubond bullets(BC of .473) at 2700ft/s in the Holland.

And I don't think any of us would worry about the terminal performance of the latter on any antelope.
Meaning practice cheap, hit hard in the field.

The rifle won't be the limiting factor. Messor makes a very good point in terms of practice. Even using premium bullets in the .375 will work out cheaper than buying and kitting out another rifle.

I would consider a
.338WM rather than the .375, purely personal preference.

[Andrew Leigh]

A bit of a side track-hi Jack, (sorry) what would you rate as the limits in terms of size of game and distance for the 6,5x55mm?

I will leave those who hunt more frequently, and more species, with the 6.5mm to offer comment.

Personally if I had a clear shot a Kudu bull standing side on at 200m, with a premium bullet loaded, I would not hesitate to take the shot.

[pre 64]

CW1...Over the last 9 or so years that i have used the 6.5x55,not exclusively though,i have shot about 380 animals from jackal to blue wildebeest,including plenty of kudu,a couple of gemsies and a couple of zebra.I think TStone has a count of about 900.

As for size of game...certainly ideal for bushbuck,impala,blesbuck size animals.Deadly on warthog and bushpig.Blue wildebeest/kudu,no problem.Eland cows..bullet placement..do not try and get clever with odd angles.Eland Bull...yes it can be done but would you shoot a buffalo bull with a 6.5 with confidence???????

Distances...smaller game,how well can you shoot,to what distance,that is your limit.Blues,kudu,no problem,if the kudu bull is 200-250m away as Andrew Leigh says,it is dead.A premium bullet in the right place is incredibly effective.

I use 140gr Nossler Partitions at 2600fps and have never felt undergunned.I have only recovered a handfull of Nosslers from these animals,mostly getting full penetration.

I had an instance earlier this year where i nearly had a long tracking session on a youngish kudu bull that,coupled with common sense made me tell the OP that the 6.5 was too light for 350m shots on gemsies.I was on a family hunt for kudu in Steytlerville,the once a year hunt of the traditional voorsit and beater type.Anyway a bull broke away out of the thorns behind the beaters at about 180 from me and,with horns laid back,ran full taps across a 100m opening,angling slightly towards me.I fired a shot,heard the duff of the hit and the bull was gone.At 360m,there was a narrow ridge on which the bull re appeared.Over that ridge was a gorge which would make tracking and recovery hell.The bull was sick and walking directly away from me,a "nothing" shot,but in the circumstances,i had to take it.At the shot,the bull collapsed, falling even before the sound of the hit reached me.The little bullet had smashed its right hip and stopped...penetration...7 inches.

[TStone]

A bit of a side track-hi Jack, (sorry) what would you rate as the limits in terms of size of game and distance for the 6,5x55mm?

For springbok to blesbuck sized game, I have used it out to 400 m (±20 m), this is my self imposed limit, it will kill well quite a bit further. For anything larger, I think 300 m is the maximum, I'd feel comfortable at. For anything larger than red hartebeest/black wildebeest use a premium bullet. If you do want to use it for eland bulls, use an expanding monolithic bullet (Barnes TSX, Peregrine). I have shot a few mature eland bulls with this caliber and I really do not think it is a good idea.

[gary-t]

I have a 6.5x55, and 7x57, after a post by TStone about the capabilities of the 6.5x55, especially for a new hunter / shooter, I want to get something else, something capable of taking Springbuck to Gemsbuck / Kudu up to 350m, and further if I get better. Will keep the 6.5

For bushveld, I am sorted, getting myself a 375HH, selling my 7x57, I like hunting BWB, and feeling the 7x57 in my hands not great now.

So looking at 7x64, after reading a post recently on GS, had a chat with couple of shops and was told to rather look at a 308 with 1-12 twist. Will have a bit more legs for Gemsbuck, especially shooting 150gr bullets

Then advised maby get a 338WM.
So what rifle for a new shooter, to take plains game up to 350-400m from Springbok to Gemsbok, and what bullet combinations and speed

Here a rifle that will tick most of your boxes.
http://www.gunsite.co.za/forums/show...0-7-mm-Rem-Mag

[Againstthegrains]

I enjoy my 7x64. It is an excellent plains game caliber. Recoil is very manageable and if you shoot 120g Barnes TTSX or similar monos, they will go fast enough (3000+ft/sec) and penetrate well. I have taken bigger animals (Gemsbok, Eland, kudu) in the 250-300m range without problems. Above 300m you are looking for trouble, unless you are competent with a rangefinder.

[QuQ]

A 300 Magnum, fitted with a good suppressor to reduce the recoil, would be just the ticket. I have hunted exclusivley with a .270 with great success, but have been selective on further shots at Kudu, even when I felt like I had the ability to place the bullet where I wanted it. Having recently acquired a 300 WSM, and I know what the recoil tables say, I really cannot feel any difference in recoil between my .270 and 300. Both are fitted with the same brand of suppressor. Recoil of the 300 was a worry for me until I took the first shot ... I was pleasantly surprised and all smiles. Although both calibers are more than enough (as is your 6.5), I just feel more confident with the 300 on larger game. And as we know, confidence in shooting / hunting is everything.

[Dirtbuster]

My 2 cents:
The first rifle I bought was in 308. I have hunted mainly bushveld with this caliber up to BWB. It has served me well and it is usually my go to rifle for bush hunts. Since then I have acquired a 270, 7x57,338WM and 7x64.
these were mainly to serve as longer range rifles . The 338 is a gem as it can be loaded slow and heavy for the bush or flat and fast for the desert. I bought it mainly for the purpose of hunting Eland up to 350m. ( not yet done).
i have not yet hunted with the 7x57 but it is very close to the 308 . I bought the 7x64 for medium game up to 250m with a bit more punch than the 308 . I shoot the 308 with 180 grain hammer heads and the 7x 64 using 140gr hornadys. The 270 is also very close to the 7x 64 but does its best work at 130 grains whereas the '64 can do 160grains as can be used as a second bushveld gun if slowed down a bit. My choice of any two would be the 308 and 338! Why ? 25 years of confidence and use enough gun!