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Thread: No idea were to start
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06-06-2020, 13:38 #11
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Re: No idea were to start
Nice comparison
See if you can work out which is which ...
A hint
Just about everything is a variation on the 30-06
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06-06-2020, 13:46 #12
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Re: No idea were to start
The advice given by the people in previous comments is sound. When considering a calibre, choose one that will be suited to your hunting needs. ( bushveld or more open longer distances). Also consider the availability of ammunition. You could get .308 or 30-06 ammunition anywhere.
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06-06-2020, 14:09 #13
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Re: No idea were to start
I'm a big fan of the .375 H&H but I really do not think that it is a good choice for a first rifle. Also, unless you include buffalo in what you want to hunt there is no need for a larger caliber than .308" if it is your only rifle. My favorite .308" is the .300 win mag but personal choice is irrelevant in this thread.
A premium .308" bullet will kill eland and blue wildebeest very effectively and the standard (non magnum) .308" calibers is easy to shoot well. Much more so than the .375 H&H.
As for suppressors, personally I'm not a fan. I went through a phase where all my rifle's wore them, now only my wife's 7x57 wears a suppressor and I remove it when I use the rifle. For me, they ruin a rifle's balance and handling. I do feel that they have a place though. I used to hate muzzle brakes but, since I started wearing electronic ear plugs when hunting, I'm starting to change my mind. Personally, I do not use them either. Suppressors and brakes probably warrant a thread on their own, as do recoil and hunting rifles.
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06-06-2020, 16:02 #14
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Re: No idea were to start
Normal folk don't hunt eland, the bigger cals are for them and wildebeest.
Kudu are soft critters, any good bullet out of smaller cals puts them down.
You buy too big a gun the first time and after some range sessions you tire of the recoil.
Hunting is done on the range, nobody(except that annoying T-stone oke) gets good at shooting in the hunting field.
Normal folk gets good doing lots of rounds on the range.
If you are going to be a casual hunter that takes an animal here, impala or springbok etc and once in a blue moon something like a kudu, get a gun you can do a lot of range time with.
That is not a 300WM, 30-06 etc, they are kickers.
You see the okes here will give good advice on what they believe to be adequate cartridges, and ALL of them don't practice with them.
Normal guys that do have a big gun practices with his smaller cal, he just use his big gun the day of the hunt.
You won't have that luxury, and I would suggest you must do the same thing we do.
So as funny as it sounds, if the choice is not a 308win I would get a 6.5, in either the creed or sweed, something you can put a lot of lead down range with. And when you do hunt something bigger like a kudu just use a monolithic.
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06-06-2020, 19:32 #15
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06-06-2020, 20:05 #16
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Re: No idea were to start
Problem is some farmers want you to use a suppressor, so you have to have one.
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06-06-2020, 20:29 #17
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Re: No idea were to start
With the development of Premium Bullets a lot changed with regards to "suitable caliber". My first and still most used and loved are a 30-06. If I can have my life over again, will I still get a 30-06 as first and "all-round" rifle? Definitely Yes. Is it the "best"? That I cannot say, but it still works for all my general hunting needs. The recoil is not bothering me, but that said, little Adoons hate the 30-06. He rather shoots the .44 Lever gun, a .243, AR in .223 or even my M88 Mossberg pumpgun that the 30-06. Says it hurts like hell for his 12 yo frame. So he is not shooting with it.
But because I have a love affair with my 30-06 it certainly is not making it the best starting point. I would think a .308 or 7x57 would also be great choices. If you intend to hunt in more open spaces than I do (seldom shoot further than 200 m when hunting) get something better suited like one of the 6,5 mm's and don't just chuck out the good old .243. With Premium Grade bullets a .243 is a formidable hunting cartridge. Not the easiest to reload, but nothing wrong with its on field performance.
On a side note regarding muzzle breaks and silencers. We also shoot with a .338 Lapua in the family. With the silencer with internal/built in muzzle break it kicks less that my 30-06. But I despise hunting the bushes with silencers or muzzle breaks. I'm a bit "Old School" on those things.
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06-06-2020, 20:49 #18
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Re: No idea were to start
Wow gunsiters never cease to amaze me. Thank you all for the valuable info so far, so it seems it would be between the 30-06 or a 6.5 (Creedmoor or swede?)
Almost like a new school vs old school type thing?
I will want to reload for sure and I think the 30-06 is cheaper to reload?
Im a 120 KG Qualified fitter and turner from the vaal triangle and I shoot 12 GA slugs for fun, so recoil is not my biggest concern, all though it does make shooting unpleasant and I would want to take it to the range and get groupings at distance because thats half the fun....
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06-06-2020, 20:50 #19
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Find another supplier/farm. I do not like a muzzle brake. But if a paying client comes with one it's up to him. They are paying for their produce, as long as they are using a caliber within the law and are competent who am I to worry if their stock is laminate pink or they have no suppressor.
It does help keep game tamer so to speak but we all like our own equipment and there is nothing wrong with that. If game gets wilder then hunt harder. If you struggle ask for help. On a 5000ha property that is adequately stocked you will always take home the biltong with professional guidance.
That said good hunting grounds are scarce. Hoping they open up a bit for the domestic market after Corona. I've had numerous calls from farmers who shunned SA hunters asking me what is a fair price to advertise their animals at.
To the OP. A moderate .308 caliber to a 6.5mm is a good start for any plans game in SA
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06-06-2020, 23:04 #20
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Re: No idea were to start
Slugs out a shotty would still be less snappy than a 180gr bullet out an ‘06. I once had the opportunity to shoot a 500NE, it’s recoil was more of a push and perceived as much more comfortable than my 375H&H. Either way let us know how this goes and what you eventually get.
Don’t take life too seriously, no one gets out alive.
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