{"id":1067,"date":"2019-07-08T14:13:01","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T18:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2020-02-02T23:25:10","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T04:25:10","slug":"classic-cartridges-on-safari-by-craig-boddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/classic-cartridges-on-safari-by-craig-boddington\/","title":{"rendered":"CLASSIC CARTRIDGES ON SAFARI By Craig Boddington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We American riflemen (and\nwomen) traditionally crave velocity\u2026whether we need it or not. There\u2019s a\nlong-standing belief among African hunters, not just professionals, but experienced\nsport hunters, and meat hunters, that performance on game is actually better at\nmoderate velocities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s obvious that, given equal bullet aerodynamics, higher velocity flattens trajectories, and also increases energy yield. The \u201cextreme range\u201d fad, primarily (but not exclusively) an American phenomenon, generally adds to the thirst for speed. With the amazing array of great modern hunting bullets that we have today, I\u2019m not convinced that performance is \u201cbetter\u201d at lower velocities, although bullets may perform more consistently. For sure, higher velocities increase recoil and muzzle blast. And, despite all the hype, not everybody shoots at long range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This is the .275 Rigby presented to Jim Corbett in 1907 after he killed the infamous Champawat maneating tiger. Dan Baker\u2019s .275 Rigby follows the pattern exactly\u2026but Baker\u2019s .275 has much more embellishment and is fitted with a scope in detachable rings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shooting game at seriously long distances is frowned on in Africa, where making a careful stalk to close or moderate range is considered part of the art. Also, from a purely practical standpoint, the standard rule in Africa is one drop of blood equals a license filled and a trophy fee payable. So, it behooves one to get close enough to be sure of the shot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Dan Baker and Gladys Taggart with the largest-bodied zebra I have ever seen, certainly more than 800 pounds. A Hartmann\u2019s mountain zebra, this big stallion dropped on the spot to a single 156-grain Norma Oryx bullet from Dan\u2019s .275 Rigby (7×57).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even so, over the past 40 years the \u201clight rifle\u201d in my African battery has often been a fast cartridge with significant ranging ability\u2026whether I needed the capability or not. Favorite choices have been fast 7mms and .30-caliber magnums, and a few times a 6.5mm or 8mm magnum. I\u2019ve also often used the .270 Winchester<\/a> and .30-06<\/a>, both with consistently excellent results. Neither of these old-timers are considered \u201cfast magnums\u201d\u2014but they cannot be considered \u201cslow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just got back from a two-week hunt in northwestern Namibia\u2019s Kaokoland with Jamy Traut, followed by a few days near Kimberley in South Africa\u2019s Northern Cape with Mike Birch. Both areas are fairly open, where visibility is good and long shooting is certainly possible. Interestingly, we didn\u2019t have any fast magnums\u2026and the most recent cartridge in use was a .270 Winchester (1925), in Jamy\u2019s \u201ccamp rifle\u201d in case we needed a spare. The other three cartridges in use were older and slower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In South Africa with Mike Birch, we wanted to get his daughter Kayleigh her first gemsbok. She drew a tough shot, about 250 yards with a lot of wind. She was shooting a Sako 6.5×55 with 140-grain Nosler AccuBond\u2026plenty of gun and bullet if the shot is well-placed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Namibia I accompanied Dan Baker and Gladys Taggart, who had purchased Jamy\u2019s donated safari at the SCI auction in Reno. They shared a gorgeous .275 Rigby<\/a> on the pattern of Jim Corbett\u2019s famous .275, except Dan\u2019s rifle was magnificently engraved and was topped with a <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swarovski <\/a> V6 2-12X scope. .275 Rigby is the British designation for 7×57 Mauser, introduced in 1892; John Rigby \u201canglicized\u201d it to .275 Rigby in 1899, but the .275 Rigby and 7×57 Mauser are identical and completely interchangeable. Dan and Gladys were using Norma\u2019s 156-grain Oryx bonded-core<\/a> 7×57 load, velocity about 2500 fps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jamy Traut verifies bore-sight with Dan Baker\u2019s gorgeous .275 Rigby, on the pattern of Jim Corbett\u2019s famous .275\u2026but this is a very special rifle even for a Rigby, with gorgeous wood and much embellishment. It became the workhorse rifle of the safari!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I brought a Montana Rifles Model 99 in 9.3x62mm Mauser, topped with a Leupold 1.75-6X<\/a> scope. The 9.3x62mm is another classic Mauser cartridge introduced in 1905, with similar case dimensions to the .30-06 necked up to 9.3mm. The 9.3mm, caliber .366, is the European equivalent to the .375, still popular in Africa and widely used for driven boar in Europe. The traditional bullet weight is 286 grains, but I was using Hornady\u2019s 250-grain GMX homogenous-alloy bullet, a bit faster at about 2500 fps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jamy Traut and Gladys Taggart with a fine kudu bull, taken cleanly with the .275 Rigby and 156-grain Norma Oryx bullets. This was a really tough shot, just a small window on a brushy hillside, taken fast off of sticks and placed perfectly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My South African stopover was short, really just a visit. I still had my 9.3×62 and used it, but Mike needed to do some culling, so he had a favorite \u201ccamp rifle\u201d on hand: A Sako in 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser. Adopted by the Swedish military in 1894, the 6.5×55 is very similar to the currently popular
6.5mm Creedmoor <\/a>in ballistics, although it pre-dates the Creedmoor by 114 years. Mike was also using a very modern 6.5×55 load, a 140-grain Nosler AccuBond<\/a> at 2660 fps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Jamy had a couple of young American interns in camp, recent college graduates in hard science disciplines, who had never hunted. We took them to the range with Jamy\u2019s .270, which had a suppressor to reduce recoil and blast. They caught on fast, at the time I departed each had taken zebras with the .270 using Hornady\u2019s 140-grain American Whitetail load<\/a>\u2026no problem. Among the three older cartridges I think about 15 animals were taken, an eclectic mix of gemsbok, hartebeest, kudu, springbok, warthog, and zebra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dan Baker and Gladys Taggart with two exceptional Kalahari springboks, taken just a few minutes apart, sort of a \u201chis and hers\u201d double with the .275 Rigby.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A couple of animals\nrequired follow-up shots that might not have been necessary. Only one<\/em>, a\nzebra I shot with the 9.3mm, required tracking. In my defense, the animal took\na step as the shot went and I knew the hit was a bit far back. It was, but the\nbig bullet exited and we followed a clear trail for a couple hundred yards and\nfound it dead. All other animals were either down on the spot or went down in\nsight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the Namibian hunt was Dan and Gladys\u2019s safari, the majority of this work was done with the .275 Rigby. Southern Africa, especially Namibia, is hard-hit by drought this year, so country that\u2019s normally fairly open was wide-open: There was no \u201clong grass,\u201d and flats that are normally grassy looked like the Sahara instead of the Serengeti. With minimal vegetation stalking was difficult, but both areas have lots of rocky hills, ideal for glassing but also good for stalking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This Hartmann\u2019s zebra was taken with a single 250-grain GMX from the Montana Rifles 9.3×62. With shot placement where it\u2019s supposed to be, many cartridges and bullets will work\u2026but so far I\u2019ve taken a half-dozen large animals with this load. All bullets have exited!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As always, what constitutes \u201cshort\u201d or \u201clong\u201d depends on one\u2019s perspective. We did no long shooting at all, but due to lack of cover close shots were hard to come by. I\u2019d call most of our shots \u201cmedium,\u201d from 150 yards to 300 yards. All three \u201cold and slow\u201d cartridges proved perfectly capable for such shooting: On pronghorn-sized springbok, where precision is essential; and on large, tough animals like zebra, where shot placement and penetration come to the fore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the longest and most difficult shots was on an unusually big-bodied gemsbok bull, 250 yards in a vicious crosswind, made with the 6.5×55 by 13-year-old Kayleigh Birch, her first gemsbok, anchored nicely on the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
On this safari I used Hornady\u2019s 250-grain GMX in the 9.3×62. This bullet is a bit lighter and faster than the standard 286-grain load, but recoil is less and performance was awesome. In case a rogue elephant happened along I also carried a few 275-grain Norma solids, but had no occasion to use them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the prettiest\nshot was made by Gladys Taggart on a mountain zebra one afternoon just past\nsunset. Zebras are large, heavy, and tough; taking a zebra at last light is\nworrisome, but on that afternoon, we badly needed a zebra for leopard bait, and\nthat was our chance. The shot was about 200 yards, facing, always a tough shot\noff sticks. Gladys was sure\u2026and the little .275 Rigby dropped it in its tracks.\nStraight down!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with the tortoise and the hare, the race isn\u2019t always to the swift! Velocity isn\u2019t a bad thing, but shot placement and bullet performance are more important. Those same African hunters who believe in moderate velocities also tend to believe in bullet weight, which sacrifices speed, but also enhances penetration. This is mitigated by bullet design, but all of the bullets we used were fairly heavy: By definition a 140-grain 6.5mm bullet, whether in the old 6.5×55 or new Creedmoor, is fairly heavy for caliber. A 140-grain .270 bullet is at least \u201cmedium,\u201d likewise a 140-grain 7mm bullet. Today the 7×57 (.275 Rigby) is fairly standard with a 140-grain bullet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mike Birch uses 140-grain Nosler AccuBond in his 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser. Classic cartridges benefit from today\u2019s excellent hunting bullets\u2026and so do our modern cartridges<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the bullet weight I usually use in my 7x57s and I would have had no qualms about using the 140-grain load on any shot taken on this safari. Even so, I was very impressed by the performance of the heavier 156-grain bullet on zebras and larger antelopes. A difference of 16 grains in bullet weight is a ten percent increase and the effects were noticeable. As for my 9.3×62, well, it isn\u2019t fast, but that\u2019s a big, heavy bullet with a lot of frontal area, a horse of a different color. I have yet to recover one of those 250-grain GMX<\/a> bullets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This Rigby Highland Stalker in .275 Rigby grouped very well with both Hornady\u2019s 140-grain .275 Rigby load, left; and with Norma\u2019s 156-grain Oryx 7×57 load. The heavier bullet is a bit slower, but performance on large plains game was awesome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A dozen or so animals proves absolutely nothing. However, mild, soft-recoiling cartridges like those we used have been performing well for generations\u2014and with modern bullets, they perform even better. Velocity is fine if you need it. On this safari\u2014and in many hunting situations\u2014you don\u2019t need to reach out. There are similar modern cartridges that are equally effective, including 6.5mm Creedmoor and 7mm-08 Remington\u2026but the old classics still work just fine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kayleigh Birch, left, and her Dad, PH Mike Birch, with Kayleigh\u2019s first gemsbok, a huge-bodied old bull with thick horns, taken cleanly with a suppressed Sako 6.5×55 and 140-grain Nosler AccuBond. Suppressors are in common use in southern Africa, excellent for reducing recoil as well as muzzle blast. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We American riflemen (and women) traditionally crave velocity\u2026whether we need it or not. There\u2019s a long-standing belief among African hunters, not just professionals, but experienced sport hunters, and meat hunters, that performance on game is actually better at moderate velocities. It\u2019s obvious that, given equal bullet aerodynamics, higher velocity flattens trajectories, and also increases energy … Continue reading “CLASSIC CARTRIDGES ON SAFARI By Craig Boddington”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,101,21,24,35,72],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1067"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1196,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067\/revisions\/1196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}