THE SHOTS -
This is about the shots, the ammo and the results. For those of you who want to go or are otherwise just curious, you may be wondering what the shots are like and how much gun you need. This might help.
I will descibe the events like this: Animal; animal postion; range; shooting position; point of aim; point of impact; event at impact; terminal performance. SUFL/CB means "straight up front leg/center of body". BTS means "behind the shoulder". Anything else I will describe a bit. All ranges are rounded to the nearest 25 yd mark since I described some of these in detail in the previous threads. Everyone used a scoped rifle. Here it goes:
45-70 - All 405 grain Kodiak bullets with MV 2000 fps and change.
Wildebeest - broadside; 100 yds; offhand w/ sling; nook at bottom of shoulder and front leg; hit that spot; bucked forward and ran 50 yds; bullet exited, entrance minimal hole, exit about an inch.
Zebra - broadside; 50 yards; offhand; SUFL; behind shoulder (did not compensate for it walking); did a U-turn and ran 75 yds; bullet exited, entrance about a dime, exit about a quarter.
Blesbok - broadside; 150 yds; offhand; SUFL; brisket in front of shoulder; ran 300 yds; tore off a huge hunk of meat. Second Shot : facing away with slight quarter to left; 50 yds; offhand; piece of brown through bushes; center of hip; flipped over forward and tried to get up but went down after a second; bullet recovered in same side front shoulder by start of neck in heavily expanded mushroom configuration.
Gemsbok - broadside; 175 yds; offhand w/ sling; SUFL; lower shoulder slightly behind front leg; dropped at shot; bullet exited, entrance looked smaller than 45 cal and broke opposite shoulder to completly shattered including front femor, bullet perfect mushroom configuration under hide, stetched hide away from meat.
Eland - broadside; 50 yards; shooting sticks standing; behind front shoulder, hit that spot; dropped at shot; bullet perfect mushroom penetrated scapular on opposite side and rested under skin between shoulder and neck. Second shot: lying on side; 25 yards; offhand; up through brisket bottom to spine; hit that spot; blood came out like a garden hose for about a minute; bullet recovered under spine in perfect mushroom.
308 Winchester, 165 grain Nosler Partition 2550 fps MV.
Impala - head on; 175yds; shooting sticks; base of neck; hit that spot; dropped at shot, bullet exited between shoulder blades.
Impala - broadside; 200 yds; shooting sticks; SUFL; hit that spot; dropped straight down; entrance 30 cal, exit like a dime between opposite shoulder and neck.
Blesbok- broadside; 250 yds; shooting sticks; SUFL; center of rib cage; ran 350 yards in three short bursts and stood; bullet exited opposite side midsection. Second shot: broadside; 50 yds; shooting sticks; SUFL; hit that spot; dropped but continued to try to get up; bulet exited behind opposite shoulder. Third shot: lying down; 25 yds; shooting sticks; neck; hit that spot; went down for good; no detectable entrance hole,bullet exited size of dime.
Gemsbok - broadside; 200 yds; shooting sticks; SUFL; hit that spot; dropped at shot; bullet broke on side shoulder and broke opposite shoulder, exiting.
Waterbuck - head on, lying down but looking left; 50 yds; offhand; base of neck; hit that spot; dropped right there never got up; bullet broke spine and recovered on opposite side, front mostly missing but back intact jacket with core.
30-06 - 180gr Nosler Partition, 2775 fps.
Impala - broadside; 100 yds; shooting sticks; SUFL; hit that spot; dropped at shot; bullet broke on shoulder and exited behind off shoulder.
Zebra - broadside quartering away; 325 yds; rested on blind window; SUFL; between last two ribs; bucked up and ran 200 yards; bullet exited between center ribs opposite side. Second shot: broadside; 50 yds; offhand; SUFL; hit that spot; dead right there; bullet exited about the size of a dime.
Blesbok - broadside; 50 yds; offhand; SUFL; hit that spot; ran 75 yds and fell over; bullet broke on side shoulder and exited center of ribs opposite side.
Gemsbok - quartering to, slight left; 100 yds; shooting sticks; SUFL with crosshair in front of leg to compensate for quartering; hit that spot; dropped; bullet hit front of shoulder and exited behind last ribs opposite side.
Eland - broadside; 25 yards; shooting sticks; SUFL; above shoulder high just below spine; dropped at shot, bullet under neck skin lost front portion but retained from partition back. Second shot: broadside lying; 25 yds; offhand; SUFL; front of shoulder low; no reaction; bullet exited bottom of neck with small hole. Third shot: broadside lying down; 25 yds; offhand; SUFL; behind shoulder, centered; blood loss evident via entrance hole; bullet lodged under skin on opposite side after traveling through kidneys, expanded into mushroom with small frontal diameter.
I hope this data gives useful information about the kinds of shots, ranges, animals and power needed/not needed. My personal opinion is that anything that has a very useable 200 yard trajectory with 1500 foot pound 100 yd energy and a controlled expansion or partitioned bullet will get you by fine. There were a few of these shots where a standard 45-70 load 1300-1400 fps, a standard 30WCF or 35 Rem load or the likes, or my pet 45 colt rifle (300gr 1730 fps) would have made me think twice, mostly based on range and energy levels. Just my opinion, but in the bottleneck cartridges I would want over 100 grs with the same 1500 fpe at 100 yds parameters. A 25-06 would be a great lightweight long range cartridge that would be very capable with the right bullets. The PH's will gladly carry a rifle for you, so if you have two handy you can choose the one you want for the application. I recommend a scope of 4X or greater. It helps decipher animals in thick brush and assists in identifying the one the PH is telling you to take. Also, the light was from very early to directly into the sun to last minute of light. A scope eliminates sight distortion due to lighting.
Toughest critters of all:
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