Giraffe Caliber?

[Catahoula]

I'm planning on hunting giraffe on my next trip to Africa. On my last trip (also my first trip) I took a .416 for buffalo and an 8mm Remington magnum for plains game. The next trip will be plains game only, and I'd like to stick to one rifle, the 8mm.

I used 200 grain partitions on the last trip and was pretty disappointed in their performance. I had several shots that lacked penetration and recovered bullets, after way to many shots in vital areas, showed complete jacket/core separation and fragmentation. The Woodleigh 416s that I used performed admirably.

On to my question. I've seen the 375 listed as a sensible giraffe rifle. I can load 250 grain Woodleigh softs in the 8mm to 2700 fps, which is right on the heels of 375 ballistics. Is this enough gun for giraffe? I could always take the 416, but as I said, I'd prefer to take one rifle and the 8mm magnum is becoming my favorite.

 

[billc]

I used my 3oo win mag and took one of the biggest giraffe Pieter has seen. Huge neck and body was also 22 years old. Used a 200 grain A frame that did the job with a neck shot that was a little low and made me need one to the lungs to.

If we did not run out of time my last trip I was going to take one with my 257 and a 100 grain a frame and do another neck shot but higher then my way to low shot with the 300. I would say your 8mm with a 200 or even 180 a frame or ttsx will do the job.

It is all about the right shot and a good bullet. I would not hunt with the guns I use and plan on the first shot being a body lung shot though. Most will not be ok with the light guns I use but they do work.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Yes, if you shoot it properly. Heart shot with the Woodly should have trophy pictures being taken shortly.

Like billc said. 300 win mag with a good bullet will do it.

PH's tend to like wiggle room with caliber. Hence 375, as Giraffe are BIG game. Just pick your shot

Good luck

 

[billc]

Yes, if you shoot it properly. Heart shot with the Woodly should have trophy pictures being taken shortly.

Like billc said. 300 win mag with a good bullet will do it.

PH's tend to like wiggle room with caliber. Hence 375, as Giraffe are BIG game. Just pick your shot

Good luck

I think you need one with that 270.

 

[Catahoula]

I used my 3oo win mag and took one of the biggest giraffe Pieter has seen. Huge neck and body was also 22 years old. Used a 200 grain A frame that did the job with a neck shot that was a little low and made me need one to the lungs to.

If we did not run out of time my last trip I was going to take one with my 257 and a 100 grain a frame and do another neck shot but higher then my way to low shot with the 300. I would say your 8mm with a 200 or even 180 a frame or ttsx will do the job.

It is all about the right shot and a good bullet. I would not hunt with the guns I use and plan on the first shot being a body lung shot though. Most will not be ok with the light guns I use but they do work.

Thanks, Bill. Sounds like the 8mm will work! I've always been a heavy for caliber advocate. I used the 200 grain partitions because they had a good reputation and I got several hundred with the purchase of the rifle. I won't be using them again! I'm sure I was just driving them too fast for their design, but I would have thought they would hold together better than they did. I'm sure they are a good bullet under the right conditions, but I've lost confidence. If I use a frames, I'll probably use the 220 grain version.

 

[postoak]

Can you get FMJ bullets for that caliber? I was reading that book they have on where to shoot African game and it recommended FMJ bullets for giraffe.

Here's the book:

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=20838348269&searchurl=x=18&y=2&sortby=1&tn=The+Perfect+Shot&an=Kevin+Robertson

 

[billc]

You get some 220 grain a frames loaded they will do the job for sure. I know Pieter loves the frontal neck shot a lot and then if needed one in the lungs. He thinks it breaks them down better the a body shot and normally stops them from running off.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Shot Placement: minimum calibre 300 H&H - 338 ( head/neck ) - 338 Win ( chest )
recommended calibre 375 H&h
For Giraffe I used 9,3 x 62 from RWS with bullet TUG Brenneke 293gr ( 19g )
Witold

 

[BRICKBURN]

I think you need one with that 270.

I did take a Giraffe with my 270 Win. Nothing I promote for sure. Shot placement does matter.

 

[CAustin]

Both Giraffe taken in my family have been with the 416. Also taken Nyala and warthog with the 416. If you shoot your 416 well and your pictures say you did then go with that. The 416 is great medicine for anything that walks in my mind.

 

[sheephunterab]

If you are content taking nothing but a head/neck shot then most cartridges will work but if there's a chance you may be forced to take a body shot then I'd say 375 minimum. I ended up having to body shoot mine at 280+ yards and definitely wouldn't have taken the shot with anything less than a 375. I was shooting a 250-grain GMX.

 

[Catahoula]

If you are content taking nothing but a head/neck shot then most cartridges will work but if there's a chance you may be forced to take a body shot then I'd say 375 minimum. I ended up having to body shoot mine at 280+ yards and definitely wouldn't have taken the shot with anything less than a 375. I was shooting a 250-grain GMX.

That's probably good advice. As I was thinking it through, I just couldn't convince myself that there was much difference in killing/penetration power between a .375 diameter 250 grain bullet at 2800 fps and a .323 diameter 250 grain bullet at 2700 fps. I know, heavier bullets are common in .375 which tilts things in its favor. I've got plenty of time to decide.

 

[billc]

Most Ph's will not be asking you to or be eager for a hunter to take a shot over 1ooyds on a giraffe. We stalked in to about 70yds for the shot I took and the second shot he was only maybe 25yds getting up to run. That 300 put the second shot through both lungs and he fell over within 75 yards of the neck shot that started the whole thing.

My mistake was not listing to Pieter fast enough because I thought he was dead already as fast as he went down from the neck shot. Pieter was telling me to get up there and shot him in the body to be sure and I was to busy looking around and thinking he was crazy. Only to see him get up and start to run off when I got the second one in him. The rest of the story we will leave out. LOL for my sake

 

[sheephunterab]

Most Ph's will not be asking you to or be eager for a hunter to take a shot over 1ooyds on a giraffe.

I would say that's pretty terrain dependent but ya obviously closer is better but in the wide open expanses on the Namib Desert, the rules are a lot different than in the scrub country to the south.

 

[rookhawk]

I had luck with a 300h&h with Nosler Accubond 200-220gr (can't recall). It was a nosler factory load. High chest heart lung side on shot.

He ran 30 yards and tumbled into some mapane bush.

I found it a challenging hunt. They didn't want you to get too close and I wanted a 70 yard shot to make sure the shot was good. We stalked a lot of them. Also, retrieval locations dictated what was an acceptable shot.

Bottom line, your 8mm loaded heavy for caliber with a slow expansion soft like an A-Frame sounds ideal for body shots. 375 is great too.

 

[Royal27]

We stalked in to about 70yds for the shot

Stalked in, ran out.

 

[ActionBob]

My 505 Gibbs with a 525 grain TSX high heart/lunge shot did wonders

Giraffe are tough, That big TSX ;lookd like it had been hit witha disk grinder... I do think iether of your caliber choices will suffice, an *mm Rem mag is pretty serious medicine, with the right bullet.

 

[Philip Glass]

I took mine with my .416 Ruger. Sorry but I do not recommend anything less than .375 for giraffe.
Have a great hunt and hey we all need to shoot more giraffes. The last hunt I was on they have to cull 30-40 giraffe per year!
Regards,
Philip

 

[Lee M]

Stalked in, ran out.

Giraffe chasing Bill yelling, "Who is your Daddy".

 

[gordon kings langley]

Got mine with a .30-06 with a 200gn nosler partition