Recommendations on what bullet to use on a Nile Crocodile?

[Andrew NOLA]

Will be using a 300 Win Mag. Hoping for a head shot and damage does not matter. My wife will have a hand bag made so she can say " yes, it is pretty. I killed it." Gotta love her.

Generally I would use a 180 gr Barnes TTSX but thought a faster expanding bullet would be better for a brain shot. Lots of damage is fine - we will use the bottom hide for what she wants. Planning on taking 2, if they co-operate.

Perhaps one of the below but am looking for insights

Hornady 30 Cal .308 180 gr SST "The Hornady® SST® (Super Shock Tip) is designed to deliver tremendous shock on impact while expanding quickly and reliably, particularly at higher velocities."

Hornady 30 Cal .308 180 gr InterLock SP "Our traditional line of bullets feature exposed lead tips for controlled expansion and hard‑hitting terminal performance. feature our exclusive InterLock® design — a raised ring inside the jacket that is embedded in the bullet's core that keeps the core and jacket locked together during expansion to retain mass and energy."

Thoughts - would appreciate especially some from those who have done this already

Thanks

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

375 H&H with a 300 Grain Barnes TSX

 

[archer36]

I would ask your Outfitter. He has seen more killed than anyone on here.

 

[1dirthawker]

i think a nosler partition or a north fork PP (percussion point) if you want a bullet that will expand quickly and still maintain its weight for penetration.

 

[K-man]

The precise bullet placement is way more important than the bullet construction in this case. Almost any expanding soft point will work, but the brain isn't much bigger than a walnut. So use the bullet you are confident you can centerpunch the bulls-eye every time from 60 to 100 yds. I used a .375 and barnes tsx because that's what I had. Your .300 win mag will work great too. Good luck and have fun. Shoot a whole set of luggage!

 

[revturbo9967]

I used a 300 gr Tsx from a 375. The skull on a big croc is pretty thick, I would go with a bigger caliber than a 300wm personally.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Out of a .300 Winchester Magnum, I’d go for a 200Gr Nosler Partition. And my point of aim would be behind the eyes.

Great game to hunt.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

It also depends on where you shoot him. In the water will be different than on land. I shot mine on land and it was one shot behind the smile to break the neck and 2 shots in Heart/Lungs.

Practice is key…

Barnes TSX 300 Grain:

 

[revturbo9967]

My tax lost a petal on my crocs skull.

 

[revturbo9967]

 

[375Fox]

Unless your PH tells you differently stay with a tough bullet like your 180 gr TSX, especially if it’s an accurate load in your 300 win. You want a bullet that can make it though the tough skull but also reach the spine in case you need to take that shot. I missed the brain on my croc slightly, the only reason we found him on bottom was because I was able to get 2 additional 180 gr swift A frames into his chest. The first bullet still split is skull in two even though it slightly missed brain. Tough bullets give predictable results all shot opportunities to me. Soft bullets only give predictable results on the shots they are made for.

 

[Flbt]

Will be using a 300 Win Mag. Hoping for a head shot and damage does not matter. My wife will have a hand bag made so she can say " yes, it is pretty. I killed it." Gotta love her.

Generally I would use a 180 gr Barnes TTSX but thought a faster expanding bullet would be better for a brain shot. Lots of damage is fine - we will use the bottom hide for what she wants. Planning on taking 2, if they co-operate.

Perhaps one of the below but am looking for insights

Hornady 30 Cal .308 180 gr SST "The Hornady® SST® (Super Shock Tip) is designed to deliver tremendous shock on impact while expanding quickly and reliably, particularly at higher velocities."

Hornady 30 Cal .308 180 gr InterLock SP "Our traditional line of bullets feature exposed lead tips for controlled expansion and hard‑hitting terminal performance. feature our exclusive InterLock® design — a raised ring inside the jacket that is embedded in the bullet's core that keeps the core and jacket locked together during expansion to retain mass and energy."

Thoughts - would appreciate especially some from those who have done this

Will be using a 300 Win Mag. Hoping for a head shot and damage does not matter. My wife will have a hand bag made so she can say " yes, it is pretty. I killed it." Gotta love her.

Generally I would use a 180 gr Barnes TTSX but thought a faster expanding bullet would be better for a brain shot. Lots of damage is fine - we will use the bottom hide for what she wants. Planning on taking 2, if they co-operate.

Perhaps one of the below but am looking for insights

Hornady 30 Cal .308 180 gr SST "The Hornady® SST® (Super Shock Tip) is designed to deliver tremendous shock on impact while expanding quickly and reliably, particularly at higher velocities."

Hornady 30 Cal .308 180 gr InterLock SP "Our traditional line of bullets feature exposed lead tips for controlled expansion and hard‑hitting terminal performance. feature our exclusive InterLock® design — a raised ring inside the jacket that is embedded in the bullet's core that keeps the core and jacket locked together during expansion to retain mass and energy."

Thoughts - would appreciate especially some from those who have done this already

Thanks

I am not giving any recommendations on crocs.
Just asking questions for nothing but curiosity. Is a crocs skull or hide a lot thicker than a gator?
It seems that the most accurate rifle that will penetrate the skull and get to the brain would be what you would want.
Something like a very accurate varmit rifle that you can shoot extremely well.

Over the years I have seen a lot of dead big gators . Fishing arrow, bang stick
And handguns but mostly the little 22lr ( Mostly by poachers that were Cought)
And that little 22 works surprisingly well even on big old gators.

Again not recommending anything or suggesting any cartridge.

But I think I would want my heavy barrel 700 in 6mm if I was to shoot a GATOR off the bank on bait. ( again gator not croc )

 

[375Fox]

I am not giving any recommendations on crocs.
Just asking questions for nothing but curiosity. Is a crocs skull or hide a lot thicker than a gator?
It seems that the most accurate rifle that will penetrate the skull and get to the brain would be what you would want.
Something like a very accurate varmit rifle that you can shoot extremely well.

Over the years I have seen a lot of dead big gators . Fishing arrow, bang stick
And handguns but mostly the little 22lr ( Mostly by poachers that were Cought)
And that little 22 works surprisingly well even on big old gators.

Again not recommending anything or suggesting any cartridge.

But I think I would want my heavy barrel 700 in 6mm if I was to shoot a GATOR off the bank on bait. ( again gator not croc )

Professional cullers used small calibers but I’d say that’s the difference of trophy hunting and culling. You can’t necessarily wait for a picture perfect shot every time. A larger caliber you can shoot accurately buys you some flexibility. Crocs are either shot by stalking or over bait at maybe 40-100 yards if it makes it to water it’s most likely permanently lost and you’ll pay the trophy fee. I haven’t hunted alligators but some of the methods appear more similar to fishing and less chance of losing the alligator than the way croc are hunted.

 

[Flbt]

Professional cullers used small calibers but I’d say that’s the difference of trophy hunting and culling. You can’t necessarily wait for a picture perfect shot every time. A larger caliber you can shoot accurately buys you some flexibility. Crocs are either shot by stalking or over bait at maybe 40-100 yards if it makes it to water it’s most likely permanently lost and you’ll pay the trophy fee. I haven’t hunted alligators but some of the methods appear more similar to fishing and less chance of losing the alligator than the way croc are hunted.

Yes some are closer to fishing at least the legal methods are. I think some ranches do bait them.
Back on the 80s poachers would shoot them in the head and run the boat up to them and grab them.
Some would shoot them from the bank and use a rod and rel the get them or walk out and grab them.

I am just going by what I have seen on tv for the croc
And from seeing them shoot over bait I was thinking the most accurate . Thats why I was thinking varmit type rifle
Like my heavy barrel rem 700 with a Pentax 8-32x56 good day off the bench 5 shots rem 100gr cor-lock in one ragged hole

Ok so simply different ways of hunting and a little difference in animals

 

[Flbt]

Professional cullers used small calibers but I’d say that’s the difference of trophy hunting and culling. You can’t necessarily wait for a picture perfect shot every time. A larger caliber you can shoot accurately buys you some flexibility. Crocs are either shot by stalking or over bait at maybe 40-100 yards if it makes it to water it’s most likely permanently lost and you’ll pay the trophy fee. I haven’t hunted alligators but some of the methods appear more similar to fishing and less chance of losing the alligator than the way croc are hunted.

A interesting to me side note anyway.
Does anyone know if gator and croc can cross breed?
Years ago going to carabell fl. There a brackish water river the salt comes in off a salt marsh and the river comes out of tates hell wma. We were fishing for crockers and blue crab.
Any way a funny looking gator comes out of the salt marsh. It has a long pointy snout and a extra row of scuts on its tail and a regular gator comes out of the fresh water
The gater bellows and they started slamming their heads fighting. It lasted over a hr. At the end the gator went back to the swam the croc went back in the marsh. I know that’s high up in fl for one of our crocs.
But what ever came out of the marsh was no gator.

We are went to a state park and reported it to the ranger and had him call Fwc and made. A report to them.

It is interesting what you can see in wild places

 

[Safari Dave]

Alligators and crocodiles can't interbreed. Even though they look very similar, they are not as closely related as most people would think.


They will fight each other, however...

 

[Safari Dave]

When I was considering taking a croc in Mozambique a few years ago, I had practiced putting a .416 Hornady DGX in the brainstem.

I would do whatever your PH recommends.


With crocs on land, you want to make a precise shot with well constructed expanding bullet, just to make sure that it doesn't get to the water, if possible.


Otherwise, you play the waiting game, and hope that it floats to the surface, before you have to pay a trophy fee for an animal you can't retrieve.

 

[Flbt]

Alligators and crocodiles can't interbreed. Even though they look very similar, they are not as closely related as most people would think.


They will fight each other, however...

Good we don’t need highbrid vigor in them

I think it was a native fl croc it was not much bigger than the gator

 

[Safari Dave]

I, once, got to see both lying side by side when fishing in the Everglades.

I took a picture, but can't find it to save my life.





Sometime things range much farther north than they are "supposed" to live.

A bonefish has been caught in New Brunswick, Canada!

 

[Andrew NOLA]

And back to the tropic please