Where do you stop with your /06

[Backyardsniper]

I just purchased a Sako 85 Arctos in 30/06. I love the old /06 and thought it would be great to take on my safari as my PG gun. I'm taking. 458 Lott or 460Wby for the big stuff. I had planned to take my 375 for the PG then I saw this rifle and I just couldn't help myself. Perfect package with micrometer aperture sight and a 3.5-10x42 Swaro in QD rings, plus beautiful wood and all that.
My question is where do you cut it off on PG with the 30/06. I hand load and I can make use of all the projectiles available out there. The largest thing I think I'll be hunting other than the DG stuff is probably Kudu and Zebra, absolute worst case maybe an eland. We are hunting the Save valley and I believe most of the shots will be well under 200yds and I plan to hunt with Iron sights so likely 100yds. I know the 30/06 has killed tons of Bear and Elk here at home so I think it is sufficient for the PG I'll be encountering, am I overlooking anything?

 

[Scott CWO]

You should be good to go with the .30-06 if you only take broadside and quartering away shots at the larger antelope. I have shot lots of bull elk with my .30-06. I prefer to sight-in with a 165gr quality bullet. I find this bullet weight shoots flatter than the 180gr with the same effect. Some people shoot the 180gr and 150gr bullets but I prefer to split the difference and use the 165gr bullet for elk, deer, antelope, etc… without having to change back and forth. I would suggest the Nosler Accubond or Barnes TTSX, which are both boat tail bullets that fly flat and well.

 

[Backyardsniper]

I will definitely get some high quality projectiles. Something in the Accubond, Swift, Woodleigh family for sure.

 

[Zambezi]

At those ranges the 30.06 will do it all, including Eland.

 

[Backyardsniper]

That's kind of how I felt about it, but I know the African animals are know to be pretty tough. From all the reading I've done so far it seems to be sufficient though. If it was good enough for hemingway's pompous ass it is good enough for me. Ha ha

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I just purchased a Sako 85 Arctos in 30/06. I love the old /06 and thought it would be great to take on my safari as my PG gun. I'm taking. 458 Lott or 460Wby for the big stuff. I had planned to take my 375 for the PG then I saw this rifle and I just couldn't help myself. Perfect package with micrometer aperture sight and a 3.5-10x42 Swaro in QD rings, plus beautiful wood and all that.
My question is where do you cut it off on PG with the 30/06. I hand load and I can make use of all the projectiles available out there. The largest thing I think I'll be hunting other than the DG stuff is probably Kudu and Zebra, absolute worst case maybe an eland. We are hunting the Save valley and I believe most of the shots will be well under 200yds and I plan to hunt with Iron sights so likely 100yds. I know the 30/06 has killed tons of Bear and Elk here at home so I think it is sufficient for the PG I'll be encountering, am I overlooking anything?

@Backyardsniper
Mate take the 06 for everything from and including eland down. Load it with a 220 or 200gr and have fun. If'n you want to shoot flatter go the 180gr ttsx.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

That's kind of how I felt about it, but I know the African animals are know to be pretty tough. From all the reading I've done so far it seems to be sufficient though. If it was good enough for hemingway's pompous ass it is good enough for me. Ha ha

@Backyardsniper
My son used a 308 on everything including zebra and gemsbuck with 150gn accubonds and 140gn outer edge monos with out issues so the ought six should do a bit better.
Bob

 

[Backyardsniper]

That should work then

 

[Nhoro]

30-06 meets the Zimbabwe legal requirements of plains game in the Eland/Giraffe/Lion category. These category B animals require 3172 ftlbs and the 3006 makes this with a few factory loads eg Hornady Superperformance SST180 gr @ 3209 ftlbs. So on the strict letter of the law, you should just check the loads as many loads will be under the legal energy requirement. A 308 will probably be illegal as I don't think it can manage the energy requirement but capable. 3006 just makes the energy.

A friend of mine took a big eland cow this last weekend with his 308 and old cup and pmp cup and core softs. Swifts or monometal expanding solids will be better than that.

I am happy to take eland with my 30-06. Lion I would use my 458 Lott but many lion have been taken with a 30-06. Wounded lion is a different story. Not to sure I will ever take a giraffe but a well placed 30-06 will do the job.

 

[shootist~]

I had shots from 30 Yds to 300 over nine animals in my safari last month. A 30-06 with 180 Swift A-Frames performed beautifully. I have picks of recovered bullets in another thread.

One shot kills on most including a Kudu bull (pass-thru from broadside at 250-ish), and a Zebra stallion at 60-ish (bullet recovered from skin on far side ribs). The Zebra was hit further back than desired and ran ~200 Yds. (Dead when we got there.)

Some of the shorter shots were taken just as the animal hit a small open spot in the brush. Target identification, shooting lane, etc., was important, although my tracker or PH was telling me where and what.

So my vote is to take the '06, but mount that optic - or at least take it, if in QD rings.

 

[Rem700stw]

If you are a capable marksman and load Barnes TSX or Swift A-Frames in 180gr or heavier you can kill anything that qualifies as plains game in Africa. Been there, done that with my .30-06 and Barnes 180 TSX.

Medium bores will perhaps dispatch with more authority, but dead is dead.

 

[R.M.C.]

I don't think it's an ideal choice for eland but its definitely got the energy and penetration (with the right bullet) to kill them cleanly. And it sounds like eland is not on the menu anyway so I say take the 06.

 

[WoodFire]

I have taken zebra and eland with .30-06 using 165 grain Accubonds. However, I think you need to be careful with your shot angle and distance for these animals with an '06. Under 200 yards should be no problem. For impala and smaller I've shot out to 550 and been pleased with the results.

 

[Ryan]

Not telling you any different than a few above, but anything including eland with good ammo and within reasonable range. I used my 30-06 with 168 grain Barnes TTSX bullets to take eight animals total on my first and second hunts in Namibia. Smallest was a springbok, largest included two kudu and a zebra. The zebra was at around 120 yards quartering to me and I broke the leg bone and fully penetrated diagonally through it. It went a couple yards and dropped. I planned to use it for eland on my second hunt, but just didn't find one. I did use a rental 300 WM and 180 grain PMP ammo for my eland later. I have complete confidence the same shot would have worked using my 30-06.

Plenty of outfits have a 30-06 as a rental, so you know they have confidence in it too.

 

[lwaters]

A 30-06 with a good handload and a 24 in barrel will do anything a factory 300 win mag. can do.

 

[Nyati]

With good placement and proper bullets, I see no reason to stop anywhere.

I have shot a Roan with a .270, and seen an Eland go down with a 25-06.

 

[Chago]

A good bullet and honest range I wouldn't hesitate shooting anything in Africa with a 30-06. DG has its own set of rules but in regards to PG I wouldn't think twice. 30-06 have taken more Canadian Moose then any other caliber on earth. There is no such PG in all of Africa the size or build of a Moose.

 

[Backyardsniper]

I agree. I spoke with my PH earlier today and asked him about his opinion between the 30/06 or bringing the 375 for 0pains game and he recommended /06. That is good enough for me

 

[Fredsteyn]

I started loading 190 gr Kriek Monometal bullets for 30-06 - yet to hunt with them. Will hunt all PG up to eland with this rifle in the bushveld - all shots closer than 200m (if ever that distance)

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Ever since my first African safari in 1974 , I’ve always been taking all of my plains game exclusively with a .30-06 Springfield ( my favorite rifle in this caliber , being a BRNO ZKK600 ) . This includes kudus , wildebeests and even bull elands . For these three species , I prefer 220 Gr soft points ( the Remington Core Lokt being a personal favorite of mine ) . For the others , I generally prefer 180 Gr soft points ( also Remington Core Lokts ) . I’m yet to lose an animal .

I strongly encourage many of our younger hunters to try out some of the 220 Gr bullet offerings in the .30-06 Springfield . It really turns this mundane caliber into a real game changer .