Stopping a Nilgai

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MCgunner

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So, my preacher wants to leave this week on a Nilgai hunt. His .300 Win Mag needs sighting in, but there's no time. He wants to borrow my 7 mag. It's all ready and I have about 13 rounds of Federal Premium 160 Nosler Partition for it. He says the ranch manager where he's going says a 7 won't make it through a Nilgai's hide, which I call bunk to. Anything his 300 can kill, a 7 can kill, BUT of course, it takes the right bullet, a controlled expansion bullet. I explained this to him. His only other choice is his son's .308 which might do the job, but I'd admit is a little light.

Anyway, opinions on this load used on Nilgai? I know we have some big game hunters here, but Nilgai is an odd critter and sort of particular to large ranches in Texas. I'd like to go after one myself some day, but I'd probably need two more freezers for that much meat. :rofl:
 
160 or 175 Nosler partitions might satisfy the ranch manager. However, if he has his mind made up then the preacher man might be disappointed. Can he borrow a .35 Whelen or .375 H&H?
Doesn't the ranch have a range where he could sight in his .300?

Years ago I called the King ranch and asked if I could use an XP-100 with .358 Winchester shells. He said "No pistols!" However in a rifle it might be OK.
 
A 7mm Mag with 160gr Partitions won't kill a 240lb - 635lb (according to Wiki) antelope?o_O

I guess it's house rules though, it doesn't sound like your preacher has much option but to take your 7mm Mag and bring his 300 WM as well and sight it in if the rancher forbids the 7. If the 7mm Mag with 160s can't make it though the skin, what chance would a .308 stand?
 
Seeing that a 7MM is one of the worlds best penetrating rounds and all. I’d say the ranch manager is full of it I know guys who regularly kill eland with 7 Mags.

The 7 Mag has a bad reputation in some circles but with modern bullets the thing is a killing machine. What gives it such a bad rep has more to do with some of the boneheaded newb hunters who take stupidly long range shots with it not understanding the limits of their skills and equipment.
 
I think the problem folks have with Nilgai and with other Asian or African large game, is they use North American Antelope and Cervid anatomy as their guide, and from what I've studied..., the bullet placement is just enough different for a standard broadside shot to not have the immediate, desired effect.:confused: So folks say X or Y cartridge won't work or won't work well, but what's happening is the hunter isn't putting the bullet right, by assuming the anatomy is the same. ;) IF what I've studied is true..., when 90 degrees broadside, the African and Asian antelopes and deer actually cover the heart with the upper bone of the forward legs, (while North American Deer and Antelope you shoot just behind the verticle leg to hit heart and lung), and the lungs are further toward the front too. This might account for why famous hunters like Forsyth and Selous liked 8 bore and 4 Bore rifles even on deer-like critters in Africa and Asia, as they may have been punching through that upper bone to then get through the ribs to the heart and lungs.

You might review the differences between what you're used to and that Asian antelope. Given the proper point of impact that 7mm Mag should do just fine.

LD
 
They have them on my Brothers ranch. I've never shot one...but they DO have a thick hide up around the shoulders and neck.

7 Mag is plenty to penetrate (with proper bullet) but bigger is better. Depending upon the angle..there are preferred shot placements. Most guides will want you to try and break them down (broadside shots). This can be done with a 'high shoulder shot' (spine) or the shoulder itself (lower). If facing you and you are comfortable (competent) with it...a shot to the white throat patch takes them down.

DON'T shoot behind the shoulder...like you would with Whitetail. A Nilgai will run about 115 miles before stopping if shot like that, they are tough.

In any case, chamber another round immediately and be prepared to take any follow up shots that are presented.
 
Guys, Nilgai are not bullet proof or armor plated. One of my mentors killed a couple of tons of Blue Bulls when he was working in northern India back in the late 50's. Used a 30-06 with 180gr Silver Tip in a JC Higgens FN Mauser. He also used the same load on Black Buck, Sambar and couple of Leopards.
 
Guys, Nilgai are not bullet proof or armor plated. One of my mentors killed a couple of tons of Blue Bulls when he was working in northern India back in the late 50's. Used a 30-06 with 180gr Silver Tip in a JC Higgens FN Mauser. He also used the same load on Black Buck, Sambar and couple of Leopards.

^^^^^ No doubt. And an experienced hunter could likely use a lesser cartridge to good effect. But for someone going after Nilgai for the first time...it might be better to up the ante in the event of less than perfect shot placement.

Of course..I am NOT suggesting that one should ever substitute 'energy' for good shot placement but you do want everything working in your favor first time out.

'06 with 180 gr. bullets is a pretty potent package and for those old enough to remember the old Winchester Silver-Tip bullets, they were mighty darn good for the day. The last ones I had were some 300 grain for my .338 Win Mag. Probably should have kept them as they were rare and in perfect boxes. ($$$$).

Ultimately...it is up to the person hosting the hunt. Many outfits have a 'policy' about minimum caliber/cartridge requirements.

Their place, their rules.
 
Two buddies of mine just got back from a nilgai hunt in Texas. Both bulls fell to the mighty, the tremendous, the high powered bringer of death........308 Winchester. The cow was killed with a 7mm Rem Mag. One of these guys has killed double digit nilgai and never used anything other than a 308. He’s also killed a ton of plains game in Africa with a 308.
 
My father in law has shot probably 50 of them on his ranch with a 7mm Magnum. I've shot one with a 7mm-08 and .300 Win Mag. None have gone further than twenty yards. I've seen one shot with a .223 and dropped with DRT ammo. That stuff is cool.

Mark
 
So razor dobbs killed one with a 10mm pistol with full penetration. Not that tough. I know people that have killed em w 44 mags and 30/30’s. I will say some of these ranch managers scientific method they use to assess what works and what didnt and why is lacking to say the least. They arent bullet proof, have a smaller forward vital cavity and wary as heck. They usually take off running about the time your brain says “hey, a horse”, then they are gone. This aids in poor shots taken and thus the myth of the sherman tank-like nilgai.
 
I think the problem folks have with Nilgai and with other Asian or African large game, is they use North American Antelope and Cervid anatomy as their guide, and from what I've studied..., the bullet placement is just enough different for a standard broadside shot to not have the immediate, desired effect.:confused: So folks say X or Y cartridge won't work or won't work well, but what's happening is the hunter isn't putting the bullet right, by assuming the anatomy is the same. ;) IF what I've studied is true..., when 90 degrees broadside, the African and Asian antelopes and deer actually cover the heart with the upper bone of the forward legs, (while North American Deer and Antelope you shoot just behind the verticle leg to hit heart and lung), and the lungs are further toward the front too. This might account for why famous hunters like Forsyth and Selous liked 8 bore and 4 Bore rifles even on deer-like critters in Africa and Asia, as they may have been punching through that upper bone to then get through the ribs to the heart and lungs.

You might review the differences between what you're used to and that Asian antelope. Given the proper point of impact that 7mm Mag should do just fine.

LD

Exactly. If you shoot any African or Asian antelope behind the shoulder you’ve gut shot them. The vitals lie between the shoulders.
 
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40247035_2055593068104166_7228815840504709120_n.jpg friend shot one near bayview, tx with .308 win savage bolt action...I have a pic of animal but cant post the pic..can I email it to someone to post?
 
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Well, I delivered said 7 mag and my 120 quart ice chest to pastor James after church yesterday. He should be off on his Nilgai adventure today, probably already left. I'm still hoping to get a Texas elk hunt out there maybe next year, in the Davis mountains somewhere south of Ft. Davis. I wished him luck and he said he probably wouldn't need it. Sounds like there are plenty of 'em on this ranch. He took an elk out there some months back. He said he'd give me some meat off it if he gets one. I've heard they're quite yummy. :D
 
Anything his 300 can kill, a 7 can kill,

I ran into the same issue when looking for a hunt a several years ago..All the ranches I contacted required 300WM as a Min. I loaded for 7RM, 30-06 and 308 at the time.
 
Heck, I knew this guy at work that outlawed nilgai on the Kennedy, used a 6mm because it made less noise. I wonder if that idiot is still out of prison. :scrutiny: His boy did time, I know, for hunting the dunes on the Padre Island Nat'l Seashore. Like father, like son I guess.
 
A family friend ran a ranch near Raymondville and their caliber requirements for Nilgai were more based on the amount of people that flat out miss the animal or get so nervous the pull the shot massively. Once the animal is hit it is paid for and you want to find it.

Mark
 
If you could kill an Elk with it, it would kill a Nilgai. Your average Elk will weigh more.

I tried in vain to explain that to them.. Even mentioned I wasn't raised in TX and grew up hunting Elk/Mulies in CO/NM.

Me thinks they are far to used to the city slicker Texans grabbing a borrowed rifle/not enough rifle for the first time...
Same reason I used to bash Texans as a youngster hunting in CO. :what:

Course I did eventually pick up a 300WM for a CA Moose hunt. Still haven't booked a Nilgai hunt thou.
 
I remember as a kid going down to the mota bonita lodge on the king ranch and the guides looking at the rifle I brought (a savage I had won in an FFA cheese and sausage sale, then beded and freefloated) in disdain. They did require folks to shoot targets beforehand and hit near zero. I thought that was admirable. So I fire a shot at 100 yds and he says “that’s pretty good”. Then fire two more rounds where he said I missed. As he was suggesting that I try one of their more expensive and better equipped rifles, we went to retrieve the target that was 3 in a clover leaf all touching.

I still remember the fantastic selection of firearms and wish I had left “my gun” at home now but was proud of it back then.

A lot of the shot guns I was able to shoot I have only been able to handle at the SHOT show, when they go to lunch and leave the booth.

Big difference between what “it takes” and what is used.
 
I shot this eland with cz-550 in .375 H&H in Africa and the same rule goes if you wound it you bought it, so I opted to use the .375 so even with a marginal hit I had better chance of getting it. this eland was shot very close(maybe 60-70 yards) in heavy brush and I was glad I had chosen the 375.
 

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I shot this eland with cz-550 in .375 H&H in Africa and the same rule goes if you wound it you bought it, so I opted to use the .375 so even with a marginal hit I had better chance of getting it. this eland was shot very close(maybe 60-70 yards) in heavy brush and I was glad I had chosen the 375.

Good choice. Average person has no idea how positively huge Eland are. I know that size alone is not the only consideration. Yukon Moose are pretty darn big as well...but not especially tenacious of life. Same thing with Black Bear (easy to kill). Not so...with many African or Asian species.

Of course, none are bullet proof and with proper shot placement all will succumb to their injury, but some don't realize they are dead as fast as others.
 
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