Forums.NitroExpress.com

Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact NitroExpress.com: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)

View recent messages : 24 hours | 48 hours | 7 days | 14 days | 30 days | 60 days | More Smilies

*** Enjoy NitroExpress.com? Participate and join in. ***

You are not logged in. [Login]

Main Index · Search · Active Topics
New user · Who's Online · FAQ · Calendar

Hunting >> Hunting in Africa & hunting dangerous game

xausa
.400 member

Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA

Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)
19/09/08 05:50 AM

I suppose I have as much experience shooting elephants as any of the other participants in this forum. If there is one thing I have come away with as a result of the four brain shots I have attempted, it is that unless you can be completely sure of hitting the brain, you need to be shooting the most powerful rifle you can handle.

John Taylor ascribed values to various rifle-cartridge combinations with regard to their ability to stun an elephant and put him down, irrespective of whether the brain was actually hit. I believe his conclusions were correct. None of the three I shot with my .505 was able to stay on his feet after the initial shot and none got up again. Even the one I shot with a .458 did not make it back to his feet, although he was not stunned and struggled longer.

My first elephant was shot from the side. I had been told to aim above the cheekbone, halfway between the earhole and the eye, which I did. Unfortunately, in retrospect I was probably too close (25-30 yards), so that shooting up at a rather steep angle, I probably missed the brain high. Nonetheless the animal went down and after three more shots, stayed down. One of the 570 grain solids found its way to the far side eye socket, so there was some wandering of the bullet path inside the skull.

My second elephant was completely hidden by undergrowth, except for his head. Unfortunately, he was reaching up with his trunk to strip a delicacy from the tree in front of him, presenting me with a very unusual angle to shoot at. I shot at where I visualized his brain to be, and he went down at the shot. Unfortunately, he immediately began struggling to get up, and I was forced to fire three more times to finish him off. Because his "askari" was threatening a charge, I was unable to get closer to get a clearer shot until after his struggles had ceased. The effect of the .458 was definitely less than that of the .505.

My last two elephants were both taken with quartering brain shots from the rear with the .505. Both were shot behind the left ear and both toppled immediately and did not stir. Both received a heart shot, just to make sure.

Were I to hunt elephants again, which at my age (69) seems quite unlikely, I would not want to use anything less powerful than the .505, and a .577 would be even better, W.D.M. Bell to the contrary, notwithstanding.

Post Extras

Print Post

Remind Me!

Notify Moderator

Entire topic
Subject	Posted by	Posted on
Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bakerb	18/09/08 02:55 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	NE450No2	18/09/08 08:55 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	18/09/08 10:27 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	18/09/08 11:10 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	19/09/08 05:33 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bakerb	19/09/08 05:56 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	ozhunter	18/09/08 11:38 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	larcher	19/09/08 01:22 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	19/09/08 05:50 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bakerb	19/09/08 04:25 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	gryphon	19/09/08 05:02 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	xausa	19/09/08 05:50 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	19/09/08 10:35 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	19/09/08 10:47 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Indy	22/09/08 10:32 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	22/09/08 10:50 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	22/09/08 11:02 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	22/09/08 10:41 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	22/09/08 12:47 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bakerb	23/09/08 01:49 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	23/09/08 03:53 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	93mouse	26/09/08 05:36 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bakerb	27/09/08 02:12 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bakerb	27/09/08 03:53 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	27/09/08 06:11 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	hoppdoc	27/09/08 06:28 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	NitroX	27/09/08 12:12 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	xausa	27/09/08 06:54 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	hoppdoc	27/09/08 08:41 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	hoppdoc	27/09/08 09:06 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	hoppdoc	27/09/08 06:41 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	23/09/08 04:47 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	xausa	23/09/08 03:44 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	23/09/08 04:53 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Charles_Helm	26/09/08 10:54 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	NitroX	23/09/08 10:48 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	23/09/08 10:55 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	23/09/08 11:22 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	24/09/08 10:14 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	23/09/08 12:17 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	23/09/08 10:37 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	poprivit	23/09/08 06:18 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	9.3x57	24/09/08 10:34 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	xausa	26/09/08 01:30 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	9.3x57	26/09/08 01:48 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	25/09/08 01:45 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	25/09/08 02:33 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	25/09/08 10:28 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	25/09/08 10:48 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	25/09/08 11:00 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	JPK	26/09/08 02:26 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	Ripp	26/09/08 04:52 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	26/09/08 05:02 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	9.3x57	26/09/08 02:43 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	peter	26/09/08 04:20 AM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	25/09/08 12:25 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	9.3x57	24/09/08 11:23 PM
Re: Elephant brain shot placement (with pics)	bigmaxx	18/09/08 10:07 AM

Extra information

0 registered and 35 anonymous users are browsing this forum.

Moderator:

Forum Permissions
      You cannot start new topics
      You cannot reply to topics
      HTML is disabled
      UBBCode is enabled

Rating:
Thread views: 18237

Jump to

NitroExpress.com

Powered by UBB.threads™ 6.5.5

Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact

Copyright 2003 to 2011 - all rights reserved