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Allen, I'm in your corner on this one. When you're looking to hunt dangerous game, and even the larger plains game, penetration is paramount. You're not going to get that from a light to medium weight for calibre bullet. The sectional density just isn't there. Allow me to mention 2 recent example I experienced on a Blue Wildebeest and a Burchells Zebra on the same hunt.

I was shooting a Model 70, custom stocked with a beautiful piece of AAA Claro, topped with a Leupold 1.75 X 6 in Talley QD rings and bases, and chambered in 375 Ackley Improved. I was thinking I'd like to have a load that will be flatter than the 300 Grain loadings I usually use, so I went with 250 grain Swift A Frames moving along at @ 2900 fps. On the Wildebeest, I was presented a perfect broadside shot from around 75 yards. My shot hit the Wildebeest in the middle of the shoulder, and he just stood there. I quuickly followed up with another shot, that hit within an inch of the first shot. The critter ran about 100 yards and fell over. There was no blood spoor at all. A post mortem showed that neither bullet exited, but, they did mushroom perfectly and looked just like the ones in the magazine advertisements. Both bullets broke the near shoulder, and only penetrated half way through the off side lung, after penetrating the near side lung. I prefer complete penetration which is more likely to leave a good blood trail if needed.

On the Zebra, I had a shot of around 100 yards, with the animal quartering toward me. I held on the inside of the near shoulder, fired, and the PH and tracker both pronounced it a good hit-he won't go far. We had a slight blood trail for the first 150 yards or so, then it started getting too dark, and it also started to rain. The next day we went back to look for it, and after a couple of hours, we found the stallion still running with the herd. There was a dried blood stain running down the leg to around knee level. I was able to get a quartering away shot into it while it was running, and was lucky enough to clip an artery, and it went down shortly after that. A post mortem showed that my first shot was exactly where I wanted it to be, but for some reason, the bullet turned on the heavy shoulder bone, and followed underneath the skin at a ninety degree angle to the entrance wound before exiting. I was very lucky to have recovered the Zebra. I now use only 300 grain bullets in the Ackley. At 200 yards the difference in drop, compared to the 250 grain bullet is just under two inches. I sight it in 2 inches high at 100 yards, and I'm dead on at 200. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to bullet selection, but what I'm sharing with you is the advise I've received from quite a few African veterans, as well as from several PHs who've seen all types and bullet weights used. As far a brand of Bullet, they're all pretty much in agreement that brand doesn't matter, as long as it's a Barnse, Nosler Partition, Woodleigh, Trophy Bonded, or Swift A Frame. Just my two cents worth.

I had to come back and add this: in my opinion, penetration is a function of bullet construction and weight. If one is missing penetration is impossible.

Edited by mikeh416Rigby (26/01/06 10:52 AM)

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