I am back from the coast having made it out Friday morning October 26 before hurricane Sandy had a chance to cause too many problems. I promised you a week ago Friday I would start blogging again with the actual list of my favorite cartridges for Africa, here is the first one.
30-06 Springfield
180 grain bullet @ 2700 fps yields 3000 ft. lbs. of energy & 20.3 ft. lbs. of recoil
30-06 ammunition is widely available in Africa
I personally do not own a “06”, but I have no doubt that someday one will make its way into my collection. That being said, I know several people who hunt successfully with one and would not trade it for anything. Almost every American hunter either owns one, has owned one, or, at the very least, knows someone who owns one. The reason is simple. It has been around for a long time. It was adopted for use by the United States military in 1906, hence the 06 part of the name. The 30 comes from the diameter or caliber of the bullet. Put the two together and you get “30-06”. The 1895 Winchester was more than likely the first sporting rifle chambered for the 30-06 (1908) with the Remington model 30 bolt-action, first available in 1921.1 It is an extremely flexible cartridge as it can be loaded with anything from a 100-grain bullet all the way up to a 250-grain bullet. The velocities range from a scorching 3400 fps to a slow but sure 2100 fps.1 It is this versatility that allows it to take almost any game species but the biggest and nastiest. It shoots very flat with the lighter bullets, and it can deliver a wallop with some of the heaver ones. The fact that it can deliver a punch and most people can handle the recoil is what gives it a place in my list of acceptable cartridges for Africa.
Kissing Cousins: 308 Winchester 180 Grain bullet at 2610 fps yields 2743 ft. lbs. of energy and 17.5 ft. lbs. of recoil
