.308 on Nilgai

[MetalMan2004]

I’ve done some reading and curious to hear people’s opinions now. It seems older stuff I read says that you need something bigger than a .308 for Nilgai. I’ve also found newer write-ups that point out that Nilgai anatomy is a bit different than deer and elk and people didn’t think .308 was enough because they weren’t aiming in the right place.

I’m booked for next April so I have plenty of time to figure it out, but I have both a BLR (thinking quick follow up shots) and a Vanguard in .308. With a good bullet, do y’all think this is sufficient? Should I be saving up for a new, bigger caliber rifle?

[BigRed323]

I’ve killed 2 cows and a bull with a 30-06 And 1 cow with a 308.

My dad has killed bunches with his 06

[HTOWN]

If I had a option, I'd go bigger. But, we have shot them with 308 and 6.5 CM. So if that's all you have, roll with it.
Get a good bullet that will punch a hole.

Don't over think it, but it's the funnest hunts I ever go on.
Good luck to ya

[6.5 shooter]

180gr in a 300wm would be my minim for me. If you could find a 175 gr federal Edge TLR 308 would work with good shot placement. I’ve done a lot of experiments with this 308 round. Great weight retention and expansion.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

165gr Accubond and send it... make the first shot count.


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[Muddy Bud]

308 will work if your outfitter is ok with it. Just shoot a good heavy bullet, Nosler partition, Accubond, Scirrocco or Barnes. I would probably feel more comfortable hunting the dunes where you could take a follow up shot if necessary. If you come across one in the oak motts a follow up may be difficult and you will be putting all your faith in the bullet. If that was the case I’d go high shoulder shot.

[Slick8]

Will it kill one, absolutely. As the broken record says with a well placed shot from a tough bullet.

I'd consider swift a-frame, partitions or possibly a copper solid as you could reduce the weight to get velocity up.

Like said above the federal tlr would be an excellent choice if you could find them. I think they've been replaced by the terminal ascent which is equally hard to find.

I think most say a magnum due to poor understanding or the hope that a higher velocity heavy bullet will put one down quicker. Poor blood trails and the thick nasty country they live in make tracking very difficult.

At the end of the day their just an antelope but they do have heavy bones and that heavy armored shoulder shield to stop bullet exits.

Were it me, I'd be shooting my 30 nos with 180-200 copper solids. They have no respect for heavy bones. But that's me and it's my favorite rifle.

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[Gumbo Man]

I’ve killed 3 bulls and 2 cows but all with a 338. But if all I had was a .308 and a neck shot didn’t present itself I would personally take a lung shot of the surrounding brush didn’t allow an easy retreaval. And my thoughts are only based on the fact that they are successfully taken with bows all the time. Or I should have said if the brush that he WILL go in to expire would allow a recovery

[Mr. Public]

Killed a cow and a bull with a bow&arrow, both successfully retrieved.

Killed a cow with a 257weatherby(25yd shot) and a bull (150yd)with 300RUM 220gr (2 shots) lower neck, then frontal chest when he got back up!

Have seen numerous nilgai shot with 300WIN & 300RUM and never recovered. (Bad shot placement)

If they can be killed with bows, a 308 is plenty.

Neck shot is my preferred shot on a big bull.

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[MetalMan2004]

Thanks for all the feedback. As stated, the bullet choice will be important. Hunt is April of next year so I’m sure I can find the right ammo if I keep an eye out. I’ve got some reading to do on the bullets y’all have mentioned.

The only guidance from the ranch is they suggest a .30 caliber rifle.

It’s the Norias division of the King Ranch. Pictures look like equal parts open and shrubby. I guess I’ll be wherever the guide takes me.

[stickman]

Frontal chest or high neck shot and you’ll be fine. Be ready to shoot twice or more if you hit him behind the shoulders. The bones on them are crazy dense so quartering to frontal or quartering away and tuck it in from back to front of opposite shoulder and you’ll find your nilgai.

[DUKFVR]

Pick a quality bullet & it will get it done if you do your part.

[RifleBowPistol]

A good 180 gr. bullet from a 308 will work. I would probably go with a 180 gr. Accubond. For the incase you wind up deciding to try a bit longer shot. But a 180 gr. Partition would be a good choice.

The velocity a 308 will push a 180 gr. bullet, it's not going to be prone to blowing up. With most any good hunting bullet, you should get plenty of penetration. I would be looking for a bullet that will give you some expansion. The two I listed should work fine. If you place your shots at the top of the shoulder, 150 gr. bullet should work fine, but a good 165 gr. to a 180 gr. would provide a bit more reliable penetration.

The 308 is a good round, much better, if you keep the shots inside of 400 yards. The main reason I am not a big fan of the 308, is the bullet drop. It's deadly way past 400 yards, once you get out there around 600+ yards you got to crank in a lot of hold over, compared to some other calibers.

There is a video I have seen years ago. It's a short clip, there was a drought going on in Africa and there were too many elephants in the area, for the amount of vegetation in the area. The elephants were tearing up a lot of trees, that I think were nearly extinct or something along those lines. So they decided to reduce the elephant population in the area. So they sent out a park ranger to reduce the population . He found a heard of elephants, got out of his truck, pulled out a FN FAL. There were about eight to ten elephants standing about 50 to 60 yards away. The guy had obviously done this before. He dropped ever one of those elephants inside of about five seconds. They started falling over like dominoes. If a 308 will drop elephants like that, it will drop a nilgai, with good shot placement.

A 308, is very reliable on penetration typically, because of the ratio of bullet weight, to diameter and velocity. It won't have anywhere near the energy that a 180 gr. bullet from a 300 RUM will have. But if you load the exact same bullet in a 308 and then the same bullet in a 300 RUM, the 308 will penetrate deeper, because of the lower velocity, resulting in less expansion. But the bullet fired from the 300 RUM will definitely do a lot more damage and release a lot more energy. Now, if the bullet is some solid copper bullet or a FMJ with thick jacketing, so it's not going to expand much out of the 300 RUM. Then the RUM will most likely have much deeper penetration. If the bullet is designed to expand at normal rifle velocities, the 308 will probably penetrate deeper.

When you understand the characteristics of a caliber, how it will perform with various weights and styles of bullets. Then understand what you need to kill whatever animal you are hunting, with various shot placements. You should be able to come up with a bullet and shot placement that works for the animal you are after. With bigger more powerful calibers, you have more options on shot placement, and you can take shots out to longer ranges.

[db@100]

My son has taken 4 bulls with his .308 shooting 168 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.
I've taken 2 bulls with a .280 using 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.
.308 will be fine.

[jstamps50]

As usual it's all about shot placement. .308 should be more than capable