2007-02-04 05:46:39 · 12 answers · asked by gunner 1 in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
No .308 will not do and you might get hurt or killed.
The American gun market produced several famous dangerous game cartridges, such as the 458 Winchester magnum and 378 and 460 weatherby magnums and many of these were 'wildcatted' (to modify an existing case and rifle to fire a different caliber bullet). The rest of the old Nitro express calibers were to fade almost to obscurity until a recent resurgence in safari hunting came about in the 1970s and 1980s. This prompted a new boom in elephant gun development and calibers such as the 416 Weatherby and 416 Remington arrived in factory offerings. The late 1980s and 1990s produced the .700 Nitro Express and the new brass manufacturers allowed even more powerful elephant guns such as the .585 Nyati, .577 Tyrannosaur and .585 Gehringer to be made by wildcatters. Hundreds more are listed on the internet's gun forums. The .600 Overkill made by Rob Garnick represents at this moment the greatest power available from a standard hunting action.
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This site has a lot of good info:
http://www.grosswildjagd.de/elephant.htm
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2007-02-04 07:53:52 · answer #1 · answered by DECEMBER 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I heard of a man in South Africa who used a .350 Remington Magnum to kill rogue elephants. He claimed it was the best. Who knows? Personally I wouldn't shoot an elephant unless it was rogue and then I'd use a proper elephant gun, nothing smaller than a .458 Winchester Magnum.
The .308 Norma is a good but dated round. I haven't even seen one in like thirty years. Is anyone still making ammo?
H
2007-02-04 22:31:21 · answer #2 · answered by H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The backup gun for elephant hunting is bigger, not smaller, than the primary. A few PH's think the 458 WinMag is OK for stopping a charge, but most seem to want a bit more. The 308 Norma was one of the belted magnums that showed up ca. 1960 and is comparable to the other 30 caliber magnums, a good elk caliber also good for African plains game.
2007-02-04 17:46:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
no way way to small of a round you can take big game like mule deer elk but not a elephant. if you even seen footage of that elephant that went nut and the cops where all shooting it with 357 and 9 mills one cop steps in with a 308 he got from a gun store after the elephant already had many roads in him this guy put more into him with the 308 he finally went down. lol from lead poisoning. bootom line is you can empty a 308 a elephant he will go down after a few mags as for one shot one kill. a .585 nyati .577 trannosaur and .585 gehinger would take emm down in one shot
2007-02-04 14:00:23 · answer #4 · answered by wofford1257 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Elephants have reportedly been killed with the lowly 7MM Mauser round, yet the idea is sounds completly foolish. I certainly wouldn't suggest a .30 caliber anything for elephant. Move up to a minimum of a .416 Rigby. I'd prefer a .458 Winchester or maybe a .505 Gibbs.
2007-02-04 22:34:39 · answer #5 · answered by Christopher H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The .308 Norma Magnum is plenty powerful but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it stopping an elephant. A .50BMG would definitely stop one but they are big, heavy, and awkward to use. Fine English and Turkish double rifles (look like double barrel shotguns) is the usual elephant gun in Africa but they are super expensive. $25,000.00 might get you a nice one! Smaller calibers can be used but you better have a big back-up gun for insurance.
2007-02-04 17:23:43 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Save a life , possibly your own, and get a barrett 50 cal, kinda large and cumbersome but so is an elephant, in fact a 300 wthby has more punch than the 308 and i wouldnt use it either,
get your barrett50 and put about 500 yrds between you and the elephant and you will have no worries. one shot olne kill
2007-02-04 22:59:13 · answer #7 · answered by roger c 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try an 8 guage double barrel with rifled slugs. Guaranteed to make a charging elephant think twice. Esp. after the first shot
2007-02-06 14:25:02 · answer #8 · answered by djdjr01 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NOPE...Deer,Hog,Big Cats, or Bear And The Such,A Well Placed Shot Could Stop An Elephant,Recommend Larger Caliber Though...
2007-02-04 13:55:49 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you're using anything less than a .50 for Elephants, you're going to get trampled by a ticked off elephant.
Anyone who tells you to use a .308 as an elephant gun backup WANTS you to be a pancake.
2007-02-04 13:50:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋