Large Exotics Gun

Trying to come up with a magnum rifle for large exotics such as nilgai, scimitar oryx, or addax. Based off of different threads here and a few other factors pretty much settled on 300 PRC as the cartridge. Trying to decide on an actual weapon though. Budgeting myself to $2,000 for rifle and optic. Features definitely want are a 26 inch barrel, a brake, a good recoil pad and weight between 8.5 to 9.5 pounds before optic. The more of these features I can get on the rifle, as is, the better.
I'm not a brand specific guy or even a big believer in big money is better. (My cheapy BCA .450 bushmaster upper shoots sub moa with off the shelf Hornady ammo). I have looked online at Browning, Savage, Howa, Bergara, Ruger and CVA. The Browning Long Range Stalker seems like a pretty decent gun for the price. I also like the BAR but it doesn't come in PRC only win mag and also no factory muzzle brake. Howa seems pretty good but can't seem to find PRC and the barrel length I want. Bergara gets some mixed reviews on here. My .308 is a Savage, I love the gun but it's older and I have no experience with newer Savage guns. In person I looked at a Ruger American Go Wild in .300 win mag seems like what I wanted but wrong cartridge and barrel length.
Wouldn't mind going with a larger .338 magnum or even the venerable .35 Whelen but ammo seems in short supply even in the custom market. All cartridges/calibers may seem like over kill but I'm a poor old disabled vet and if a drop the cash for one of these hunts I want to anchor my critter.
Just wondering what everyone's opinions might be on the subject. Thanks, bones.

CZ or Sako in 375 H&H. You will be ready for anything the earth has to offer.

I know you already picked the caliber but do look at the CZ and Sako.

Edit: neither are available in PRC, just Win Mag. And that badass H&H.

My opinion is that 2” of barrel isn’t going to make any difference ever in a hunting situation, and very little if any difference in any shooting situation for the number of rounds you’re going to put down range.

Bergara has several offerings in 300 PRC at different prices, weights and features that would work well in your price range. I have shot a few different models of these, all were respectable on accuracy, with one being exceptional.

Scimitar-horned oryx and addax are not "large", and only the nilgai is tough if you screw up the first shot..

A .308 Win. is plenty for addax and scimitar-horned oryx (I've successfully used a .309JDJ handgun, and .30-06, .308 Win., and 6.5 Creedmoor rifles on them).; use bonded-core or partitioned bullets.

I'd want a .300 Win. Mag./.338 Win/ Mag. or .375H&H (what I used) for nilgai, again with premium bonded-core or partitioned bullets.

While there isn't anything wrong with a .300PRC with your specs, it's more expensive to feed, heavier to carry, and loud.

If you just want to justify the build, have at it, brother!

When I took an African hunt (not the big stuff) the standard recommended cartridge was the 30-06. At least 13 years ago it was the most common hunting cartridge in South Africa. As I age the recoil of the 338 Win Mag I took is no longer tolerable. Today I'd take my 308 with a brake. I don't especially care for brakes but recoil sets off migraines. 270, 7mm-08 or anything similar is adequate with good bullets.

The greatest issue is picking something that will work and is exceptionally easy to hit well with. Stock fit is very important. To some degree... the less recoil the better. Where that line is varies a lot by the person. Being a good marksman and putting the first bullet in the right place is much more important than the cartridge. As long as it is adequate the specific cartridge is not the main point.

Are you hunting Africa or a game ranch in TX?

Agree. Had no issues using a 308 on Scimitar Oryx. For Nilgai, many outfitters will rent you a gun to use for a daily fee.

.338 Win Mag would be my choice.

Ramsey and I co-parent a .338 Lapua Mag for these large animals.

The first time I touched it off in his presence, he was standing a few feet behind me shooting prone.

WHOOOMMMM!!!!

Ramsey- "Oh my God! What have we done!"



300 gr Berger coming out at 2800 fps.

Over 4000 ft/lbs at 300 yards. It is a train!

X3

.300 win mag will take all those handily. My wife used a 7mm-08 in Africa and took a kudu and a zebra. I shot a sable, gemsbok and waterbuck with my .300

I’ve only killed one nilgai, but used a .22 cci mini-mag


I wouldn’t go bigger than .300 for any of those you listed.

Gonna be tough to find ammo (and loading components) for .338 Win Mag. I’ve been looking for a while and the few times I’ve run across loaded ammo, it has been stupid expensive.

I sold off my 338 Win Mag a few years ago and still have a bunch of bullets, brass, etc. PM if you have an interest.

Got a buddy who is planning a Nilgai hunt with me. He has a beautiful Blaser in .300 Win. He wants to order a .375 H&H barrel. I "suggested" he already has the perfect Nilgai rifle.
I can only afford a Nilgai cow for meat and I think my trusty, rusty, 6.5 Creedmoor with a 124gr Hammer Hunter will be all I need.

stay tuned.

For the OP, in your budget I would go with the Bergara. It's not as light as the Tikka's.

.300 win mag isn't off the table nor .375 H&H. I also planned a solidly constructed projectile no matter what cartridge/calibers I go with. My .308 is very partial to 180 grain partitions, but something like a Swift A Frame, Norma Oryx or perhaps an Accubond is what I was also considering. Definitely hunting here in Texas, I don't want to travel anywhere outside the states without a platoon or my old Bradley backing me up.
The reason for buying a larger cartridge is the performance of .308 on an axis I killed two years ago. Granted he didn't go far maybe thirty or forty yards but the shot took his heart out busted his shoulder and all kinds of inards (frontal shot at 80 yards); I guess I was expecting bang flop, but then again they get beat up by tigers where they're native. Then again it was almost overkill on blackbuck, but a difference of almost 125 or so pounds is a consideration. I don't know think I'm looking for the effect my Bushmaster has on Texas whitetails, if they don't bang flop its a somersault and flop.

I’m a big fan of the 9.3x62.

I've put a lot of thought into this and for me it's a 338 Lapua. It will kill anything on the planet at any range.

The best bang flop I’ve ever experienced was with a 338-06 on a whitetail. I swear he barrel rolled in the air 3 times.

I still say if you’re going to do it get a 375 H&H. Reasonable trajectory out to 300 yards with a 270g and a damn demon with a 300g to 200. I blew an aoudad up a mountain with a speer soft point one day. It was impressive.

For what it’s worth, big African plains game don’t usually bang/flop when hit in the heart/lung area.

I have noticed that when you get above deer sized game, animals usually don’t go straight down unless you spine shoot them no matter what you hit them with. That’s just how it is hunting bigger game. An Axis running 30-40 yards is perfectly normal for a shot you described


Your .308 is fine for addax and oryx, it’s a bit light for Nilgai but many are shot with .308’s every year. Buy or Build something you will enjoy shooting, there is zero legitimate reason to shoot a .375 in Texas or anywhere else in the lower 48 for that matter. Ammo is expensive and factory ammo is harder to find.

And don’t discount hunting abroad. It’s a big world out there.

What bullets do like? I’m thinking a 250 Accubond or 250 TTSX would be ideal for the biggest non dangerous game animals out to 300 yards.

I've experienced a big world there's places I'd like to visit and heck even some I'd like to revisit outside of military demands but regimes in power or conflict prevents that. I'd love to hunt a bunch of places. I also have a masters in military history and would truly love to see the cities, mountains, and steppe lands of Central Asia. From the Scythians of the ancient Greeks, to Alexander's exploits, migrations that brought the Huns, Vandals and Alans to Europe in Roman times, the rise of the Mongols, to the end of the Genghisid/ Timurid Era with Babur Khan, and the excitement of the "Great Game", it's extremely fascinating. But folks it just ain't safe to be loping around in that neck of the woods.
Looking at all kinds of rifles. But do want something that is comfortable to shoot hence wanting a brake and good recoil pad. .375 H&H is way too much but I 'm considering everything. There's also the nostalgia effect of some of those older cartridges. If I really thought I could pull it off a muzzle loading double rifle would be awesome. I think I can shoot fairly well but haven't shot past 200 yards since moving back to Texas so want to keep shots inside of that. Tothat point win mag falls well within being an excellent choice but having something different has always been appealing to me since leaving the Army.

You said 300 PRC. I’d look at Bergara and Browning. Then a Nightforce SHV or Leupold VX5. That should be close to your budget. It’s going to kick and be stupid loud with that brake.

I’ve killed the animals on your list except the Nilgai. And I killed 10 animals in Africa. 300 WM on most of them. 375 H&H on a kudu and sable. With a suppressor it’s barely noticeable on recoil. 300 grain soft points do some amazing damage.

375 H&H mag is hard to argue with for big game, they will penetrate a cow lengthwise. I also wouldn’t be scared of 250+ yard shot. The one I have is very very accurate. It’s an old Whitworth mauser action.
Will shoot sub moa if you have the nerve to shoot it off a bench.

Never felt recoil while hunting; sighting in is a whole other animal. Think I'm pretty settled between .300 win mag and 300 prc. Just not sure of just what rifle I want.

I have a win mag, but I also had dies, brass and all for a win mag so the last time I renewed my win mag because I had all the components to load it. If I was starting from scratch I would pick the PRC the case has no belt, most of the rifles are 1:9 some are 1:8 twist rates and that’s what you need to shoot the big 30 cal bullets.

Well I picked up a Ruger American Go Wild in .300 Win Mag. Price was right, just a smidgen over $500 and it came with many of the features I wanted. I'll shoot it with the brake this year and be looking for a can to put on it later.

Good choice. Just got back from our annual Nilgai hunt. Of the 10 hunters, 6 people killed 5 Nilgai bulls, 5 Nilgai cows, a Waterbuck bull, and a Waterbuck cow with .300WM. Ammo for 3 of them was Federal Terminal Ascent 200 grain, the others were using Choice Ammunition loadings with 180 grain Nosler Accubonds.

As far as anchoring them, you need to shoot them in the spine/neck/head to put them on the ground where they stand. Even a shot that does this to the heart will have your animal going 20-40 yards. That is the heart of the Waterbuck bull. He went 35 yards before dropping.

Any if the calibers you mentioned in your post works well, 300 Win Mag and up, Personally I would be mire focused on matching bullet with game. I just came back from Nilgai trip and used a berger elite hunter, but a A frame or bonded bullet would work fine. Personally I would never want a 26 inch barrel, but rather 22" easier to carry, manuver.

I’m a 30-06 fan for about everything. I’ve killed WT, mulies, hogs, elk and antelope with my Butchered Eddystone. Also Half a dozen animals in Africa. I hand load but essentially use the same bullet and load for most animals.

375 H&H just because it sounds cool.

Planned on buying ammo from Dallas Reloads. Figure 180 grn or 200 grn Accubond wish Partitions were available but no one seems to have those loads right now.

Debating dropping the rifle into a Boyd's stock but don't know, have no experience with that kind of thing. I'd really like it to weigh a little more to tame some recoil .