Anyone ever shoot a nilgai?

[namsag]

With .45/70, .45/90 or .50/70 or .50/90?

Seems like it would be great fun. I am looking at booking a hunt in the next year or two. Nilgai are supposed to have incredibly thick, tough, elastic hides. I was just wondering if anyone has any experiemce.

Thanks, namsag.

[DAVE ROELLE]

Yup, shot several, great on the table

Any of the listed cartridges will do the job

Deep penetration is key, heavy flat nosed lead bullets work great, Nilgai are big critters and pretty sturdy

The large coastal ranches are the key

I have hunted The Yturria ranch in past years, great history there.

Be safe

Dave

[namsag]

Thanks, was there full penetration or did the bullet get caught under the hide on the far side?

[DAVE ROELLE]

The only bullet I recovered was a 45-70 paper patched bullet, was a chest impact that ruined one whole backstrap found the slug against the hip socket.

500 grain bullet, 1/4 inch diameter flat nosed over 65 grains of Swiss 1 1/2 bout the same energy level as a 45-90

3 others were broadside lung shots, betcha the bullets are stuck in mesquite trees.

Have fun, we did ours driving in my jeep, once we found a nice bull we lowcrawled em throught the brush

[Clarence]

Not nilgai, but I shot .45-70 and .45-90 on two separate hunts in Africa. I chose to use smokeless to avoid any black powder issues. My velocity in both cases was ~1350 fps.

On my first hunt, I used a 530 gr. Creedmore bullet with a 3/8" flat that I made by building a jig and sliding the loaded round across my table saw. With that bullet, penetration was ~24-26", so broadside shots were passthroughs (I didn't hit major bone) and oblique shots entering just in front of the hip were all recovered in the chest area, in warthog, impala, kudu, hartebeest, etc.

For the second hunt, same drill except for a 5/16" flat. Probably at least 6" more penetration-I only recovered 1 bullet, from a waterbuck with an oblique shot.

In both cases, 1/20 tin/lead was used. Accuracy at 100 yds. was basically identical to the same bullet with the round nose and black powder.

Dave gave you great advice, and you can make the jig easily so you don't need to buy a new mold. I used a 1/2" drill most of the way through a piece of 2x2 cherry, finishing with a 31/64" hole, thus supporting both the cartridge body at the rim and the neck.

Clarence

[Clarence]

Forgot to say that expansion at that velocity and flat point ranged from 3/4" to almost 1".

Clarence

[Mike Johnson]

Yes I shot one with a 45-70. Hit on point of shoulder broadside at 125 yards. Passed through, bullet not recovered. It dropped where it stood. Good eating. Could eat right up to the hole. Beautiful animal.

[Tomklinger]

I don’t have anything to say, I just got tired of seeing this post from last June…
Tom Klinger