[I] Went on a hunt last week that was two years in the making for a special Eland bull.
I am fortunate in that I have a hunting destination in the Alldays area of SA that I hunt every year. I spotted the bull two years ago but at that time the owner did not want the bull to be hunted as it was still in it’s breeding prime, this year that changed. Pretty hard hunt as Eland, apart from being massive animals, are not easy prey!
I used my Kimber Caprivi 458Lott with Barnes 450grn TSX handloads at a speed of 2340 fps and they performed flawlessly!! I wanted to use banded solids but Pieter , the farm owner, advised the TSX be used due to bull’s size and the area that would make tracking and recovery difficult as the solid , although deadly, does not impart the “shock” to the animals system to put it down quickly.
[The] Shot was taken at 75 meters through the shoulder and the bullet was recovered under the skin on the opposite side – 100% weight retention (I actually weighed the bullet on my return home)!! Penetrated through the shoulder bone, both ribs – split the Eland’s heart in two in the process – Eland ran only 20 meters before going down!
No idea what the bull would weigh but carcass / slaughtered weight (Caped) is 796 lbs so nearly as big as they get.
Thank you again for an excellent product and Ty for your advice on loading this spectacular calibre and bullet!
Best regards – Jacques van Rooyen
