.44 and giraf

[Sverre A.]

Going back to South Africa again - and this time I will "go down".

I have have sighted in my 44 RSH with 2 scopes:
One with 255 gr./1200 fps (and a Doctersight with similar load), and the other with 300 gr/1300 fps.
If I decide to shoot a giraf.

But 1,5 ton is a lot.
Of course I should bring with me my "buffalo-gun" - but I want to "try out" the 44.
Maybe I can sell everything above the 44 

[Graybeard]

Maybe I can sell everything above the 44

You probably could. But I bet you won't. I did tho.

[WL44]

Sverre,

I hope to see you when you are here.

I have a few comments... I've not shot giraffe yet, but I have seen plenty up really close. Trophy quality giraffe are very big as I'm sure you know. The giraffe bulls have extremely thick skin and most PH's think they should be grouped with thick skinned animals as a result. For body shots most recommend the 9.3X62 or 375 H&H as minimum calibers, although plenty are shot with smaller calibers with head or neck shots. The body shot is another matter altogether. The 300gr 44 Mag can have great penetration of course, but why not use your 454 or 375 JDJ?

I know you are very thorough, so you have probably looked into this, but you need to see the pictures in the Perfect Shot or a similar guide, as the Giraffes vitals sit quite far forward in the chest and a gut shot is apparently a high risk. Also the angles are a bit peculiar because the animal is so much higher than you are in most circumstances. You will probably be shooting quite a bit "up hill". Accordingly I think the body shot is not that easy despite the huge size of the "target".

I've seen the pictures of your hunting partner Calibros with giraffe, so I'm sure you have discussed this and as I said I know you are a good planner, but that's my little bit of input!

Best of luck....

[bulletstuffer]

Watched a show where a guy shot a giraffe with a bow.  Not much penetration and he shot it twice with the bow.  They ended up shooting it with a 375H&H.  Those animals are huge!  If I were to try the shot with a 44 the swift a frame 300 grain bullet would be my choice as they are one tough bullet!  Wish I had personal experience to give on hunting Africa

Bulletstuffer

[45-70.gov]

seems  like with  that  brain  WAY UP THERE

just  a little  blood letting  on a giraffe
would  deprive the brain  of oxygen  and bring them  down

any one  know  what  a giraffes  blood pressure  is??
it  must  be  high  to  pump  blood to the brain?

what about a low neck shot on a giraffe?

BTW  i know  nothing about  it...this  is the first time i ever  thought about giraffe hunting
.............bring  me back a giraffe steak

[Bisley Bud]

You might try Belt Mountains "Punch Bullet".I shot a Blue Wildebeest at 80 yards with a 45LC at 1230 fps and had total pass thru double lunged. Have fun I have to wait till 2011.

Bisley Bud

[Sverre A.]

"454 or 375 JDJ"

No. 1: Because I have decided to use the .44 this year with a bullet with two different alloys/255 gr..  The plan is that the hunt shall be a none-trophyhunt.  The giraf is only a IF 
No. 2: I will also try to hunt with different sights (fiber, Doctersight and scope) this time - and it`s only my SRH which let me change between those quickly.
No. 3: I`m not allowed to bring with me more than one gun on the plane  

[45-70.gov]

i  believe i would  use  HARD CAST   WFN

you talking about   a soft nose  cast??
they are interesting  but  probly detrimental  on a large animal

i shoot  280 grain and thats what i would  use  because thats what i have and cast

but  heavier  would be better

[Sverre A.]

Of course it is HC

[WL44]

I think the point is that the giraffe is REALLY thick skinned. In fact, some argue that as a game animal it is best grouped with pachyderms (but giraffe are ruminants).... Also that the position of the organs is a bit unusual. I agree, a giraffe with a big hole it the heart should not go far, but you need to put the hole there and the bullet needs to get there.

Here is an idea of what I'm getting at regarding shot placement: http://www.africahunting.com/hunting-forum/firearm-shot-placement/222-giraffe-shot-placement.html . There is a real risk to shoot them in the guts. Look at the back of the front leg relative to the heart and lungs and see how far forward the heart is. Apparently a lung shot can lead to a long follow up. I would use the point ("<") shape of the shoulder joint as a reference point.

Add to that that you are standing below the target in most situations and that the shot position is likely to be at a slight angle and not perfectly broadside. Visualising the organs in the chest cavity - what you are actually shooting at - will be harder than normal, but the range will potentially be shorter.

By the way, from what I've seen on the net the heart pumps 16 gallons a minute.

Never hunted one, but being South African I've read and researched and chatted a lot about our local game animals and I've seen most pretty close up.

Sverre, you will enjoy this I think...

[Sverre A.]

I will have the picture in my mind 

[Brian T]

When I was in SA in 2006 one of our party took one with a S&W 500 revolver.  It took two good shots before it even acted like it had been hit.  They are so big that with that sort of round you are pretty much poking holes and letting them bleed out unless you can hit the CNS.

I would take a rifle

[Sverre A.]

Don`t travel to the other side of the globe - for a riflehunt

[Mike in Virginia]

What would one do with a dead giraffe? 

[Sverre A.]

Upgrading the diningrooms furniture?
Carpet?

[WL44]

You can give the leg bones to your dog to chew on. They last long and are too big for the dogs to bury, so it saves the garden a bit...

Guys do eat them, but the old bulls are apparently not good eating. You need to mince most of it.

The skin makes nice seatcovers for the pick-up truck.

[t-reg]

Standard primers and slow powders are o.k. for giraffe since vertical stringing is not a problem.

[Dand]

Other than seeing a giraffe right after it died in the Honolulu Zoo (looked mighty big to a 10 yr old), I don't know much about them. Often wondered if all us kids caused it to run around, whack its head on the fence and die. I didn't see it happen, but some of my classmates did - I heard the fuss and ran over as it lay there.

Looking at that illustration of heart lung placement it looks to me like it might be easy to hit those big shoulder bones which could really interfere with bullet performance.