new guy here, first post. wanting to go on a nilgai hunt and want to use my 30-06 with 180gr partitions. i've used this same combo for 12 or 13 elk, but have been reading about some places having a 300 win mag minimum for nilgai. i understand they are tough, have thick hide which stretches, tend to run off long distances, and that their kill zone is a bit forward than that of a whitetail and elk. so, my question is....does anyone know of an outfitter who will let me use my 06'? thanks.

You should be ok with good shot placement.

The 180 grain accubond is a bad bullet I use it in my .300 win and it crushes Nilgai sized game.

Also study shot placement their votes are lower and farther forward than a deer

Last year the place I went said .300 Win Mag was the minimum. The guys that went this year said it was changed to 338 as a minimum.

A lot of outfitters shoot them running out of a high rack. Thus the recommendation of a bigger caliber.

One outfitter I know has killed 100 with a .30-06.

They don’t stand still long, but if you can get one standing follow his front leg 1/3rd of the way up his body and put the bullet there and you have a dead nilgai.

Like with hogs, Americans have created this myth that Nilgai are nigh indestructible beasts that you need a howitzer to dispatch

I have zero doubts on its effectiveness at cleanly killing a nilgai. Being your comfortable with it, have experience with it and want to take it that would be my recommendation. I would coordinate with your guide just to make sure all parties are ok.

I have been fortunate to take more than a dozen and have never lost one. Most were on the run but with sensible shots. More than half were taken with a 270 shooting a 140 grain bullet.

With said, I have turned these duties over to 300 with 180 grain bullets.

A lot of these people think magnums make up for bad shooting. Most bad shooting is the result of shooting magnums you can't handle well.

My friends in Namibia have a 200K ranch, and due to the bad drought the last few years, they wanted to cull one thousand gemsbok and kudu in a six week period. Their choice of weapons was a 30-06 with 180 gr bullets.

.30-06 is extremely popular in Africa.

My PH told me after we hunted, that he cringes when a client shows up with a 7mm or .300 mag. Most guys just don’t know how to shoot them constantly accurate.

Imo a .30-06 is much more suitable as a elk or big antelope rifle than a deer rifle

You can definitely take one with an -06, but finding an outfitter that will let you is a different story.

Lots have been killed by 223's in the neck. 30-06 will do just fine. Last one killed on my lease was with a 308 with the low recoil ammo. Dead with one shot.

Shoot a good bullet & you will be fine with a 30-06.

With a partition he's got a good bullet covered!

And I think the OP's question was NOT whether an 06 would work, but "does anyone know of an outfitter who will let me use my 06'?".

Blank's 1st paragraph is absolutely spot on.

Talk to your guide / outfitter . The person I contracted for a Nilgai hunt with also said 338 minimum caliper but said if I was comfortable with my rifle (300 WSM) he was OK for me to use it .

I personally know of one Nilgai cow that was killed with a .300 Blackout. Wasn’t planned that way, but a target of opportunity. Did just fine with a good bullet placement.

30.06 is plenty!

Here’s one my son got with a .300BO.

Check with King Ranch. I talked to them DSC and they had no problem with me using a 300WSM and the guy I was talking to said he routinely takes them with a .270.

Dropped one in a single shot over 225 yards with a 30-06. Break em down.

thanks for the responses. i'll contact the king ranch. sounds like they might be one of a few who will consider allowing a client to use an 06. thanks again.

Congrats to your son (and you)...good looking animal

That's a great pic Judd. Congrats to you guys.

Agreed, great shot and kudos to the young hunter! I shot my first Nilgai bull earlier this year and used a friend's .375 H&H because it was handy and a smooth shooting rifle. I asked the outfitter if I could use my .270 and he puked all over it, but after killing and butchering the big bull I'm convinced my trusty .270 would have been just fine. By the way, that .375 took out the entire upper half of the heart and turned it into mincemeat.