Nelgi medicine

[hunter dude]

I've always heard that a 30 caliber rifle is needed to bring Down a nelgi and I've used my 300wby mag to hunt them never got a shoot cause they where outside my shooting ability even though the rifle could make the shot needless to say so I was wondering if my 257 vanguard deluxe with a 115 gr noslar  ballistic tip would work I used 180 gr noslar partition in my 300 wby  about the farthest I feel comfortable shooting is about 300yards any thoughts

[Blackbear3]

You planning a hunt on a ranch in Texas? My guess is they are about the same size as a large bull elk, and I would not have a problem using a 257 Weatherby for an occasional elk hunt. But that's definitely the lightest I would go. I would check with the outfit you plan on hunting with. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🔫🔫

[BB340]

A big mature Nilgai cam way up to around 600 pounds. I think the .257 will handle them just fine. However I would swap that 115grn Ballistic tip for a 115grn Barnes TSX. Then you could aim to break the shoulder as well as taking out heart and lungs. JMO 

[terminator]

+1.I am in the camp of the 257 will get the job done but I would also want a stouter bullet.

[danno50]

Personally, I'd rather use a 7mag or 300 Wby mag to hunt nilgai. I've heard too many stories about those animals taking multiple shots to bring them down. Just because they are compared in size to an elk, doesn't mean that the bone structure, or the density of the muscle is the same. Several good hunters I know have hunted nilgai in south Texas, and most said that they aren't generally a DRT situation, but most times take at least 2 shots to bring down, unless its a head shot. Nilgai is on my bucket list, but I'll use at least a 30 cal. 

[catskinner]

What did the ranch owner/outfitter say about what caliber to use? Out of the 2 choices of calibers you offered, I would use the 300.

Rob

[hunter dude]

Thanks guy it's on a friends ranch he said that he's been seeing a lot of nelgi on his game cam so we're only going by what we heard and read up on these animals I appreciate all the great advice guys

[Jameson]

I'm with Danno on this. The only guy I know who has hunted Nilgi took his with a .300Wby, and while it only took one shot, which he placed perfectly, it wasn't as if the thing dropped in its tracks. Apparently they are double tough.
JP

[zonie]

We've shot cow elk larger than 600 lbs on more than one occasion.    I would be probably more interested in the animals anatomy and kill zones than pure caliber choice.  The 257 would not be my first or fifth choice on elk  which are known to be one of the toughest in the deer family.  Don't know anything about Nilgi or where to shoot them ,  not all animals have the exact same anatomy,  this is something a person needs to learn.  When you get into animals this size I would feel a lot more comfortable with best quality bullets that penetrate and break everything in it's path.   I really don't like lightly constructed bullets on elk size game that either are designed to come apart i.e. Berger's ,  and some of the other cup and core bullets out there when pushed to the outer limits of design due to extreme velocities of some of these magnums.   Deer I can live with it, but not on large animals or something you only hunt once in a lifetime.   

[musicman]

A lot of people I know have gone Nilgi hunting in S. Texas, it's just a couple of hours of driving, and I've heard numerous stories of how hard they are to kill.  One of my friends, that is an excellent hunter, and skilled rifleman took his Thompson Center .30-30 pistol down there to disproved this.  He killed a cow, with the eighth or ninth well placed shot.  The next time he went, with two other hunters, he took his .300 Weatherby, and he borrowed my .338 Win. Mag, and my .375 Weatherby for the other two guys.  They all had one or two shot kills with those.  Aren't nilgi transplants from India.  I was under the impression that they are as tough as any African plains game there size.  I got some meat for loaning the rifles, and it was real good.  MM

[danno50]

Your right MM, Nilgai are native to India, and the meat is delicious.

[musicman]

Not to argue with myself, but I JUST remembered (I guess my memory banks have too many "cookies" in them) that a friend of mine in Austin that used to live down by Corpus, not that far from, shall we say, one of the biggest ranches in Texas.  He did custom reloading back then, and one of his clients was one of the workers on that ranch.  He would load up a couple hundred rounds of the good ole .240 Weatherby for this fellow every two years or so.  It was this fellows "truck gun."  And he said that "it kills all things on the ranch."  And I do remember asking, "even nilgi," and my friend said that this fellow would have to go find wounded nilgi for clients, and finished them off with the .240.  I certainly would assume premium hunting bullets were loaded.  So, if this fellow trusted his .240, the .257 is a good bit more powerful than that.  As the others said, it is all about proper bullet, and shot placement.  MM