Not long ago returned from a great hunt in Western Queensland Australia. My partner and I had a 6 hour drive from my house to the property where we were spending a week with my mate, guide, outfitter, cook and taxidermist Danny Vanbrugh hunting for scrub bulls (feral ox), wild goats, feral rams and pigs.
The rifles I used were my .460 custom deluxe Mark V with 500gr TSX handloads, my .257 WBY Mark V deluxe with 115gr TSX handloads. Plus my vanguard Camilla in 7mm-08 with 140gr Remington Corelokt factory ammo.
The week was fantastic and I secured a fantastic scrub bull that may be the new No5 SCI record. The 1st shot from the .460 had him down within a few steps where I then gave him a insurance shot to the spine.
The next one was a very old bullock that had a great set of horns too. This old battler was in a very poor shape and we doubted he would of survived this coming summer's heat. Nonetheless he was one tough bugger! My 1st shot from the .460 broke both his front shoulders making him collapse head down but with backside still standing up. He remained like that for around 30 seconds then dropped. He was far from finished so I put a rear racking shot thru him. He lay completely down after that but then lifted his head and neck again. So I aimed for a neck shot but just missed the spine but it was enough to lay him flat. I then moved to a different position and put a finisher through his heat.
Both bulls were taken at no more than 50 yards.
The other critters I took were 3 great feral goats. Their horns were a 40", 41" and 43" one. I also took an old feral merino ram that had been running about on this property for quite a few years.
The .257 WBY with 115gr TSX's worked ok on a couple of goats and the ram. However the 115gr TSX's were a bit heavy for these animals. I knew they would of been but I was testing these loads in the field as I am using them for my plains game in South Africa next year.
The 7mm-08 Camilla performed flawlessly and knocked over a good billy and several pigs too.
All in all it was an absolutely fantastic trip.