More Terminal Ballistics report for .577 NE on cape buffalo

[Brian]

Recently I posted about the fun I had hunting 6 cows at Africa Maximum Safaris in North West Province, South Africa and there were many great comments posted in response.

I should mention more about my experience with terminal performance of my .577NE on that hunt.

As mentioned I was using an excellent monolithic bullet, the Peregrine Bushmaster VRG3. It is a controlled expansion bullet that should be fired at a minimum of 2000 fps. MV. if proper expansion is expected.
I was testing them at a muzzle velocity of only 1,720 fps. at ranges of 45 yds to 80 yds. I fired 7 shots, 6 of them were broadside centre of the shoulder hits that all passed through completely with straight line penetration.

One that I hit twice was kinda interesting. When she was hit broadside in the centre of the shoulder with the first bullet she went straight down without taking a step. Then as we were walking up to her she got up again and just stood there, so I shot her again at about 20 yds. and she went down for good in exactly the same place.

Another cow was running toward us, when she stopped for a moment at 75-80 yards I shot her. My green dot sight was a bit blurry at the moment due to my astigmatism but I was lucky and the bullet went right where I hoped it would go, half way up the shoulder right beside the neck the bullet went straight through all the way to the root of her tail, she dropped instantly on the spot. That's a lot of straight line penetration!
That was the only bullet that I could recover. It showed no expansion or distortion. It had performed exactly like a perfect solid.

I learned three things about .585 bullet terminal performance on that hunt.
1. Peregrine Bushmaster bullets are excellent, tough bullets and as advertised they need at least 2,000 fps. MV. for good expansion.
2. Very deep straight line penetration can be expected from a well designed .585 solid bullet.
3. Calibre makes a difference.

I thought that comments based on actual experience about terminal performance of a .585 bullet would be fitting.

Brian

 

[ftrovato]

Recently I posted about the fun I had hunting 6 cows at Africa Maximum Safaris in North West Province, South Africa and there were many great comments posted in response.

I should mention more about my experience with terminal performance of my .577NE on that hunt.

As mentioned I was using an excellent monolithic bullet, the Peregrine Bushmaster VRG3. It is a controlled expansion bullet that should be fired at a minimum of 2000 fps. MV. if proper expansion is expected.
I was testing them at a muzzle velocity of only 1,720 fps. at ranges of 45 yds to 80 yds. I fired 7 shots, 6 of them were broadside centre of the shoulder hits that all passed through completely with straight line penetration.

One that I hit twice was kinda interesting. When she was hit broadside in the centre of the shoulder with the first bullet she went straight down without taking a step. Then as we were walking up to her she got up again and just stood there, so I shot her again at about 20 yds. and she went down for good in exactly the same place.

Another cow was running toward us, when she stopped for a moment at 75-80 yards I shot her. My green dot sight was a bit blurry at the moment due to my astigmatism but I was lucky and the bullet went right where I hoped it would go, half way up the shoulder right beside the neck the bullet went straight through all the way to the root of her tail, she dropped instantly on the spot. That's a lot of straight line penetration!
That was the only bullet that I could recover. It showed no expansion or distortion. It had performed exactly like a perfect solid.

I learned three things about .585 bullet terminal performance on that hunt.
1. Peregrine Bushmaster bullets are excellent, tough bullets and as advertised they need at least 2,000 fps. MV. for good expansion.
2. Very deep straight line penetration can be expected from a well designed .585 solid bullet.
3. Calibre makes a difference.

I thought that comments based on actual experience about terminal performance of a .585 bullet would be fitting.

Brian

I would imagine that at that even with minimal expansion you're getting one heck of a wound channel from a bullet of that diameter.

A well expanded .416 would be luck to approach that diameter with significant velocity and then expansion.

 

[Brian]

ftrovato, Well put.
Yes, that point alone, goes to the whole point.
A .585 solid bullet is already bigger than most bullets can expand to and if it is the right profile for full cavitation then it's wound channel will be reliably large in diameter and its penetration will be deep and straight.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Not .585, but rather .620.

I used a .600 Nitro Express Heym Jumbo (loaded with 900Gr Labor Fur Ballistik tombac jacketed FMJ factory loads) to do this to a hippopotamus bull on land, in the sugarcane fields at night.

Now, hunting hippopotamus bulls on land in the sugarcane fields at night ranks as my No. 1 favorite African dangerous game hunt of all time (rivaled only by hunting wild lion). Over the years, I’ve been taking hippopotamus with mostly .375 Holland & Holland Magnums but also the .404 Jeffery and .458 Winchester Magnum on occasion.

But NOTHING has ever managed to hammer these brutes with a body shot the way that a .600 Nitro Express does. It’s something that actually needs to be seen to be believed. I have absolutely zero doubt that a .577 Nitro Express would have almost equally impressive terminal effects upon these big game.

 

[AZDAVE]

There is a lot going for shooting large pre expanded bullets. Shot a giraffe in 2016 with a 650 gr out of. A 577 bpe double. Right barrel through the lungs. Left quartering away as it ran. Both were complete pass through, went down 40 yards later.

 

[colorado]

Excellent posts, thank you. I guess my 500 Jeffery is a medium bore

 

[Brian]

I Kill cape buffalo with a .500-110 and it works very well. Your .500 Jeffery at 300-400 fps faster must be awesome. Brian

 

[Brian]

Hunter-Habib,

Thanks for the post and photos. Exciting hunting !

I just googled your ammunition. Interesting high quality bullets. Do you have a picture that you can post of the bullet/cartridge that you used in your above post? Thanks, I wasn't able to identify it on their website. Brian

 

[colorado]

I Kill cape buffalo with a .500-110 and it works very well. Your .500 Jeffery at 300-400 fps faster must be awesome. Brian

Not been to Africa, it may or may not happen. Only things I've killed with my 500 Jeffery so far are a large feral hog at 10' coming towards me and a cow elk at 225 yards. Seeemed to work fine

 

[Brian]

Yaes that is an awesome cartridge. What bullet are you using?

 

[AZDAVE]

What rifle are you shooting the 50-110 out of?

 

[Brian]

Hi Dave, TC Encore ( "Nothins' too good for a cowboy." ) with a MGM 24" barrel.

My 50-110 win. is actually a little bit of a custom case, a 50-110 Win necked down to true .500 cal. so that I could shoot Michael458's 410 grain CEB .500 cal. Raptor bullet.
I have been running it a bit too slow, 1,920 fps. MV.
I am now working on getting a 2,050 -2,100 fps. load.
That will get me closer to the low side of 500NE. ( Arr-arr-arr, mo' power!)

 

[AZDAVE]

Interesting on necking down to .500. I have a old rolling block in 50/90 that is obviously loaded to BP levels. But have considered having an Encore barrel made for 50/90.

 

[Brian]

That is an interesting idea. I think that the case is 2.5 inches long, right? More powder room than the 50-110. Cool. Is that what Billy Dixon used at Adobe Wells?

 

[Rafiki]

Interesting on necking down to .500. I have a old rolling block in 50/90 that is obviously loaded to BP levels. But have considered having an Encore barrel made for 50/90.

This is a 50-90 Sharps (.510) tipped with a 575gr Peregrine VRG2. These chrono'd at 2064fps average.

 

[Rafiki]

Recently I posted about the fun I had hunting 6 cows at Africa Maximum Safaris in North West Province, South Africa and there were many great comments posted in response.

I should mention more about my experience with terminal performance of my .577NE on that hunt.

As mentioned I was using an excellent monolithic bullet, the Peregrine Bushmaster VRG3. It is a controlled expansion bullet that should be fired at a minimum of 2000 fps. MV. if proper expansion is expected.
I was testing them at a muzzle velocity of only 1,720 fps. at ranges of 45 yds to 80 yds. I fired 7 shots, 6 of them were broadside centre of the shoulder hits that all passed through completely with straight line penetration.

One that I hit twice was kinda interesting. When she was hit broadside in the centre of the shoulder with the first bullet she went straight down without taking a step. Then as we were walking up to her she got up again and just stood there, so I shot her again at about 20 yds. and she went down for good in exactly the same place.

Another cow was running toward us, when she stopped for a moment at 75-80 yards I shot her. My green dot sight was a bit blurry at the moment due to my astigmatism but I was lucky and the bullet went right where I hoped it would go, half way up the shoulder right beside the neck the bullet went straight through all the way to the root of her tail, she dropped instantly on the spot. That's a lot of straight line penetration!
That was the only bullet that I could recover. It showed no expansion or distortion. It had performed exactly like a perfect solid.

I learned three things about .585 bullet terminal performance on that hunt.
1. Peregrine Bushmaster bullets are excellent, tough bullets and as advertised they need at least 2,000 fps. MV. for good expansion.
2. Very deep straight line penetration can be expected from a well designed .585 solid bullet.
3. Calibre makes a difference.

I thought that comments based on actual experience about terminal performance of a .585 bullet would be fitting.

Brian

This is a .510, 550gr Peregrine VRG3 recovered from one of my buffalo. Range was 21yds so velocity was likely between 2000fps - 2100fps.

 

[Brian]

That is perfect expansion. Good old Peregrine. Thanks for the post.

 

[AZDAVE]

@Rafiki if you don't mind can you PM me the load data for your 50/90? I might have to sell the rolling block and get myself a encore barrel.

 

[AZDAVE]

@Brian Yes it is the "Big 50" that billy Dixon used.