270 grain Barnes LRX (375 H&H) for Buffalo??

[IvW]

I would recommend 300gr TBBC or AFrame, they have a good record.

Great choices.

I developed the 250 load for PG only and it works well. But by the end of the trip I couldn’t help but wonder if a single load, the 300gr version, wouldn’t just make life that much easier.

I’d guess the 270 Barnes would be fine for what you’re wanting to do. But I think I would stick with a 300gr bullet.

The best weight for a mixed bag hunt.

All my shots were 200 yards or less, so without question yes. Being prepared for 300 yard shots would not be much of a trick.

Exactly, if you cannot make that shot with a 375 H&H, you need another rifle for PG.

The PH I hunted with last year uses TSX on buffalo. You may want to reconsider a DG round and a PG round other wise go heavy and have dope table for the long shots on PG.
depending on where you will be hunting 200-250 yrds should be max.

Good advise

I prefer to have one load for a rifle. If I’m only taking one rifle (375 H&H), I’m ok with having two 300 grain loads for softs and solids, but I’m not ok with carrying a light PG load and a heavy Buff load. Thats just asking for trouble.

I’ll ask you this. Could you have taken every plains game trophy you’ve taken with a 375 H&H pushing 300 grain bullets?

There is your answer.

And the answer is yes to your last question...

2800 fps with a 270 gr bullet is way too fast for buffalo in the thick stuff.
2500 fps with a 300 gr bullet is more than you need.

 

[bruce moulds]

will a 270 gn barnes go right through a buffalo?
bruce.

 

[IvW]

will a 270 gn barnes go right through a buffalo?
bruce.

Yes, especially on the preferred broadside shot.

Who knows what it will do @ 2800 Fps...especially if it is the LRX version.

Wrong way to go for buffalo.

Heavy for caliber bullets in 375 have always done what they are supposed to...don't fix it if it ain't broke.

 

[bruce moulds]

2800 is pretty fast for a 270 gn in a 375 h@h.
what about lighter barnes and overpenetration?
bruce.

 

[Inline6]

2800 is pretty fast for a 270 gn in a 375 h@h.
what about lighter barnes and overpenetration?
bruce.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/200gr-loads-for-a-375hh.23408/

 

[IvW]

2800 is pretty fast for a 270 gn in a 375 h@h.
what about lighter barnes and overpenetration?
bruce.

I do not use Barnes never mind lighter barnes on Cape Buffalo. In 375 caliber the 340, 350 and 380 grainers have worked perfectly so no need to change.

 

[Ryan]

@cavtrooper94 also check out the Bullet Performance Database thread.
Here's a post on there about the 270 grain LRX used on PG. There's some other on a Barnes recovered from an eland, I think he 270 TSX, and plenty on the Barnes.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/bullet-performance-database.37971/#post-468919

Took 5 head of game last week, great performance of the load/bullet. This is the only recovered slug, from a zebra shot quartering on, recovered under skin of back hindquarter Barnes LRX 270gr @ 2850 FPS .375 Weatherby Retained weight 268.1gr Max diameter 0.70” Range to animal ~180 yards Bullet entered inside front shoulder passing through vitals, gut, rear quarter, animal ran ~50 yards and fell dead.

 

[Mike Van Horn]

That looks impressive to me
So is the .375 Weatherby
Congratulations

 

[IvW]

We are talking Cape Buffalo here not PG....

 

[Hoss Delgado]

My experience is limited to 4 Australian Water buffalo Bagged over the last 8 years. I shot 3 of them with my .375 HH Magnum Winchester Model 70 . One of them , l shot with a borrowed rifle .
Out of the 3 bagged with a .375 , l used solids on two occasions and soft nose on the other. My preferred soft nose is a 300 grain Swift A frame. 1 shot kill ( but then , l will have to shoot at least 3 or 4 more buffalo with that load , before l jump to conclusions . I might have just gotten lucky ). One one occasion l used Hornady DGS . I needed 4 shots. Not bashing Hornady. A lot of people get good results with their loads. I didn't . On another occasion ( relatively recent ) , l was using Kynoch 300 grain round nose full patch solids . I took 2 shots to kill the Buff. The first one was a heart shot which broke the shoulder but didn't reach the heart , due to the bullet getting distorted . The second shot was a lung shot , which didn't hit any bone and that's what killed the buff. Of course , Seasoned hunters all advise me against using solids for buffalo and l will stick to my 300 grain Swift A frame soft noses .
If l had some Winchester Silvertips , l wouldn't hesitate to use them on Buffalo either.
For the OP , l would recommend 300 grain .

 

[bruce moulds]

I shot a bull(cattle not buff) in the brainpan with a 250 gn 338 silvertip factory load.
it stayed in the head with the horns loose.
based on this the old silvertip might be a little too easily expanding for really big animals and awkward shots.
buffalo meat shooters in the northern territory were using 300 gn silvertips in 338 years ago for shooting them up the nose - a version of the brain shot - with success.
bruce.

 

[Hoss Delgado]

I shot a bull(cattle not buff) in the brainpan with a 250 gn 338 silvertip factory load.
it stayed in the head with the horns loose.
based on this the old silvertip might be a little too easily expanding for really big animals and awkward shots.
buffalo meat shooters in the northern territory were using 300 gn silvertips in 338 years ago for shooting them up the nose - a version of the brain shot - with success.
bruce.

Bruce , l would personally opt for the soft parts of the buffalo behind the shoulder were l using Winchester silver tips . Headshots on Buffalo are REALLY tricky due to the horns even if you use solids . In my experience l have never shot a single buffalo in the head . My father , however has. He went hunting in India in 1967 , 1969 and 1970 and shot a few Gaur bison with a .30-06 ( Enfield 1917 bolt action sporterized rifle ) using army surplus full metal jacket rounds ( with the ordinary tapered point ) . It is my assumption that they were armor piercing rounds , but l can't verify. He describes the head shot on buffalo as being " easy if you know where the brain is " . He has some method of drawing imaginary lines between the eyes or something which let him figure it out ( I'll ask him when he comes to visit us this week ) . But Dad told me that while sometimes , a .30-06 FMJ spitzer does reach a Gaur's brain , there were a lot of times when the bullets often would tend to deviate slightly from a straight course upon hitting the bison's skull. This would prompt Dad's Shikari who had a big double rifle , to dispatch the Gaur for him ( guessing the time frame and Locality , l would guess .470 NE ) . Funny man , my Dad . Never used anything but .30-06 caliber rifles In the last 40 years ( He owns two , the Enfield 1917 and a Semi Auto rifle ) . But he is a very patient shooter .
I personally had my greatest success on Australian Water Buffalo with a nice , safe lung shot. Given that my Winchester Model 70 ( my largest caliber rifle till now ) produces 3 inch groups at 100 yards , l try aiming for the wider targets always , namely lung shots .

 

[Ryan]

Two recent reports using the 270 grain Barnes on buffalo

https://www.africahunting.com/threa...rom-cape-buffalo-hunt-with-kmg-safaris.51752/

SOUTH AFRICA: Just Returned From Cape Buffalo Hunt With KMG Safaris

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/last-minute-namibia-caprivi-hunt-safari.51275/

Last Minute Namibia Caprivi Hunt Safari

 

[sheephunterab]

We've shot several buffalo with a 250-grain Hornady GMX and plains game to 312 yards with same load. I'm a believer!

 

[IvW]

We've shot several buffalo with a 250-grain Hornady GMX and plains game to 312 yards with same load. I'm a believer!

Well you should be they sponsor you for your TV shows.

The buffalo in your avatar was extremely skinny at the time when it was shot and is not a old bull.

Hornady make terrible bullets. At least they are trying something with the GMX the others are no good.

 

[sheephunterab]

Well you should be they sponsor you for your TV shows.

The buffalo in your avatar was extremely skinny at the time when it was shot and is not a old bull.

Hornady make terrible bullets. At least they are trying something with the GMX the others are no good.

Haha, they make other bullets too including a bonded DGX. The two buffs in Tanzania were pretty healthy and old...both died. The hippo too. That's why I believe

 

[IvW]

Haha, they make other bullets too including a bonded DGX. The two buffs in Tanzania were pretty healthy and old...both died. The hippo too. That's why I believe

Scary stuff I just watched all the footage....

Glad it worked out for you on the buff's.

Hippo do not need much caliber or bullet to kill in the water, a 7x57mm would do just fine. Shot placement is the key and your 250 gr GMX would have been a good choice for that shot.

As for the rest of the hunt it seems like you had more than enough backup, too much actually and the one PH would be better off having the gun bearer carry his double instead of himself...way too many people on the hunt for my liking.

The first time I look down the barrels of his double he will get a stern talking to from my side the second time he will get a huge slap against his ear, no sense of gun safety whatsoever...I could not hunt like that.

I was more concerned somebody was going to get a bullet through the face than wondering what was going to happen to the buffalo...

The 250 gr worked for you but I still believe the heavy for caliber bullets give more consistent performance and will remain my choice, for many years and on many DG game hunts.

 

[sheephunterab]

The hippo wasn't actually in the water but in a very small puddle that was knee deep but I guessing you knew that. Thanks for the kind words...it was an awesome hunt

 

[BobT]

As narrow bodied as a duiker or steenbuck are, will the Aframe even open enough at the closer ranges you usually shoot them to do much damage?

Yes, they most certainly will !

 

[Ridgewalker]

Yes, they most certainly will !

Yikes! I think I’ll keep using solids on these tiny antelope!