.375 or .416 for Cape buffalo?

[Green Chile]

Yes and that 300 TSX is a killer combo for buff. Nicely done. I had the same results last month with that setup.

 

[colorado]

I just got back from Africa a week ago where my best friend and I both shot Buffalo along with some other animals.
I will say this. You need to shoot what you are the most comfortable shooting with the highest degree of accuracy.
I personally took my 375 H&H in Win model 70. I used my hand loads which I worked up using Barnes 300 gr TSX bullets and RL15 powder.
My one shot through the front of his chest as he was staring me down took out the top of his heart.
View attachment 553500
I took this photo at the range after we arrived in camp and verified rifle zeros. This orange sticker is 1 inch diameter and these three shots were from sticks at 100 yards.
I will take my 375 any day of the week over a bigger caliber I flinch to shoot but feel I need to use just because it is “bigger”.
Use we what you can shoot accurately and with confidence.

But those holes are so little!

 

[RR 314]

This right here. And I own a 404J & 458 Lott.

I have the same plus .500J and .550 Magnum. I had a light .375 H&H built and bought a Mark Bansner .375 RUM. After getting worn out carrying my Lott for mile after mile (or was it KM after KM?) I have actually thought about going 375 next trip. Then again, there is some thing about that “thwack” of a big bore. Here is the lightweight .375. Bansner’s is a little heavier in the RUM, but still light. I have no concern about not having irons on either. H&H is about .50 MOA and Bansner RUM is closer to .25 MOA!

 

[Green Chile]

When you can thread the needle through a hole in the thorns, etc it can really help on a hunt. Many of us have been presented with less than desirable shots in the bush. That accurate 375 will give a lot of confidence in those scenarios. You can’t put a price on that!

 

[Flipper Dude]

I don’t get a big bore whack on a buffalo with my 375.

I do always seem to get a death bellow.

 

[Green Chile]

I love big bores as much as anyone but you would have a hard time getting a faster kill than I got in July with the .375 300 TSX…down within 20 yards and death bellow in about 10 seconds. That’s what I hope for with the big guns.

 

[RR 314]

I don’t get a big bore whack on a buffalo with my 375.

I do always seem to get a death bellow.

Pity. I usually bypass the bellow. They just die. . I may have to try the .375 so I can hear it.

 

[wvfred]

I really like my 416 rm custom by Gene Simillion it weighs under 9 lbs scoped and loaded.It is the only rifle I took on my last safari and is my favorite rifle.Recoil is very manageable and I took buff zebra and hyena all with one shot.The buff and hyena were DRT the zebra ran about 200 yards where we found him dead.I really liked how the 416 put the buff down in his tracks.

 

[Forrest Halley]

If you're asking a question about a .375 or something bigger, the .375 is always the answer.

We all shoot our .375's better than our big bores...no matter how much we jest about...a maiden's kiss.

@BeeMaa is the local drug dealer...ahem R8 enthusiast and is right about a lot of it...the .416 is not necessary for most things. Pretty cool design. Very neat that you can disassemble and reassemble again and again without affecting the zero. There's a great video of a .338LM shooting single shots at distance and being reassembled between shots. I wonder why it hasn't seen more embrace by military organizations.

 

[booker]

You are all crazy I only use a .223 and shoot them in the eye. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!!
Naw, just kidding. Shoot whatever caliber that is legal and you shoot well. Consistent shot placement in the "correct" spot is far and away better than how big a thing you throw at them.

 

[Daisy]

I don’t find my 416 off sticks to feel much different than my 375. I feel like I can put a shot at 50 yards in same spot with each. Meaning the 416 will give a better result.

AND I have no doubt the 375 would do the job also!

 

[Rare Breed]

Replying to myself is a little odd…but as an update, I decided to swap the Z8i 1-8x onto the 416 Rigby and the Z6i 1.7-10x onto the 375. The guns and scopes were acquired at different times and now I’m getting it all sorted out. The 416 goes for elephant next month along with a 7x57 for leopard.

Same caliber, I too am taking my 275 Rigby with 154 grain Oryx bullet for my leopard in 2025

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Here is pic of my group with the 505 Gibbs at 100 yards off a sand bag. Seems like it could thread the needle

HH