Best bullet for Cape Buffalo

[spike.t]

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I suspect this buff we shot a couple of weeks ago will agree with you. 480gr soft through the heart from a .450NE double and after 10 yards he realized he was sick... Bullet recovered from the opposite shoulder was perfectly mushroomed with over 90% weight retention.

Shot placement is more important than bullet type in my view.

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hi chris which one of the 3 bullet types did he use in his .450 then?

 

[ChrisT]

hi chris which one of the 3 bullet types did he use in his .450 then?

Hi Spike,

Bullets used for the first two shots were Hornady DGX's. The 2nd shot was a running shot which hit but didn't really matter (or make a difference) as the first was spot-on. That buff went for no more than 10 yards before coming to a standstill swaying... Granted, I did have my client send some more lead his way just to be sure but it was not necessary and that buff would have gone down either way.

Hence my (somewhat) tongue in cheek statement that the buff would agree with avoiding Hornadys...

Having said all of this, my personal preference is still Barness TSX or Solids. the Rhinos work well too as proven on an Ele last year but the 550 gr's do not feed reliably in my Lott and until this has been resolved I will avoid them.

 

[spike.t]

Hi Spike,



Hence my (somewhat) tongue in cheek statement that the buff would agree with avoiding Hornadys...

.

i did have to read that line a couple of times till it clicked....

 

[ChrisT]

i did have to read that line a couple of times till it clicked....

Sorry, apparently I do seem to have a somewhat perverse sense of humour at times...

 

[spike.t]

Sorry, apparently I do seem to have a somewhat perverse sense of humour at times...

nothing wrong with that. :biggrin2::beer:

 

[DOC-404]

i did have to read that line a couple of times till it clicked....

..stay sharp, Michael, stay sharp..! :heh:

 

[spike.t]

..stay sharp, Michael, stay sharp..! :heh:

Doc after last weekend everything was blunt.....:whistling:

 

[Bearcountry953]

Two weeks ago in Zimbabwe I made a 70 yard one shot kill. In fact dropped it in its tracks. Quartering away. 375HH Federal Premium 300gr Barnes Triple Shock. Can't say its the best can just say when I pulled the trigger it hit the ground not even a step. First Buffalo

 

[Bushstalker]

I use Barnes super solid 400 gr in my 416 Taylor, shooting buff for 25 years and they do a great work, but thing getting better and better and so also bullets, therefor I will from now only use North Fork Cup Nose 400 gr for buffalo and the SS 400 gr soft nose for other large game as Eland etc..

Good luck and aim straight !

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

View attachment 28724 I use Barnes super solid 400 gr in my 416 Taylor, shooting buff for 25 years and they do a great work, but thing getting better and better and so also bullets, therefor I will from now only use North Fork Cup Nose 400 gr for buffalo and the SS 400 gr soft nose for other large game as Eland etc..

Good luck and aim straight !

I sure would like to see more pics of that fine rifle!

 

[Bushstalker]

I'm not a science expert but there is one important thing, the North Fork cup nose bullet is designed to penetrate straight and deep like a solid will do, but because of the the cup form a air pressure from the cored plug in the nose will create a much wider wound channel than a solid bullet will do (see photo) and with this damage more tissues. The North Fork cup nose is similar to Woodleigh Hydrostatically bullets, but I think that the NF will be a safer card regarding smooth cartridge feeding in a bolt action rifle.

 

[CAustin]

Brickburn was right in his comment as this thing can turn into a pis.....ing match. Lots of opinions. I used Hornady DGX and one DGS round on this Buffalo. The real issue is the shot placement. I recovered the first DGX round and while I can't tell you how much weight it retained I can tell you it opened up like it should and it seemed to be mostly there. By the way I shot the buff in the middle of the chest and the skinner recovered the bullet two inches deep into the meat at the end of the sternum..... It traveled a long way. By the way the rifle I'm holding is the Ruger Guide Gun in 416 Ruger. The Hornady round is a 400 grain beast killer....See Below for proof. At the end of the day i suspect that if you shoot a buff in the right place with a 12 gage slug you can drop him, but I wouldn't want to try. If your PH is ok with your ability to shoot your rifle and the load you selected GO FOR IT!

 

[Bushstalker]

Yes, there is allot of bullets out there that will do the work. And off course a steel or brass slug in a 12 cal shotgun will take down a buffalo with out problem at max 40-50 yards. It will be nearly the same concept as 500 NE in speed and bullet weight. A 12 ga Monolite slug of 495 gr will exit around 1500 fps when the 500 NE push the same weight at 2000 fps, so on 40-50 yards you can be sure that the slug will bring down a buffalo with out problem.

Can I ask you Austin, why and what is the reason you have a muzzle brake on that 416 Ruger ? I do not mean anything negative but If a hunter is somehow "shy" of the recoil it would be better to go for a smooth 375 H&H and put that 300 gr bullet exactly where you want with out a brake, as you know many PH hate them ! Cheers M

 

[Bushstalker]

Thank you Phoenix Phil, the rifle is a custom made VO rifle from Sweden. Some small nice engravings, like this "Dagga Boy" on the magazine floor plate. The new oil finish is not ready yet, but I will come back with some photo when its done

Cheers, M

 

[edward]

ive only taken two cape bulls,one with a 45-70 scope sighted contender,using the 405 gr cor-bon penetrator at 63 yards.one shot kill,bullet went through and lodged in the off side hide.nose was sunken in like a volcano,slightly bent.went 75 yards,4 death bellows after 90 seconds.my 2nd was on safari this june,had to use my double in 9.3x74r.used the woodliegh hydro static solids,286 gr.60 yards,one shot kill,through sholder at angle,went completely through and out the off side last ribs.kept on going.we followed down to the dry river bed and heard the 1st death bellow,when we hit the sand we heard the 2nd death bellow.it had made about 50 or so yards.p.h. wanted an insurance shot so hit it behind the left shoulder,going forward.bullet went through the front of the body and out of the boss about 1 inch above his right eye.cant argue with success.just my own results.this bullet can also be used on soft skinned animals as i took an oryx through the shoulder at 129 yards .the left shoulder was turned to jelly,no meat was recovered.not good if you want the meat but on something like a brown bear that your not going to eat,ok

 

[CAustin]

Bushstalker the Ruger 416 Guide Gun has the detachable muzzle break system with a matching solid tip that one can replace the tip with if desired. I have heard others make the comment that PHs hate muzzle breaks. My PH had no objections to the break at all. The recoil with the break in place is somewhere between my 300 win mag which I also took and my Marlin 45-70. I'm a 270 pound man so in reality none of them the 416 included punch my shoulder too hard. If you don't have to take a hammer to the shoulder why do it? I practiced with the break in place and zeroed the scope with it n place so I was very comfortable using it set up with the break. At the end of the day I'm paying the PH to guide ME and his preference should take into account what I want to do with my rifle. Hennie du Toit at African Sky did forget to put his fingers in his ears the first time I shot the 416...... He didn't make that mistake a second time! He had a big smile on his face when he told others the story that he forgot....he is a very good natured man and his guests comfort and safety is his aim.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Thank you Phoenix Phil, the rifle is a custom made VO rifle from Sweden. Some small nice engravings, like this "Dagga Boy" on the magazine floor plate. The new oil finish is not ready yet, but I will come back with some photo when its done

Cheers, MView attachment 28732

Beautiful work!

 

[AZDAVE]

Rnovi "In my case, when I do get out to hunt Cape Buff I'll be packing my .375 H&H with 300gr. TSX's. Or maybe a 9.3x74r DR should I manage to lose the 15# of weight I'm after and win a bet with my wife!"

As a avid hiker and hunter if you want to come out to southern AZ I will hike you up and down the mountains to help you win that bet!

 

[Bushstalker]

Austin, thanks for sharing. I guess I'm too old fashion for muzzle brake, even when shooting the relative hard kicking 500 NE I do not rely feel the recoil when the concentration is 100 % on that buffalo.

 

[Bushstalker]

This one is also take with 416 Taylor some years ago with one 400 gr RN solid brass bullet, brake both the shoulders and drop after 5-6 meters.