Best lead expanding mushroom bullet for Buffalo?

[skydiver386]

Does anybody have any experience using solid fluted bullets on DG? They claim they make larger wound cavities than expanding bullets and many people carry them in pistols for bear protection in the American west. Loaded in a rifle like a 458 win, I would imagine they would be quite potent.

Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator 40 Cal, 10mm (400 Diameter) Bullets

The Xtreme Penetrator (XP) product line, for both handgun and rifles. The progressive nose geometry allows for deep, straight penetration while creating...

www.midwayusa.com

Most of their products are pistol bullets. Their rifle bullets are lighter weight 300 grain and not the 500 grain .458 dia. that would be appropriate for Buff. I've wondered how these exact bullets would work, but until they make the right diameter in the heavier weight, it wouldn't be a good idea to chance it.

 

[Nyati]

TBBC worked fine for my buff.

I have also used extensively the Swift AFrame on my .338WM

 

[deewayne2003]

Everyone raves about A Frames but I simply can’t get my hands on them and I’ve been trying for years.

Planning my second Safari for 2027 and it will be my first Cape buffalo hunt…

Primary weapon will be .470ne with 500gr Woodleigh Weldcores; back up rifle will be .375H&H with 350gr Woodleigh RNSN HD.

If my .404J ever gets completed I’ll be using it as backup with 450gr Woodleigh RNSN.

 

[WAB]

I have taken buffalo with:

500 gr TBBC, 458 Lott, excellent
500 gr Hornady DGX unbonded, 458 Lott
Terrible bullet, really really terrible
Bullet!!!
350 gr Woodleigh Weldcore, .375 H&H,
Good Bullet
300 gr Swift AFrame, .375 H&H, excellent
286 gr Swift AFrame, 9.3x62, excellent,
(Actually my wife’s buffalo)

I used. 350 gr Woodleigh conventional solid in .375 H&H on an elephant. Outstanding bullet. Greatest penetrating round I have ever seen.

 

[nomspc]

I like the .375 350 grain Woodleigh Weldcore HD:

 

[sgt_zim]

Have any of you tried the Hornady Interlock or Interbond on cape buffalo?

There's a video from Hornady in the link below of Steve Hornady and Craig Boddington shooting a buffalo with a Interlock from a 375 Ruger...

Hornady Dangerous Game Superformance 375 Ruger Ammo 270 Grain Hornady

Superformance ammunition is loaded with proprietary propellants that increase the velocity ratings up to 200 feet per second compared to other popular...

www.midwayusa.com

That 270 Interlock is not a DG bullet. I've got a bunch of them loaded up as practice ammo at a modest 2300 fps for my wife to get her comfortable shooting her 375H&H.

I've had a lot of success with Hornady through the years on light, thin-skinned game. There is zero chance I'd use an Interlock on a buffalo, and I'd probably only use their DGX if that's all I could find.

 

[WAB]

That 270 Interlock is not a DG bullet. I've got a bunch of them loaded up as practice ammo at a modest 2300 fps for my wife to get her comfortable shooting her 375H&H.

I've had a lot of success with Hornady through the years on light, thin-skinned game. There is zero chance I'd use an Interlock on a buffalo, and I'd probably only use their DGX if that's all I could find.

My beef with Hornady wasn’t so much that they made a crap bullet. Much more egregious was that when called out on it they lied and covered it up, while at the same time quietly quietly fixing a problem they insisted did not exist.

 

[Brian]

For Cape Buffalo:
I have had excellent results with Cutting Edge Bullets , Safari Raptor and Safari Solid in .458 and bigger.

I also am a big fan of NorthFork SS and Solids in .458 and bigger.

I don't hunt cape buffalo anymore with anything smaller than .458.

I far as I know the Hornady bullets are all substandard for cape buffalo.

 

[uplander01]

North Fork 350gr
Woodleigh 350gr

Heavy for caliber with a 375 works. Load them to 2200-2250fps, Pair a solid of the same brand and weight you’ll have a great combo.

 

[deewayne2003]

I have taken buffalo with:

500 gr TBBC, 458 Lott, excellent
500 gr Hornady DGX unbonded, 458 Lott
Terrible bullet, really really terrible
Bullet!!!
350 gr Woodleigh Weldcore, .375 H&H,
Good Bullet
300 gr Swift AFrame, .375 H&H, excellent
286 gr Swift AFrame, 9.3x62, excellent,
(Actually my wife’s buffalo)

I used. 350 gr Woodleigh conventional solid in .375 H&H on an elephant. Outstanding bullet. Greatest penetrating round I have ever seen.

@WAB - care to elaborate on the elephant and Woodleigh solid?

Body or head shots? Angles, known velocity? Factory or hand load?

I have some and thinking about using them in .375 for hippo and possibly tuskless.

 

[WAB]

@WAB - care to elaborate on the elephant and Woodleigh solid?

Body or head shots? Angles, known velocity? Factory or hand load?

I have some and thinking about using them in .375 for hippo and possibly tuskless.

Side brain shot on a big Botswana bull at roughly 25 yards. The bullet completely transited the skull and killed the bull instantly.

We later tested the load on a large acacia tree. It completely transited the tree and continued across the pan. My friend used them on problem cow elephant that got into his cattle fencing. He reported complete pass through on shots into the rear hip that came out through the front quarter.

These were hand loads at 2,300 fps. Interesting to note that the other load that I have had incredible penetration with is a 175 gr Swift AFrame in my 7x57 at exactly the same velocity, 2,300 fps. On one safari we fired 7 shots, killed 7 animals, and recovered no bullets because every shot was a pass through. Animals harvested were; 2 zebra, 1 blue wildebeest, 1 bushbuck, 1 warthog, 1 jackal, 1 baboon.

 

[SStomcat]

All of the bullets Swift, Woodleigh, TBBC, NF etc. will kill effectively. The best one is the one that you shoot accurately

 

[Razorback]

North fork SS, Aframes, TBBC are all excellent. Can’t go wrong with any one of them.

My personal favorite is NF.
- They have been exceptionally accurate in every rifle I’ve loaded for.
- Never seen or even heard of a bullet failure.
- can load up PP variety with exact same POI to hunt plainsgame or cats.
- maybe most importantly, they are available.

 

[Razorback]

I’ve posted these recently but they’re so pretty, it doesn’t hurt to post again. These are NF 375 300 grain from a couple weeks ago. I have numerous recovered NF from the last 20 years and they all look nearly identical.

 

[deewayne2003]

Side brain shot on a big Botswana bull at roughly 25 yards. The bullet completely transited the skull and killed the bull instantly.

We later tested the load on a large acacia tree. It completely transited the tree and continued across the pan. My friend used them on problem cow elephant that got into his cattle fencing. He reported complete pass through on shots into the rear hip that came out through the front quarter.

These were hand loads at 2,300 fps. Interesting to note that the other load that I have had incredible penetration with is a 175 gr Swift AFrame in my 7x57 at exactly the same velocity, 2,300 fps. On one safari we fired 7 shots, killed 7 animals, and recovered no bullets because every shot was a pass through. Animals harvested were; 2 zebra, 1 blue wildebeest, 1 bushbuck, 1 warthog, 1 jackal, 1 baboon.

Good to know and thank you for the information, did you get the same point of impact with solids and soft 350gr?

Funny you should mention 175gr Aframe 7x57 I’ve been looking for a 7x57 specifically to try it with heavy bullets; been looking for M77 MKII stainless but no such luck.

 

[Dinsdale]

Good to know and thank you for the information, did you get the same point of impact with solids and soft 350gr?

Funny you should mention 175gr Aframe 7x57 I’ve been looking for a 7x57 specifically to try it with heavy bullets; been looking for M77 MKII stainless but no such luck.

fwiw, I have taken a couple of tuskless with the traditional woodleigh solid with a 375 and complete strait line pass through on skulls. I am however using the 300gr paired with a 300gr A frame with same poi.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

The better question is of the bullets available which is the best?
Swift A Frame is basically only available by hand load custom manufacturing like Pendleton Ammunition.
TBBC is only availing select calibers and loaded by Federal when you can find them.
North Fork SS is more readily available but again is hand load only similar to Swift in that aspect.

Hornady sucks…

HH

 

[Carnivore hunter]

Would any of you use the newer bonded Hornady DGX for Cape Buffalo if that was all that was available ?

 

[WAB]

Good to know and thank you for the information, did you get the same point of impact with solids and soft 350gr?

Funny you should mention 175gr Aframe 7x57 I’ve been looking for a 7x57 specifically to try it with heavy bullets; been looking for M77 MKII stainless but no such luck.

Exact same point of impact in my rifle. You can mix them up and shoot sub 1” groups every time.

 

[Razorback]

Would any of you use the newer bonded Hornady DGX for Cape Buffalo if that was all that was available ?

Guess I would begrudgingly if they really were the only thing available. Definitely wouldn’t if I could find something else.