Buffalo rifle

[MLindsay]

I'm a fan of CZ and have a 550 in 375H&H.
It shot reliably and had consistent groups, but the trigger was crap and I wanted a few things sorted out.
I sent it to Wayne at American Hunting Rifles and he got it slicked up for me.

CZ550 375H&H with AHR #2 Upgrade

• BeeMaa
• Sep 7, 2018
• 4

Balance point is at the middle of the magazine.

It's taken several PG out to 200 yards with a 22" barrel and is easy for my 150# frame to handle.

If you are getting a CZ and you don't want to (or have the skills) to do it yourself, send it to AHR.

 

[CBH Australia]

I have had a 375 in the cabinet longer than that. The 375 and 416 definitely overlap in my estimation. I still have my preference on what I will use both for.

By the way, I will be doing my firearms deer hunting with a 7 mm08 this year for the first time. Wish me luck! I have high hopes.

7-08 is an exceptional deer cartridge, far to underrated. I use a 260 a lot down here in Texas. Damn sure makes quick work of a tejas deer. I’m hoping to break in the 275 R this year on a doe or two for the freezer.

I Sold my .458wm to fund my .375H&H, both CZ550, the .375 feeds better but I put that down to cartridge design too.

One gun to hunt the world they say! There is a lot of .375 supporters, I’d have more if budget allowed. I am going to Africa on a cull hunt so that comes first.
I am a fan of the 7mm-08, I just formed a conclusion way back that it may be the all round cartridge for Australian hunting. I have had several .308s but it is larger diameter than the .270 requirement for Some deer species, fits in a short action if that’s what you want.

I now own a 7mm-08 and it’s great it performs well on game. Most people I’ve discussed 7mm calibre s with are sold on it, discussions are short. Like .375 fans. They punch above their weight class.

Two words for any hunting, DG, culling or taking game, “Shot placement”

@Dawg2019 maybe reconsider your American cartridge/chambering criteria and see if you can find an American made rifle that suits your needs. After all you can then buy some Australian made Woodleigh projectiles to compliment it. And if you need another rifle no one would blame you if you decide to add a European rifle to the collection.

 

[Bullthrower338]

I have had a 375 in the cabinet longer than that. The 375 and 416 definitely overlap in my estimation. I still have my preference on what I will use both for.

By the way, I will be doing my firearms deer hunting with a 7 mm08 this year for the first time. Wish me luck! I have high hopes.

I know from personal experience in OZ that the 7-08 is hell on donkey out of a sexy little Sako Bavarian! I have one in a Remington Model 7 as well as a 260 in the identical rifle. They are just plain handy little rifles.

 

[bruce moulds]

as you go smaller calibre than the 308 on that case, shortening the barrel robs the potential of the cartridge more.
actually the 7/08 and the 260 are capable of quite flat trajectories in 22" and 24" barrels.
bruce.

 

[WAB]

When looking for a 375 HH is their a certain brand to consider or avoid? I have looked at other threads and have seen many fans of CZ, I own a CZ75 pistol which I love. On other sites I have read where their 375HH actions are unreliable and need to worked my a gunsmith? Have any of you run into this?

It really depends on your budget. The Winchester M-70 and CZ are both excellent weapons at a good price point. I am a M-70 guy, so I lean that way, but the CZ is every bit as good. My M-70’s are custom jobs at roughly the same level as AHR’s top CZ conversions. There isn’t a nickels worth of difference between them.

If you can step up a notch in price, kimber and then Dakota have very good offerings. I hear good things about MRC but have no first hand experience.

If I were buying a .375 today it would be a Rigby Big Game. I just returned from a trip where we hunted with our Rigby Highland Stalker In 9.3x62 for the first time. Outstanding rifle! Obviously, the Mauser at a similar price point would be its equivalent if you prefer their finish.

Red Leg loves the blaser. I agree, it is an outstanding rifle and my wife is currently considering one. I’m too much of a traditionalist. I’ll stick to the ‘98 and it’s derivatives. Besides which, after literally hundreds of thousands of rounds through traditional bolt actions, the chances of me remembering to straight throw a blaser under pressure are zero to none!

 

[Philip Glass]

I recently returned from my first African safari. We only targeted plains game on this trip. I took advantage of using the outfitters rifle since I wasn’t keen on international gun transport. I plan to return in two years for my chance at a buffalo and would like to take a rifle to do so. I see most people using .375, 416,500. Are their any “American” cartridges you could recommend? One I could get use out of here on an Elk, moose, mule deer or other local game?

Sorry no. Don’t try to do this. Don’t try to buy a combo gun when you need a DG gun. A buffalo gun must be a quality DG rifle preferably .416. Your life may depend on it and that is more important than anything else.

 

[Philip Glass]

If you can swing it, the "one gun" can be a blaser r8. .300 win mag and .375 or .416 for Africa. not any less expensive than 2 guns but a lot easier to pack and a really nice trigger and ergonomics. Wish I had started with one years ago

Got my R8 finally. Yes wish I had bought it years ago too!

 

[Kawshik Rahman]

It is not an American cartridge , but the Magnum .375 made by the firm Holland and Holland is the best for your needs . My best clients for hunting Gaur back in the 1960s decade , were the ones who would bring this caliber as one of the two fire arms which they were allowed to bring into India ( the other was invariably a shot-gun or a .3006 for animals which were not very dangerous ) . A Gaur is an Indian buffalo similar to the African Cape buffalo . If the shooter is facing the animal from the side , then the aim should be made for the lungs due to it presenting a wide target and a convenient one for most shooters with average skill. A Gaur with two pierced lungs will not attack the Shikari and will go a short distance , coughing blood before collapsing . The side shot should be made with expanding bullets . Despite expanding , care must be taken not to choose a bullet that can disintegrate . My most successful clients who opted to shoot a Gaur with the aforementioned caliber used Winchester silver tip ammunition for shots from the side . No finer bullet design has ever been created ( during the time span of my career ) . Any modern equivalent to this excellent bullet can be used with great success on these large thick skinned bovines , if shot from the side and through both lungs. If the shooter is engaging a buffalo from the front position , then the shot should be aimed for the heart which is tucked between the beast’s fore legs . During my time , solid bullets with a strong metal envelope weighing 300 grains and with a blunt head were used for this shot . After killing enough buffaloes and studying their internal body composition , my former partner and l began recommending the following set up : load a soft nosed bullet into the gun for your first shot and hard nosed bullets for any shots which need to be made after the first shot . It worked well , but a solid bullet through a buffalo’s heart is not immediately fatal . It is guaranteed that it will die but it will take anywhere up to more than 15 to 17 minutes . A modern expanding bullet with a more controlled rate of expansion is perfect for the heart shot .
However , whenever possible , we would try to get the client in a position where he can shoot the Buffalo from the side and hit it’s lungs .
I find it most impressive that six decades ago , the Magnum 375 was the universally accepted caliber for dangerous animals ( except perhaps bull elephants ) and in 2019 , it’s popularity has increased manifold . Perhaps some things do withstand the test of time and never age.

 

[Hoss Delgado]

It is not an American cartridge , but the Magnum .375 made by the firm Holland and Holland is the best for your needs . My best clients for hunting Gaur back in the 1960s decade , were the ones who would bring this caliber as one of the two fire arms which they were allowed to bring into India ( the other was invariably a shot-gun or a .3006 for animals which were not very dangerous ) . A Gaur is an Indian buffalo similar to the African Cape buffalo . If the shooter is facing the animal from the side , then the aim should be made for the lungs due to it presenting a wide target and a convenient one for most shooters with average skill. A Gaur with two pierced lungs will not attack the Shikari and will go a short distance , coughing blood before collapsing . The side shot should be made with expanding bullets . Despite expanding , care must be taken not to choose a bullet that can disintegrate . My most successful clients who opted to shoot a Gaur with the aforementioned caliber used Winchester silver tip ammunition for shots from the side . No finer bullet design has ever been created ( during the time span of my career ) . Any modern equivalent to this excellent bullet can be used with great success on these large thick skinned bovines , if shot from the side and through both lungs. If the shooter is engaging a buffalo from the front position , then the shot should be aimed for the heart which is tucked between the beast’s fore legs . During my time , solid bullets with a strong metal envelope weighing 300 grains and with a blunt head were used for this shot . After killing enough buffaloes and studying their internal body composition , my former partner and l began recommending the following set up : load a soft nosed bullet into the gun for your first shot and hard nosed bullets for any shots which need to be made after the first shot . It worked well , but a solid bullet through a buffalo’s heart is not immediately fatal . It is guaranteed that it will die but it will take anywhere up to more than 15 to 17 minutes . A modern expanding bullet with a more controlled rate of expansion is perfect for the heart shot .
However , whenever possible , we would try to get the client in a position where he can shoot the Buffalo from the side and hit it’s lungs .
I find it most impressive that six decades ago , the Magnum 375 was the universally accepted caliber for dangerous animals ( except perhaps bull elephants ) and in 2019 , it’s popularity has increased manifold . Perhaps some things do withstand the test of time and never age.

Winchester Silvertips are discontinued for the .375 HH Magnum , Mr. Rahman .
I know Who , in their right mind would discontinue this master piece of a bullet ??? But they did.

 

[Foxi]

"Perhaps some things do withstand the test of time and never age".
+1

Kawshik,welcome in the best forum,
you wouldn't have some pictures of that lost time for us, too ??
Be sure, you would have a big fan community here.
It should not be forgotten under any circumstances what one could hunt with you: Gaur, tiger elephants.
Best regards from Munich
Foxi

 

[Hoss Delgado]

"Perhaps some things do withstand the test of time and never age".
+1

Kawshik,welcome in the best forum,
you wouldn't have some pictures of that lost time for us, too ??
Be sure, you would have a big fan community here.
It should not be forgotten under any circumstances what one could hunt with you: Gaur, tiger elephants.
Best regards from Munich
Foxi

Foxi , take a look at this . Mr. Rahman showed us some really nice pics from the 1960s hunts
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/could-a-22lr-possibly-kill-a-leopard.51357/page-5

 

[Hoss Delgado]

"Perhaps some things do withstand the test of time and never age".
+1

Kawshik,welcome in the best forum,
you wouldn't have some pictures of that lost time for us, too ??
Be sure, you would have a big fan community here.
It should not be forgotten under any circumstances what one could hunt with you: Gaur, tiger elephants.
Best regards from Munich
Foxi

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/shotgun-o-u-or-pump.6987/page-4
A bit more recent , but that's his last leopard in the '90s. That sucker is huge ! And he did all his kills with a shotgun and buckshot ! He was my Granddad's Shikari ( Indian word for PH ) in the1960s in Darjileeng , India .

 

[bruce moulds]

ah yes the old silvertip.
a bullet from a bygone era.
a very fast opening bullet, well suited to lung shots.
a bullet that relied on being heavy for calibre, and could keep expanding and losing core and still have enough base to do a job on softer tissue.
one of the best silvertips was the 300 gn 338, very long for calibre, offering reasonable penetration with a big frontal area.
this bullet was used
in early ruger m77s in oz for meat hunting buffalo preferred shot up the nose.
the 100 gn 25 cal was too explosive at 25/06 speeds.
270 and 30 cal were good for deer with lung shots.
with the advent of such bullets as the swift aframe, such bullets have become yesterday's bullets.
for buffalo you can now do lung shots, point of shoulder, and head shots with 1 bullet, negating the need for loading a soft then a solid in the magazine.
on big game I have come to favour the frontal quartering shot on the point of the shoulder, and will wait to get it where possible for its deadliness.
it has the added advantage of breaking the shoulder, while potentially taking out the heart, and destroying lung tissue at the same time with secondary bone fragments etc.
bruce.

 

[Hoss Delgado]

ah yes the old silvertip.
a bullet from a bygone era.
a very fast opening bullet, well suited to lung shots.
a bullet that relied on being heavy for calibre, and could keep expanding and losing core and still have enough base to do a job on softer tissue.
one of the best silvertips was the 300 gn 338, very long for calibre, offering reasonable penetration with a big frontal area.
this bullet was used
in early ruger m77s in oz for meat hunting buffalo preferred shot up the nose.
the 100 gn 25 cal was too explosive at 25/06 speeds.
270 and 30 cal were good for deer with lung shots.
with the advent of such bullets as the swift aframe, such bullets have become yesterday's bullets.
for buffalo you can now do lung shots, point of shoulder, and head shots with 1 bullet, negating the need for loading a soft then a solid in the magazine.
on big game I have come to favour the frontal quartering shot on the point of the shoulder, and will wait to get it where possible for its deadliness.
it has the added advantage of breaking the shoulder, while potentially taking out the heart, and destroying lung tissue at the same time with secondary bone fragments etc.
bruce.

It's really nice seeing how many options we have today , Bruce I like Swift A Frames for Buffalo .
I wish they started remaking them silver tips again If Kynoch can resurface , so can the Silvertips !

 

[bruce moulds]

hoss,
the design of the original silvertip required a rather blunt nose, somewhere between a roundnose and a spitzer.
this was part of its success, and also part of its demise.
today you are not a hunter unless you use high b.c. bullets, preferably with plastic tips.
fail to do this and you cannot kill anything, and should be so embarrassed that you should crawl into a hole and die.
in fact if you shoot anything at less than 300 yds nowadays you have nearly qualified to be a hunter's apprentice.
bruce.

 

[crs]

"today you are not a hunter unless you use high b.c. bullets, preferably with plastic tips."

Bit of "tongue in cheek" there, eh Bruce?
These .405 hand loaded Woodies must show that I am old fashioned - OK buff did not like them either.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Dawg2019
You asked about American calibers and guns that will take Cape Buffalo and the answer is yes!

I personally do not care what rifle or caliber others use and see no benefit to being critical of any of them.
Nor do I see any benefit to denying proven facts and claiming that a .45-70 can not kill a cape buffalo; it has been done and is being done with increasing frequency.
Obviously, the .460 Weatherby is an American caliber that can take buff too, but I do not shoot one.

My Big bore arsenal has all killed cape buff and a many other interesting animals:
1. Model 1895 Winchester in .405 WCF has killed Cape Buff, water buffs, Nilgai, and other exotics
2. Model 1886 Winchester .45-70 has take several Cape Buff, many bear, many hogs, many plains game
3. Model 1886 Winchester .45-90 has taken elephant, several Cape buff, leopard, plains game, bison, etc

Non of these rifles wears a scope either.
There is abundant proof that these rifles with the right bullets can take dangerous game. People that deny this are either ignorant of the facts or just touting their favorite rifle, a common practice that can be done without criticizing other rifles or cartridges.

I am not recommending any rifle or cartridge to you, just answering your question. Please have fun selecting the rifle that best suits you and your intended use.
Good hunting.

crs,
Wait a minute. Are you telling us here on AH that you actually used several different LEVER ACTION rifles to hunt not only PG, but DG in Africa! How is that possible? AND no scope! According to several OPs posting on a different thread not too long ago, the hunting of any game in Africa is virtually impossible with a lever action rifle! Something’s amiss here? Maybe a full moon or the equinox were present when you used your lever actions? I’m REALLY confused now! Please explain!
CEH

 

[CBH Australia]

crs,
Wait a minute. Are you telling us here on AH that you actually used several different LEVER ACTION rifles to hunt not only PG, but DG in Africa! How is that possible? AND no scope! According to several OPs posting on a different thread not too long ago, the hunting of any game in Africa is virtually impossible with a lever action rifle! Something’s amiss here? Maybe a full moon or the equinox were present when you used your lever actions? I’m REALLY confused now! Please explain!
CEH

Me too, I thought it was restricted to the traditional Doubles, CRF and the new kids on the block, The Blaser Club is it? Nobody has used lever guns there since Roosevelt would that be right?
I’m gonna use what My PH Loans me I’m just happy to go

 

[Hoss Delgado]

hoss,
the design of the original silvertip required a rather blunt nose, somewhere between a roundnose and a spitzer.
this was part of its success, and also part of its demise.
today you are not a hunter unless you use high b.c. bullets, preferably with plastic tips.
fail to do this and you cannot kill anything, and should be so embarrassed that you should crawl into a hole and die.
in fact if you shoot anything at less than 300 yds nowadays you have nearly qualified to be a hunter's apprentice.
bruce.

Old is gold , Bruce
I stockpile them Silvertips whenever they show up in an online auction

 

[bruce moulds]

hoss,
you might be better to grab all the northforks you can find now that they are dead in the water.
bruce.