First little play with CEB Safari Raptors...

[IdaRam]

Great group IdaRam.

A 370gn .416 cal Raptor at 2450fps is one heck of a hammer for any soft skinned game and buffalo as well.

Best of luck to you on your up-coming hunt.

Thank you Paul

 

[BenKK]

Had to assist with a wounded bull and hit him side-on at fifty, full-gallop. He dived into the ground and never moved, massive quantities of blood coming out of the mouth and nose.

Forgot pictures. The load had been increased to 100 grains of 2208 for 2330fps.

Injuries: obliterated lower humerus, ragged hole through spine, lots of mush where the heart should be. We did the best autopsy we could under tough conditions but I wish we could have discovered more.

Shank was slightly belled at the front and weighed exactly 369 grains, same as before. Recovered in offside shoulder meat.

It appears that the petals didn’t come off until inside the chest cavity, despite hitting that big bone.

I imagine it was petals and bone fragments that traveled downwards into the heart area.

 

[PaulT]

Ben, well done.

I bet that you're now starting to see some performance from these projectiles.

Add another 200fps and you'll just about cut them in half !!!

 

[boldo 42]

I'll be home in a couple of days , i can give you some more load info if you want it.

 

[BenKK]

I'll be home in a couple of days , i can give you some more load info if you want it.

Thanks! Would welcome it!

 

[boldo 42]

Thanks! Would welcome it!

I see your a territory lad , bought a 378 weatherby from up that way from a bloke round Katherine , awesome bit of kit.

 

[BenKK]

Asked to reduce numbers impacting on a crystal-clear natural spring, and unable to find suitable bulls, I reluctantly killed two cows this evening after an arduous stalk through a swamp. At least it was an opportunity to gain a little more experience with these excellent CEB Safari Raptors, 475 grains doing 2330fps. The big old cow (pictured) was shot through the heart, the bullet breaking the entry-side leg and exiting almost perfectly opposite. She made three metres or so, if that, collapsing in a dead heap. The petals made it through into the chest cavity. A younger cow came to investigate and wore one slightly quartering-on, and a few inches left of where I ought to have hit. Her lungs seemed to be destroyed and the bullet exited down her offside flank, and she died about thirty metres away. I won’t know for sure but I wonder, given the bad shot, did a petal or two help speed things up? So far, four buffalo with these, one shot each.

 

[PaulT]

Well done Ben.

2300fps hey. You're getting there, but in my estimates with that cartridge you have another 200fps up your sleeve ??????
That 200 fps aint going to kill-em any deader but it'll sure cut down those 30yd tracking jobs.

 

[BenKK]

It was arduous, walking that thirty yards!

Yep, next loading, a bit more speed! Better ring Daryl and get some more on the way!

 

[Pierre DUFFORT]

B

 

[boldo 42]

Asked to reduce numbers impacting on a crystal-clear natural spring, and unable to find suitable bulls, I reluctantly killed two cows this evening after an arduous stalk through a swamp. At least it was an opportunity to gain a little more experience with these excellent CEB Safari Raptors, 475 grains doing 2330fps. The big old cow (pictured) was shot through the heart, the bullet breaking the entry-side leg and exiting almost perfectly opposite. She made three metres or so, if that, collapsing in a dead heap. The petals made it through into the chest cavity. A younger cow came to investigate and wore one slightly quartering-on, and a few inches left of where I ought to have hit. Her lungs seemed to be destroyed and the bullet exited down her offside flank, and she died about thirty metres away. I won’t know for sure but I wonder, given the bad shot, did a petal or two help speed things up? So far, four buffalo with these, one shot each.
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Just replaced the decelerator pad with a kick eze , made a worthwhile improvement.

 

[BenKK]

Sako just needs those two little improvements - in my opinion - on these big rifles: a better recoil pad and a finer front bead. Now I’ve got these modifications made, it’s awesome!

 

[Dr Ray]

Great story and info, Ben.

 

[Shootist43]

BenKK, if you don't mind my asking what do you do for a living? It seems like you do a lot of hunting for a working "stiff?" I assume you get help from the locals including bushmen to consume the meat from the culls etc you harvest. I really do enjoy reading about your rifle projects, reloading efforts and buff hunting. Since you use and like Sako rifles I wonder if you can answer a question for me. I have several Sako Finnbear rifles in 30-06. I acquired them in the mid 1970s. How do they compare to the Sako Mod 85s that are mentioned from time to time on AH?

 

[BenKK]

G’day Shootist43, sorry, I’m not sure about the Sako comparison you’re searching for. I have no experience with the Finnbear. Yep, much of the meat taken goes to local folks and their dogs. Most Aussie hunters hunt throughout the year, either on private property or in some cases State Forest, for feral game ranging from cats and rabbits to deer and camels (not all in the one location - Australia is vast and has a diverse range of biomes). I do my best to stretch my legs when I get a chance, but compared to the Old Timers and their experience and adventures I’m a novice.

 

[BenKK]

The other day I witnessed the longest open-sights kill on a buffalo I’ve seen. The bloke took a steady rest from a kneeling position against the side of a tree. The old bull was side-on (we thought) at 150m looking at us. My mate had eased a plastic tipped 475 grain Safari Raptor into the .500 Jeffery and when he let it fly we instantly knew the bull had a broken leg. The bull did a forty metre loop and crashed. We gave him a minute to kick his last and by the time we got there eye movement had gone and that was that. Initially we thought it was a heart shot, but when we removed the broken leg we realised the hit was way down, only a couple of inches from missing the chest. We also realised he had been slightly quartering-on. The bullet had broken the leg, shattered the sternum and lodged in the offside skin, the 369 grain shank having penetrated less than two feet (extra elasticity of the offside hide due to angle). There was not much blood loss evident. We surmise that petals and sternum fragments cut the heart or some major pipe. I think that with other bullets this may not have gone so smoothly.

 

[BenKK]

Young bull in the culling spring from last week, fifteen metre shot quartering-away with the 475 grain CEB Safari Raptor destroying heart/lungs, thirty metre dash and dead.

 

[BenKK]

First bull from today - proper Old Man Nganabbarru - above the culling spring. My wife and I heard a little noise above us, so I scrambled up the bank and shot him quartering-on at about thirty metres. He dashed about forty metres and tipped-over dead. 475 grain CEB Safari Raptor doing 2330fps (need to keep developing the load to waltz a little faster).

 

[BenKK]

Second bull from today, a younger lone bull with what we call Melville Island genetics (not very common here), shot front-on at fifty metres with a plastic-tipped CEB Safari Raptor doing 2330fps. A dash of sixty metres had him done and dusted.

 

[BenKK]

I believe that’s now eight buffalo we’ve knocked down with CEB Safari Raptors - one-shot kills all. Need to get them moving a bit faster. Pretty impressed so far.