I need a "Use Enough Gun" Gun. Suggestions?

[Brian]

I have killed 6 cape buffalo with the .375 HH. All, except the one above which was a poor shot, were one shot kills with the bullet going into or near the heart. I used the NF CPS on some of them. ( I test different premium bullets, it saves some on the guess work.)

My comments about the .375 HH are because I have seen how the buffalo reacts to the shot. They just don't go down quickly enough for me. That is my personal observation, not conjecture.

Obviously it's my point of view, no big deal, I just say it, for the same reason that you all say things. I like to share my hunting stuff with other hunters. Sometimes I go over the top in my excitement and then someone hollers "Get a rope". ( chuckle)

I sure agree with the statement that a .375HH that the shooter is accurate with is much better than a big bore that the shooter cannot shoot accurately.

Ideally, in my observations, I see that a good shot with a big bore using a premium bullet kills buffalo much quicker than a good shot with a .375 using a premium bullet. In most circles that is not a controversial point of view and it's nothing against the folks who hunt buffalo with the .375.

Enjoy hunting,

Brian

 

[Red Leg]

Ideally, in my observations, I see that a good shot with a big bore using a premium bullet kills buffalo much quicker than a good shot with a .375 using a premium bullet. In most circles that is not a controversial point of view and it's nothing against the folks who hunt buffalo with the .375.

Enjoy hunting,

Brian

I agree.

 

[Brian]

I already posted this once but here are the straight facts you’re not looking for.

Thread 'Is Bigger Always Better?'

Dec 7, 2020

I thought this group may enjoy this article I wrote in the latest African Gazette.
A link to that particular issue (of which Divan Labuschagne, one of our great PHs, also took the cover picture):

Let me know your thoughts....

• ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS
• Replies: 62
• Forum: Articles

• 

Karl,

I read your excellent article again this morning, "Is Bigger Always Better" in The African Hunting Gazette. I get something more out of it each time I read it. It show a lot of thought and research.

I subscribe to the AHG and have a couple of buffalo hunting stories published in it. They are not in depth research articles like yours, they are just light hearted stories of my hunts.

My favourite one is in the 2017 Summer Edition of The African Hunting Gazette, titled " Never Mind the Bull". On that hunt I was hunting cows with my .577NE break-open single shot for the first time and was shooting my own hand cast 700 grain bullets. The PH was the awesome Kobus Kok. We were hunting at Buffalo Land Safaris near Hoedspruit in the Lowveld. The story is just a recollection of a fun hunt.

The same with another one that got published in the AHG called "Abraham's Grin', a story of my first buffalo hunt where I was carrying my .375HH in the Waterberg Mountains with a young Zulu tracker. I and my boys and grandson ended up hunting with him a number of times over the years. He seldom spoke english but you knew if buffalo were close, by Abraham's big wide grin. Unfortunately he died of stomach cancer last summer. He will sure be missed.

I think those stories are also posted here on AH somewhere. If you see them, enjoy. Brian

 

[Brian]

If any one is into it, I found the story "Never Mind the Bull" and a video of the hunt here on AH.
The heading for the story is "A Cape Buffalo Cow Hunting Story" May 12, 2017

A kind poster from New Zealand pasted the YouTube video of the hunt on the same thread.
The heading for the video is "Brian Hunts Cape Buffalo with a .577 NE Single Shot." May 12, 2017
Enjoy.

 

[Brian]

I have had good kills with five of my six cape buffalo using my .375HH. As you guys say, bullet placement is the deal.

The night before one of these hunts in the Waterburg Mountains near Vaalwater, I asked the PH about the femur bone shot. He said it was one of his favourite shots because when the buffalo is quartering towards the shooter at just the right angle, the upper end of femur bone, lines up perfectly with the heart. With the right bullet you can break the femur bone and hit the heart with the one shot. He said that it can be tricky but when it works, it works well. ( A tough bullet or a solid is the ticket for this shot.)

The next morning my grandson Jaxon was with us as an enthusiastic observer, we were crouching behind three trees watching a small group of cape buffalo at about 60 yards. They were in the open and the breeze and light were right. We didn't have to sneak up on them, they had just grazed towards us. As I remember they were probably coming from water and heading for the shade or visa versa.

As usual. I was looking for an old cow and there are two nice ones in this small group.
The old girl on the far right turned and presented me with that very femur bone, heart shot that we were discussing the night before. It took me a moment to recognize it, but there is was.

I had a NorthFork Cup Point Solid ( CPS ) in the chamber of my Winchester Model 70, 375 HH, it's a solid that's designed for controlled, limited expansion and is considered to be one of the best solids on the market for buffalo. I believe it was designed in tandem with Michael458's development of the Safari Raptor bullet and the #13 Safari Solid. ( I'm one of those buffalo hunters who likes a well designed solids with a wide flat meplat, for certain applications, more so in the big bore calibers.)

I visualized a straight line from where I figured the old cow's femur was to her heart, said a prayer to the hunting gods and squeezed off the shot. The old cows reaction was impressive, she exploded into action, jumping up and down on the spot while doing a 360 degree pirouette before she crashed to the ground. The time from the sound of the shot to when she hit the ground was no more than three seconds. I can't call it a "bang-flop" kill, lets say it was a "bang-pirouette-flop" kill.

Anyhow it was a nice easy morning in the bushveld for the tracker and an unforgettable experience for my grandson.

Yes, I have had success with the .375 on cape buffalo including some pretty exciting times to.
( Once I hit a buffalo hard in the heart/lungs at close range and he ran right past me like Jack the bear. In that case I was very quick to do nothing, not even reload! ) I am a firm believer that the .375 works until it doesn't. (LOL)

For me, when the shooting accuracy and bullet quality are consistently first class, cape buffalo kills became predictably quicker as I moved up through the big bores. I found the .500 cal cartridges to be amazing buffalo killers with a proper bullet in the engine room.

When it comes to the .577 NE, few people have even seen a cape buffalo killed by a heavy load in a .577NE ( 650 grain , .585cal. bullet at 2,200 fps., not the powder puff loads that J Allan smith uses on his videos.) Few people believe how quick the .577NE drops cape buffalo when I tell them.

They say that my 19 buffalo kills puts me at the low end of the "experienced" buffalo hunter category.
I like that, but with me I often experiment with different shots, differing bullet and different cartridges when I hunt buffalo so I tend to learn more, gain a wider knowledge base than if I just kept doing the same thing over and over. I really enjoy cape buffalo hunting and have an open mind to new ideas, bullets and techniques.