North Fork on elephant

[M70375!]

Has anyone used North Fork Cup Point solids on elephant

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I can’t issue a word of warning strongly enough against this practice. These bullets were not designed for elephant hunting. They were designed for departing shots on Cape buffalo & such. That’s why they’re engineered to rivet. They’re only ”Solids“ by name.

Remember that for elephant hunting, expansion is your enemy. Any degree of expansion whatsoever. So be smart, be safe & be responsible. Use proper solids for elephant hunting. Like Northfork’s very own flat point solid which they specifically designed for this purpose. My other favorites (based upon what is available on the current market) are:
-Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Solids
-DZOMBO Mark 6
-Rhino Solids
-Wim Degol Vor Mantel

The first four on the list are monometal brass with flat meplats. The last one is a bonded lead core heavy tombac jacketed blunt nose variant. But still extremely strongly constructed with brilliant straight line penetration.

In the past (when they were available), other favorite designs of mine included:
-Swift Break Away Solids
-Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilized Solids
-Woodleigh Round Nosed Steel Jacketed FMJ Solids

The 1980s era Hornady round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids were excellent. As were the pre 2011 Barnes Banded Solids with the older style flat nose.

P.S: Yes, I know. There have been documented cases of hunters successfully using Northfork Cup Point Solids to down elephants via lung shots or side brain shots on cow elephants. But they’re far from ideal for the job. Remember Murphy's Law: If something bad can happen, it will. For dangerous game hunting (esp. elephants), you must pick a bullet that will work properly in worst case scenarios where everything goes wrong. Not best case scenarios where everything goes right. When picking the most app tools for the hunt, it's essential to try & have as many factors in your control as possible. Because once you're out there in the field, there's going to be plenty of factors which you can't control.

 

[M70375!]

I can’t issue a word of warning strongly enough against this practice. These bullets were not designed for elephant hunting. They were designed for departing shots on Cape buffalo & such. That’s why they’re engineered to rivet. They’re only ”Solids“ by name.

Remember that for elephant hunting, expansion is your enemy. Any degree of expansion whatsoever. So be smart, be safe & be responsible. Use proper solids for elephant hunting. Like Northfork’s very own flat point solid which they specifically designed for this purpose. My other favorites (based upon what is available on the current market) are:
-Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Solids
-DZOMBO Mark 6
-Rhino Solids
-Wim Degol Vor Mantel

The first four on the list are monometal brass with flat meplats. The last one is a bonded lead core heavy tombac jacketed blunt nose variant. But still extremely strongly constructed with brilliant straight line penetration.

In the past (when they were available), other favorite designs of mine included:
-Swift Break Away Solids
-Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilized Solids
-Woodleigh Round Nosed Steel Jacketed FMJ Solids

The 1980s era Hornady round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids were excellent. As were the pre 2011 Barnes Banded Solids with the older style flat nose.

P.S: Yes, I know. There have been documented cases of hunters successfully using Northfork Cup Point Solids to down elephants via lung shots or side brain shots on cow elephants. But they’re far from ideal for the job. Remember Murphy's Law: If something bad can happen, it will. For dangerous game hunting (esp. elephants), you must pick a bullet that will work properly in worst case scenarios where everything goes wrong. Not best case scenarios where everything goes right. When picking the most app tools for the hunt, it's essential to try & have as many factors in your control as possible. Because once you're out there in the field, there's going to be plenty of factors which you can't control.

Yes, I think you are right on. I got a box of their cup point solids and was immediately concerned about how they would perform on elephant, so I thought I would see what I might find out from AH members , thank you so much for your thoughts Sir.

I also got a box of their percussion points, I think they would be ideal for buffalo, nice thing about them is they say you can use 5-8% less powder to get factory velocities, which sounds very good, considering the possible problems associated with compressed loads using the longer all copper bullets.

 

[wildcatter82]

If the target is elephant, our FPS big bore bullets are designed specifically for that job, and are therefore the choice bullet in the North Fork lineup.

For buffalo and our bonded bullets, the SS is the better, and recommended, choice.

I will also say there are many of our customers, and knowledgeable experts alike, who feel the CPS is the ideal buffalo projectile for many situations that one may find themselves in.

If there are any more questions regarding our bullet selection and application, please feel free to reach out to us!

 

[deewayne2003]

This pic is of a CPS .375H&H recovered from a bull elephant in Zimbabwe this July.

Also a pic of .375H&H Barnes & Cutting edge solids recovered from the same bull elephant for comparison.