Scope Setting for Cape Buffalo?

[shootist~]

If the buff is in a relatively open area and the shot is 100 yards..

2X is enough for an improved sight picture at 100.

I agree with the 1x6 (or 1x4) with illuminated dot. The Trijicon 1x6 is one I like and use.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I confess: I probably didn't think enough about my scope before I went the first time? I had a 3-9, so that's what went. My shot was 40 yards, and the scope was set on 3. It worked just fine. Frankly, it (vegetation) was so thick I am amazed we had 40 yards to work with. My second buffalo was more open but the same distance, same rifle/scope. It was a trotting broadside shot. 3x worked just fine then too. I think as much as anything practicing a bunch so it felt natural when the time came helped me.

Also, my PH had told me the shot would no more than 75 yards so my practice reflected that.

 

[DLSJR]

Keep it simple and consistent…

whatever scope you are using, keep it on the low setting and turn up as the situation dictates. It doesn’t matter what rifle or game, keep your scope on a low setting and adjust upward as needed.

My DG rifles are a 375 H&H topped with a Leupold VX5HD in 2-10 with Firedot reticle and a 416 Hoffman with the same scope in 1-5x. Either is a fine DG scope.

 

[Green Chile]

Whatever scope you are using, turn it down for wider field of view. It's easier to turn up when you're on an animal then turning down to find one. I think a lot of guys walk around with their scopes turned up too high. You can tell by how long it takes them to find anything.

 

[Ryan]

I have shot a grand total of one, so I'm no expert. But here was and is my view. Your job is to make the first shot count. So keep your scope on it's lowest power in case the animal ends up being close. But should that first shot end up being farther away don't hesitate to turn it up to get the best shot possible. After that remember there is a reason you have a PH. Should the animal actually turn on you let your PH be the lead and you do your best to assist.

 

[RR 314]

Simple....leave it on 1x....if you get on the sticks and need more crank it up a bit and shoot....
X8 is too much for buff....1 to 6 is the way to go....

You obviously know much more about killing Cape buffalo than I do, but I love the S&B Exos 1-8 for DGRs. True 1X for up close and I could see cranking it up to 8x on a calm buff at 50 yards for a precise shot. Not needed, but not a hinderance as the Exos and Z8 are effectively the same size as many 1-6 offerings.

 

[IvW]

You obviously know much more about killing Cape buffalo than I do, but I love the S&B Exos 1-8 for DGRs. True 1X for up close and I could see cranking it up to 8x on a calm buff at 50 yards for a precise shot. Not needed, but not a hinderance as the Exos and Z8 are effectively the same size as many 1-6 offerings.

100%....

 

[uplander01]

Take the scope off, get on your hands and knees and crawl as close as you can, stand up and bang ‘em’. Lol.

On the topics of scopes….i just spoke with leupold the other day about some warranty issues on a m8 3x I recently picked up. In the course of the conversation I mentioned to the guy that they are missing a big chunk of the big game hunting market after disc the 1.5-5 safari scope….turns out they have something in the works in a 1” tube, that’s about all I could get out of him. Exciting news for those of us that don’t like having a Hubble telescope on top of our rifles.

 

[WyoBull]

Leupold 3-9 on my 375 H&H, always set on 3. Shot my Buffalo this past August at 20 yards in 3x and it worked just fine.

 

[Hunt anything]

Did the OP ever say where he was going to be hunting? If hunting the Zambezi delta in Mozambique (or similar area) where long shots on buffalo are a little more common (100-120yds) a 1-6 or 1-4 turned up once leaving the tree line and out on the flood plain would be okay but if a 1-6 I would probably leave it on 4x. Once back in the forest turn it back down.
Listen to your PH and he should steer you in the right direction.
If hunting in some of the places I’ve seen buffalo in RSA leave it turned down to the lowest power.
If shooting on 1, power for me it took a lot of practice getting used to seeing the front sight post in my sight picture since I was not used to it.

 

[Oldnerd]

Easy: just keep it at 1x. As soon as you realize you need more, turn the intensity up a little and shot. I have never adjusted the power settings for the giraffe at 80 yards.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I just bought a 1-4x 30mm Bushnell scope to try on my 404. The price was very right for a trial = nothing to lose. I wasn't sure a thicker 30mm scope would give me the same fast acquisition as my old 1" Weaver 3x. Sent it off to them already for warrantee but turns out the scope is fine: their instructions included in the box were goofed up. Adjustment dials can be pulled up and reset to zero for those who can't add single digits (= calculator based millenials?). I was supposed to push them down again for adjustment but the picture shows dial pulled up for adjustment. I failed to follow the fine print (VERY fine black font on dark grey background) and Bushnell failed to hire a competent commercial artist. Anyway, to compensate for the thicker tube I bought a now discontinued very low Weaver one-piece 98 Mauser base/bridge from Hoosier Gun Works. With Warne low QD rings, acquisition at 1x is instantaneous! The only drawback is the barrel and hooded front sight are in the sight picture on 1x. I imagine this must be an issue with any scope at such low magnification? At about 2.5x the image disappears. This is my first experience with a 1x scope and I can easily see I would not want to try shooting a buffalo at 70+ yards with it on 1x. Even a big buffalo will be too small at those distances. Remember, the target is not the animal; the target is actually a small spot on the animal.

 

[Red Leg]

Excellent advice on scope settings. I personally do not follow it. My primary "dangerous game" rifle these days is my all purpose R8 wearing its .375 barrel. It carries a 2.5x10 Leica that performs beautifully. With a scope everywhere I hunt and with whatever rifle, I keep it at 4X or 6X. I can not remember a game animal I may have shot cranking a scope above 6 or below 4 including the admittedly few (4) buffalo I have taken. I have not yet had to do a follow-up on a bull, but should I, the scope is coming off, and I'll use those excellent R8 open sights.

My .404 and 500/416 are equipped with 1x6 Swaro variables, but even then, I would likely have it set on some magnification other than zero unless in an actual follow-up.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

It’s 2024. There is absolutely no reason not to have a dangerous game scope that doesn’t go down to 1x. 1x is where it should live. If you want or need to turn it up you will have time; you may not have time to turn it down.

Likewise there is no reason not to have an illuminated reticle. The chance of it failing is way overstated and in any event, the scope simply reverts to a non-illuminated reticle if it does.

If someone has sufficient buffalo hunting experience that he wants to increase the challenge, he won’t need to ask for advice.

 

[sgt_zim]

Haven't hunted buff yet, but I can speak to hunting in the thick stuff. All the rifles I use for the thick stuff in Louisiana have nothing larger than 2X magnification on the bottom, and I very rarely increase the magnification. For close in shooting, there's no substitute for FOV, IMO.

And that goes double for something like a cape buffalo that has a heart the size of an NFL football. If I can hit a white tail deer heart from 50 yards on 1-2X, the only thing that'll give me trouble on a buffalo is my own nerves and/or a weird shot angle.

At 35 mph top speed, a buffalo can cover 100 yards in about 5 or 6 seconds. I wouldn't want to waste a single one of those precious seconds jacking with magnification, then re-shoulder, then re-acquire the target.

My rifles for hunting in close-ish
404J: 1-5x24
9.3x62: 2-10x42
45-70: 1.5-4x20
6.5x55 SE: 2-7x33

My mountain rifle
280AI: 3.5-10x40

 

[Hunting Hitman]

You obviously know much more about killing Cape buffalo than I do, but I love the S&B Exos 1-8 for DGRs. True 1X for up close and I could see cranking it up to 8x on a calm buff at 50 yards for a precise shot. Not needed, but not a hinderance as the Exos and Z8 are effectively the same size as many 1-6 offerings.

I agree on these scope choices 1x8 gives you the best of both worlds. At a 100 Yards you can crank it up as much as you need to and still gives you plenty of time to crank it down if a charge from that distance occurs. I use the Swarovski 1x8 illuminated.

HH

 

[Green Chile]

My DG scopes are all 1-6 or 1-8x. All have illuminated reticles that on low power are the same as a red dot. Honestly, I don't need anything else for any of the DG and PG that I hunt. There might be a few exceptions out there...vaal rhebok or mountain nyala...speciality hunts. I've never felt any concern using those scopes...just the opposite in fact; I relax when using them. They are perfect.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

I use 1.5-5 power scopes on all my hunting rifles, usually getting around with them set on about 2 or 2.5 power and then adjust to suit as I need to.

 

[Philip Glass]

Question for those with experience using an optic for Cape buffalo.

If the buff is in a relatively open area and the shot is 100 yards, to what power should the scope be set? Turning it up will make shot placement easier, but if it decides to run at the hunter, then starting off low even at 1x would seem preferable as there might not be time to turn it down. This makes me wonder if a red dot is a better option over a scope even for a relatively longer distance shot?

Not a likely scenario. Main point is to have you scope set for the situation and turn it down to low most of the time.

 

[Green Chile]

I’ve never heard of a buffalo running at someone from 100 yards in the open.