What calibre would you choose for Buffalo and Bovine hunts

[CBH Australia]

@CBH Australia , in post 10 you’ve nearly answered your own dilemma. You already have a 375 and kinda fancy a 416. But as you admit it (416) will get minimal use. Look at the price of 416 ammunition !

I have a 375H&H also, loaded with 235 grain bullets it’s capable of taking any plains game. Move up to 270 and 300 grain bullets for tougher/ dangerous game.

Yes, you are right but I’m also interested in in what other use.

I’m also asking what would you chose if could just choose a calibre or a cartridge for the purpose. A 4, something keeps coming up and I don’t have one. Maybe it would be fun.

I have ammo, dies, cases and projectiles for the .375 and don’t use it enough. I don’t really need anything but I am interested in the Big Bores and I haven’t planned a Buff hunt yet. I just have other priorities for now.

 

[deewayne2003]

If you have dies for the .375 you can always use the 350gr woodleigh.

I believe the .416Rigby 400gr has the same trajectory as the .375 with 300gr.

I’m planning a buff hunt in Zimbabwe for 2027 and will be taking my .470 with Woodleigh 500gr and my .375 as backup with 350gr woodleigh RNSN HD.

 

[deewayne2003]

If you have dies for the .375 you can always use the 350gr woodleigh.

I believe the .416Rigby 400gr has the same trajectory as the .375 with 300gr.

I’m planning a buff hunt in Zimbabwe for 2027 and will be taking my .470 with Woodleigh 500gr and my .375 as backup with 350gr woodleigh RNSN HD.

Post script - I’ve got a .404J being built and if it’s done before the Zim paperwork is due I’ll probably take instead of the .375.

Having said that, if I had to do it all over again, I’d kept the .416Rigby RSM I had and just go hunt.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Post script - I’ve got a .404J being built and if it’s done before the Zim paperwork is due I’ll probably take instead of the .375.

Having said that, if I had to do it all over again, I’d kept the .416Rigby RSM I had and just go hunt.

What are you building it on?

 

[CBH Australia]

If you have dies for the .375 you can always use the 350gr woodleigh.

I believe the .416Rigby 400gr has the same trajectory as the .375 with 300gr.

Is that an endorsement to add the .416rigby to the equation?

.375 for practice and plains game and .416 on Big Game.

 

[deewayne2003]

Is that an endorsement to add the .416rigby to the equation?

.375 for practice and plains game and .416 on Big Game.

Most certainly, you'll have much easier time finding ammo and reloading components for the .416Rigby than a .404J.

Or if you want to keep things simple you could just stick with the .375 and use the 350gr HD bullets from Woodleigh.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

All of my bovines have fallen to either of my two big game rifles. To include Cape Buffalo, Banteng, a couple of Scrub Bulls, and several Water Buffalo.

Sako AV 375H&H, Swaro Z3 3-9x36, 270gn A29.

Mk. X Mauser 458WM, Meopta R2 1-6, 480gn Woodleigh.

I'm far from an expert but they work. The 458WM hits harder at both ends.

 

[leslie hetrick]

a wayward herford who hid in a very large forest on the farm and didn,t want to become hamberger, i tracked it down to a small medow and shot it with marlin 95 in 45-70 with a 400 gr bullet at 1800 fps.

 

[coreydb]

I use .375 H&H for cape buffalo and 9.3x62 on American buffalo. Haven't hunted any other thus far

 

[264]

My experience is fairly limited. Just scrub bulls and water buffalo. As to a suitable cartridge….the biggest one that you can shoot accurately and use premium projectiles.

I’ve shot most of my scrub bulls with an M14 in 308. But that’s ancient history. Also shot them with 300 win, 9.3x62 and 375 H&H. All worked well.

As to buffalo. I’ve only hunted them twice. Once when I was a young fella. Used a Remington 700 BDL in 300 win with 200 grain Nosler projectiles. With a Leupold 3-9 with parallel adjustment ( oh dear)

Last buffalo hunt was last week ( about 40 years in between) Used my Rigby SSB in 416 Rigby with 400 grain Woodleighs.

I reckon I looked the part carrying the Rigby. And I really loved hunting with her and open sights.

Use whatever makes you smile and remember the bigger the cartridge the bigger the smile.

View attachment 716924

Well done Rod, nice bull! Well both of them are, even if its 40 years apart. Cheers mick

 

[camperx]

I shot my Yellowstone bull this winter with 175g swift a frame out of my 7mm STW. They performed flawlessly. I killed my muskox in September in Alaska with 175 partitions out of the same rifle. Wouldn’t use them again for BIG game. They lost the entire front section and only weighed 110 gr when recovered. I read they are actually designed to do this to shed energy but I don’t like the idea of a 110gr bullet being what I have to drive deep into a bison or Muskox. I’ve had mixed success with accubonds but I know some people like them.

 

[grand veneur]

I also never shot a muskox with a large caliber. I shot one in the NWT/Canada with the cartridge 300 Winchester Magnum and a 180gr Power Point bullet from Winchester, another one in West Greenland with the cartridge 338 Lapua Magnum and a 250gr Game King bullet from Sierra, and the last one in Nord East Greenland with the cartridge 340 Weatherby Magnum and also a 250gr Game King bullet from Sierra. With the cartridge 300 Winchester Magnum a second shot was necessary. With the other two cartridges, one shot was sufficient for killing the game. However, I do not consider the Muskox as a buffalo but rather as a heavy goat species.

 

[grand veneur]

I shot a Wisent in Belarus with the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum and a 500gr Interbond bullet from Hornady. In this case you can call the game a buffalo.

 

[R eight]

Well done Rod, nice bull! Well both of them are, even if its 40 years apart. Cheers mick

Thanks Mick.

 

[PerH]

I would be a bit cautious with the TUG bullet. I have seen several buffalo falling down dead with it, but I would feel me a bit unsafe with this bullet. We currently have some good 320gr bullets on the market and I would use those.

Rhino make 300 and 320 9,3 also and one to look for also .

I wonder if Degol have made 320 also

 

[grand veneur]

.366 320gr STM Rund

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I hope to hunt Buffalo at some point.

My question is at what would be your preferred minimum calibre for any sort of Buffalo or Bovine hunting whether you have it or would choose it for the purpose?

Elaborate on the cartridge , rifle , scope etc if you like I’m interested in what works or what you would choose if selecting something fit for purpose

@CBH Australia
Chris you already know my answer.
I would choose my 35 Whelen every day of the week.
Loaded with 310s both soft and flat nose solids I would take in any buffalo/ bovine that walked and not feel undergunned.
Both ted Mitchell and his son Scott have taken a shed load of water buffalo and scrub bulls with Ted's 35 Mitchell express and never had an issue and it's not quite as potent as the Whelen.
If'n the 9.3x62 can get the job done there's absolutely NO REASON the Whelen won't.
Patience, bullet selection and placement.

There's some that will say not advisable, crazy, not enough gun or even laugh at me but if you are willing to pass up shots and wait for the right shot, put an expanding bullet of the RIGHT construction with sufficient energy in the right spot you will end up with a dead animal.

I have shot a few farm cattle in paddocks with an old 303 and fmj military ammo. A bullet in the curl in the middle of the forehead and they were dead before they hit the ground. Yes different situation but same results dead animal.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I am just interested in people’s opinions on the subject. I hear Scrub bulls are quite dangerous and aggressive.

I hope to hunt some Buffalo sometime a recent facebook post piqued my interest

@CBH Australia
According to Ted and Scott some of the older scrub bulls will charge you just for the exercise and all of them look at you as if you owe them something and haven't paid yet. They both reckon the scrubbers are very unpredictable
But both use the 35 Mitchell express so your 375 should be fine providing you shoot it well
Bob