What is a proper "stopping rifle" and load for dangerous game?

[Forrest Halley]

Here's the problem with your question sir: hubris. The majority of the opinions requiring a big bore rifle are thinly veiled justification for whatever pet caliber the particular individual is fielding. Some say "the client" and the is expectoration is audible with the last syllable as surely as "doesn't need a stopping rifle" will follow. Shoot the largest rifle you can handle well and enjoy yourself without regard for the opinions of others. Pursue the caliber that speaks to you and direct it well.

 

[rookhawk]

Should the caliber start with a "4" or is a 375 enough gun? What about a 375 with solids? Or a 338 magnum with 250 grain solids or monolithic bullets for that matter? Double rifle or magazine fed? Will a shot that doesn't penetrate into the brain or spine still "turn" a charging animal? Will a shot with a 30 caliber that does penetrate the brain or spine still "stop" the charge? Open question, but particularly interested in buffalo.

A Stopping Rifle: having sufficient energy to either kill a dangerous animal instantly or to transfer such energy as to discourage further attack or pursuit.

That’s my definition and yours may be different. In my opinion a 375 nor a 404 are “stopping rifles”. A 416 rigby may be one for game such as lions, leopard, or buffalo. A 458 Win/Lott or 470 are probably the floor for a stopping rifle for elephant, hippo, or rhino.

But we aren’t professionals so the question is “do we need a stopping rifle as a client?” No. We need the largest rifle we can shoot and reload accurately and comfortably. Off sticks, 375hh, 404j, and 450/400 would be the “high comfort client rifles” degrading from there to 416 rigby, 458 win, and 470. Then you go to the misery rifles beyond most clients comfort levels: 500ne, 500 Jeff, 505 Gibbs, 458 Lott, 460 weatherby , 577ne, 577 tyrannosaur, 600ne, 700ne, etc.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Then you go to the misery rifles beyond most clients comfort levels: 500ne, 500 Jeff, 505 Gibbs, 458 Lott, 460 weatherby , 577ne, 577 tyrannosaur, 600ne, 700ne, etc.

You give me cause for chuckle sir! Misery rifles!

 

[Professor Mawla]

Perhaps , this might interest some people :

My Views On Rifles & Ammunition For Sorting Out Dangerous Game

For obvious reasons , every hunter must give a great deal of consideration to the arms and ammunition used for taking his quarry cleanly with little to no complications . For those who hunt dangerous game , even more care must be taken when selecting the proper armaments for hunting anything...

www.africahunting.com

In short ; after 48 years of hunting dangerous game ( mostly alone ) , I consider to be the ideal stopping rifle to be one of the .450 bores which employs a 500 grain bullet . My personal favorite happens to be the .458 WM ( Winchester Magnum ) . While it’s velocities are nothing remarkable , I have had extremely good results with it . But today a number of improved .450 bores exist on the market . These include the .450 Rigby , .450 Dakota and the .458 Lott . They are ideal for individuals who do not like the .458 WM , although I will happily continue to use mine forever .

And yes , a .375 H&H Magnum can kill every game animal in the world with ease . It can easily stop even charging wild bovines and pachyderms , provided that a fair shot to the head or spine be made . However , a larger calibre ( say .416 to .450 range ) is more useful for body shots against charging dangerous game . Bigger wound cavities aside ; a larger calibre with a heavier bullet provides more shock to the central nervous system of a charging dangerous game animal , when used on body shots ( provided that that the velocity is adequate ) . For one of the .450 bores which employs a 500 grain bullet , a decent velocity should be 2130 - 2150 fps ( feet per second ) . That is what I achieve in my .458 WM .

 

[Von S.]

Should the caliber start with a "4" or is a 375 enough gun? What about a 375 with solids? Or a 338 magnum with 250 grain solids or monolithic bullets for that matter? Double rifle or magazine fed? Will a shot that doesn't penetrate into the brain or spine still "turn" a charging animal? Will a shot with a 30 caliber that does penetrate the brain or spine still "stop" the charge? Open question, but particularly interested in buffalo.

I can tell you what I have used, but I am not some braggard bwanna full of horse apples and attempting to tell anyone what to use on what.

For me I can say that for the most part that if I have errors they have been made on the side of what I considered to be safety.....for the most part anyway.

For decades I have been witness to the ramblings of many on how they are positive that a large bore magnum is simply not needed for anything on this planet and that most calibers from 375 on down will kill anything with a well placed body shot. Of that I must agree.....they all will kill.....stopping them before they have a chance to kill you can be a different matter.

About 40 years ago I gave it quite a bit of thought and decided that for my own personal use I found my beloved 458 Winchester somewhat wanting for some of the largest animals on the planet. It's not that it didn't kill them...... it's not even that it didn't stop them.....it just seemed that it didn't hammer them to the ground the way I thought it should.

I have always likes listening to fellas to act like they "invented" hunting and will gladly tell you....... whether you asked them or not......... what to wear...boots and all....what make rifle , what ammo, what knife ....you name it, even though there are people who have spent more time on the toilets in africa then they have spent in the bush.

And though many of these self proclaimed experts can and sometimes do tell some spine tingling stories of how they gunned down a "black death daga boy" that went well over a ton it is a good thing that there horse apple story has next to no truth in it because if so many charged as they make it sound the professional hunters would all go on strike demanding g more money than they get now.


Enjoy.......

 

[Randy F]

When I think of a Cape Buffalo charge I believe my first choice would be much like these guys chose to use.

 

[rookhawk]

People get themselves in big trouble when they assume 40 caliber or greater at 2150FPS is the basis for a stopping rifle.

People died from ammo issues in tropics where they weren’t getting that.

PHs bobbed their barrels out of ignorance not realizing the 5” they took off lost 125fps of velocity or more depending on powder loaded.

Kynoch lied about velocity at the muzzle and then published data using 28” barrels that resulted in far less real energy in the Bush.

A better way to say this concept while avoiding the various failings is “a stopping rifle is over 40 caliber, has a consistently reliable bullet whether soft or solid, and has an IMPACT velocity at the animal above 1950FPS from your particular rifle at all times”

 

[Roller]

Here's the problem with your question sir: hubris. The majority of the opinions requiring a big bore rifle are thinly veiled justification for whatever pet caliber the particular individual is fielding. Some say "the client" and the is expectoration is audible with the last syllable as surely as "doesn't need a stopping rifle" will follow. Shoot the largest rifle you can handle well and enjoy yourself without regard for the opinions of others. Pursue the caliber that speaks to you and direct it well.

I concur whole heartedly, I own a 416 rem mag that I reload for. Feels fine except for shooting off a bench. Personally, I don’t like being entirely dependent on other folks for my safety. Plus shooting it is fun as hell.

 

[Nyati]

As a theoretical question, you will get many answers, but as a practical question, I just have to agree with @rookhawk , just use the largest caliber you can handle accurately.

From what I have seen, and heard from PH´s, most "african hunters", cannot shoot properly a big bore rifle, and much less a double.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I concur whole heartedly, I own a 416 rem mag that I reload for. Feels fine except for shooting off a bench. Personally, I don’t like being entirely dependent on other folks for my safety. Plus shooting it is fun as hell.

So nice to see someone else in agreement with not just being a protectee. My stopping rifle is likely to be dismissed as soon as the world finds out it's a single shot.My reply is that I'm the client and I only have one person to protect...myself.

 

[Paul Miller]

Hv

 

[BeeMaa]

I concur whole heartedly, I own a 416 rem mag that I reload for. Feels fine except for shooting off a bench. Personally, I don’t like being entirely dependent on other folks for my safety. Plus shooting it is fun as hell.

I agree with not being completely dependent on the PH for safety.
However I'm under no illusion that my 416RM is a stopping caliber.
IMO - It's a DG hunting caliber.

I also agree with @rookhawk
Stopping calibers start at .450 caliber and go up from there.

The pros are PH's for a reason.
I will stay in my lane and within my limits as a client.

 

[colorado]

I'll stick with my medium bore 500 Jeffery

 

[Timbo]

375 solid , dropped charge instantly.

View attachment 365337

Nice buff!!

 

[Timbo]

View attachment 365363
39" buffalo I dropped head on with one shot under the chin with .458 Lott at 10 yards in high grass in Niassa Reserve in Mozambique with the late Jamie Wilson. The buffalo had a damaged swollen scrotum (ouch) and claw marks on rear legs, likely from a failed lion attack.

What a great buff!!

 

[johnnyblues]

My only experience with Cape buffalo with my 375 was a

complete success. Shot him at 40 yards with 300 grain Swift A frame. Perfect heart/ lung shot ran 35 yards and dropped. Naturally my PH had me put a second round in which was Northfork solids. Did I feel comfortable my PH was carrying a 500, absolutely. I believe on a full blown charge anything in the 40-50 class would be much safer generally speaking. Leopard on the other hand can be easily taken with a 270. Took mine with a 300 WSM. More than enough.

 

[Nhoro]

When I think of a Cape Buffalo charge I believe my first choice would be much like these guys chose to use.
View attachment 365453

I do believe that would 'turn' any animal on the planet. Probably turn him into a pile of strawberry jam ! And I don't think the taxidermist could fix that little eansy weansy hole !

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I do believe that would 'turn' any animal on the planet. Probably turn him into a pile of strawberry jam ! And I don't think the taxidermist could fix that little eansy weansy hole !

Not to mention it’s kind of unwieldy in the brush. But we could cut the barrel down and install a recoil reducer to help the balance.

 

[Nhoro]

Not to mention it’s kind of unwieldy in the brush. But we could cut the barrel down and install a recoil reducer to help the balance.

I think a muzzle brake is in order.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I don't always use my 4# .600 OK on dangerous game hunts, but when I don't, I prefer my 32lb siege cannon.