Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Buffalo cartridge?

What cartridge and rifle would you use for North American Buffalo? Free roaming animals. Western hunt.

Thanks, TJ

I would have to go with a .45 or .50 caliber Sharps just for the sake of historical tradition. In a modern gun, a .375H&H in your rifle of choice.

One of the reasons I bought a 375 Ruger Alaskan for. A future bison hunt, which because of work and time constraints I have yet to go on. Imo, can`t go wrong using either a 375 Ruger or a 375 H&H.

But I suppose that I could also use my 338-378 Wby Accumark too. That should have enough juice for bison uh?

I would think that either a 338 caliber or a 375 caliber would be among the top all around picks for bison.

If I can ever draw the permit for one, then I'll be using my Model 70 358 Norma Mag and 225gr Swift A-Frame bullets.

45 2 7/8" Shiloh M74 Business Rifle with a 546 gr paper patched bullet and 105 grs of F g worked fine on the one I shot 1 month ago and 2 weeks later a friend shot his with the same gun and load. That load was the best of the best 135 years ago on the northern plains 24/7 365 and it still works today. Using a semibuckhorn and penny front sight takes you right back in time for the original big game hunter thrill of it all.Sure you can shoot one with some 375, but it's real cool to get up on a herd that has been shot at for 5 months. That know you aren't up to any good out there get your shot off cross sticks and kill your buffalo. Magnum Man

Chad Kremer at Custer Stae Park recommends a .243, or smaller. Shoot the bull right behind the ear in the first cervical vertebra. All meat is 100% recoverable for the freezer.....

405 WCF

450M

Snake

444 Marlin or 45-70 with a hard cast bullet would be my first choice for bison, but it would also be a great excuse to pick up that 458 Win Mag my LGS has had on the shelf for years.

dawaba,

The buffalo hunter I know with the most experience (a member of the Ft. Belknap Reservation in Montana) really likes the .25-06. Maybe buffalo are bigger in northern Montana!

I think if I went on a buff hunt, it would have to be with a Sharps or a Rolling Block, something of the period that was used back then. If I was told I was going tomorrow it would be my Guide Gun in 45/70 Govt'

Never taken a buffalo or anything larger than a whitetail, But I'm thinking my 450 Marlin would do in a pinch. But I'd love to own one of those Browning singles in 45-70.

I have only seen three American buffalo taken, one with a .45-90 and a cast bullets weighing close to 600 grains, one with a .375 H&H with handloaded 300-grain Nosler Partitions, and one with a .270 Winchester and a 130-grain Barnes Triple-Shock.

Heart-lung shots were used on all three. Only the bison taken with the .270 was killed with one shot, and it also went down quicker than the other two.

In the late 70's we had semi long range matches here in kansas. Equipment had to be traditional equipment of the buffalo hunting era. Most of the rifles at the time were original equipment from the buffalo hunting time frame. Always fun to see the originals come out and do what they did so well. The prize was one live buffalo to be shot and divided amongst the winners. I had the fortune or misfortune to win at one but my choice of equipment wasn't quite what it might have been. Used a 38-55 ballard at that match so that's what I had to shoot the buffalo with. One shot behind the ear did quite nicely. This thing was just turned loose and was quite lively I might add.

I would use my 416 Rigby, or my 338RCM.

Anything from a 30-06 up should do the trick if you don't want to buy a gun just for this hunt.

Thats interesting, considering the minimum legal bore (in SD for bison) is .270 with 2,200 ftlb at the muzzle.

Well, it took 20 years, but I drew a tag for one this morning. I guess I get to see how the Norma will work this upcoming winter on one.

I used a 270 Winchester with a 150 grain hand load for mine. Other hunters used 300 WinMag and 300 Weatherby. There was no difference that we could tell in the effectiveness of the 3 different chamberings. YMMV

It would have to be my Sharps 45-90 loaded with a 540 grain bullet cast 30:1 and Swiss 1-1/2. Of course my Ballard 45-70 would have to tag along also.

My cousin shot one years ago north of Yellowstone when you still had to have a warden or such take you out. He brought along a 375 H&H. The warden comment was. "Finally someone brings a buffalo gun." From that comment I interpreted it to mean they had problems putting them down with lesser calibers. Maybe poor shooting too.

From my uncle who did this. There is a lady who lives east of here that raises buffalo. She'll take you out in her pature so you can shoot one. She insist on a .243 Win or some similar small cartridge and that you shoot them just behind the ear. This saves meat, doesn't ruin a potential mount and they don't run into the coulees to die. You are on your own should one get into the coulees from what I understand.