Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .470 Turnbull

Gentlemen; I had enquired a while back about the .375 H&H rifles I was considering purchasing should I be able to conclude a certain price of business which would allow me to head off for cape buffalo in 2016. My rational was that it would have more versatility than a .416 before and after the cape buffalo hunt.

I have had a marlin guide gun for over a decade and really like having a "large" lever gun. Converting the rifle to .470 Turnbull would give me a bigger bullet for cape buffalo and fill my ongoing " need" of a large lever gun.

Are the ballistics of the .470 Turnbull suitable for Cape Buffalo? Below are from Turnbull's website.
400 g at 1850 fps, 450 g at 1725 fps

Thanks again

GRF

Garret cartridges manufacture several 45-70 loads that meet or exceed the Turnbull ballistics.
link;
http://garrettcartridges.com/4570exitertech.html

Generally speaking, I think you will find that most folks will say you need 500 grs. at 2,150 to 2,400 fps.

Thanks for the input gentlemen

Use the right bullet and 470 Turnbull will certainly work.

Do what you had planned and buy the 375.

You're welcome.

If you want to use the .470 TB, do it. Just make sure your PH is OK with it and use North Fork Cup Point Solids or Flat Point Solids. Both of those come in 500 gr. If you ask John he might make you some 450 gr.

Shot placement is everything.

Use your Guide Gun with the Garrett ammunition and don't look back. Your 45-70 with that ammo will out penetrate the 470.

I believe its Nosler's reloading book #6; one of the writers took his GG to Africa. The PH had some reservations about it until he saw how it performed. The writer finally got a chance at a dugga boy, and he fired at the front shoulder. The animal took off, toward the thick bush, but our writer had time to get 2 more into him. I believe the second one was a little far back, and the 3rd was just before he got into some more dangerous territory for a follow up, so a shot at the hip was taken to slow him down, as well as that was all that was visible before he disappeared.

The tracker went to survey the area, and calls "Two buffalo down!" The first shot went through both shoulders of a big bull, and entered a cow that was perfectly hidden just behind him, going through her broadside (can't remember whether a shoulder was hit) and killing her. The bullet was recovered just underneath the hide on the offside of the cow!

I don't think he gave the specific load data, but I'm pretty sure it was a 405 gr. at probably a little over 1900 fps.

It'll work.

Tactical Lever;
Welcome to the 'Fire from across the tall hills to the west of you sir.

The writer in question is Brian Pearce and if I recall right the original article he wrote about the hunt was published in a Wolfe magazine - Rifle, Handloader or Successful Hunter - but can't recall just which now.

Though he has/had Winchester/Browning '86 rifles in .45-70, I want to say it was a Marlin that he took to Africa, whether a Guide Gun or not though escapes me right now - sorry.

The bullets might have been hard cast lead too???

Anyway if I run into either the original article or more memory somewhere I'll post it up here.

Again welcome to the 'Fire and all the best to you on your hunts this fall.

Dwayne

I believe the bullet that Brain used was a jacketed solid if memory serves. In the old days a lot of Cape buffalo were taken cleanly with a 405 Winchester with 300 grain bullets.

Brian used a hard cast bullet on the buffalo.

He took a Marlin .45/70 and a Pre '64 M 70 .300 H&H.

yeah but no one really considered it ideal, hell Roosevelt who was a Winchester slut quickly regulated his 405 to lion duty due to the piss poor performance of a 300 grain 405 load as far as penetration....

Imagine what one could do today if bullets had changed in the past 100 years...

well except for the big stuff it really hasnt....when we are talking the 45-70, 405 ect we are talking solids for the most part just like we were 100 years ago...

Osa Johnson used a 405 Winchester to kill 2 or 3 Cape buffalo and turned the heard as she protected her husband as he filmed the charge.

I ain't talking solids

and Wally Johnson used a Winchester 94 in 30-30 for lions for years....just cause it can work does not mean its the best tool for the job....

Thanks again gentlemen.

Tactical Lever; welcome, from "just down the road"

GRF

This advice is baloney.

A .375 at 2500 fps is plenty as is a 450 grain from a .458 at 2200 fps. I once broke a buff's front shoulder with a Texas heart shot from the latter load.

Three caveats: (1) Make sure your PH approves of the Turnbull before you go over and (2) you want a stiff soft point for the first shot, solids for the follow-on shots. (3) Some countries, like Zimbabwe, have minimum energy requirements. Make sure the Turnbull qualifies. I suspect it does.

Flat point solids are best but make sure the lever gun will feed them. Some Model 70s will not.

The biggest disadvantage of a lever gun for buffalo is that it probably does not wear a scope. Nowadays you need a scope to pick out vital parts of the buff in the bush. See Boddington's book. He says you're at a 40% disadvantage with any iron sights.

Personally I think the .375 is a better choice because you will see other game, some of it at relatively long range, while trailing buffs. A shot 500 yards away from buffs does not seem to spook them.