In preparation for my 2011 safari, I just picked up a .375 Model 70 to complement my .458.

Here's what the all around .375 softpoint has to do:

1. Weigh 300 grains. I'll take a few North Fork softpoints and want the softs to shoot to the same POI. I'll load them to 2500+ fps and, at about 3" high at 100 yards, they will be dead on at 200. Special sight-in for leopard, I suspect.

2. Kill a lion. Lions only weigh about 400 pounds but sometimes it's tough to penetrate them, I am told.

3. Kill a leopard. Leopards don't weigh much but you need accuracy for the first shot. You want to kill them DRT if possible (expansion).

3. Kill a buffalo if we chance upon one while hunting plains game.

4. Plains game for bait, etc.

So what are the choices?

1. Nosler partition, which I have used with good results in other calibers.

2. Nosler AccuBond. What's the difference between its performance and the Partition? Some recommend this one instead.

3. TSX: I have successfully used these in my .458. Are they too tough for use on leopard.

My choice of the ones mentioned--hands down would be the 270gr TSX pushed as fast as you can get it. Second choice 300r TSX. And they are NOT too tough for leopard use. jorge

I agree with jorge.

I have used the 270 grain TSX, at nomial 2700 fps, from PG to Buff and it would be my first choice out of a 375....accuracy has been great as well. Second choice would be North Forks or the 300 grain TSX but I have not used either, as the 270 grain TSXs have worked great and see no reason to change.

Have you considered the Swift A-Frame?

I have used them on leopard and buffalo, as well as plains game. They flat work.

Talking to a bunch of PHs, the only bullets that no one has had a bad word to say about were the A-Frames.

Hi IndyCA,

No, I haven't been to Africa... But, I do get obsessive-compulsive about playing with different bullets and loads. Others here can give you more experienced advice, but the really big thing I've learned is how different make bullets of the same weight,, and how the same make bullets of different weights, but same speeds, can have quite different POI, left and right. It has to do with what part of the bullet is touching the lands last... which has to do with bullet shape. There's also plenty to do with seating depth and how the front end greets the lands... much like hand placement on a football. Test and re-test!

I really like North Forks and if you're traveling all that way for a grand adventure, then a few bucks more should be worthy insurance. Here's what I posted on another Africa bullet forum:

The North Forks are a bit spendy,, but nothing compared to what one of my wooden arrows cost. These bullets aren't for everyday target shooting,, but I figure that for going all the way to have an incredible life experience/hunt, the cost of a pizza is all that we're really talking 'bout, and the payoff of bullet integrity and mass-shape retention is well worth it.

I went up to Philomath, here in Oregon, to pick up a box of .308's and got to learn about the metallurgy that goes into these bullets. Very impressive quality of materials and actual processing/heating-cooling, to produce a bullet that won't peel back, or come apart.

These bullets open at low impact velocities and maintain a relatively constant diameter and mass,, and hold together at higher velocities, where other bullets separate, or peel back.

Good shooting!... Ken

+1..

Often overlooked, the Speer 285gr Grand Slam has done well for many years.

As an Oregonian am I genetically programmed to respond "Nosler Partition." In this instance, as with beautiful women, genetic programming and common sense are in perfect agreement

I've used the A Frame on buffalo, both with the 375 & 416. Superb bullet as well. jorge

It is a great bullet for buffalo...VERY tough!

If I had to choose one for everything, it would be the 300 A-Frame...sooo...+1!

Ingwe

Here are three recovered from Zebra(125yd) Eland (175) & Wildebeest (65). The last one is a 180 gr Hornady recovered from an impala at 80 yards,weight 78gr. There's a lesson in there somewhere....jorge

Jorge if you look closely at the bump on this Sable's shoulder, it is a 300 gr. Swift A-Frame that looked exactly like yours...weighed out at 96%...



Ingwe

BUT, it did not exit. Me likey exit wounds so I still say 270TSX.

i would go with the tsx .iam no expert but been there twice and used them on a ton of stuff there .tough as hell!! kudu,gemsbok,blue wildbeast,impala,eland,lioness,zebra,blesbok all taken with 375 h&h tsx 235 gn at 2900 fps a little light for buff though? good luck

TSX.

As for Leopard - shoot far enough north.

Indy,

I have had great success with 300gr Trophy Bonded softs as loaded in the Federal standard velocity factory load. Vey, very accurate in my rifle. So accutate that after trying them I gave up reloading softs for the 375H&H and only load my own solids.

The Trohy Bonded works very well for all sizes of game. I have talen impala and bushbuck up through eland with them, and they have worked equally well at each end of the spectrum and everywhere in between.

I have recovered three, iirc, one from and eland that I spined, one from under the skin on the offside shoulder of a wildebeast and one from a waterbuck. The rest exited, again iirc, and that would be a whole lot that exited. The three recovered bullets all look like they belong in a mgazine add, perfectly mushroomed, with four petals and lead intact.

I would highlt recomend the 300gr Trophy Bonded softs.

Another bullet you ought to consider is the North Fork soft. I haven't tried them but those who have used them report excellent accuracy and phenominal performance on all game.

The one advantage to the Federal factory 300gr Trophy Bonded load is that they are available fairly widely in Zimbabwe in gunshops and amoungst PH's should you find yourself needing additional or replacement ammunition. I have, on two occations, "borrowed" a box when, on extended trips. I was running low. 11lbs of ammo just isn't always enough, even when it makes the trip and doesn't go missing enroute.

Solids are a good idea too. I have used 300gr Woodleighs, but if your rifle will feed the NF's that would be my choice. I shot the Woodleighs into a dead elephant skull to check penetration, and it was sufficient, but you know I like the NF's. I used a Woodleigh as first choice on a grysbok to avoid blowing the little critter to pieces, and when running low on softs I have used them on impala for cat bait. While not prefferred, they will do the job should you need them.

JPK

Hard to beat the Nosler Partition or Swift A Frame. I have used both with great success. I just can't get the TSX to shoot out of my .375. Wish I could!

Mike

What rifle/scope combination is that? Thanks.

Check out the North Fork site and see how the bullet of your caliber choice performs at different velocities. These bullets are essentially a Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. You'll notice that they have a good, wide metplat at all velocities and retain a long, massive shank, which keeps them plowing through, straight.

http://www.northforkbullets.com/magento/

I have my favorites and they have worked for me..

I like the 350 gr. RN Woodleigh and it will work on Lion, Buffalo and Leopard..It will stop on the off side skin of a buff well expanded and sometimes give you a big exit hole..The 350 gr. PP is a bit better on buff and always exits, but it is a bit tough to use on Leopard..

I also like the 300 gr. Noslers and Northforks, but again they are a tad hard for Leopard..

However, the above bullets will not tear up a Leopard skin and they seem to kill them very well indeed. I suspect that mass alone kills the Leopards as they are a light fragile animal in body.

I also have had very good luck with the GS Customs bullets in 270 gr. HPs...They work on everything pretty darn good.

Bullets that I personally don't care for are Swift A-Frames, Barnes X bullets although I concede they both work well on the heavy animals like Eland and Buffalo.

On plainsgame I believe the Swifts expand into perfect pretty little balls that are too smooth and you recover a lot of them because penetration usually suffers to one extent or another, and as a result I have seen lighter game go too far and not leave any blood on the ground, on more than a few ocassions.

I have had too many failures with Barnes bullets failing to open. I just do not trust them. When they work the work very well indeed, but they can absolutly fail miserably on ocassion...

However, and in all fairness, I know others that I respect and know they are well versed on bullet behavior and they swear by by both Swift A frames and Barnes bullets. Guess thats why we have Fords and Chevys, Winchesters and Remingtons,horse races and chicken fights...:)

Whoa, a 375 softpoint to take lion, leopard and buff. That's a tall order.

You need a bullet that sets up very fast for the leopard, not so fast for the lion and slowly for the buffalo, all with high retained weight for penetration ...............

Well the TSX will handle them all, but might be a bit too hard for leopard. A- Frames are good, but IMHO the new 300gr TBBC ( with bearing bands ) might well be the perfect choice....more violent expansion than the other projectiles, but a great deal of retained weight......and no smooth mushrooms, nice and jagged but with more frontal area than a TSX............

But if you can't get them, I'd be inclined to go with the 350grRN Woodleigh.......good Aussie technology

Paddler...thats an Interarms Whitworth Express, Leupold VXIII 1.5 to 5...

Same one here....



Ingwe

I'm with Mark on this..I like a bullet that will have burned up its enegry,retain weight but exit on whatever I'm putting a bullet in.
Seems some folks like a bullet that stops in the hide on the other side why is this or is that not the case for some peoples wants??

I like an entry and exit if possible.........

Thats a good question and could start the longest thread in Campfire history!!

I'm no help answering it either..in my case all I can say is " it depends..."

For lighter, non-dangerous game that I'm gonna butcher and eat..I like the TSXs...easily my fave..complete penetration, little meat damage, superb accuracy..

On other stuff, like the Buffalo above, first off that was in the year 2000, there were no TSXs...First shot on a buffalo can often be in a herd situation where an exit could possibly wound another buffalo ,and the Swift always offered me what I considered to be the best compromise between penetration and energy transferal, and if theres a chance it could catch up with me, I WANT energy transfer!!

Obviously with so many experienced guys chiming in, there are merits to both schools of thoughht, and success to both!

Ingwe

I dropped an email to the old editor of Afrrican Hunter magazine who goes by the "nom de plume" of Ganyana. He loves the TSxs and says at 375 velicities it will definitively open up on leopard. For my leioard hunt in 2012 I plan to use my 338 with 21o TSXs@ 2900. Bottom line any of the bullets mentioned will work! jorge

See there, I told you there are some folks out there that I respect, and they swear by Barnes and Swift bullets..I also said thats what makes a horse race, Fords and Chevys etc.

So, would you experienced African hunters recommend sticking with one .375 bullet for everything, as the OP stipulated? Or would you rather take different bullets for different game? Maybe something like the fast-expanding 260 Nosler Accubond for the Leopard, and a stout bullet for the buff or????

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for the discussion!

When shooting buff in herds, I really don't want a bullet to exit and hit a second buff.

And I wouldn't use two different weights of bullet. I might use say a Sierra for a leopard and a TSX for buff if both were 300 grains.

I would be a lot more likely to use an A Frame for both and worry about something that matters...like hitting what I was aiming at.

Unless your bullets shoot to the same POI, switching is asking for trouble. If your rifle likes them, I'd stick with the 270TSXs pushed as fast as I can get them and use them for everything. They absoulutely hammer buffalo and will work for the cats as well. jorge

Jorge,

I reckon that would be an ideal combo for leopard............

"On other stuff, like the Buffalo above, first off that was in the year 2000, there were no TSXs...First shot on a buffalo can often be in a herd situation where an exit could possibly wound another buffalo ,and the Swift always offered me what I considered to be the best compromise between penetration and energy transferal, and if theres a chance it could catch up with me, I WANT energy transfer!!'

No "flies on that" piece of advice, Ingwe. Especially the last sentence!

In response to the OP's list of possible bullets, I would go with either the TSX or Partition and not worry. I have used the 300 Partition on game from deer-size to buffalo and it works quite well. In fact I prefer it to the A-Frame because it penetrates deeper, on average, because it doesn't open up quite as wide, due to the rear end not expanding along with the front, and the latest 300 Partitions (the past 10 years or so) retain around 90% of their weight, due to the placement of the partition being quite far forward in the bullet. It doesn't exit much on really big game like buffalo (not a bad thing when hunting herds) but exits pretty consistently on anything under 1000 pounds, at least on any sort of chest shot.

The TSX works real well too on the same variety of game, or at least it has in my more limited experience with it, compared to the 300 Partition.

I know two people who have used the 260 AccuBond from the .375 H&H on buffalo, and it worked well in both instances. One was a one-shot kill on a broadside shot, with the bullet being found under the hide on the far side, and the other instance was three frontal shots, all getting into the chest. I have also seen it used on some plains game where it did a good job on animals up to 700 pounds or so.

Where else can you get the quality of advice offered here? I've ordered some 300 grain Partitions and 275 grain TSXs (plus some 300 grain Hornadys for practice) and will probably use whichever (a) shoots well, provided that (b) it does not deviate much in POI from North Fork solids.

The .375 is not my primary rifle for buff on this trip. the .458 is. The .375 on buff (or lion) is only if I happen to blunder into some while hunting something else.

There is no such thing as bullet failure with a 375 on plainsgame in that if it does not open it still kills very well indeed, it it over expands it kills super well, so I would opt for a good buffalo bullet..

In your case my first pick would be the 300 gr. Nosler partition or the 300 gr. Woodleigh, even the 350 gr. Woodleigh RN..I particularly like the Nosler because it opens fast but also penetrates more than any expanding bullet I know of..It does this because the expanded cross section is somewhat less than most softs, but it is very effective and usually you get an exit hole, even on broadside shots on buffalo..

If I was limited to one bullet in the 375 or 416 it would be the 300 gr. 375 and the 400 gr. 416...I have had such good luck with these two bullets on everything fro deer to Cape Buffalo that I see little need for anything else..That does not mean that I won't use other bullets because I love to test bullets and experiment with new bullets as they come out..

I would not use the 260 gr. Nosler on Buffalo, it just does not have the base to drive deeply on buffalo IMO...I would not use any conventional bullet of less than 300 grs. or any monoltihic less that 270 grs. on bufflao..

+1
I've never hunted the big cats, but on one trip I used 300 gr TSX bullets mainly for Buffalo, but also shot several Plains Game animals down to the size of Bushbuck. On another hunt I used 270 gr TSX bullets for a bunch of PG animals from Steenboks to Cape Eland.

These were all shot from my .375 Ultra mag with the 300 grainers chrono'd at 2830 fps and the 270 grainers at 3040 fps. In the future, I think I'll use the 270 grainers for everything.

Does anyone have experience with Hornady 300 gr interbond? They stopped making them and I just got their last 300.What about 300 gr DGX?
Shot a 740# moose with a 260 gr Accubond and it expanded to triple dia and 68% weight retention, good for deer or smaller plains game, leopard.
Hoping for another Africa trip in the next couple years, but I may move to south west Alaska first.

This is sort of interesting. Several folks on this thread worried about the performance of the 260 gr. AB on bigger African game. POI in my rifle is very similar on the 260 AB and the 270 TSX. I plan on taking a box each and if the good Lord wills, I'll report the difference on a few head of Namibian game this summer.

300 gr A Frame, hands down.

300 woodleigh, north fork and a frame in that order.

Funny how the Woodleigh is now the old dugga boy in the herd. Fame is earned, good or otherwise.

Switching between TSX and any other bullets is inviting trouble with excessive fouling. I have found that mixing the TSX with other bullets creates copper fouling in some barrels, which includes all of mine except the 30/06 with the PacNor barrel.

As far as opening and the 150lb animal a leopard, it's no problem with the 270 at 2800. It's so cleanly crumpled and created massive internal damage to animals like impala, blesbok, and lions, that they will have no problem doing the job your asking of it.

Softs like the Aframe are probably the perfect bullet in the 250-270 weight. The key for an animal that is this size is speed. High velocity will create the best result on an animal like a leopard. This is not the animal that you want to shoot with a solid that offers up minimal impact and lets an agile and fast animal like a cat to vanish and give you a ton of heartburn in your search.

Maximum "shock and impact" is the best choice here. The 270 TSX provides this with maximum velocity. 2800fps should be easy to get, even Hornady Factory ammo shoots the 270's at well over 2800fps in a 28" barrel. The beauty of the 270grain is that it's as good on the really big stuff too

I have heard this complaint on excessive fouling on switching between pure copper and gilding metal. I'm sure its been a problem for some folks, but I have never experienced this--not even on switching between 200 gr Hornady FP at 2550 fps and Barnes Originals 250 gr at 2200 fps in a Model 71. The only excessive fouling problems I've ever had were with the early X bullets (I've used them since 1990). Otherwise, I've not had this problem on switching with literally dozens of rifles. YMMV

HSetters

My story parrallels yours. 175 gr 338 in late 80's at 3150 ft/sec were good for only 10 rounds before cleaning. I had brushes for fouling the barrel of my target rifles, and after using them on the 338 I could go 20 rounds before cleaning.

My Tikka has shot over 200 rounds since last cleanning and there has been no loss of accuracy and no visible fowling. I use hornady 165 and barnes 168 on about an equal ratio so far.

Randy

Same experience here Randy...and like you guys and JJ,I had a bad time with fouling in original X bullets...the TSXs...not at all, and Ive a number of rifles I switch back and forth between the TSXs and "practice" bullets

Ingwe

I have had rifle barels that liked fouling. Had a .416 Weatherby that fouled badly when using the 1st generation X bullets. I cleaned it back to bare metal and it thought it was a shotgun.

After letting it foul to the point of seeing the copper "very" clearly with the naked eye, it shot its tightest groups.

Never took cleaning too seriously after that. If the gun shoots, it shoots.

JW

Monolithics are Obama bullets (no lead) it's just the principle of the thing! Shades of California!

I would pick the 300 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw or Swift A-Frame. I've used both on everything from duikers to buffalo with excellent success.