That's very interesting. I wonder how "setting up too quickly" causes Partitions to fail to penetrate.
I have personally seen 7 Partitions shot into buffalo, most (but not all) mine. They either ended up under the skin on the far side, including one that entered the rear of the ribcage on the left side and was found in the right shoulder. But the last one exited on a broadside shot, blowing chunks of lung over the sand. It left a big blood trail, which ended in a buffalo 60 yards away.
But the PH I've hunted with more than any, Kevin Thomas, has had far more experience with Partitions on Cape buffalo. He retired a few years ago, but grew up in what was then called Rhodesia, and started working as a game ranger for their game department when he graduated from high school, and later worked for a huge ranch as a game-control officer, culling over 500 buffalo. For the culling he primarily used a .30-06 and 180-grain Partitions, and while many of the buffalo were obviously cows and younger animals, many were mature bulls. He never had any problems with the 180's penetrating the ribs and on into the chest, even on frontal shots.
He eventually became a PH, killing another 100 or so buffalo either when finishing them off for clients, or during his own hunting. To make sure I remembered our many fireside conversations about African rifles, cartridges and bullets I just e-mailed him, asking specifically about Nosler Partitions. He sad this to say: "Regards Nosler Partition on buffalo, I've never had any problems with them, or heard any of my colleagues complain of problems."
Kevin started writing about his adventures, not just in African hunting but as a member of the Selous Scouts, a few years before he retired, and his first book SHADOWS IN AN AFRICAN TWILIGHT, is a very interesting chronicle of many of those adventures. But in "retirement" he's now writing a lot more, and also informed me in his e-mail that his 4th book, mostly about buffalo, will soon be published.
