Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Cape buffalo Hunt

This thread is a hypothetical thread based on some of your experiences and the 375 caliber rifle. If a hunter were to choose one type of bullet to use in the 375 what would it be? Solid copper, Swift A-Frame, or a Nosler Partition? The 375 is the chosen caliber of course.

TSX or A-Frame backed by Barnes flat nosed banded solids. I "think" I prefer 300 grain bullets. I say "think" because I honestly haven't been able to tell much difference between 270 and 300 weight bullets.

I've only shot about half a dozen buff, so the research continues!

Swift A-Frame.

Have only shot two. One with 300 gr TSX and the last one with 300 gr A-frame. If I go again it will be an A-frame.

This ^^^^^^

I have personally never shot one with a .375, but have successfully hunted buff with a .416 Rigby and .470 NE using the same bullets.

Unless you want to use a bullet that sheds weight like dog in spring, forget the Nosler....

Those 2 buffs I shot last month in South Africa died. The 1st was about 40 yards quartering to me. Shot was just inside the front shoulder thru the heart and out the off shoulder bullet was not found. That bull was dead on it's feet he went about 30 yards before he piled up. 2nd bull was shot at 75 yards--high shoulder shot. Bullet broke the left front leg, thru the top of the lungs, thru the off shoulder and end up just under the hide. Bullet was recovered. I got it somewhere here. Typical nolser partition result. Front half gone back half intact. Both the PH & trackers didn't understand why the buff didn't pile up. We had to track & finish him. They can go pretty good & far on 3 legs with no lungs to speak of.

My load was 375 Ruger. 81 grains of IMR 4350, Nolser 300 grain partition.& Winchester Mag Primer.

I used the same load on some plains game also. All were 1 shot kills. A female kudu was the largest taken.

jdollar,

Very interesting. In all my hunting with the 300-grain Partition in the .375 H&H I've recovered two, retaining 87% and 88% of their weight.

Forgot to mention I killed my first big game animals with the 300 Partition 25 years ago....

Colorado bob

Great details, any way you could post a pic of the bullet you recovered on that 2nd bull? Not for nothing but a Cape Buffalo just looks like a monster of a bull.

I'll look in my stuff again. The skinner gave it to me along with the solid from the PH's 416 Rigby. I put it somewhere in my suitcase so I wouldn't lose it. You've heard of Murphy's Law. I got some good photos of the bulls, if I'm smart enough to get them from my wife's phone to the board.

Ingwe,

Damn fine buff.

MM

I can't decide which one is the mangiest !!

It is a dang nice bull. Bob

That's a helluva bull in more than just horn size.

All great bullets, so I would say whichever one your rifle likes best. I've used A-Frames with great results, but have since switched to the TSX.

Nice "spike" bull, isn't that what they call them in Montana?

What caused the change to the solids?

With today's super premium bullets, there is absolutely no need for solids on buffalo, except for hippo (on dry land), elephant and rhino. Just my very neophyte opinion.

INGWE,
NICE LOOKING RIFLE.

Thanks! Its a Whitworth Express with a nice 'patina of use'....

I haven't shot a Cape Buf, but I've shot several moose with my 375 H&H Sako in a McMillan stock. I've only used 300 grain Noslers and Barnes. Convinced that the 300 grain due to the performance I've gotten.

I shot a broadside bull at 35 yards with a 300gr. TSX. The bullet was recovered under the offside hide and the bull died within 75-100 yards.

Wow, it looks like some good weight retention. I've been told cape Buffalo are hard critters to kill.

Noslers consistently shed 25-40% for their weight and then become a solid in the listed caliber The petals are designed to peal back and fall off. . Swift A frame, Winchester fail safe, and Barnes TSX shed essential no weight but continue on with a much wider wound channel and tissue destruction. Take your pick- a .375 three hundred gr Nosler reduced to 200 gr as it progresses or a .375 TSX three hundred gr expanded to .500” for the entire length of the woundchannel. Both equal dead on a perfect shot but all shots( at least mine) aren’t perfect. YMMV....

After some digging through my surplus I came across a box of brand new Winchester Fail Safe bullets in 308 caliber for M70 300 win. I wish they still made the fail-safe bullet.

jdollar,

Apparently you are totally ignorant of the the fact that larger-caliber, heavier Partitions have the partition moved forward so they'll retain more weight, since they're often used on larger game.

The minimum weight-retention those models are designed for is 75%, IF the front core totally disappears. The models I KNOW are designed that way are the 9.3mm 286, 300 .375, 400 .416 and 500 .458. Of the few of those models I've seen recovered, the average retained weight has been 86.5%, with a maximum of 95.2% from a 400-grain .416 that penetrated a big Botswana buffalo from the rear of the left ribs to the right shoulder. The LEAST I've seen retained by a 300-grain .375 is 263.1 grains, which is 87.7%, or about the same amount retained by Swift A-Frames and Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, and in fact I've seen plenty of Barnes TSX (and similar bullets) that only retained around 90% of their weight, due to petals breaking off--and sometimes much less.

The only one of those big Partitions that lost its "petals" and front core was a 286-grain 9.3mm that hit a big blue wildebeest in the right shoulder joint. The bull went about 20-25 yards, staggering all the way, dropping dead. The bullet was found under the hide behind the rear of the ribs on the left side, probably four feet of penetration, retaining 75% of its weight. All the others, from 9.3mm up, retained the rear core and did NOT shear off their "petals."

Any of the mentioned bullets will work on buff. Shot placement is WAY more important than bullet selection as long as we are limiting the discussion to PREMIUM bullets so pick the one that your rifle likes and practice like hell.
BTW, the 350gr Woodleighs work too.

For what is worth I will post the results from my one buff hunt and will add that I am making plans for 2019. I used a 300 TSX above 71gr. of RL 15 for 2470 FPS. 70 yard shot, very close to broadside and the bullet broke both shoulders. The bull made it about 50 yards and went down. One more in the back and the game was over. Used same load on some large and small plains game and all went down at the shot.

I've got to call BS on myself here: I took another look at this and realized that the photo I posted was of a Nosler E-tip that I shot an elk with last year out of a 33 Nosler. I don't know what I did with the photo of the TSX from my buffalo but, well, it looks about the same as this one.

I totally disagree! Nosler does NOT intend for the petals to "fall off" of the partition bullet. The whole point in the petals peeling back is to open the wound channel and create more internal damage as the bullet travels through the animal. The actual design is intended for the petals to peel back until they make contact with the bullet and that is supposed to keep them from peeling any further, keeping them from breaking off.

Randall

Randall,

Exactly, and Nosler also controls how much the jacket around the front core peels back by its thickness and taper--which also contributes to the high weight retention of large-caliber, heavy Partitions as I described in my previous post.

It always amazes me how many hunters think they can extrapolate how ALL bullets of a certain brand and name work from the results of SOME bullets of that brand and design. Every bullet company I know of tweaks the basic design depending on caliber, weight, intended use, etc.

That bullet looks as if it expanded perfectly. But we do sacrifice powder capacity with solids?

I like your post, well-stated MD.

My first, second and third choice would be a 300 or a 270gr monometal. Whatever shot the best. Then I would go forth and shoot hundreds of practice rounds from 25 to 300 yards.

I used 300gr TSX's in my 375, and 400gr TSX's in my 404 last June. Used the 404 on the buffalo.


PH told me to use 300gr/375 or 400gr/404. TSX or A-Frame, whichever shot the best. He preferred the 404 over 375 for buffalo.

This one took five 500 grain bullets from a 458 Lott before he gave up. The adrenalin was pumping as I had just put two in his buddy and this one went to help his compadre. After two good hits, he decided to take the fight to me. The fourth hit finally put him down and the fifth shot was an insurance shot to the spine.

In most instances, one good hit is enough but, not always. T.S.

I've come to the conclusion, that is a very nice looking Buffalo. 5 rounds from a 458 Lott, that sounds exciting.

It was certainly the highlight of that trip. LOL I just stood there and started slinging lead. The Tanzanian game scout was nearby and running backwards firing his SKS from the hip. When I think about it I still laugh. :-) . Upon skinning, there were no 30 caliber holes in the buff and the animal's heart was completely destroyed. His horns measured 42 inches - a good cape buffalo. He is now in the entrance hall of our Houston home sharing space with a 57 inch greater kudu. I relive the hunts almost daily as I look up at them.

T.S..

Good reading for a flatland Southern redneck. Never had the pleasure of a buff hunt and outside God's grace never will. But exciting just reading about it. And to show just how small my world is, I didn't even know Partitions had petals. lol

[quote=shootem]Good reading for a flatland Southern redneck.


Yeah, they have great stories on this forum. Loving the Campfire!
+!

Masailand buffalo that fell to a 416 Rigby with a 400gr Woodleigh solid through the heart. He went 200 yards and tipped over with the customary death bellow.

Oh boy, thats a beauty!

You fellows are posting up some outstanding buffalo photos . Man, great stuff!

yep : I will second this post from a redneck from northern Minnesota ,unless I start > a go fund me to a Africa for a buffalo hunt I won`t be going either ! great posts of pictures and post reads too. thank you all,Pete53

Incredible! The head on that beast is gigantic. Are the Masailand buffs bigger than normal? If there is such a thing as normal.

They are as a rule bigger, yes.

There were bigger ones, but this guy had a scarred up rump from a lion attack, chewed ears, busted up bosses and deep curls.

To think I was going to give up a buffalo hunt next year to parlay some other hunts. (Wife thinks I spend too way much money on guns and hunting -- I'm too old to get another one.) Now, after seeing these pictures and testimonies I got ta go for buffalo. I thought I had to have a 416. Now I'm second guesssing. I've only been to Cameroon and that was only once: elephant, croc and hippo's were the only big game around. But mostly just different forms of snakes and monkeys.

Do you rely on the PH to supply a rifle if your's went south or ammo went missing or whatever?

??? Good question. I would hate to arrive without my gear.

My PH had a backup rifle. I never had with my Ruger. Do the buff hunt. It's the best. Bob

My two proven DG rifles look pretty ordinary, but they have been very effective in the field:
1895 .405 WCF:




1886 45-90 :


450 grain Kodiak at 2150 fps knocked down ele- finished it off with NF and Punch. Also took three buff (450 Kodiak) and one leopard (Nosler PP) with one shot kills.

Bullets and bullet placement are the key.

FYI, I used to think the same thing about the TTSX. The .338 caliber one on the left below went through over three feet of moose bone, muscle, etc … on an angled shot before stopping under the hide on the far side. Impact velocity was about 3,050 fps. It now weighs in at 194 grains. It did everything I could ask of it, but it did shed about 14% of its weight doing all that it did. It's sitting next to my son's formerly-95-gr .243 SST that we recovered from his deer last Saturday for scale.

Here's one of mine 300 grain partition, I like them.

A nice lump of lead.

I have always brought my own rifle. The quality of loaner/rental rifles and ammunition available from the PH vary. My suggestion is to determine far in advance what rifle and ammunition the PH has available for clients, including pics and govern yourself accordingly.

jdollar is right about Partitions. They kill VERY GOOD on thin skinned game. Moose,Deer,Bear,Cats ect. I used a 140 grain partition in a 6.5 Win Mag to harvest a Leopard. I personally would not use them on Buff. The Mono's or A-Frames are a much better choice!!! A few years back I shot an Elk in Montana with a 7mm rem mag. using a 160gr. Partition. The Elk was quartered away at about 100 yards. It had the most blood shot shoulder I have ever seen. That's when I quit using them.

From my limited experience.

TSX .375 300