Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Is my 375 enough for buffalo

21" is not so bad, in fact, seems pretty ideal to me.

DF

My 375H&H has worked fine on the 4 buffalo I've used it on. The 1st shot is the most important and as others have stated bullet placement is the key. Put a good bullet where its supposed to go and the 375 H&H will work fine. I prefer either the 270 or 300 grain TSX bullets.

Funny how shot placement trumps.

I took my 375 as back up to my 404. PH wanted 300gr Barnes or A-frames in that one vs a 270gr TSX. Whichever one shot the best. 300gr Barnes TSX it was.

Did end up using the 375 on Impala, Sable, Hartebeest, Zebra and Roan. Worked just fine.

I think a 270gr TSX would work fantastic also and would have no issues using them on Buffalo. I have a good load all worked up for the 270's and they will become my go to bullet in the 375 once I finish shooting up the 300gr bullets.

I used the 270 TSX for two reasons. 1. Barnes bullet work better with more velocity ( the expansion cavity in the 270 and 300 is the same size ). 2. The 270’s are much less likely to fully penetrate on a broadside shot. The 300’s can and do go on to wound a second animal.

Many PH’s really don’t know as much about bullets and such as the folks who hang out here. I would tell him whatever he wants to hear but use the 270’s!

good advice here

I seriously thought about it, but went with 300's. After a couple fireside chats, he would have been ok with 270's.

Shot my first buffalo, a very big-bodied Botswana bull, 20 years ago with a 300-grain Combined Technology Fail Safe (very similar to a 300 TSX) from a Ruger No. 1 .375 H&H. It was one of two mature bulls trailing a herd of around 250, and my PH (the very experienced Russell Tarr) whispered to damn sure wait until the bulls separated, so there was no chance the bullet might hit both. I waited, and the FS (which was much like the TSX in construction) not only exited the bull, but left an exit hole the size of my fist.

If we'd been hunting in thicker "cover," it very well might have gone through and hit another buffalo. Which is exactly what happened when my friend Brian Pearce used solids from a .45-70 to kill a bull a couple years later. The bullet exited and hit an unseen cow behind the bull--luckily hitting the "right" place and killing the cow. Not all exits are so lucky.

285 Norma Oryx out of a 9.3X74R kill buffalo well if the shooter does his part.

I don't have much experience with shooting buffalo, so take the following for what it's worth: The only buffalo I ever killed was a bull by himself that had a big track but not a solid boss. We tracked him not knowing his horn size, just based on the size of his track. After a while, we noticed from his tracks that he had a pronounced limp. When we finally caught up with him, we found that he was a soft boss bull, but that he was dragging a wire snare that had obviously gotten caught around his foot and it was infected and swollen. The game scout asked us to shoot it since we did not want it for a trophy. Prior to catching up with him, my PH had asked me to get rid of the soft and load all solids. Not sure what his reasoning was, but in the quick tracking pursuit, I didn't think it prudent to question him. I took the 400 gr. A-frame from the chamber and replaced it with the 370gr Northfork solid and loaded the magazine with just solids. When I shot the buffalo, he went about 20 steps and fell over dead, one shot. The shot was through the shoulder and hit the lungs. Not sure if it also took the heart out or not. The only reason I know it hit the lungs was the bubbles forming on the entrance hole when we walked up to him. But, in this one instance, I was mightily impressed by the performance of the solid in killing the buff so quickly. This was with my M70 in 416 Rem Mag and the shot was at about 60 yards.

I'm not doubting others opinions here that say that soft points are the way to go and I'm in agreement with those sentiments. However, I'm just relating that sometimes solids can work as well.

I suspect they have always worked. In buffalo terms.i further suspect.they were particularly useful when breaking down said bovine. Imagine a 300 grain solid hammering you through the shoulders at 2400 fps. I suspect if.it did not put you down, the shards of bone it blew throughout your thoracic cavity would have I. Short.order. I bet someone who says they dont work has never seen them used.

I'll take that bet.

I've killed buffalo on three continents. Most in a day was 28 which I've done twice. Most without moving my feet was fourteen. Most in a week was 111. Best combined day (Three shooters) was 81.

What do I win? Never mind, you wouldn't pay up anyway.

That is meaningful experience.

What is your preferred rifle, cartridge, bullet, and shot placement?

Yes please!

enough already....

So, are you saying the old hands were wrong when they used solids on buffalo? Various writings suggest expanding bullets 80-90 years ago were not as reliable as they are today so many used solids to great effect. I am not deriding premium controlled expansion bullets, but I cannot imagine a solid is "pathetic" as another member described them.

A wide flat point mono solid is very effective in my experience shooting them out of big bore revolvers .475 & .50 caliber. L like up 80% meplat of bullet diameter

Seems the 270 TSX would be on the short list, maybe at the top of the list of most often referenced .375 H&H bullets. So, that one must be doing something right.

DF

If you could just take the tarp off the time-machine and go back to then it might matter. Seriously; I'd pay big money for a ride. I'd easily agree that a solid is better than a crap soft, but why would a thinking person use the junk?

If anyone cares, the A-Frame is about as good as it gets.

I used those (and the 300s) until I tried A-frames and found out what a real buffalo bullet was.

I killed more with a hot loaded .458 Win M70 than anything else, but have used the 375, 416 Rigby, 450 NE, 300 RUM and 30-06. Used A-frames, Woodleighs, TSXs, Partitions, CEBs, Hornadys, and even a few Accubonds. Favorite is the A-frame by far. The Hornadys I used in the 450 NE Factory loads were junk but are discontinued now. CEBs (Safari raptors) are junk because they break in 7 pieces if they touch a twig. You may get to pick your first shot, but if follow up shots involve shooting through brush you might as well throw snowballs. The rest are pretty good.