Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Buffalo bullets

I used 270 tsx's on my buff. First shot at about 20 yds. straight on second thru the good stuff as he ran by. We we found him about 50 yds away on his knees trying to get up but couldn't. 1 more ended it. recovered no bullets. I was very pleased. They started out at 2800. First took out his pump.

I practiced for over 1000 rds. off sticks with the rifle before my first trip over and used it on all my plains game with partitions. Second trip used it on everything with the Barnes. Took my 375 and a 12ga O/U on both trips. Saved for 40 years for those trips, Started at 18 when I got my first 100.00 bill. You can put a bunch of them in a 30 caliber ammo can. Put them in when I could and never counted them until I was 58.

I have hunted m'bogo in Tanzania. My limited experience has told me that the condition of the animal at the time it is shot is paramount. I shot a nice bull (39.5 inch spread) through the heart at 20 yds with a 500 grain soft point and the bull moved out about 20 yds. I placed a second in his shoulder (a solid) at 40 yds and he went down. A second bull (42 inch spread) came to the first bull and I put a well-placed 500 grain soft point in him and followed with a quick second 500 grain solid. The second bull was clearly agitated and did not go down. Instead, he turned and came for me. After six more solids he went down. As is customary, I approached each from behind as they laid on the ground and placed "insurance shots" in their spines where the shoulders meet the neck. I was shooting my 458 Lott.

The calm buffalo took two rounds to go down. The agitated one required eight. I was wearing an ammo belt around my waist with soft points on the right side and solids on the left. That way I could reload without looking down and thus keeping my eyes on the buffaloes.

T.S.

I agree that mood of the buffalo at the shot can influence their reaction to the shot.

I also believe that buffalo in more controlled environments will also react differently than buffalo that have lions, poachers, etc. harassing them all the time.

Huge fan of the Barnes bullets and my one and only buffalo was with a 400gr out of a 404 Jeffery. Single shot, no muss, no fuss. Went less than 100 yards.

I now have a 416 Remington that is shooting 350gr TSX's very well.

Thanks for the comments.

I don’t understand the rationale of a soft followed by a solid given the performance of today’s monolithic bullets. I view them as expanding solids.

Also, if the soft is good for the first shot then why is it not good for subsequent shots?
I believe this is a holdover from days past. Most PH’s are not rifle nuts. If something works they do it again and again. However the world changes and improvements occur.

Lastly, well of course a 40+ will work but they do not obviate the requirement for great shot placement.

Rick sent me this to post up.

The rationale of softs and solids is based on the probability of the first shot being taken under ideal conditions wherein a shot placement in the vitals is available. The second shot may well be less than ideal if the buffalo has turned or is running away. Under that circumstance, the second shot involves penetrating heavy bone and body mass including muscle and a full gut of grass. once you see the amount of grass in a buffalo's gut, you will understand. Expanding bullets by their very nature, will not penetrate as deep as a solid.

T.S.

I agree that solids are not needed with today's modern mono metal bullets..

In fact, think that solids contributed to the buffalo's toughness reputation when softs were sub par for the job. Hence solids for buffalo rationale.

I tend to agree with Rick (RinB). Have seen a 400-grain "soft" go through the paunch of an angling-away bull, and end up in the right shoulder--and it was a lead-core, not a monolithic. And that was a very big-bodied Botswana bull. Plus, even PHs who use solids for back-up tend to shoot for bone, such as the pelvis on going-away shots, because the wound channel from solids is usually very small.

Will also note there isn't a consensus even among PHs. Was on a month-long cull hunt with a dozen other guys around 15 years ago, which meant several PHs were employed. One evening partway through the hunt they were drinking beer and disagreeing considerably not only about buffalo rifles, but rifle/cartridge/bullet combinations for plains game. Despite the cold beer, it got pretty heated at times....

I am of the opinion that mono metals will break bones too.

Mule Deer, RinBin, et al?

Extrapolating all the way down to small game. I would much rather use hollowpoints out of 22 rimfire vs a solid. Have seen the difference too many times.

I will take penetration over wound channel when it comes to large dangerous game. - T.S.

I would rather have a mono if the buffalo is running towards me but understand using solids if the buffalo is running away from me.

I am certain the monos will work very well on a pelvis shot. I haven’t had to resort to that shot because I have a very strong self survival instinct and am careful about placing my first shot.

The buffalo I shot ran straight away after the shot, I asked the PH if he wanted me to put another in him. He said might as well, but it is not needed.

I did not hit any bone with the second shot, went in the hind quarter and imagine the bullet ended up somewhere in the guts. Wished I would have hit some bone, then I would have an example of one.

On my way back from my first Africa hunt. I saw 1 bull, and took 1 bull with 400gr TSX’s from a .416 Rigby. 1st bull took a broadside shot at 98 yards, spun, took another, and died 30 yards later. I hit my bull in the herd, saw him spin, and he disappeared behind the brush. Tracker came up and congratulated me while pointing through the shrubs at my downed bull. PH ran to take a leak because we’d been in the sticks for 5 min. 🤣. My bull fell quartering away and tried to get up once when we started walking toward him. Drove a 2nd shot about 2ft back from the shoulder driving it towards lungs. That finished him, but I put a 3rd in him just for good measure. Turns out, the first shot did its job. I’ve seen 3 TSX’s recovered from Buffalo, and they all expanded with boring regularity, and killed the bull on the 1st shot. My PH also loved the 375, but a 400gr TSX from a 416 has to be pretty hard to beat.

My latest Buff hunt in April the 40-ish PH said not to bother bringing solids when I told him I was using A-Frames. I've been paired in the past with PH's closer to my age (old) who've expressed a fondness for solids following the soft.

Man, you are very disciplined and single minded. Good for you.

Funny. My PH said the exact opposite. He wants maximum damage and insisted on softs for buff in my 375 H&H and 500 NE. Now for giraffe, he wanted solids to get through the thick skin. But WTF does he know, he's only been doing it for over 30 years.

As an aside, I love TSX and had used them exclusively ever since I found out about them in '05.......until a lion hunt in the Save in '18. We recovered 3, 300 gr .375 TSX (Pre War Mod 70 3-7-5 H&H). They barely opened up and we were both disappointed in the failures. I truly don't remember my loads, but I always start a few tenths off Max and go up from there (one of the main benefits of the TSX). When we showed these to two other PHs they all said the same thing: "A Frames." Thankfully I had my .300 Win with me. My PH insisted I use that gun for my lion instead of the 3-7-5 as we knew it would open up and not fail (recovered PG bullets). One of his comments was that when the TSX first came out he was really impressed with them, but lately (at that time) they had lost their luster and questioned an alloy change. Regardless, I no longer load TSX in any of my DG guns. Great for the .300 & .270 Wins but I won't use them in DG.

FWIW my 3-7-5 at 75y- buff went 60-80 y before he dropped. Needed a kill shot. 500 NE at 40y, dropped dead on the spot. 900gr arrow (75# draw) at 30y dropped dead in 40y. (Just showing how truly meaningless this all is- you can control where you want it to hit, but you can't control what you actually hit under the skin.)

Actually, I've given up rifle hunting DG anyway.

I agree with 250 gr......broad head that is. Taking the bow back in September for another buff & lion.

Also recovered from a dead buff and did not fail.

Giraffes are considered pachyderms so a solid is not a bad idea.

I’ve only been in on a few Buffalo kills, but I absolutely believe any game animal, whether a coyote, deer, elk, hog, Buffalo, zebra or whatever reacts very differently if it is aware something or someone is out there observing or hunting it. I’ve personally noticed that if an animal is looking at me when I shoot it it will usually run away after being shot ( unless CNS takes a direct hit ) while those that are oblivious to my presence quite often fold up right there.

Again, I’m no buff expert by a long shot, but if I were out hunting Buffalo I would have no issue hunting them with a 30-06 or 338 provided I was allowed good bullets… 180tsx/ttsx in 06 and 250partitions or 225tsx in 338. Again, I’ve never used those on buffs but having seen what they do on other game I’d be happy to use them.

Last fall before I left for a Mozambique hunt the only 375 ammo or brass I could find was factory loaded 250gr hornady CX’s. After digging a number of them out of my shooting berm I was quite impressed and would have used them without reservation. I ended up taking a 416 rigby with 350tsx hand loads that obviously worked. The first one killed my bull but I put 3 more in him before he realized he was dead. My dad rolled his bull with a single 270tsx from a 375….. my bull knew I was there. My dad’s bull was oblivious to our presence.

I would not want to follow a wounded bull with a light rifle but taking a shot at an unaware animal is a totally different scenario in my book. Next time I head over I plan on using my 375HH with 270tsx as I feel I shoot it better than my 416. But I’d really love to kill one with my 338. Or hell…. Maybe I’ll take a 9.3!

Benbo, I’m hunting Mozambique in late October of ‘24 and fully intend to use my 338 on at least one Buffalo. With a broadside shot using either 225 grain Bearclaws or TTSX’s, I’m not worried about my 338 doing the job just fine. I know several PH’s who’ve each had clients take 5-10 buffalo with the 338 using quality bullets. They’ve reported no problems as long as the hunter is selective in his first shot.