Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .375 Buffalo Bullets?

For the experienced Cape Buffalo hunters here who have used a .375. What is your bullet of choice? Solids, softs, soft for first shot then solids? And which brands and bullets?

Thanks in advance.

For an H&H, Swift A-Frame backed by Barnes flat nosed solids.

For the Weatherby, Barnes TSX backed by Barnes flat nosed solids.

300 grains in all cases.

Trophy bonded, A-frames, and the TSX are all highly thought of.

In terms of soft v solids, just do what you PH says. In some herd situations, they prefer all soft, the soft followed by solids is a classic combo, but I have seen PHs ask for the first shot to be a solid (a frontal shot.)

But I am far from experienced.

I can speak to Swift Aframes for buffalo. Great penetration and 99% weight retention. As to solids, totally unnecessary for buffalo with today's modern bullets. The only time they should be used are for elephant, rhino and hippo on dry land.

JorgeI,do you use solids in your .375 for a follow up shot?

Nope. A good premium soft will do a better job. The owner of the Accurate Reloading Forum Website, Saeed, who's probably killed several hundred buffalo uses his version of the TSX out of his Wildcat 375/404 in 300gr. He's shot buffalo in the ass with it and recovered the bullets in the chest, all the way to the skin. With a solid, you get straight through penetration with minimal tissue damage and you also run the risk of hitting another buffalo. Solids were used in the past because of the poor performance of conventional cup and core bullets.

I used two 300 grain TSX and then chased him with 300 grain banded solids.

Thank You JorgeI,all I know about Cape Buffalo is from Craig Boddington's writings and others.

Today, we are very fortunate to have several good bullets available.

First shot one of the following: Swift A-Frame, North Fork soft (IMO the only bonded bullet better than the A-Frame), Barnes TSX, or the CEB Non-Con.

Follow up shots either a North Fork or CEB flat nose solid.

We probably really do not need the solids. As Jorge wrote some experienced hunters do not use solids. The most experienced PH I know believes in only solids.

My favorite buffalo bullet is the North Fork Cup Point monolithic bullet, although I never used them in 375. Very good in the 470.

I'm old school....soft for the first shot, solids thereafter...course the last time I hunted buffalo ( 2000) the TSX or TTSXs werent out there...

Shure do like the 300 gr. Swift A-frame, and for a solid nowadays Id look at the Barnes Banded ( I used A-Square Monolithics...they did good )

I can speak well of the 300 SAF
I have also used solids once as the situations drug on with a bull in the brush and it looked like it was going to require a frontal brain. So I eased out the soft to load the solid underneath. As would move his head at times I had to wait, then he moved presenting the off shoulder and I quickly fired. We followed him up and found him sitting to which another quick shot to the neck ended it. I just didnt think the damage of a 375 solid was on par of a 416 or bigger solid or a 375 soft. I only use the 375 solid for the little antelopes.

Has anybody used .375 Nosler Partitions?

Always interesting to hear so many opinions and experience.

The most experienced PH's I've hunted with are Luke Samaras of Tanzania and Kevin Thomas, who now lives in South Africa but guides in both RSA and Zimbabawe, where he grew up and started hunting when it was Rhodesia.

Luke has great faith in both Nosler Partitions and Woodleighs, and Kevin's happy to use whatever leftover .375 ammo his clients leave behind. "All of today's bullets are good!" he says.

I have always taken a back-up rifle with me and a 375 H&H has made ever trip to Africa. I have used the 270 grain TSXs, loaded to a nominal 2700fps on 4 Buffalo, all with great results.

Not in the 375 but in other rifles I used the North Fork Softs and the TSX. On Buffalo, I have never seen the need for solids...but use them on Elephant.

The 270 grain 375 TSX really works well as a Buffalo / Plains Game combination. If I was getting started with reloading the 375, I would try the North Forks...that's what I use in my 404 Jeffery.

I've built a load using 300 grn Barnes TSX
38 days to Zim, I'll let you know...

I have never taken a 375 with the intention of shooting a buffalo with it. I have always had something "better" along to use. That's the problem for me with the 375 in that I find the 375 in my hands at the "wrong" time when I happen onto a buffalo and so the 375 gets the nod. I need to treat the 375 with more respect and just take the 375 on one trip. But bigger is better right?
The 270 TSX is an incredible bullet for allot of the work I use a 375 for. I just don't know if I could ever bring myself to use it on a buffalo. I hear they are dangerous and take allot of killing

My wife and I are booked for the spring of 2013, Buffalo as well as plains game are on our list. We are planning to bring a .300 Win Mag shooting Barnes 180G TSX for the plains game, and a .375 H&H for the Buffalo shooting Barnes 300G TSX. We are taking the .375 because of the versatility of it also being used for the larger plains game like Zebra, Wildebeest, Kudu etc. Should I use a lighter bullet for these animals, or stick with the 300G? I would like to flatten the trajectory of the .375, any thoughts?

Swift AFrame followed by AFrame! Two buff from two weeks ago.

It was previously mentioned that "there are no more bad bullets" and I find a lot of truth in that. If your rifle shoots a particular brand better than another, then go with that.

On buffalo I have had good results with TSX, Federal and Woodleigh all in 300 gr.

To flatten the trajectory use a 270 gr, but to use the same rifle with 300 gr after that you may need to re-adjust the scope.

The hunter can have two softs in the chamber. In many cases a second shot is difficult when the herd is milling, or when they run off as a herd. The follow-up is where the fun starts and where you must be weary at all times. I mostly have a soft (TSX) followed by a solid and only shoot when: 1. there is a dangerous situation and 2. if I have the permission of the hunter to shoot. In case of a dangerous situation the PH cannot start a negotiation process as to the pro's and con's of not backing up the hunter - he must shoot. This is usually discussed prior to the hunt commencing so everybody is on the same page.

Stick with 300 gr to avoid having to to reset the scope. The 300 also works well on zebra and wildebeest but if it will make you feel better use the 375.

Southpawhunter,

I would use 300gr Barnes TSX for my first shot followed by some 300gr Barnes Banded solids for 2nd and 3rd shots if needed.

Here in South Africa we have a local manufacturer that does a 380gr soft and matching solid for the 375. That thing hits like an express train and puts a buffalo down very quickly when hit in the right spot.

Regards,
Lourens