Alright, after much deliberation and thanks to the help from this board as well as my PH, I'm taking my 375 H&H for a Cape Buffalo hunt in July in Zim. I have a load right now with 270 TSX's at about 2700 fps that shoots 1-1.5" at 100 yds. I have not played with it much and I'm sure I could find something a little tighter but there is really no major need. I can load that as my soft. I also picked up some Barnes 300gr Solids on sale the other day. My PH is fine with this soft/solid combo but he said that his favorite bullet is the Swift A-frame. My questions are this:

270 gr TSX/300 gr Solid?
300 gr TSX/300 gr Solid?
270 gr Swift A-frame/300 gr Solid?
300 gr A-frame/300 gr Solid?

Should I use a different bullet and Solid combo? What do you think? I understand the need to find a combo that shoots to the same POI at 25/50 yds. Just looking for advice. Thanks again.
Lee

I used a 300 A Frame/ 300 solid combo...

But youll find maybe you rifle shoots to the same POI with 270s and 300s...

I would think the .270 TSX would be good....


Ingwe

I guess I should probably work on the Solid load and then see if I can make it shoot the same place as my TSX. If not, I'll load up some A-frames.

Ebby,
You're exactly right with your last post. See where your solids land with respect to the 270gr. TSX's and if you're very far off, try the A-frames and see how close those are. When I was buff hunting, I had the 350gr TSX's shooting very good from my .416 Rem. However, the solids hit about 4 inches below the TSX's. At the time, I wasn't comepletely sold on the TSX's for buff and really wanted to use the A-frames for my soft. What I found out was that the A-frames printed almost exactly where my solids did, so that made the choice very easy for me. My PH was very happy with my choice as well since he had a lot of faith in the A-frame but not so much with the TSX's. Not that you need to please your PH with your choice in bullet, but it does help matters if your PH has confidence in you and your rig, rather than doubts in his mind. On that note, you might inquire with your PH (if you know him) as to his thoughts on the two bullets.
Test

Yeah I talked to him about it and he was fine with the tsx. He said that he did not have a lot of experience with them but that they would be ok if that's what shot best. He said the he prefers the A-frame though just because of experience. He is mainly shooting the 350 gr .416 a frame though.

Should I try something else like Woodleighs? Or TBBC?

Are there any real differences in Solids? I have not experience with those.

Solids are generally good if they are monolithic....the new Barnes banded solids are impressive....
Couple other companies make derivations on the theme..

Ingwe

Thanks Ingwe. THat's what I picked up. I hope they will work nicely with my Softs.

It is REAL easy to get them to shoot REAL good!

Ingwe

Try that 300gr. Solid with some Reloader 15. Works really well with mine. It's a M70 with factory 24" barrel. I think I used up to 72gr. of R15, but not sure on that and don't have my load book with me. It's a book load, I'm pretty sure. The top load gives me close to 2650fps with the 300gr. tsx and banded solid. Same POI as well.

Thanks for the load info. I'm on the lookout for data. That's pretty good speed with the 300gr TSX. Mine shoots about 2725-50 with the 270gr tsx. I have not really leaned on it or tried many loads though.

Anybody else got any secret loads?

Yeah, FWIW, H380 was always nice in my gun, and I used alot of IMR 4895 as well...

Ingwe

I'm not a monolithic fan..I personally like the 350 Gr. Woodleih in my .375 followed by 285 gr. Northfork flat nose solids..I also dearly love those Northfork cup points and I suppose they are a monolithic of sorts..I have these bullets on a truck load of buffalo and they suited me better than anything else I have used..I have used IMR-4064 in my .375 for years, out of habit I suppose, and I like RL-15 real well.

Bottom line is use the heaviest bullet you can, monolithic or otherwise for buffalo. I am adament on that.

Ebby, Yeah, it's pretty fast out of my rifle. It was shot in the summer, as I recall around 85-90 degrees, and it showed no pressure signs. I had determined that I'd back it down a grain or two just for insureance. It clocked for me, IIRC, about 75 or so fps faster than book. Like I said, check the charge, but I'm pretty sure it was 72gr. Work up of course cause your rifle might not like that much powder. Usual safety speech, and so on.

If I were doing it, personally, I'd be taking the 350 Woody's over 72gr. H4350. But that's just me.

David

I don't have the experience many here do - just took my first buffalo last December. I used a 375 with 300 grain A-Frames
and also took 300 grain solids. Both were factory loads and
each had the same POI. At 80 yards the A-Frame took the top of the heart, entered the paunch, exited the paunch, lodged somewhere in the hip. An unneeded "finisher" entered the shoulder, broke a rib, entered the heart, and lodged against
the off shoulder. The recovered finisher showed perfect performance. I'm an A-frame fan. I suspect your PH will care more about shot placement than which flavor you use.

Good luck on your hunt!

Dave

"I suspect your PH will care more about shot placement than which flavor you use."

Truer words have never been spoken. Assuming any good quality soft of course. Don't even consider some of the Sierra or Speer stuff. Stick with one of the premiums and make 'em count. All will end well.

David

having never hunted in africa, i can't necessarily speak to ongame performance, but i'll say this much. when i go, i'll be packing my 700 classic 375H&H and it'll be stoked with 300 grain failsafes. that ought to do it! -keith

I've gone full circle on the issue of solids. As a client, I only pack SP's for anything except elephant anymore. I have used SP's and solids in my doubles and in my 9.3 X 62 for eland and buffalo and such, and have come to the conclusion that premium SP's are more effective. I use TSX's in my 9.3 exclusively now. The terminal performance is excellent every time. When the shot is true, nothing goes far, not even the buffalo.

I'm sure A-frames would be good, I've never used them. I leave the solids to the PH's who have to back up.

My only objection to softs and the .375 is frontal shots, I have seen softs turn and go between the shoulder and the rib cage on about 3 different ocassions if my recall is correct, maybe 4 times...Just use a solid on frontal shots and going away shots and the .375 is excellent..It does not kill as fast as the bigger bores but it does kill'em...Most folks can shoot the .375 pretty well also.

I personally prefer the 40 calibers, 416, 404, 450-400, class of cartridges if you can handle the recoil, there is a difference in that the buff don't run as far to go down, as they do with the 9.3 and 375. About half as far generally but there are exceptions of course..

With the 270 grain TSX you will have more than enough penetration with no real need for a solid.

The 270 Grain TSX will exit on any broad side shot, so make sure there is not another Buff behind the first one

I have seen the 270 gr. TSX fail on one frontal shots, and not get to the good stuff on a going away shot after breaking the pelvis and it stopped somewhere in the paunch. It is great on broadside shots. I have seen two of them bend like a bannana and the point was pinched shut on two ocassions. I have not seen the 300 gr. BarnesX fail..

Saeed has a couple of hundred of the 270 gr. Barnes X bullets in 375 and a few more in 416 that he recovered from buffalo and has displayed on AR over the years, I was there for a large number of those kills, and you will see a number of failed bullets although all bulls were killed with followup shots..Just because a bullet fails, doesn't necessairly mean it didn't kill the animal, but it could have if the circumstances were changed just a little. For what its worth.

My choice for Buffalo with sub .435cal is Swift A Frames and Woodleigh FMJs.
.435 and up I use Woodleighs in Softs and FMJs.

Some recovered 9.3mm 286grn Woodleighs & a 300grn Swift.

Ray,

I believe Saeed has settled on his 300gr Walterhogs now? Prior to that from what I could gather, he was using the 300gr TSX out of his 375/404. Did he find the 270 TSX lacking?

And would you use the 350TSX if and when it is released, if you were using a 375 on buff? I know you are a fan of heavy for calibre bullets.............

Blair.

Blair,
IMO the 350 gr. monolithic of any make might be too much of a good thing, that would be a very long for caliber bullet and I would concerned that it would tip on impact and perhaps bend or break or fail to penetrate enough...I have been concerned the 300 gr. BarnesX would do that also, but they seem to work as I have never seen a 300 gr. BarnesX fail to penetrate from any angle or a 300 gr. Walter Hogg bullet either from any .375 caliber gun...They work fine..

Like I said, I am not a Barnes fan, but that does not mean anything other than that...I know a lot of very experienced folks that I have a world of respect for that dote on them, I also know many with as much experience and respect that do not like them at all...So in order to deal with these mixed opinnions I simple opt not to use them for the most part, as I have had such good luck with Woodleighs, Northforks, Noslers, and GS Customs monolithics..

I did use the BarnesX 75 gr. 6mm bullet in my 6x45 and shot a world of deer, antelope and African plainsgame with it and I loved that little bullet, it never failed me. but of course they discontinued it!! I now use what I have left of the Barnes's and I have a new stock of 75 gr. GS Customs that work as well.

One thing that a lot of folks over look and that is that you cannot condem any manufacturer for all his bullets, but you can dislike any one of his individual bullets. That is where all the hoopla comes from on these boards....One guy complains about the 120 gr. in his 7-08 Sierra being too soft and the next guy jumps up and says he has used the 180 Sierra in his 30-06 with success for 50 years and both are right, not contest, they are talking about two completely different subjects. It just doesn't work like that, but its seldom discussed..

I am a Nosler fan, but I don't like Nosler in caliber below 270. I love the .284 130 gr. Speer but I don't like some other Speers in different calibers...I don't like the 164 gr. Hornaday in my 7x57 but I love the 154 gr. Hornadys and most other Hornadys...

Bottom line is I like a lot of Sierra bullets, and I dislike some of the Sierra bullets and I can say that about most makes of bullets.

I don't wonder that confusion and heated arguements come about on this subject..but I see little reasoning in most of them.

I have had excellent results with Swift A Frame. Here are two recovered 350 gr. 416 bullets.

For 99% of shots the 270 TSX is going to be ideal, for the other shots, the solid will be the ticket. According to Craig Boddingtons latest article and book plus my own experience and still often talking with the PH's I worked with and booked hunters with a good soft like the TSX followed by solids is still the far and away most suggested way to go. I say, go with what most PH's are still reccomending and what has worked quite well for many, many years updated only by the better bullets we now have exemplified by the Barnes TSX and Mono solid you are using. Load, em, pack em and go kill some stuff. You are ideally armed here.

I used the tsx 270's out of my 375HH for buff 2 years ago and they worked great. Started at 2800fps and all pass thrus.

"Blair,
IMO the 350 gr. monolithic of any make might be too much of a good thing, that would be a very long for caliber bullet and I would concerned that it would tip on impact and perhaps bend or break or fail to penetrate enough...I have been concerned the 300 gr. BarnesX would do that also, but they seem to work as I have never seen a 300 gr. BarnesX fail to penetrate from any angle or a 300 gr. Walter Hogg bullet either from any .375 caliber gun...They work fine.."

Ray,

I'm inclined to agree with you that the 350gr might be too much of a good thing, being a monometal.

The 350gr Woodleigh has a very good reputation here in Oz for scrub cattle and water buffalo. And I have heard good things about the 380gr Rhino with regard to it's terminal ballistics, but evidently accuracy can be a problem with them.

I just wish Lapua would come out with a 300gr Naturalis in 375 calibre!!