What's the thoughts of the Hornady's bullets? Going after Cape Buffalo w' 375 Ruger--planning on Hornady ammo. What's the AR's thoughts on their ammo?

Thanks for all info!!

Skip.

Have used .375 with HDY. DGX are high quality and seem to preform well. As to the DGS they have a more rounded front (ogive). I have had better experience with solids with a larger meplat.
Suggest going to the big bore topic section and then terminal preformance thread. You will find this an excellent source.

The DGX is quite soft and tends to suffer from separations. It's OK until you hit some really heavy bone and then it may not penetrate. There is a more recent version of the DGX that is supposed to hold together better.

The Hornady solids (based on using 458 "Heavy Magnum" loads) bend and get flattened when they hit the leg bone of an elephant. Wouldn't trust them either.

quote:

As to the DGS they have a round front.

The DGS actually are a flat point (nose) solid although I wish the meplat was slightly larger. The .474DGS meplat is approximately 57% of the diameter and the .410 DGS is 42% both using an ink stamp on paper to measure. Do not have any .375 to measure.

If you reload there are better options IMO, however The DGX and DGS will kill a buffalo as dead as fried chicken.

guys,

Thanks for the info. Will post results from hunt!

I've killed a buffalo and two elephant with DGS bullets, the former with .458 Win Mag and the latter with a .416 Ruger.

The bullets penetrated very, very well.
I have reported the results elsewhere on this forum.

I just returned from Zim, and shot a bull giraffe with my 375H&H 300gr Hornady DGS, worked like a champ. First shot blew through both shoulders, he turned to run and second shot shattered about 3'-4' of vertibrae and spine dropping him like a stone. I was impressed, not as much fun to watch as the Gibbs, but extemely effective. I know you didn't ask, but one word of advice from personal experience with the 375 Ruger and Hornady ammo, stay away from their 300 grain sp soft. I hunted with them in 07 and shot 4 animals w/ them resulting in 3 confirmed failures including a lost buffalo and 1 lost eland that I suspect was a failure as well.

Skip when are u headed over?

I don't have a 375 but the 416 Ruger performed flawlessly with them. Here's a 400 DGX from my Cape Buffalo, after penetrating both shoulders:



Shot my tuskless with 400 DGS for heart/lung and rear brain shot and they worked there also. The 400 grain DGX in my 450/400 Ruger #1 absolutely stoned a bushbuck and impala. They seem to be working fine for people using them.

I've used the 500 grain DGS out of a 458 Win on two elephants. See my report in African Hunter Magazine, Vol 15 #6. They performed flawlessly, but be careful as they penetrate much better than RN solids. I shot thru one big cow broadside and killed another behind it. I would stick with the softs on buffalo. At least for the first shot. Only shoot length wise on buff with the solid unless you are absolutely sure there are no other buff behind it.

465H&H

Will be in Dante area of Zim w/Charlton McCallum Safaris-July -Aug 9th-PH will be Richard Tabor. Goal is Sable and Buffalo -- bushbuck to fullfill spiral horn slam (SA slam--no bongo, sitatuga, LD Eland). This will be first DG hunt--hopefully, will more to follow. Went to SA in 04 and as everyone else--I'm hooked!

Thanks again for all the info and advice from everyone. AR members are a wealth of info. Enjoy the posts!

With all due respect to Russ, I have a lot more experience then he does with these bullets as I have been personally hunting with them, filming them in use, and testing them on dead critters shooting through the biggest bones ( Botswana ele bull leg) that I can find in eight African countries and on all of the dangerous stuff. Everybody has bullet opinions, but I can ASSURE you that both the bullets from Hornady can, will, and have done the job for our guys. The other reports on this thread tend to agree with me it seems.

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
I just returned from Zim, and shot a bull giraffe with my 375H&H 300gr Hornady DGS, worked like a champ. First shot blew through both shoulders, he turned to run and second shot shattered about 3'-4' of vertibrae and spine dropping him like a stone. I was impressed, not as much fun to watch as the Gibbs, but extemely effective. I know you didn't ask, but one word of advice from personal experience with the 375 Ruger and Hornady ammo, stay away from their 300 grain sp soft. I hunted with them in 07 and shot 4 animals w/ them resulting in 3 confirmed failures including a lost buffalo and 1 lost eland that I suspect was a failure as well.

Bull giraffe and ? lion ?

quote:

Originally posted by Blank:
I don't have a 375 but the 416 Ruger performed flawlessly with them. Here's a 400 DGX from my Cape Buffalo, after penetrating both shoulders:



Shot my tuskless with 400 DGS for heart/lung and rear brain shot and they worked there also. The 400 grain DGX in my 450/400 Ruger #1 absolutely stoned a bushbuck and impala. They seem to be working fine for people using them.

I have heard that Hornady has made some changes in the DGX. The recovered bullet above looks like it has a gilding metal jacket rather than a steel jacket. Anyone know if this is true?

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by A.Dahlgren:

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
I just returned from Zim, and shot a bull giraffe with my 375H&H 300gr Hornady DGS, worked like a champ. First shot blew through both shoulders, he turned to run and second shot shattered about 3'-4' of vertibrae and spine dropping him like a stone. I was impressed, not as much fun to watch as the Gibbs, but extemely effective. I know you didn't ask, but one word of advice from personal experience with the 375 Ruger and Hornady ammo, stay away from their 300 grain sp soft. I hunted with them in 07 and shot 4 animals w/ them resulting in 3 confirmed failures including a lost buffalo and 1 lost eland that I suspect was a failure as well.

Bull giraffe and ? lion ?

DITTO. Inquiring minds want to know. Shumba report????

quote:

I have heard that Hornady has made some changes in the DGX. The recovered bullet above looks like it has a gilding metal jacket rather than a steel jacket. Anyone know if this is true?

I recently purchased a box of .410 400 grain DGX bullets and they still stick to a magnet.

I believe they are copper clad steel jacketed bullets. Hornady's gilded metal bullet is called the GMX... kinda of an X-bullet concept.

I have used the DGX and DGS bullets on exactly one buff and one elephant and was extremely impressed with the bullet performance and reaction of game taken with them. The bull elephant fell to a side brain that was a complete pass through with the DGS. The dugga boy went down after plowing dirt for twenty yards with two broken shoulders caused by the DGX which also exited. They are the go-to bullet for my custom HCR .404 Jeff and my Weaver .375 Ruger after last season.

I have had less than glowing things to say about the old Interbond bullets and exchanged a few e-mails with Ivan Carter regarding the new bullets before my trip to Zim last year. Ivan convinced me they worked... and imo, and his, they do.

quote:

I recently purchased a box of .410 400 grain DGX bullets and they still stick to a magnet.

I will be using them next year on Buff. Only test to date has been Texas hogs. Did have a pass through of two 200+ hogs standing side by side. Shoulders on the first and chest on the second. Several others hogs taken quick kills but no bullet recovery.

Good luck on your buff . Shoot with confidence.

Hope it is ok if I jump in with anoter question?

Will take my 375 Ruger to Namibia next April, and have still not decided which bullet to use.
This is a PG safari with both steenbok, duiker, springbok as well as red hartebeest, gemsbok and mountain zebra on the "whishing list".

Will the 300 gr DGX suit this mixed bag of game ?
Or will it just blow trough the smaller critters without expanding?

As I wrote in another tread, we can expect to run into both lions and elephants on this safari, and I was asked to carry a few solids as well by the PH in case things get ugly when in elephant country.

Therefore the 300 gr DGX and DGS combo hit my mind as they are said to shoot to the same point.

The Original Hornady loads for the 450-400 400gr round nose bullets were Copper Jacketed and quite soft. The later Dangerous Game series bullets are copper clad-steel jacketed and much harder. I expect this is the same issue with earlier 375's, maybe others that Russ was speaking of?? I like the old bullets for North American game like Moose but the new DGX (for expanding) are the ticket for Africa!!

No real world experience, yet. But my initial reloads are awesomely accurat, and at close rand are hitting to the same POI, with the same load. Gonna shoot some at longer range next weekend and see if I get the same thing at 100 yds. If I do, I think I'm set and not going to do a lot of experimenting with other bullets.

The loads are for 375 H&H, using DGX and DGS, hornady brass and H4350.

Mad Dog

Used the DGX on buffalo and the DGS on elephant and both worked perfectly.

Don't worry about bullets, worry about shot placement.

I have no problem with the solids. In my opinion the Hornady soft points are shit. I lost a Buff trying to angle a .458 500gr SP through the guts to get to the vitals (didn't happen). Recovered a 500gr SP from a broadside warthog, and recovered a 286gr SP from a broadside wild pig fired from a 9.3x74. The bullets open too quickly. The only thing they are good for are paper.

I expected that everyone was using Hornady because they were factory loads and not handloading!
If I were handloading I would use Trophy Bonded, Swift or Woodleighs!! No question!!