Getting ready to load for my .375 H&H. Which bullet would be preferable, assuming accuracy is roughly consistent amongst the choices? Comments beyond those listed is appreciated, as is any real world experience with those listed.Barnes TSX 270 grainBarnes TSX 300 grainSwift A-Frame 300 grainTrophy Bonded Bear Claw 300 grainNosler Partition 300 grain

I didn't use my 375H&H on buffalo, but if I'd had an issue with my DR I would have. I took the Trophy Bonded. I used it on all PG, with eland, and wildebeast being the largest two and the recovered bullets looked like they belong in an add. That said, I would opt for something with more limited expansion so I voted for the A Frames. I would use 300 grain bullets whatever you settle on.

You will need a solid too, I would recomend 300 grain Woodleighs. Again, I haven't used the 375 cal Woodleigh solids on buff but the larger 500 grain 458 cal Woodleighs that were recovered from buff and elephants were perfect, with no deformation.

JPK

Like JPK, I used my big gun for Buff and 375 H&H as a back-up and PG rifle ....I use the TSX in almost everything, accuracy has been extremely good and pentration is fantasic. I used 500gain TSXs in my Lott on Buff with excellant results.

I shot Zebra, Heartebeast, Impala, etc with my 375H&H with 270grain TSXs...all one shot kills and complete penetration from quartering angles...I would lean towards the 300grains TSX, if the 375H&H was my primary Buff Gun...

What make, model is your 375..mine is a CZ the 270grain TSX are very accurate in that gun..

Good luck!

I like the Barnes x , but for me one of the jobs of a soft is to minimize a exit so the Swift A gets my vote. Besides they haven't let me down yet.

Use teh Barnes X 300 grain.

With buffalo, you really do not wish to take any chances, and penetration is the most important thing to have in mind.

You might get a chance at a good trophy, and he might not give you the classic broadside shot. With Barnes X you can take a shot from any angle.

I would not with any of the other bullets you have mentioned, although they work perfectly well on broadside shots.

Noslers too soft for buffalo, especially in .375
1st choice A-Frames or Rhino 300gr or heavier (not on your list), or Trophy bonded , second choice- Barnes X, preferably 300gr, although I had a client that used the 270gr old barnes X's with great effect on his buffalo, and some PG.

Looking at photos of some of the buffalo taken I would bet one can cleanly put one down with a 130gr silvertip spat out by a 270 Winchester.Those buffalo look really small.

quote:

Looking at photos of some of the buffalo taken I would bet one can cleanly put one down with a 130gr silvertip spat out by a 270 Winchester.Those buffalo look really small.

Although possible, definately not reccomended. As I always say, the fact that you can bring down a fighter jet with a .223 rifle, does not make it an anti aircraft gun...

Would it be fair to say that any bullet that will work well on Cape Buffalo would be a good choice for water buffalo in Oz??? As i'm going in July and will be shooting with 37H&H. Cheers James

You might look at the North Fork Cup Point Solids. They spread out to about 1.4 diameter reliably and quickly, yet never expand past that point. This gives reliable wound channels and deep penetration.

Ray Atkinson and I did not agree on much, but this is on this one thing we are in perfect concert. Ray and others have posted great performance on game.

I have only shot 4 of them in my .416 Rem (the sample pack that Mike sells), but I got a .616 group with those four rounds and 73 grains IMR4985.

No copper fouling, which drove me crazy with Barnes bullets - even when moly coated. These were bare.

I need to finish breaking in my barrel, and get my chrono working to do some serious load development.

Don,
I just got a couple of boxes of the 370 NF solids from Mike for my 416 Rem. I'm fixin' to start load developement, how long is your barrell and did you chrono your 73 grain load ?

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
Looking at photos of some of the buffalo taken I would bet one can cleanly put one down with a 130gr silvertip spat out by a 270 Winchester.Those buffalo look really small.

Does this observation deserve further comment?

Bull1

Lewis50,

The barrel is a 24" cutrifle by Dan Pedersen of Classic Barrel and Gunworks. My Oehler chrono would not work yesterday. I'll have to send it in, I guess.

I got my full order of bullets in on Friday, but I won't start serious load development until I get a working chrono. Everybody says to use RL15 for these bullets in a 416, but I have a boatload of IMR4895 in the basement. If you are buying powder, you might consider the RL15.

Mike says I should get 2600 fps with RL15, so I expect to get around 2550 with a safe load of IMR4895. I'll be happy with anything over 2500 fps, as I do not like to push the pressures.

Here's a link to some pics of cup point results. Cup point pics

And here's the most dramatic pic from that link.

quote:

from link above
Ray said:

"404 North Fork solid heart shot buffalo ...It was a follow up rear end shot with some angle as it entered the last rib and came to rest in the top of the heart after going through 4 ft of stomach full of wet grass ... wow"

If anybody knows the full story behind this pic, I'd like to know it.

North Fork Cup Points:

Woodleigh 300 gr Weldcore in RNSP or Protected Point.

quote:

Originally posted by TOP_PREDATOR:
Would it be fair to say that any bullet that will work well on Cape Buffalo would be a good choice for water buffalo in Oz??? As i'm going in July and will be shooting with 37H&H. Cheers James

Yes.

Personally in 375 I've only shot buffalo with the SAF but I would have no problem with using any of the listed bullets. Next year I have 4 buffalo on license and hopefully I'll get a chance to try the TSX in my 375 Weatherby. I'm thinking it will eliminate any need for both solids and soft points for buffalo.

Mark

To the poll: I consider the A-Frame, the TBBC and the standard North Fork as similar bullets in style. The fact that the A-Frame has a lead core encapsulated partition as a pusher is not relevant. It's merely weight pushing an expanding and bonded point. In terminal performance they can be considered as Identical. Accuracy should be the final factor as to which one to shoot.

North Fork seems to be hard to find. I have to order them over the internet as there's no distributor here abouts. That's among the reasons I'm such a big lover of the A-Frames.

I was leaning toward the 270 grain TSX, or the 300 grain A-Frame. From what I've read the 300 grain TSX may over penetrate, pass through on a broad-side shot, and potentially wound another animal. The 270 TSX seems to be Gregor Woods' bullet of choice.

Shot my first buffalo with a 300 grain Swift A-Frame out of my 375H&H at a chronographed 2,525 fps. 35 yard broadside double lung shot. The herd took off running at the shot and my buffalo immediately fell behind the herd and was very easy to identify. We immediatley ran parallel with the buffalo/herd and I placed 3 solids (Barnes 300 grain) in him on the run.

In the end, the A-Frame blew through the ribcage/lungs and stopped under the skin on the opposite side. PH said that had we waited a few minutes, we would have found the buff dead very close by from the 1st shot alone.

By the way, I also shot everything else on that safari with the 300 Swift. I don't think you can go wrong with it.

Tim

I voted for the Swift A-Frame, but any of the first three would be acceptable to me.

270 gr X
300 gr X
- or -
300 gr Swift A-frame

My 375 is loaded with 270 gr X. Other people have shot Buff with my 375 using the 270 gr X. I would shoot a Buff with it if I had to, but I always carry something bigger than a 375 for Buff.

NY, I used the 270gr Barnes TS last year on my Zambian buff. I would used them again

I voted for TBBC. Why, because they worked for me.

TerryR

Thanks to all who responded. I suspected the TSX and A-Frame were the way to go. I am somewhat surprised at the lack of support for the 270 grain TSX.

I think I read on AR a few weeks ago that one of our members spoke with Connie Brooks at Reno and she said they were getting more penetration with the 270grain Triple X over the 300Grain Triple X in a 375. I would like to know more as I would like to use Triple Shocks in my 376 Steyr if I can find the right powder as they will extend into the case a little. Barnes recommended Ramshot TAC and also gave me some loads to try using BLC-2.

While I've only killed two Dugga boys I would have to say performance with the Swift A-Frames was flawless. MHO

I became addicted to the 300gr Swift A frame and I hope not having to change my opinion.

Last month I saw a buff who needed 16 BULLETS to cash in.
Half were 416 Rigby GPA (bushmasterlike)
Half were CRAPPY 375HH RWS TUG. Later I'll post a picture of these darn bullets.
TUG
What is appalling is the inadaptation of the TUG, the bullet lost half its weight (volume), evidently didn't expanse . Remained only a ridiculous stumpy cylinder.
The RWS TUG is really the surefire way to be killed when buff hunting.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jbderunz:

Half were 416 Rigby GPA (bushmasterlike)
Half were CRAPPY 375HH RWS TUG. Later I'll post a/QUOTE]
jean: what are those 416 bullets? jorge

I meant the 416s "bushmasterlike" you mention. jorge

Hi Jorge,

Once again I was in the CAR, and once again I thought to You. Once again we were encircled by villains and we badly needed your carpet-bombing.
Sorry, no offense intented with the 416 Rigby. it performed fairly well. In fact this big red and black Nile buff refused to die. Shot, he tried to charge, changed his mind with another volley of bullets and did his best to paddle to the deep jungle. He was almost short of steam but my cousin and his PH was eager to shoot him. With the first heart and lungs shot, he'd have died as fast as with more non-bone-breaking bullets. Endly they prevented him from reaching the deep jungle where recovery of the carcass would have been a pita.
the GPA is a french made bullet that is like the bushmaster or the X barnes : 4 loose petals and a hard core copper remnant GPA
Sorry, no offense intented with the 416 Rigby.

Thanks Jean, now I understand. Sorry I wasn't able to provide the "Close Air Support mission!" jorge

nyrifleman

You are proposing to choose among premium soft point bullets.
Is it on purpose You didn't mention

FAILSAFE
PARTITION GOLD

is there something wrong with Winchester+Nosler = combined technology?
I tested the failsafe and found it nice : one reproach, little mushrooming but sufficient mass conservation.

Noslers (even Partition Gold) are too soft for buffalo, and give erratic performance, sometimes working great, sometimes overexpanding or disintegrating.

Jean,

As I understand it, the Fail Safes are being discontinued. As for the partition Gold, just ran out of space there is only 5 options max on the survey.

Doug

I was looking at Cabela's Shooting'06 catalog. A-Square ammunition shows a 300 gr. Monolithic Solid and a Dead Tough Soft Point. Does anyone believe they are an improvement over Federal's 300 gr. Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer and Trophy Bonded Bear Claw?

I would recommend Barnes X 300 gn as my first choice. We have shot 7 buff last year with Swift A Frame and Barnes X and I would stay with them any time. Excellent weight retention and construction.

Rhino in South Africa also makes a 380 gn core bonded soft which I used once with excellent results in the 375 on buff. A strong bullet!

My sons and I used .300 gr Trophy Bonded BearClaws in our .375 H&H's. Two were one shot kills, the third was a 2 shot kill. I would use them again.