Brain or heart shot? I'm a newbie here and after i win the free trip i need to learn shot placement on these beasts.If he faces me i shoot below the chin 6".On a broadside shot put it just behind the front shoulder.Any other tips?

The shot into the chest right on the crease where the neck joins the body is a very high percentage shot as any shot that is too high to miss the heart will hit the spine.

On a pure broadside shot I think you are better off putting the shot into the shoulder rather than behind it ....about 1/3 of the way up is the conventional wisdom.

Get a copy of Kevin Robertson's "Perfect Shot" for shot placement and the reasons for all of Africa's animals + great discussion on ballistics and anatomy.

That picture you posted has some problems with the shot placement. That brain shot may be a bit high. Look at how high he is holding his head. You don't want to shoot over the brain. Better to be on the low side, as you will catch the neck (spine) if you miss the brain. Too high and you miss everything.

"On a broadside shot put it just behind the front shoulder." No, that is not correct, that is too far back. You'll definitely miss the heart and probably the lungs.

As DB Bill, says get Robertson's book.

Regards,

Terry

It's amazing what black magic this shot placement stuff generates.

The pictured brain shot is a bit too high and the center of the pictured chest shot appears to be a bit too low.

Go shoot some buff and then you'll know.

Have I surpassed 3000 posts yet?

I'm hoping i get a chance to go shoot a buffalo!I guess i'm dreaming of going!

When the shit hits the fan, you aren't going to have time to look for a spot on the outside of the buffalo. What you need to do is imagine (and be damn quick about it) where the heart or brain is located on the inside of the buffalo. I don't know how to explain this, but you need to visualize the bullet passing through the heart or brain, not looking for a specific spot on his head or shoulder. You need to visual a 3-D view of the buffalo. How often are you presented with a perfect head-on shot or a perfect broadside shot?

When he is standing broadside, don't look for his closest shoulder. Look for his opposite shoulder. That will tell you where the heart is located. Don't shoot him in the shoulder - shoot him in the heart.

When he is head-on, don't put it between his eyes, notice whether his head is held high or low. Don't shoot him between the eyes - shoot him in the brain.

Regards,

Terry

To me the best frontal shot would be just below the chin, I wouldn't go for the brain unless he's on the move, in your direction!

The photo's you posted don't seem to be quite in the right spots, the brain shot isn't bad but the heart shot is to low. you should take a look in "The Perfect Shot" good placements on a front shot

Look, when you are about to pull the trigger you are going to be sucking for air, with sweat dripping into your eyes and mopane flies buzzing around your head (or a myriad of other equally distracting scenarios). What you need to do is get off a well placed first shot and then empty your magazine into him, without taking your rifle from your shoulder. One shot kills mean nothing to me. Hammer the SOB, reload and go get him. There is nothing romantic about killing a buffalo. You need to be angry at the buffalo when you shoot him.

Later, you will have plenty of time to romanticize the experience around the campfire and when you return home.

Screw it up and you will spend three days in the thick jesse looking for a wounded buffalo, with the lives of two trackers and a PH at risk.

Regards,

Terry

quote:

To me the best frontal shot would be just below the chin

I absolutely agree. This shot is only taken when a buff is looking and facing directly at you, as in the photo. You have a target(the spine) which presents as a rectangle roughly six inches wide by eight inches tall. I've shot three buff(one coming toward me) with this shot. It is as if the buff fell in a hole, because when the gun comes out of recoil the animal is gone as in flat on his belly. Much larger target than the brain and if you shoot a little low you'll clip the top of the heart or the great vessels.

I also agree heartily with the above concept of looking "through" the animal. I am fortunate as a surgeon in that, those of us who ply this trade, do this on a daily basis. We always place the incision in such a way to gain exposure of the desired organ system by the least encumbered route. It is a learned skill and anyone can master it.

Geronimo