.416 Rigby, 410gr Woodleigh soft at 2300 fps.

We tracked the old boy for ONE KILOMETER after the shot. Caught up with him as he was lying down behind a tree, he still stood up when he saw us.

Be careful out there, folks...

Buffalo1

One can never predict what might happen - unless the CNS is hit!

Bloody amazing ha?!

That's a buffalo for you!! Wonderful creatures!

And who was that famous writer who said shoot them in the hear as they charge, and step away as they pass by

For a number of years now, if we are close enough and the opportunity allows, I always try to shoot them in the head.

Never failed to drop them in their tracks!

Amazing animals for toughness! I shot one through the heart and never stopped for 150 yds and then he was waitng to charge us...had circled back on his track and was behind us. Kevin, would appreciate your thoughts on brain shots. How big is the brain, where to aim either head up or down, what about side shot and the horns? Have you ever used the shot angled diagonally from behind like for elephants? I ask because I was asked once by my PH to shoot a sleeping buffalo we snuck up on in the brain at about 15 yds. I ve not seen much in books about using the shot except for a charge (Nyati, Manners, Nyschens etc and of course your book Africa s most dangerous).

This one took a 400 grain A-Frame from a .416
Rem Mag. Went about 60 meters and dropped.

Now I see why a lung shot should never be taken and even the heart is not a sure thing at times !

The Texas heart shot doesn't work any better.

quote:

Originally posted by larrys01:
This one took a 400 grain A-Frame from a .416
Rem Mag. Went about 60 meters and dropped.

That is fairly standard. I have seen a couple of buff drop to the heart shot but the norm is for them to run off and die.

In 2004 I popped a bull twice through the lungs, one X bullet one solid with a .470NE at about 80 to 100 yards. He ran off into the thick brush after the shots. We gave him a good 20 to 30 minutes to die. He went about 800 meters and was well enough to get up and fight when we got to him. The shots were picture perfect, the buffalo was unimpressed.

The last one that I killed was hit in almost the identical same spot with a 300 gr .375 TSX. he went about 20 feet and flopped over dead. Just goes to show you critters respond differently to being shot.

"That is fairly standard. I have seen a couple of buff drop to the heart shot but the norm is for them to run off and die."

Agreed, but to run with this large damaging heart shot for a kilometer and then stand-up. I find this hard to believe.

Could this heart wound you're showing be from your second round of finishing shot or shots?

40yrd Buff with a 400H&H 400gr CEB Raptor 2480fps. Went 70yrds

The hole left by a .411 bullet through the heart of my first buff looked more like that of fairgame. It just kicked a hind leg and began to walk into the brush,so I shot a solid through the pelvis to take it down and avoid trailing it. The darn thing still crawled 20 yards using its front legs before it expired!
Tough critters!

Amazing what a buffalo can absorb. That's incredible, Philip.

My last bull took a good heart shot that clearly rocked him. He almost went down, but recovered and ran. Due to the high river banks, he gave me a very slightly quartering away shot, running. I intended to shoot him in the neck, but thought I swung through him a bit too far. The 400 grain soft entered right at the back base of the boss and he went down DID. Turned out he had two muzzleloader bullets in him too(that we found). Old wounds. Tough old boy.

My only brain shot on buff. Effective, but not intentional and not sure I'm ready to go to brain shots for a first shot.

Truth is, no two animals are alike.

And that goes for all species, not just buffalo.

I have seen hundreds of animals being shot, many exhibit extraordinary feats of refusing to die.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
And who was that famous writer who said shoot them in the hear as they charge, and step away as they pass by

For a number of years now, if we are close enough and the opportunity allows, I always try to shoot them in the head.

Never failed to drop them in their tracks!

For a broadside head shot what is your aiming point Saeed?

I understand most shots will be a frontal brain shot.

It really all depends on what one can see, regardless of angle.

If close enough, and a brain shot is available, I take it.

Failing that, a neck or spine shot works just as well.

I know some PHs don't like their clients trying a brain shot on any animal.

But the PHs I hunt with leave it to me to decide.

A great advantage to hunt with people who know each other very well.

That is precisely why I have settled on 570 grain .510 caliber TSX bullets at 2,500 fps at the muzzle, and aimed to split everything right through the top of the boiler room.

Never underestimate a Cape buffalo.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
It really all depends on what one can see, regardless of angle.

If close enough, and a brain shot is available, I take it.

Failing that, a neck or spine shot works just as well.

I know some PHs don't like their clients trying a brain shot on any animal.

But the PHs I hunt with leave it to me to decide.

A great advantage to hunt with people who know each other very well.

Exactly

Chaps just be aware the heart is not located in the head of a buffalo.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
"That is fairly standard. I have seen a couple of buff drop to the heart shot but the norm is for them to run off and die."

Agreed, but to run with this large damaging heart shot for a kilometer and then stand-up. I find this hard to believe.

Could this heart wound you're showing be from your second round of finishing shot or shots?

Thought of that when we first saw the hole. But the only soft bullet used was the first one, finishing were Woodleigh RN solids, and the hole matches with the first round's entry and trajectory.

When we caught up with him he stood up, but was too sick to move.

Last buffalo I shot was from about 10 feet away, laying on bank of Chobe river, straight into chest/heart, as the herd was coming to the river to cross into Bots. Herd ran up the hill away from river, about 250 yards, made right hand turn. This buff stopped there, swayed, did the swirling stagger, and went down.

No doubt, this buff could have made real trouble, if he had headed down the bank towards us, instead of up the hill away from us. With the gift of 20/20 hindsight, I would have raised point of aim a little and spine shot him from the front.

I did previously spine shoot a buff with a second shot, first was right in the heart, added the follow up as soon as he touched down ( double rifle ), and he was DRT. Both shots were broad side, not thinking I would plan a broadside spine shot, not good percentage shot, just happened to be where the buff was when the bullet arrived.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Chaps just be aware the heart is not located in the head of a buffalo.

Have seen many go down with 1 shot-
Have also seen them absorb 17 rds of 4000+ FTLBS

It seems to me the "awareness" factor (i.e. : adrenalin) plays a huge role in the Buffs susceptibility to bullets-

Catch them unaware- heart /lung/high shoulder and they appear to crumple in place-

Get them agitated-- i.e.: lung, shoulder, heart , gut , no spine --etc--


and brother-- "IT'S ON"

I have never been a big fan of the heart shot for dangerous game, unless you can break a shoulder or two in the process.

Most animals can live for a minute or so after a heart shot, certainly long enough to sort you out if dealing with a buff or lion at close range.

BH63

I don't have Saeed's experience, but his comments follow my experience exactly.

Each buffalo is a rule unto himself.

Plenty of heart shots run a fair ways, some drop to the shot, and some seem to go forever. I have been lucky enough not to have any charges, knock on wood, but generally a good first hit and they go down pretty quickly, if not instantly. A bad first shot and you have a real mess.

The late Greg Rodriguez (RIP) was with me and PH Rodie Tourle when I thumped a big old bull right in the top of the ticker shredding it. The shot also smashed his leg bone and part of his shoulder. I was shooting a 416 Rem w/ 400 grn Swift A frame Rem loads & Federal Sledgehammer solids. He went a 100 yards and I still had to shoot him 5 more times with solids to convince him he was dead....

quote:

And that goes for all species, not just buffalo.

It is good to see comments from folks that have had enough actual experience on shooting animals, that can testify that critters, regardless of species, don't read how they are supposed to react when being shot.

I have had several drop dead in their tracks and several take one hell of a pounding before death.

I shot a buffalo (for bait) at very close range that did not know we were there. After shooting it through the shoulders, it slung its head back and collapsed like a brain shot elephant. There was one short death bellow on her way down and it was over. The 500 grain North Fork cup point went through the top of her heart.

I remember reading that if a bullet hits at just the right time in the heart beat it could cause rupture blood vessels in the brain or something to that affect. Not sure if that is what happened but it surely seemed that way.

I shot a buff in RSA that was broadside at about 35 yds. Using the 400 gr Swift A-frame bullet (2400 fps as loaded by Remington), I hit him 1/3 up the body. The bullet went through both shoulders, stopping underneath the skin on the far side of the animal, and blowing through the heart. (Retained bullet weight was about 83% per the PH).

The buff bolted and ran about 40 yds before letting loose his death bawl. Can't ask for much better performance than that with a heart shot buffalo IMO.

Like PHC used to say "With buffalo, you just never know."

BH63

Double heart shot, one frontal and one broadside.

We had a client shoot this buffalo in the heart last year with a .375 H&H. The buffalo ran around 100 yards after the shot. If you watch the video, you can catch a glimpse of the bullet fly through the air in slow motion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T86bQplq1hw

Nice heart shots!

Pound for pound, still believe aoudad are tougher. Pulverized one's heart one time with a 260 gr sp from a 375 H&H, ran 100 yards before dropping. Every single drop of blood in the animal was along the 100 yard trail.

From my first buffalo hunt report.......

As we left we saw a herd of about 25 buffalo in the riverbed about a mile away. We walked quickly down a trail parallel with the river until we were about even with the herd. We stalked in a little ways and then Phillip said that it was time to bum crawl. This maneuver which now seemed routine, got us across about 40 yards of thin cover as we watched the herd milling around. There was a thick bush that we had managed to keep between us and the herd as concealment but it was too thick to take a shot through. With the herd now only about 17 yards away and darkness coming quickly we had to make a move. I could clearly see the bull which had bedded in the sand surrounded by both bedded and standing cows. We decided that we would just get up quickly and take about two steps to clear the bush. If a clear shot was presented I would take it, if not, we would try again tomorrow. My hands were sore from the stickers covering the ground and I was ready to get back on my feet. As we started to move I had a large piece of “wait a bit” brush go up my sleeve and hook both the fabric and my flesh. It took a moment to quietly disentangle and then we went.
When they saw us move, the herd spooked and ran about 30 yards. I was already tracking the bull in the compact 2X Leupold scope of my .416 Ruger Alaskan rifle. The bull spun to face me and there were no cows close to him. I centered the scope low on his chest and touched off the 400 grain Hornady factory DGX soft point. As the rifle recoiled I was already working the bolt and getting back onto the scope. I saw that the bull had spun and was slightly quartering away as he began to run. I put the crosshair on his right rear hip and fired a 400 grain DGS solid into him. I again cycled the bolt and as I came back onto the bull I saw him break from the herd and go down in the sand. Phillip and I ran out towards him, I was topping off my magazine as I ran. The bull was laboring for breath as we approached so I quickly fired two solids through his front shoulders and he became still.
I was in absolute amazement at how quickly this had all just happened. As we spoke, Phillip said that he knew the bull was hit hard when it fell to its knees at the first shot. He said that he also heard the second shot hit solidly. I told him that I never saw the bull go down but that I had been confident that both the first and second shots had been good.


The first round was a solid heart shot yet he kept right on going!

I've never had a buffalo drop to the shot that wasn't spined or brained. And, I've never intentionally taken a spine or brain shot as a first shot. I've taken both as second (or third, fourth, etc.) shots.

quote:

Originally posted by JCS271:
I centered the scope low on his chest and touched off the 400 grain Hornady factory DGX soft point. Ah!

JCS, is this hole from the DGX?

If yes, when you recovered the bullet, was the whole front part of the bullet gone, with only a solid shank lef?

Thanks.

I never got that bullet back so not sure what condition it was in. Sorry.