I have been working with this bullet, the 450 grain Barnes X in my 458 Win Mag and was wondering if there are any with experience who have used this combo on cape buffalo? I am getting an easy (easy extraction, no pressure signs) 2200 fps and they feed beautiflly compared to the 500 gr roundnose (2050 fps). The 450 gr bullet feels like less recoil compared to the 500 gr also.

If this is a good bullet for the buff, should I also consider a matching solid load, or is this one bullet sufficient?

Thanks for your input,
BigBullet

You will be fine with this. I shoot the same bullet from my 458 Lott at 2300 plus and I have never recovered a single one from any animal yet. It's a very accurate bullet with my load using RL-7 powder. I won't change it for the foreseeable future the way it's been working for me. Plus I have 100 rounds loaded for it and I don't plink with them so it will be a few years before I shoot all of those. I have been shooting 450 grain hardcast bullets with the same charge of powder to keep my skills tuned with it. They have a nearly identical POI. I don't hunt with the Lott, it's just my work/carry(backup) rifle.

Nickudu reccomended this to me I used 450 grain xbullets and super solids. i was getting about 2150fps out of mine. Took a buffalo and an elephant. The xbullet did as is should and the solids passed trough.
Dean

JJ, Tonto,

Thanks for your input guys. I will keep shooting them. JJ, If you're not recovering bullets on standard X bullets, do I need to prepare with solids? This load will be strictly for buffalo.

Tonto, sounds like you had very good success on elephant and buff with this combo and a lung shot elephant going 40 yards and dropping sounds like very good penetration, detructive force once inside. Did you recover that bullet?..what did it look like?

BigBullet

Yes I recovered the xbullet from my buff and 2 solids from the elephant I shot a second in her when she was down.
I think Id have few problems on all but a frontal head shot but I personaly wouldnt want to take that shot with anything.
Here is a picture of my recovered bullets its not the best picture but I have to get new batteries for close ups.
Dean

Tonto,

Thank you for posting the pictures of those recovered bullets. It looks like they preformed flawlessly. The one recovered for the buff looks like it should be in a Barnes ad.

BigBullet