A friend and I are planning a trip to Africa for 2008. I'm primarily after leopard and sable. He's only interested in cape buff.

He has a tweaked CZ in .416 Rem Mag. He's considering the North Fork bullets. To simply his safari, he thinks the cup-point solids will be all he needs.

Although both of us have hunted Africa, neither of us has gone after the DG. From what I have read, the first shot is typically a soft with solids to follow. A couple PH's we've corresponded with say all that's really needed is a premium soft.

What's the verdict on the NF cup point as the only load for DG and the larger PG's??

Appreciate the assistance.

The NF cup will work perfectly for the larger PG. On a broadside kudu, it may not open a lot but the wound channel will nonetheless be good due to the nature of the bullet. For eland, giraffe, buff it will be the perfect bullet.

This business about the first shot on a buff being a soft and the rest being solids is purely optional and is primarily perpetuated by guys who spend their time lurking on the internet.

Recovered NF cups:

I bet it would work just fine. My first buffalo was shot using all .375 TB sledgehammers (blunt nose solids). I had borrowed the PH's rifle, after my M70 .416 bolt came apart, and thats all he shoots. On the other hand, I'd find out what the PH advised and how strongly he insisted. Most seem to like a soft first, and the NF .416 soft works great too. Why pick a "fight" right off the bat with the PH if he has strong feelings, and either approach will work? When all is said and done, and if using any number of good bullets, its shot placement rather than miunte nuances of the respective bullets that counts.

I took a nice buff in Zim this past Sept with my 470 double loaded only with the 500 gr NF cups. To say that it worked is an understatement. Due to a nasty snare wound, the buff charged from about 35 yds. The first shot was as he attemted to spin...it traversed about 4 feet of buff and exited. The next shot hit him almost perfectly center chest. The next (after reload) hit him in the chest and stopped him cold...the 4th again in the chest as he went down. The 3 recovered bullets were found within a few inches of each other after going thru 4-5 feet of buff. Trust me...they work....and are all your friend needs.

Best of luck to you and your friend.

Gary

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like the cup-points keeps it simple.... one load.

Great bullet for sure, but make sure there isn't another animal standing behind the one you are shooting at. They definitely penetrate well, so aren't necessarily the best bullet for a first shot in a herd situation.

Cheers,
Canuck

Iron Buffalo scale tests for penetration with bullets of same caliber, weight and velocity:

North Fork Soft Point: 5
North Fork Cup Point: 8
North Fork Flat Point: 10

(.423-cal/380-grain/2500-fps)

If you shoot a buff in a herd with another behind it, you will be paying for two buff with one shot.

That's the reason given (from all that I have read on the subject) for utilizing a soft and then solids for follow up.

The best solution to the herd problem is to hunt mature dagga boys that are not in herds as they are old and have been pushed out by the younger breeding bulls. Then you can leave the soft points at home with confidence.

In a herd of buffalo it would make sense to use a North Fork Soft Point for the first shot, followed by Cup points. The Flat Point solids are for elephant.

Four one shot kills on cape buffalo with North Fork CPS and two one shot kills with GS custom FN's.I think that the CPS would be fine in a herd as they open up quite a bit on hitting hard bone which is what should be done on these big guys. I think the soft points are fine but not necessary for the first shot. I like the fact that the CPS and FNS shoot into the same group with all of my big guns. I also like the fact that the point of impact doesn't change enough to matter the way it often can when trying to regulate a big soft and solid combination.

quote:

The best solution to the herd problem is to hunt mature dagga boys that are not in herds as they are old and have been pushed out by the younger breeding bulls. Then you can leave the soft points at home with confidence.

This way one works in tandem with mother nature and at the same time you will get a better throphy with more character. Picking a bull amongst the cows or moving heard can be awkward anyway. Good advice Dan.

Chris