If the buff is facing you, head up can you take a (low) chest shot to take out the heart?
If the head is down, can you take a spine shot (over the head)?
Seems that from sticks, at a reasonable range, say 80 yards and a scoped rifle, both these would be possible.
Peter.

This ought to be interesting!

I wouldn't put money on many guys being able to spine a buff at 80 yards. I'd wait for it to turn.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
This ought to be interesting!

I wouldn't put money on many guys being able to spine a buff at 80 yards. I'd wait for it to turn.

I brained one at 45 yards off the sticks. Granted, it wasn't 80 yards.

Ain't never had the chance to hunt buffalo, but I figger my first shot would be a solid dead on into the shoulder to try and break the critter down and get it off its feet.

Then a soft point behind the shoulder or another solid between the eyes and just below the boss.

Peter,

When this scenario happens you will have a big hairy chested bloke standing next to you who can advise you better.

Thanks for the quick responses! Let's not focus on the range (80 yards). I just have not heard of anyone spining a buff, so wasn't sure that it was a legitimate shot to take.
Peter.

Head on at that range I wouldn't go for the spine, I'd wait for him to lift his head and go for the chest shot.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
Thanks for the quick responses! Let's not focus on the range (80 yards). I just have not heard of anyone spining a buff, so wasn't sure that it was a legitimate shot to take.
Peter.

Peter,

It is a devastating shot especially if you aim for your bullet to then carry on through the chest. With a heavy soft he will probably go on the floor even if you miss the spine.

I do not shoot many buff but it is common to get in front of them when they are grazing towards you and often this is the only shot option.

Saying that there is nothing wrong with the frontal chest shot either.

From my experience when facing you, any premium bullet from an adequate rifle placed right where the V comes together in the chest will result in a buff on the ground. If that adequate bullet is a Swift A Frame from a 416 the bullets will be found in the wet mass of grass in the stomach.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
If the buff is facing you, head up can you take a (low) chest shot to take out the heart?
If the head is down, can you take a spine shot (over the head)?
Seems that from sticks, at a reasonable range, say 80 yards and a scoped rifle, both these would be possible.
Peter.

Yes & Yes! Neither shot at 80 yards would be terribly difficult. Not only is it possible, but fairly easy as well.

I agree with Aaron. I've killed them face on, but they've always had their heads up. I've killed other animals (not buffalo) face on feeding, with a bullet right over their heads and into the spine. I would think either shot works great, but you better have good control of that bullet, as both shots leave little margin of error.
When their heads are up don't be fooled into shooting too high in the chest, keep it low.
This past season I killed a 46" face on at around 80 yards through the bush with one shot from my 375 H&H, using Barnes X 300 gr. I wouldn't have tried the shot if I was carrying my 470 with open sights.

Peter both are doable. A high head and under the chin will catch the spine also. But your ability to shoot accurately is more important.

Make the Shot,

Mike

Get a copy of Kevin Robertson's "Africa's Most Dangerous." It explains both shots and also how (and when) to hit the brain from the front.

With a frontal shot, the low chest is the best option but be cautious of calibre and bullet. A .375 with anything less than top quality bullet can fail to penetrate and will skid around the outside of ribs.... that might result in a lost buffalo that you still have to pay for. I've seen that happen a fair number of times and usually with 375s and most commonly with TBBC.

A shot under the chin is possible but obviously gives a much smaller target area and unless the animal is lying down, why make the shot harder for yourself than necessary. - Even if the animal is lying down and facing you, you can always wait for him to get up..... when they do that, they rock back and then forwards, up and then (assuming they're relaxed) pause before walking off. Take your (low chest) shot when that momentary pause occurs.

(With the majority of clients) I wouldn't recommend the over the head spine shot except as a last resort in a charge situation when the animal drops his head at the last moment to hook you and that's your only option...... even then, be ready to get the hell to one side very quickly, because even if you do drop him from that shot, his forward momentum means he's going to drop right on top you.

If he has his head out when he's coming for you, the shot in the region of the eyes/nose (depending on angle) can be good but be very sure of your shot if you're going to take that one.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
If the buff is facing you, head up can you take a (low) chest shot to take out the heart?
If the head is down, can you take a spine shot (over the head)?
Seems that from sticks, at a reasonable range, say 80 yards and a scoped rifle, both these would be possible.
Peter.

Yes & Yes! Neither shot at 80 yards would be terribly difficult. Not only is it possible, but fairly easy as well.

Very true.

I have done it many times, and at different ranges.

In the first instance, you are better off breaking his neck.

Buffalo are not indistructable. Just make sure you hit them right.

When hunting Aussie buffalo my favourite shot was a high chest shot as it is on any animal facing me. If you place it properly it takes out the blood vessels at the top of the heart and also shocks the spine and with a solid will most likely penetrate into the spine at the rear.
I don't like heart shots of any sort on animals as this will rarely drop an animal on the spot. In fact most animals pure heart shot will depart at a great rate of knots which I find is very disconcerting.

I shot quite a few buffalo front on with the .404 all with the same result mostly using a solid. The link below shows an example of one such shot where I could only see the upper chest and head above the long grass where this particular buff was found. The video is not so clear as it is digitised off a silent 8mm movie with some sound added, but I think you will see the effect of a solid hit to the upper chest with a 400gr .404.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6103246/m/1601068711

Just to get all's ire and rebukes up....I have very limited experience compared to many of you----only four.
My first trip, I hunt Buff with a Ruger .416Rigby with a scope, I took only solids...sumbeech damn near got to Botswana before we finished him as they were just zinging thru.....guess I shud have ignored "Perfect Shot" and aimed for clavecle instead of heart and lung shooting him three times. The rest were all taken with soft points with a solid in my hand just in case....one was full frontal and the only one that dropped like a rock....I shot above the V and under the chin and we recovered the bullet about two vertabrae up in neck....my longest first shot was around 45 yds and the full frontal was around 35 yds....have at me guys, but my .416Rigby will be loaded with SP!!

I shot a buffalo with head down, through the top of the neck and into the chest cavity. The distance was about 60 yds with my .450/.400. I didn't break the spine (oops), but he fell to the shot, struggled for a few seconds, popped back up and caught a flurry or bullets (me and ph were blazing). He ran 25 yds and fell over. We think first shot only hit one lung after grazing the vertebrae. It probably wasn't the best shot, and could have resulted in a long tracking job. Not sure I will take that shot again with an open sighted double.

I do not shoot many buff...[/QUOTE]

You better get that out of your system cowboy...

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by Tom In Tennessee:
Just to get all's ire and rebukes up....I have very limited experience compared to many of you----only four.
My first trip, I hunt Buff with a Ruger .416Rigby with a scope, I took only solids...sumbeech damn near got to Botswana before we finished him as they were just zinging thru.....guess I shud have ignored "Perfect Shot" and aimed for clavecle instead of heart and lung shooting him three times. The rest were all taken with soft points with a solid in my hand just in case....one was full frontal and the only one that dropped like a rock....I shot above the V and under the chin and we recovered the bullet about two vertabrae up in neck....my longest first shot was around 45 yds and the full frontal was around 35 yds....have at me guys, but my .416Rigby will be loaded with SP!!

There is nothing to have at you Tom, you have found what worked best for you in your 416 (after a bit of a hitch with a first up solid). In the end it does come down to precise bullet placement to get that drop on the spot shot.

As to solids or softs? Remember that the great PH, Harry Selby, almost exclusively used solids in his famous 416 Rigby to take all game when he found the softs of the day not too reliable; he just found that he could shoot from any angle when using solids and obviously was a great exponent of placing his shot properly.

Although I did use some softs on buffalo I was conserving my limited supply of these but having plenty of solids both factory and reloads, my choice for most of the buffalo I shot just happened to be solids.

took my first one at about 40 yards with a frontal shot. he was looking right at us, i was up on the sticks and PH whispered to me that since he can't wind us, he will eventually drop his head and go back to feeding and when he does, shoot him at the base of the neck. did exactly that 5 minutes later and he was DRT. no fuss, no muss, and no dramatics- just a dead buffalo 1 hour into the hunt on the first day in the Selous.

The big guy with the hairy chest next to you will tell you to wait for it to pick up it's head and then you sneak it low into that nice big, clearly visible V in the chest.

I waited 20 minutes this past monday with a bull in the shade facing us the whole time. There is just to much that can go wrong with that "over the head" spine shot. Will NEVER recommend it.

Hope this helps.....in all fairness, when you get round to doing it, you will be with a pro, ask him the first night around the campfire...

Hey Charl,
Aren't you the one, perhaps when just getting started, that used to post on the old NAHC BB?
If so , enjoyed our "chats" !

Check my Video on U Tube :Buffalo Hunt Infinito Safaris" I put a .416 Solid thru the Heart. It had over a 1" hole clean thru the heart. The Buff run over a 100 yards before it died. I don't recommend taking risky shots on DG that aren't required. Just my .02 cents worth.

Peter, Both shots are certainly doable and actually frontal presentations are very common.You just don't have as big a margin for error when they're facing you. I have shot 3 bulls that were facing me with spectacular results....and trailed one for 3 hours that I wounded due to sloppy shooting. We got him and I got a good lesson in the consequences of a "cavalier" attitude late in a trip. Practice hard and then take the best shot you're presented! Have fun!!

The frontal chest shot has worked fine for me on Cape buffalo, but there's not a hell of a lot of margin for error, especially as the range increases.

If you want to spine a buffalo facing you, aim just under the chin. I have done it several times. The spine dips way down as seen from the front, giving you a rectangular target roughly 4"X 8" in size. Even if only the transverse process of a vertibrae is hit, it will drop the animal on it's belly, allowing a finisher.

Geronimo

I relied on what my PH told me. Low center chest shot with head up, 375H&H solid. Worked okay.

Of the 7 buff I have hunted, all have provided me with a frontal shot only. Have prayed for a side shot and it didn't happen. Of the 7, 6 were one shot kills with Cup Point solids or Flat nosed solid. Each of the six were given customary follow up to the chest. The last one blew out the heart and he hit the skids. The bullet was right of midline and he got up. The follow up shots were in the chest and tail section,then down. This one got the customary follow up to heart when down.It only ran twenty yards or so. The frontal shot hurts them plenty.