I was just looking at Saeed's photo of walterhog bullets. I've seen photos of other bullets as well.

I have several hundred old Hornady .375 300 grain steel lined solids. I've heard about speers tungston solids, and many more as well. Here's my impression....a solid is a solid is a solid!!

As long as it don't expand or deform what difference is there?

I'm thinking when I go back for that cape buffalo my .375 will have the first bullet fed to the chamber a 300 grain Swift A-Frame or Barnes-X, the rest to be solids.

You guys that have been there and done that, please advise!!

vapodog,

I use the Swift A-Frames for buff, too. Backed up by solids (I happen to use the Hornady 300gr FMJ too), it's a good way to go.

George

vapodog,

I'm no expert, but I'm with you. A solid is a solid is a solid.

With a .375 I would use solids for the follow up shots. With a .416 or bigger, I don't think you really need solids on buffalo.

Regards,

Terry

Fellas I was looking at the new 350 gr bullets for next trip to Africa for the 375...They have a very high ballistic co and sectional density...I am looking at them real hard...as Buff ammo..

Mike

Freedon is not Free

Vapodog,

Some commentary on solid bullets follows:

All solids are not created equal;

Shape matters in the solid;

Material matters in the solid; and

The meplat does the damage.

The reason for solids is to get lots of straight-line penetration with a bullet that has enough cross-sectional area to matter. The shape of the solid affects the amount of tissue damage it can do, as well as the amount of penetration. The material is what keeps the solid the same shape, if it deforms it will go off-course and do something wierd. The GS FN monmmetal solid has a flat meplat, and it has built a good reputation as a killer. Round-nose solids don't damage as much tissue as the flat nose designs. Norbert's SuperPenetrator being the ne plus ultra of that design philosophy. (You can see the other threads on his bullets with the search function.) Round nose, jacketed solids with too-thin jackets can deform pretty easily. Solids without base sealing provision in the design can also squirt the core.

I have used the .375 H&H Swift 300 grain A-Frame soft point on Cape buff, and they work. The Speer African Grand Slam tungsten-core solid has everything, perhaps next time I will have a chance to use it.

jim dodd

Jim has it right, IMO. Flat nosed solids are a good deal more reliable, especially the mono metal ones. The Trophy Bonded Sledge Hammer was the first of these and still a good one, the Speer is a virtual copy except for it's tungsten core. The old Hornadys are okay, as long as they won't bend, rivet or squirt the core!

Trophy bonded sledgehammers are they still being produced???? or who sells them retail??

Mike

Freedom is not Free

A solid is most definately not always a solid!

Too many come appart on hard bone or tusk bases on elephant. The old German (RWS) .404 and 9,3 solids were terrible. They all tore open and performed like a premium soft on buff and were dismal on elephants. I used the TUG soft points in prefference on the buffalo culls in Zimbabwe in the mid 80's

Even many of the modern solids are velocity dependant. Too much velocity and they begin to go wrong. Speer AGS solids in .375 H&H are prone to come appart on elephant at close range. Unfortunately the seperation of the jacket and tungsten core causes the core to tumble and penetration is poor. in .458 Win they are the best you can get. Woodleigh solids are fantastic upto velocities of arround 2500fps. Above that they begin to bend and do other funny things.

Even the monometal solids are not immune. The barnes super solids mushroom like a good soft on an elephants leg at velocities above 2400fps. Others such as PMP mushroom much sooner. PMP brass monometal bullets begin to deform significantly at velocities above 2100fps - Even in .375. Worse are the brass bullets that are too hard, and bits break off the back causeing them to tumble. Zim parks had some thousands of brass bullets turned up out of commercial brass in the early 90's when we ran out of A square ammo. They almost all broke the back edges off on hitting hard bone.

You don't need a solid for buff. Barnes X Winchester fail safe, woodleigh etc are great. Solids are only needed with a marginal round like a .338 Win or 9,3 in stopping a charge and in low velocity numbers like the .458 win for raking shots on departing buff.

Ganyana,

Thanks for the expereince with the .375"/300 grain Speer AGS tungsten solid in the .375 H&H up close. I am thinking of using them in my .376 Steyr, and velocity should not be a problem from that rifle/cartridge combination. I still have some GS FN solids I "need" to try too.

jim