Two buffalo, two different occasions, both with a 375 H&H, handloads with a Barnes 300 grain TSX.

I've shot...

3 Buff with combined technology 300 GR. Fail Safe in a .375 H&H.

6 buffs with 500 GR. Barnes TSX in a .458 lott

1 buff with 280 GR. Barnes TSX in a .338 Lapua

Two Buffalo
First 375 H&H trophy bonded bear claws
Second 404J woodliedh soft and solid

One Buffalo
400H&H 370 CEB NC one shot frontal chest

Only two buffalo shot to date; both with 404 Jeffery Barnes 400 grain TSX.

375 H&H, Federal ammunition, Nosler Partition 300 gr.

One. 375 H&H, 300 gr. Northfork soft point. One shot, dead.

Dave

.375 H&H with 300 gr TSX and 300 gr Trophy Bonded Bear claw soft. (2 with the TSX, 1 with the TBBC)

.416 Rigby 400 gr TBBC, 400 gr Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer Solid, 400 gr TSX (1 with the TBBC, 1 with the solid, 8 with the TSX.)

I also finished one with a .470NE 500 gr woodleigh, but that was an insurance shot only (PH's rifle) as he asked if I wanted to try a .470 for feeling the recoil level.

one nice dugga boy Aug. 2013 in the Save w/Barrie Duckworth @ Mokore Camp. Ruger DGS 300 gr. in a rebarrelled BLR. Bullets worked great.

Last two of our Cape Buffalo hunts were done with one of our rifles. .375 H&H loaded with 200gr GSC's.
First of the two, 60yds shot, broke the near shoulder, took out the top of the heart, bullet under the skin at the opposite shoulder, ran 30yds. One insurance shot.
Second bull took three shots with the same combination. Two of the 3 shots were clean pass throughs.All lung heart area.

Some recovered from buffalo A-Frames, both .458 and .375.

A 376 steyr with 300 grain nosler-partitions at 2,403.6 ft/sec using 61 grains(1 1/2 grains off max) of varget. One shot through both lungs; onside lung messed-up bad in particular but still ran a long ways before collapsing.

I have used .375 H&H with 300gr. Partition; .375 H & H with 300gr. TSX; 9.3 X 62 with 286gr. TSX on Buff taken. All down within 50yds.

Larry Sellers
SCI (International)Life Member

5 Buff with .375 A-Frame, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, .450 Rigby 500 CEB BBW #13, and .475 No. 2 480 Woodleigh's.

Dutch

1st 375H&H with 300gr Speer Afican Grand Slam. This bullet (at least 10 years ago) was too soft for buff. It upset and gave poor penetration.
2nd & 3rd 375H&H with Woodliegh 350gr PP followed by solids both ran a short ways where they were finished.

I used a CZ in 450 Dakota, with Aframe 500gr soft point broadside at 165yds.
Old-style Barnes multi-band solids at 15 yds and about that many feet.

The first soft killed him, we just did not want to stand around and watch him die.

Next year it will be a 404J built on a VZ-24.

One with a .375 H&H with a 300 grain Barnes TSX. One shot, ran 30 yards, piled up.

Brett

My first and only, (hopefully not my last) with a 404 Jeffery and factory Hornady ammo in the 400gr DGX.

6 buffalo total
5 with Barnes X originals-all perfectly mushroomed, all one shot kills
1 with a North Fork soft-perfect performance, one shot
Any premium bullet will do with proper shot placement.
Go kill one!!

First 5 were with a375 H&H
Last one was a 416 Rem

510 grain Winchester factory soft point from 458
250 grain Hornady soft point from 338
None were lost but I don't recommend either.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
510 grain Winchester factory soft point from 458
250 grain Hornady soft point from 338
None were lost but I don't recommend either.

Could you give a bit more detail? Not that I'm doubting you, just interested in what happened to the 510s.

7 buffalo - 6 mine, 1 "hers"
1 - 458 WM with 500 grain Hornady soft
4 - 470 Nitro with 500 Woodleigh soft & solid
1 - 375 Weatherby with 300 Swift A-Frame
1 - 375 H&H (my wife) with 300 A-Frame

A-Frame was amazing - 92 & 96% retained weight, both one shot kills that broke a shoulder.

Woodleighs also great bullets.

Dogleg
Maybe my cousins and I are bad shots or buffaloe are tougher than nails, but it seems like they all needed more shots to kill than should have been necessary. I didn't think anything about it till I saw our ph flatten one with a 375 solid after we riddled it with 6 softs from a 458 and a 338. A few buffaloe don't prove anything but I lost confidence in the load.

4 buffalo

1 with .458WM----Barnes 500 gr. solids
1 with .458WM---Hornady 500 grain solids
2 with .416 Rigby---Hornady 400 grain solids

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:
4 buffalo

1 with .458WM----Barnes 500 gr. solids
1 with .458WM---Hornady 500 grain solids
2 with .416 Rigby---Hornady 400 grain solids

Butch- Didn't you headbutt one to death?

Yep but I don't believe it was a bullet selection problem. A testament to a Cape Buffalo's toughness.
If we had waited another 30 minutes to pursue, it might have never happened. However, that is not what I have always done. I pursue immediately and try to put the beast down forever. S--t happens. Going back for Buff in July, can't wait.

I've only taken one Cape Buffalo (Tanzania) and used 350 grain Barnes TSX bullets custom loaded in .375 H&H caliber cases to do it. The buff was hit on the the right shoulder from about 70 yards with my first shot and he went down within 30-35 yards. A couple "insurance rounds" from 10 yards verified he wouldn't get back up. I couldn't be happier with the bullets' performance. All traveled through the shoulder and stopped under the hide on the "off-side" of the animal. Here's a pic:

One buffalo with 470 NE & 500 gr North Fork Solid Shank soft. Shot through both shoulders and exited. About knocked him off his feet. regained himself and ran 20 yards and piled up. Began bellowing immediately. Dead right there!

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
Dogleg
Maybe my cousins and I are bad shots or buffaloe are tougher than nails, but it seems like they all needed more shots to kill than should have been necessary. I didn't think anything about it till I saw our ph flatten one with a 375 solid after we riddled it with 6 softs from a 458 and a 338. A few buffaloe don't prove anything but I lost confidence in the load.

I was just wondering if they were coming apart or something. I had that with DGXs on buffalo, and like you a bad experience was enough to put those on the "never again" list.

With so many good experiences reported with good bullets I'm thinking that the negative reports are more important than the positive.

Great posts and info. Many successful experiences with TSX, A Frames, Woodleigh softs. Was expecting more reports of NF soft, Cps , or CEB 13 Non Con. Some solids but looks like more likely for follow ups. May reflect less experience with hand loading and ease of buying loaded established rounds.

Only have five so far. All with a .416 Rem. Mag. Most were with a 400 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw -- a couple could have been with Nosler Partitions, I just don't remember. None were with Barnes, I'm not a big fan of Barnes bullets. Swift A-frames would be a viable alternative.

Buff #1, 458 Winchester and 500 gr Hornady soft. One shot, bull went about 100 yards.

Buff #2, 375 H&H and 300 grain Hornady solid. Bull only went about 50 yards but needed a follow up shot.

Buff #3, 470 nitro and 500 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaws. 2 shots, bull went about 10 yards and dropped.

Buff #4 (cow), 470 nitro AND 460 weatherby. Mix of 500 grain bearclaws &sledgehammer solids (470); hornady solids & softs(460). Something like 15-18 shots over an hour period (not sure as there were 27 holes in buff). Long story but damn it WAS exciting!

Buff #5, 416 Hoffman and 400 grain bearclaws. 3 shots, Bull went about a hundred yards.

Buff #6, 416 Hoffman and 400 grain bearclaws. 2 shots, Bull went about 20 yards.

Next buffalo will probably be with 416 Hoffman and 400 grain bearclaws. As Jack Carter (late owner of Trophy Bonded Bullets) told me; "That 400 grain bearclaw going 2,500 feet per second is one hell of a killing machine." He was right!


Other than Buff #4, I don't think Mark Sullivan would have enjoyed hunting with me!

Just shot 1, so no big experience, shot it with 375 H&H 300 grs Barnes Tsx in the "vital triangle"
The buff did not complain......dead after about 40 meters of running, I don't ask for anything more

Buf # 1 - 375 H&H with 300 grain Barnes TSX. Shot through heart at 70 yards, ran about 35 to 40 yards & was stone dead. Perfect bullet performance. 99 % weight retention, full mushroom and stopped under skin on far side.

Buf #2 - 450 NE 3 1/4 with Handloaded Woodliegh
480 grain expanding. Shot through heart at 50 yards. Bullet went clean through but caused much damage to heart & lungs.

375HH woodleigh 350 gn Orix ,TSX 300gn
416 Rem TBBC , TSX 400 gn
458 lott woodleigh FMJ 500 gn

.458 510gr hornady sp
.458 500gr Barnes x
.470 500gr. North fork CP solid

Shot my first buffalo this year in RSA with 300 TSX using 375 H&H AI. Distance 140 yd side on. Buf moved off, bellowed twice while we waited, and died about 50 yd away.

450 Dakota - Swift A-Frames & Barnes Solids
470 NE - Swift A-Frames
416 Rem - Swift A-Frame (I think?)

.450 NE, 480 grain Hornady DGX. Knocked down flat on belly, struggled up on wobbly legs, one insurance shot. First shot took out heart and both lungs.