I was wondering if some of you experienced African hunters might shed a little light on the use and appropriateness of the solid versus the soft point or vica versa on big DG like Buffalo. Is it standard to have soft point in the chamber followed by a solid? In other words what is the best use of the two on big DG? What purpose does one serve that the other doesn't? Thanks in advance!

The basic idea is that an expanding soft is better on a heart/shoulder shot while a solid is better for a skull shot in the case of a wounded and charging buff.

This one's gonna cause some debates.

My opinion (FWIW) is as follows:

It all depends on what DG species you're hunting. Cat's need a fast expanding soft point, Buff need a slow expanding soft for the first shot and solids for follow ups and the pachyderms such as Elephant, Rhino & Hippo need a solid........Assuming you're not using a double rifle then the only good solid is a monolithic solid. - I've seen most makes of FMJ solids fail but I've never seen a mono solid fail.

quote:

Originally posted by Spring:
The basic idea is that an expanding soft is better on a heart/shoulder shot while a solid is better for a skull shot in the case of a wounded and charging buff.

and for breaking heavy bones, or for deep penetration required (to reach vitals) in "going away" shot or shots at odd angles, etc...