This is an idea that returns from time to time, and the words turned up in the 338-06 thread:

quote:

...and if I decide on one more DG hunt, I'll make do with a 30-06 and a 200 gr. Nosler Partition.

This would make a nice separate thread. If limited to a 30-06, how would one approach a buffalo hunt? The quote above sets a reasonable bar.

I think that I would go with a monolithic for extra penetration. A 200gn TSX is available (10"-twist needed). Does anyone have experience with the CuttingEdgeBullet's?

quote:

If limited to a 30-06, how would one approach a buffalo hunt?

Uh, with a spear or an arrow? Make sure the PH has a real gun while you attempt a brain shot between the eyes?

200 gr TSX for me.

For WDM Bell's sake; 220 Hornady steel jacket solids would be just fine for me. That's what I have ready to go today, though the 200 TSX expanding bullet would be better and surely somebody makes a nice FN Solid in .308 and 200+ grains by now.
Dreaming on in the Heartland!

I shot buffalo and scrub bull with 180 grain Accubonds from a .300 RUM, which I'm sure will horrify the hard bullet crowd. Admittedly, it wouldn't be my first choice in a arm-chair bullet selection debate, but the buffalo don't show up for those. 180 grain Hornady Interlocks make fatal holes in bison as well. Who knew?

Hunting with my son several years ago we came up a couple of asiatic bulls while he was carrying a 30-06. This was right around the middle of a little bullet test I was doing that went across 3 years. He had 165 Hornadys in the gun, but 168 TSXs were a magazine change away and we decided to give it ago. After all, I could back him up if need be.

I'm not sure what part of "Change to the TSXs" he didn't understand, but you can guess the rest. Darn kids The cleaned skull is in a crate somewhere, brought down by welfare bullets.

In a just for fun discussion of buffalo bullets in 30 cals I'd vote A-Frame as the "Right" one. Trouble is, the wrong ones can work too.

Solids or maybe monolithics.
Many years ago we had a neighbor who had a dairy herd. He sold off the herd but for some reason kept the Holstein bull. His bull kept breaking through the fence and breeding our beef cows. After years of arguing and lawsuits the bull showed up in the middle of our ranch one day and my dad decided to settle the matter for good. -06 with 180gr c&c (I think they were Sierras) first three shots between the eyes he just stood there and shook his head. Finally on the 4th shot he went down.
I think I would go solids on a buff.

Barnes flat point solid

Woodleigh 240gr; softs and solids. They were made with the 30-06 in mind, as I understand it. The softs have shot well in several 30-06s I've loaded/shot them in. I just never got a chance to use them, ha. I had a good 200gr Partition load that worked swell on a big 300+ pound hog. Hogs are a good bullet test medium for me! If using Monos, I'd stick with a 180 TSX as fast as I could get it to go!

Id use a 200 gr. Nosler partition or Accubond.
The 200 gr Nosler btw will out penetrate the 220 gr. Corelokt or Hornady, and equal the 220 gr. Nosler partition, and does more internal damage than the 220 gr. Nosler...based on live game killed by me and oberservation of other kills. Bison can be damn hard to kill at times.

I suspect the Barnes TTSX would do well on Bison, as would most bonded core bullets.
My last two Bison were killed with a 450-400 and a 30-06 200 gr. Partition, both worked, and both worked on a cape buffalo also..

if one is limited to just one gun one doesn't have the funds to get to Africa to shoot a buffalo.
or to anywhere in north America to shoot a Bison either.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
if one is limited to just one gun one doesn't have the funds to get to Africa to shoot a buffalo.
or to anywhere in north America to shoot a Bison either.

Just imagine a scenario for a moment without shooting it down with dry factoids; you were on a mixed bag hunt and using your 30/06 on Plains Game or Leopard or what have you and a Buff became a target of opportunity...
I'm thinking a 30/06 with 180 grain Barnes TTSX would solve any trouble that needed solving. My thoughts are that it would penetrate deeper than the Partitions or Accubonds of similar or heavier weight.
Just my thoughts, others will have a different view I'm sure.

quote:

I'm thinking a 30/06 with 180 grain Barnes TTSX would solve any trouble that needed solving. My thoughts are that it would penetrate deeper than the Partitions or Accubonds of similar or heavier weight.

I'll need to check the accuracy of the 180gn TSX (no tip) in my grand kids 308. My notes recorded 44gn of Varget putting out 2710fps (not too shabby), but it hasn't been tested for accuracy yet.

My hunting buddy killed a big cow bison in the Henry Mountains with his 308 and 150gr corlokts. That's all he ever uses, on everything!

I'd say the 180gr TTSX would handle plenty of situations if the hunter could hold his water.
it shoots flat enough to make 250 yards pretty easy without any fooling about with charts or looking at drop sheets, and it should have adequate penetration to make the vitals and more on most 4 legged 12-1500[ish] lb type stuff.

beyond 'the middle' [20-24"s] of big tough stuff [shrug] I got no experience and would be guessing.

I was hunting in Deka once, with Roy Vincent. We were looking for a particular sable, so I was carrying my 300 Winchester, with 180 grain Partitions. We bumped into 4 big buffalo bulls and ended up in a standoff, facing each other at 25 yards. Finally, they broke and ran into the bush. We took off after them as a couple were really good bulls. We never got a shot opportunity but if I had, I’d have shot that buffalo with a 180 Partition, as it was my only rifle on hand at the time. I’m confident it’d have done OK if I put the bullet where it was supposed to go.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Knight:
My hunting buddy killed a big cow bison in the Henry Mountains with his 308 and 150gr corlokts. That's all he ever uses, on everything!

Those stories bring out the other side, too.
I've had one acquaintance that hunted everything with a 270Win, and he said that buffalo dropped just like any other animal. (He didn't say if any or how many buffalo were lost.) Another acquaintance helped evacuate someone hurt while hunting buffalo with a 30-06. I suppose that it is the frequency of such stories that led to minimum caliber laws.

My situation was in the Selous and this bull was in some really thick stuff,apparantly had our locations and was standing very still, all we could see was a 3" hole in the bush that showed his shoulder. the range was about 100 yards. I had my 404 and Barry had my 30-06 with a scope..He said use the 30-06 and shoot thru that hole. I did and it double lunged the bull close to his heart..The bull took leaving an awesome blood trail in the high thick grass, so much so that my pants were wet with blood as I followed his blood trail. He stopped at about 150 yards. I was behind Barry about 100 yards with my 404, and the bull came out of the high grass at a run going away at an angle about 150 yards give or take, My shot rolled him in a summersalt and he was down for the count..Turns out Barrys brother got the whole thing on film..Its a great film.. But as one can see, the 30-06 isn't the best of buffalo calibers but It'll do in a pinch..I would not want to face a Buffalo charge with one..Its my all time favorite caliber but it has its limitations. That bull had a lot of life left in him for the amount of damage that Nosler partition did..He also had enough life to get to us if he had been aggressive..

I'll play this game and have a couple of times but IMO no 30 caliber is a Cape Buffalo gun..Buff guns start with the 9.3x62 as minimum IMO and go up from there, all else is folley.

BTW I had a very similar experience with a .338 Win loaded with solids with like results sometime later..lesson learned never hunt Cape Buffalo undergunned which I have done on several occasions..Cape Buffalo guns begin with the 9.3x62 and 375 H&H and the 416 and 404 are oh so much better..Id say the same for Bison, that seldom charge but they can and will on very rare occasion and are hell to stop..They can also put a lot of miles between the hunter and themselves on occasion when wounded..and sometimes just stand there and take their own sweet time to die. Bison are totally unpredictable..