I'm hunting Water buffalo in July in Oz.I'll be shooting with my Sako 375H&H Woodleigh 300gr softs and 300gr Hornady FMJ.
I will use new brass for the trip,weigh each loaded round,chamber all rounds before i pack them and sight my rifle in for these loads before i leave.
Is there anything else i should do when reloading for DG
Thanks James

Ahh NZ, I loved my last visit there hunting Tahr, beautiful country & great people. I need to go back sooner than later.
It sounds like you have your ammo covered pretty well. I would make sure you fill the magazine & practice a bit w/ a full mag. I found that my .404jeffery skipped a beat w/ the 2nd rd down w/ certain bullet types. You say water buff. so I assume you are headed for Aussi? Have a great time & report back about your trip.

why arnt you using woodleigh solids as well... why use hornadys wich are crap imho compared to a priemium solid like wooliegh

like i seen befor on this site......hunts are expensive bullets are cheap buy the best you get what you pay for.

Run every round through the magazine-chamber cycle to make sure you have no feeding hang-ups.

George

And crimp of course....jorge

Make sure the load you pick is not only accurate and comfortable to shoot in your rifle but that it also functions flawlessly. I mean cycles (feeds) perfectly and extracts easily with no sticky bolt or any chance a problem.
One of the george's also said to cycle all of your rounds through your gun to make sure there isn't even one that will give you a hiccup in the heat of the hunt. Someone else said to make sure you practice with a full magazine, this is important! loading them one at a time while practicing is okay but try loading the magazine full and shooting them as if it were a hunting situation and your big wounded bull were getting away. Also do this and stop before you get to the last one in the mag and pull it out and carefully examine it to see if it is horribly deformed from recoil or possibly the crimp is failing from the recoil and the bullet is moving in or out of the case under recoil.
I've never hunted DG but these are the things I do for all of my hunting loads, you must look at everything that can go wrong and head it off so you have 100% confidence in all of your equipment, with absolute confidence in your equipment and then abilities you won't have any nagging questions when you are about to drop the hammer.

Do rapid fire drills with your favorite ammo. A nice big target at 15 meters for instance and see how fast you can get three shots into a pie plate sized area. You'll probably find out that a scope is not as good as good iron sights and you'll find out if you pick up your iron sights quickly or not. If you've got access to a chrony, time it. I learned wonders about myself, my rifle and my ammunition when I tried these drills.

If you haven't been to the Northern Territory before you might find the high temperatures a problem, which can be quite tiring. Your guide will be fully occupied with the game and your good self. My recommendation is that you take a gun bearer with you. Quite by coincidence I'll be free in July, we could meet up in Tauranga and go through some handover drill. I'm ready!

In the event of your turning down my more than generous offer then consider the following.
I assume you'll be using ADI powder with it's claimed none temperature sensitivity, none the less, you might find it useful to check the rifle for point of aim once you get to Oz. Take a few extra rounds of softs and solids for this exercise.
Good luck, I look forward to shaking your hand when you bring down your first Buff.

ps
Where did you get your Woodleighs from, was it Deadeyed Dicks?

Oldun what a kind offer This is my first trip after buff but will not be my last.
Where do you live?? North island??
I'm getting Woodleighs from Mark Bridgeman in Taupo.
Hornady solids can't be that bad can they?? I may look in woodleigh solids too.
Thanks for the advice guys i will post a report when i get back.

wooliegh solids are far more stout and can take one hell of a pounding where as the hornady solids are much "softer"

trust me on this one use the woodleigh solids or barns mono solids and you be very happy with a trophy of a liftime on your wall.

Make sure you have at least .030 bullet jump to the lands and CRIMP! The last thing you need is to load and extract a round and have the bullet jam in the lands and dump your powder into the action.-Rob

Top,
I live in that far distant place, Te Puke.

James,

Primer, powder then bullet, in that order.

James

I know you are an experienced hunter and shooter. You will have no problems as you have everything well in hand from the sounds of it.

Shoot some rounds in actual field practice.

No doubt you will get to within or far less than 80 metres of the water buffalo and it's killing zone in the chest is a big target.

Have fun (which you will) and get a big one if you can!

Using new brass and checking each round to ensure that it feeds chambers is a good idea, but I'd also use a fresh packet of quality primers, select one of the newer temperature stable powders loaded to a sensible limit (factory) and make sure that you crimp all the bullets in place. Once you start shooting, loose banged up bullets will offer you the most potential for a feeding problem. If you think that you might be spending some time in a wet environment, I'd also use some of the primer sealer to help keep moisture out.

It sounds like you have a great hunt coming up!

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Run every round through the magazine-chamber cycle to make sure you have no feeding hang-ups.

George

If not, practice climbing trees, for when that sako fails to feed!