Anticipating that penetration of large bones — that is, pelvis, femur, scapula — is the desired result, how much penetration is needed or wanted for mature cape buffalo hunting?

How to test for, and verify, this penetration prior to a hunt? I ask about testing rather than relying on anecdotal verification.

Since you mentioned pelvis, I can tell you that my .411 400 grain Woodie Solid shot through a Cape Buff pelvis from 25 yards and the buff dropped to the ground.

Exactly the performance desired.

On another buffalo, my .411 North Fork CPS shot through the shoulders, dropping and killing the beast - DRT, from 40 yards.

Exactly the performance desired.

I do my testing with known penetrators and on game.

Here ya go. 304 pages of light reading on the subject.

Enjoy:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/2861098911

Yes, Todd Williams sent you about the best research on terminal bullet performance on Cape buffalo that you will find. ( Those guys built their own bullets and killed hundreds of buffalo in Africa and Australia, over several years of concentrated, prudent research on terminal bullet performance.) The knowledge/information base on bullet penetration on big tough animals had progressed significantly in the last decade. Some experienced hunters and some bullet manufacturers are still playing catch up.
I use Cutting Edge Bullets and NorthFork solids on cape buffalo with completes success now with 375 HH, 50-110 Win and 577NE. I also use Peregrine BushMaster Bullets in my 577NE on buff for "Dead-Right-There" performance.

Neither pelvis, femur nor scapula are prime targets.

But any well-constructed premium bullet driven at spec velocity in a true buffalo caliber will suffice for all purposes.

Personally, I like the biggest and strongest driven the fastest.

quote:

Neither pelvis, femur nor scapula are prime targets.

Perfect shot placement is always preferred.

But things can just happen.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Neither pelvis, femur nor scapula are prime targets.

But any well-constructed premium bullet driven at spec velocity in a true buffalo caliber will suffice for all purposes.

Personally, I like the biggest and strongest driven the fastest.

What Michael said. Placement, broadside if at all possible. And a very quick and accurate follow up shot….

I have shot buffalo from every conceivable angle.

My is always to get the bullet to the center of the chest.

Most of my hunting was done using either Barnes X bullets, or our own Walterhog bullets which I make here on our CNC lathe.

My original design was for complete penetration from any angle.

I have shot buffalo in rear end next to the tail, and found the bullet in the neck on the opposite side.

Since that time I have modified the design - larger diameter hollow point and deeper.

The reason I did this because practically all our buffalo hunting is in herds, and I wanted to minimize pass through.

Last year I shot 11 buffalo.

Several were shot while walking away.

My bullets entered just ahead of the rear leg, going forward.

They normally drop within 50 yards.

This is using a 375 bullet of 300 grains, muzzled velocity is around 2800 fps.

Saeed obviously has far more experience than I will ever have on buffalo. But short of making your own bullets, there are some good ones out there. I've shot buffalo with Nosler Partitions, Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, Woodleighs, and Swift A Frames. Never shot a buffalo with a Barnes because I had one divert seriously on much smaller game. Not a great fan of the Nosler's for buffalo, at least on frontal shots; they're too soft. All of those bullets did their job though, but I like the Swift A Frame the best. They have performed consistently on a variety of large game, buffalo in particular. I share Saeed's concerns about full pass throughs, so don't recommend solids on buffalo. No need with the quality of bullets available today. And watch any hard quartering away shot from the left side. You'll have to penetrate rumen and that's tough. Barely got away with that shot once having a bullet lodge in the heart, not under the skin. But the buffalo died. Quartering away on the right side is fine, but the guys will give you a hard time when you centerpunch the liver and ruin their dinner. My two cents for what it's worth.

Dogcat,

Actually, on buffalo I prefer a quartering to shot to a broadside shot. Best is a hard angle, say 45 degrees. Then you just shoot at the point of the shoulder. A slight quartering to angle is dangerous if you don't recognize it. Last year, I messed up and thought a bull was broadside, but he was quartering to. Hit him too far back and resulted in a follow up.

We tend to overthink the problem for lack of a better word, because there is no problem these days it's a hold over form days gone by..

Use a super premium for effect and internal damage, and use a solid for back up always seems to work, in my case I still subscribe to a flat nose solid from start to finish, at least most of the time..Some with much experience prefer a monolithic hollow point, and its both soft and solid with one and same bullet, it expands scatter parts or petals in all directions and penetrates almost as well as a solid, not a bad idea IMO..

I still like the flat nose solid particularly in a 375 or 9.3..but there are times when a big heavy soft is in order, so I mix them up, the beauty of the double rifle I suppose, first shot is a big soft and the bull turns to exit 99.9% of the time and then you stick a solid up his keyster!! If he gets mixed up or mad and comes your way stick that same solid up the other end between his nose holes..

In todays world and different from days gone by if you wound a bull and he charges you have two or three guns backing you up PH or two and hunting buddies, 4 to 6 of those bullets at once is buffalo discouraging..

To each his own, I like a broadside shot and break both shoulders with a solid, game over..SAme where the neck and shoulder come together, they go down and can't get up..Its a fairly large target in that those spinal extensions short ribs when hit will put the bull down if your a tad off the spine...

I can't recall a case of a lack of penetration with any of todays big bore DG bullets, the makers have done their job well..but you have to do your homework and use the correct bullet for the work at hand and that is the hunters and guides responsibility. I strive for the majority of my shots to get me two holes, Im good with that.

Something Ive noticed with good bullets is those that normally don't give complete penetration are stopped by the offside skin, and almost invariably will show a lump that you can see and/or feel and take your pocket knife and make a one inch slit and find the bullet and its usually a perfectly expanded bullet. I have boxes of them...the other to verify is become a "bullet digger" roll up your sleeves and dive it following the hole until you find said bullet..