Best .375 Ruger load for Buffalo?

I am planning on Cape Buffalo in 2012. My PH and I are still negotiating location and so on, but definately Cape Buffalo. I have had and been shooting my Ruger Hawkeye African in .375 Ruger for many months now, and reading about hunting these animals for a long time. I recently read a post here on AH about the Hornady 300gr. softs breaking up and under penetrating on a buff, so now I have questions about what to use and practice with. I do reload, so if you have a load you have used on buff, please let me know. Are any PHs' using this caliber yet? I am very excited, just want to be well informed for the best chance at a clean kill. Thanks guys and gals!

Originally Posted by copperhead

I am planning on Cape Buffalo in 2012. My PH and I are still negotiating location and so on, but definately Cape Buffalo. I have had and been shooting my Ruger Hawkeye African in .375 Ruger for many months now, and reading about hunting these animals for a long time. I recently read a post here on AH about the Hornady 300gr. softs breaking up and under penetrating on a buff, so now I have questions about what to use and practice with. I do reload, so if you have a load you have used on buff, please let me know. Are any PHs' using this caliber yet? I am very excited, just want to be well informed for the best chance at a clean kill. Thanks guys and gals!

Copperhead,
Can not really help you with a load, however when I was in Zim this August there was guy in one of the camps hunting PG and leopard. He was using a 375 Ruger and Hornady DGX ammo. The first animal he shot was a wilderbeast and it took 5 shots to put down. The skinners brought what was left of the projectiles back to him that night and all of them had broken into pieces. This was repeated next day on a zebra. I am not saying that all the Hornady ammo will do this, however it does not instill confidence in their product.

Copperhead, I used the 375 Ruger on a buff in May of this year with the DGX bullet. Got the heart and lungs and he was done with one shot but we could not find the bullet post mortem. I didn't feel good about that. I have been experimenting and will use the 375 Ruger on Brown Bear in May but I will be using 300 Gr North Fork bullets ahead of 81.0 grains of Reloader 17. Gives me 2580 fps. I can get the same results with the Reloader 17 and the 300 gr Barnse TSX. I would recommend either of these over the DGX. Of the two the North Fork's are a fantastic bullet although more expensive than the Barnes. North Fork is at North Fork Technologies Premium Bullets (Bonded and Solids) for reloading.

Good luck with your hunt.