Best gun for hunting Cape buffalo?

browningbbr said:

I could not choose for my buff hunt in 2013, so I took my 375 H&H and my 416 Rigby. Always good to have a spare gun...

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+1

i would strongly recommend having two guns. things happen... scopes can break or lose zero, scope rings can break, and ammunition can get ruined or lost. having one or both rifles set up to use iron sights is also a good plan.

a good combo in my opinion would be one medium bore and one large bore. example: 375 H&H and a 458 Lott. this way both rifles are legal for DG in the event your large bore gun has trouble. both the 375 and 416 are perfectly capable of taking PG if loaded with lighter bullets.

-matt

Witold Krzyżanowski said:

Welcome to AH Dragan.
I recommend Mauser M98 in 404Jeffery.
Good luck.
Witold

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Gotta go with Witold on this one. 404 all the way. I have a 375 H&H, 404 Jeffery, 416 & 450 Rigby. I like them all but for a classic round it's gotta be the 404!
375 H&H does have less recoil. I just feel more comfortable with a bigger bullet. Of the 40 cals and above the 404 is more manageable in my opinion.

Obviously the 37t H&H is the do anything and everything caliber, especially in Africa.

So @Dragan miloševič you should first tell us more about yourself. Are you thinking cheap but capable Savage in a 375 Ruger or a top of the line $200,000 plus custom double?

I do love my M70 375 H&H and would not hesitate to shoot a buffalo with it if that was the gun in my hands when the opportunity presented itself. And a perfect shot to the heart on the full of blood pumping under pressure beat, the herat might explode and drop the critter in his tracks... However buffalo regularly take one whale of a lot of killing! So if you can shoot it well, bigger is better... but get penetration!

See below, middle is fine example of a 300 grain H&H leaving the barrel at about 2550 fps and to the right is a 525 Grain 505 Gibbs leaving at 2300 fps. Bigger is better if placed in the same spot.

the 404 Jeff is an absolutely wonderful caliber , just remember that they are not as easy to come by as the 375's or the 416's , and will definitely be more expensive as well.

the nice thing about the 404 Jeff is that it recoils less than the 416 , and is a fantastic cartridge to shoot.

without knowing more about the OP's position the question is extremely difficult to give a straight forward answer.

I will finish off by saying that all the info thus far given is correct .

375 or any of the 416's and if you are lucky enough a 404 Jeff .

I think the same as bassasdaindia.
Witold

CAustin said:

Dragon you are about to open a big can of worms here but that's ok! You must have a minimum 375 caliber. That being said how much money do you want to spend. Are you going after all the big five or just the Cape buffalo ?

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I plan on going for just a Cape buffalo. If I have the money to spare, maybe even a crocodile.

Dragan miloševič said:

hello, I'm new here. I plan on going on a Cape buffalo hunt in the next couple of years. I was wondering which firearms companies make the best big bore bolt action rifles. Also, what caliber would you recommend for dangerous game in Africa? Thank you!

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Dragan milosevic , I think the first step will be to tell us what rifle you have shot before/own at this moment? What was the largest animal you have shot and with what caliber?
Then I think you need to consider what you will be able to handle and learn to shoot the largest caliber you can handle to shoot accurately...

Remember...you have to shoot the buffalo yourself with a rifle that fits you and gives you confidence..shot-placement is the ultimate key here not the caliber rifle..

Like the members pointed out...you only need a .375 caliber that you can shoot very accurate and with confidence..you have a PH with the back up caliber that normally is a .458 Win Mag/Lott or a .500 Jeffery...

Take the larges caliber with the minimum recoil you can handle under stress fire ....practice to shoot is well , study shot placement..learn to shoot it fast and accurate ..then you will realize "what caliber" is not that important.

Gert Odendaal said:

Dragan milosevic , I think the first step will be to tell us what rifle you have shot before/own at this moment? What was the largest animal you have shot and with what caliber?
Then I think you need to consider what you will be able to handle and learn to shoot the largest caliber you can handle to shoot accurately...

Remember...you have to shoot the buffalo yourself with a rifle that fits you and gives you confidence..shot-placement is the ultimate key here not the caliber rifle..

Like the members pointed out...you only need a .375 caliber that you can shoot very accurate and with confidence..you have a PH with the back up caliber that normally is a .458 Win Mag/Lott or a .500 Jeffery...

Take the larges caliber with the minimum recoil you can handle under stress fire ....practice to shoot is well , study shot placement..learn to shoot it fast and accurate ..then you will realize "what caliber" is not that important.

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My most powerful rifle I currently own is the browning a bolt 30-06. The largest game I've ever shot and killed was a 235 lb whitetail deer buck in Illinois

Best advice you can get. (Sorry, meant to quote Gert)

Dragan miloševič said:

My most powerful rifle I currently own is the browning a bolt 30-06. The largest game I've ever shot and killed was a 235 lb whitetail deer buck in Illinois

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Going from that A Bolt a nice choice for you would be a Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in either a 375 H&H or if you think you can handle it, a 416 rem mag. But honestly a 375 H&H will be a nice step for you to take from the 30-06 and the recoil should be very manageable. If you think that A bolt kicks, for sure go to the 375... If the 30-06 A bolt (pretty light gun) seems like not much more than little pop gun to you, perhaps you can consider the 416 Rem Mag... Both are the same gun, the one just has a bigger hole drilled down the middle of the barrel so it is lighter in weight (bigger hole, less metal left). And shoots a 400 grain bullet instead of 300 grains... They should cost the same, around $1200. If you want to hold cost down, put on a Leupold VXR in a 1.25-4 or a 2-7 (for a bit more reach for PG) in Warn QD mounts and rings. If you want to spend an extra $500 on glass, put on a Leupold VX6 1-6 illuminated scope... Either of these scopes in #4 illuminated reticle or the duplex will be great and simple. This will get you into a smooth operating DG rifle with good capabilities of handing anything in Africa on a one gun safari, but take the 30-06 along and you are really set up as perfect as you can hope for.

A final thought, if this will be the only big bore gun your likely to get, you might lean towards the 416... If you think you will want a bigger one any way in a couple years.... Get the 375 now and then move right up to a 458 Lott next time.

ive found the Winchester in 375 H&H to be too muzzle heavy while the Winchester in 458 WM is too light. the 416 RM is the perfect medium when it comes to caliber and weight. as @ActionBob said Winchester makes all three guns from the same blank so the 375 will be a very thick barrel while the 458 will be a thin barrel. my 505 Gibbs is much more pleasant to shoot then a factory Winchester 458 WM!

-matt

Another option will be to use the hunting camp rifle , if it is a once off buffalo hunt . Use the money that you would have spend on a rifle and accessories to hunt more game . Just a thought...I do not know if you really want a big bore caliber or just need to hunt a buffalo once....

Mike70560 said:

For mbogo, nyati, Syncerus caffer, otherwise known as "Black Death" nothing less than a 460 Weatherby is advisable.

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Mike.............you're kidding, right?

Personally, I want nothing to do with a 460 Weatherby and I think very few others do. The recoil is just too much for most folks, in my humble opinion. I've never shot a 460 and have no desire to. Looking at the recoil tables on ChuckHawks.com, the recoil on a 460 is almost 3 times what a 375 has and almost twice as much as a 416. In fact, the 460 recoil is substantially more than a 458 Lott, which is more than enough gun for any critter on Earth or the rest of the galaxy for that matter.

As for me, my 375 Ruger and 300 grain Swift A-Frames will have to do.

Gert Odendaal said:

Another option will be to use the hunting camp rifle , if it is a once off buffalo hunt . Use the money that you would have spend on a rifle and accessories to hunt more game . Just a thought...I do not know if you really want a big bore caliber or just need to hunt a buffalo once....

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if you use someone else's rifle make sure to spend time practicing with it before you hunt with it. i missed a baboon on my last hunt because i wasn't used to a rifles trigger. didnt realize it till i got back in camp but the longer (then my rifles) trigger pull actually caused me to shoot a little high.

-matt

375 Ruger Fan said:

Mike.............you're kidding, right?

Personally, I want nothing to do with a 460 Weatherby and I think very few others do. The recoil is just too much for most folks, in my humble opinion. I've never shot a 460 and have no desire to. Looking at the recoil tables on ChuckHawks.com, the recoil on a 460 is almost 3 times what a 375 has and almost twice as much as a 416. In fact, the 460 recoil is substantially more than a 458 Lott, which is more than enough gun for any critter on Earth or the rest of the galaxy for that matter.

As for me, my 375 Ruger and 300 grain Swift A-Frames will have to do.

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Bullets will bounce right off old mbogo's horns, his rasped tongue will lick the flesh right off your feet if you try to climb a tree to escape him, I owe enough people money and don't need an animal looking at me like I owe it some more.

Enough fun, buffalo are tough enough especially if the first shot is a poor one.

Any of the 375, 416, 458's will work. Find a good bolt gun that fits you properly that is 100% dependable. Shoot it offhand and from sticks. Shoot it with a full magazine. Cycle the bolt as fast as possible while practicing. Do these thing to make certain your floorplate does not open under recoil, the bolt does not bind when you are excited, your bullets are not shoved in to the cases by recoil, and that it will feed rounds EVERYTIME. Have a good set of iron sights with a low power scope and make certain both are sighted in and you are comfortable shooting either.

If I were bringing one bolt gun on a hunt it would be my 458 Lott with 450 grain bullets.

My 375 has almost always come with me as a second rifle to my double.

Find a good Winchester bolt gun in 375 H&H or 416 Rem. or a CZ in 375 H&H or 416 Rigby. If you go the CZ route send it to somebody like Wayne at American Hunting Rifles for a Number 2 upgrade. The CZ will be heavier but hold more rounds, it will have less recoil because of the weight.

Short story, buy a rifle YOU like in any of the calibers mentioned in the thread and have fun.

So a lot of people have been mentioning this Winchester safari express... Has anybody shot this? What are some good caliber configurations? Thanks.

So some people have recommended .416 rigby's. Would this be a good caliber? Also, what optimal gun(s) have this bullet configs. Thanks!

Winchester M70 , does not come in 416 Rigby , it is made in 416 Remington

Dragan miloševič said:

So some people have recommended .416 rigby's. Would this be a good caliber? Also, what optimal gun(s) have this bullet configs. Thanks!

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The 416 Rigby and the 416 Remington will both fire 400 grain bullets at around 2400 FPS. Both are very good choices for buffalo. I shot the first two buffalo I hunted with a 416 Remington.

The differences; the 416 Remington case is smaller than the 416 Rigby. The 416 Rigby case has more capacity and achieves the 2400 FPS at lower pressures. The 416 Remington can fit nicely in a Winchester Model 70 action. The 416 Rigby works well in the CZ550 action. If you reload and want to shoot 450 grain bullets the Rigby can easily handle the heavier (longer) bullet.

The 416 Rigby is a classic Africa caliber, made somewhat famous by Harry Selby.