Best Solid for Elephant

[Rare Breed]

Which is better for elephant; CEB solids or Barnes Solids both in 470 NE please?

 

[Tra3]

I’m curious to hear if any of the solids are bad choices! Following.
I used a nosler solid in a .375 in ele and hippos.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

CEB for sure. Just make sure your double patterns well. It could take some load tweaking to match your double regulation load.

HH

 

[K-man]

Well that's like asking what's the "best" caliber...
My own experience has been the Barnes has worked flawlessly. Doesn't mean the others wouldn't..

 

[sureshot375]

Honestly I haven’t really heard of many modern solids failing. I have no experience with either of those two. I would shoot whatever shoots best in your rifle.

 

[Jim Golden]

I bought a box of the CEB solids from the advice on here for my .375 Roy. Haven't gotten to try them out yet. Also got a box of their "Raptors" I believe they're called. I need to load them up...

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Flat tip in general performs better than round tip.

I can personally attest to the 400g 423 Barnes flat tip solid giving full penetration head shot on elephant from the side. Of note, their present solids are usually round tip but I was told by a Barnes representative (a decade ago) that they keep the CNC information and can make the flat tip if you ask. That may have changed.

Also of note, they went back to round tip for more reliable feeding, so (as always) ensure your rifle feeds whatever you ultimately choose.

 

[Rule 303]

I'll throw a third one in there, the Woodleigh Hydro. I do not think any decent metplate solid will fail. I only mention the hydros in case none of the other two will easily regulate in your double.

 

[Green Chile]

I will add another option...North Fork cup point solid. The nose rivets and expands slightly. There is an audible slap on game and quite a bit of shock and hydraulic displacement from the nose cavitation. On my .416 Rigby, the shoulder shot on the bull ele physically buckled him and he only went 40 yards on a heart shot. On the big eland, penetration from tail to skin of off shoulder...full length through rumen. On the zebra stallion, both shoulders smashed and a literal blanket of dust came off the back of the zebra. All with the CPS from NF. Both PHs made numerous comments on how much they liked that solid. It also shoots little groups in my 416.

 

[404Pruitt]

I will add another option...North Fork cup point solid. The nose rivets and expands slightly. There is an audible slap on game and quite a bit of shock and hydraulic displacement from the nose cavitation. On my .416 Rigby, the shoulder shot on the bull ele physically buckled him and he only went 40 yards on a heart shot. On the big eland, penetration from tail to skin of off shoulder...full length through rumen. On the zebra stallion, both shoulders smashed and a literal blanket of dust came off the back of the zebra. All with the CPS from NF. Both PHs made numerous comments on how much they liked that solid. It also shoots little groups in my 416.

Kevin Robertson is a big fan of the North Fork cup point solid. He speaks very highly of it.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

never really heard of a bad solid

 

[375Fox]

Honestly I haven’t really heard of many modern solids failing. I have no experience with either of those two. I would shoot whatever shoots best in your rifle.

If you listen to Kevin Robertson’s podcast on bullets he talks about deformation in federal’s sledgehammer solids. There was an elephant report posted here where they recovered the sledgehammer solid and it was deformed. It would have a bad effect on straight line penetration. It was interesting to see after listening to that podcast. I’ve heard nothing but positive things from PHs about both solids listed though.

 

[BeeMaa]

CEB, Nosler or Woodleigh Hydro. Shoot what your rifle likes best. I don’t have a double but my rifle likes the Hydros.

Not sure if they still do it, but Hendershots was offering ladder loads for regulating double rifles. It’s not exactly cheap for a 470NE but certainly less expensive than missing the shot of a lifetime on an elephant.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

During the 1970s, I was partial to RWS round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids (.375 Holland & Holland Magnum)

In the 1980s, I was partial to Hornady round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids (Remington factory loads for the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum)

For many years, my favorite used to be the Federal Premium Cape Shok loaded with the older pattern flat nosed Barnes Banded Solids (until Federal stopped loading them and Barnes started manufacturing their Banded solids exclusively with round noses).

Currently, my favorite is the Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Solids.

In my opinion, the Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Solids and the flat nosed Barnes Banded Solids (which are still being manufactured in .474 & .510 caliber) are pretty evenly matched.

 

[Rare Breed]

CEB, Nosler or Woodleigh Hydro. Shoot what your rifle likes best. I don’t have a double but my rifle likes the Hydros.

Not sure if they still do it, but Hendershots was offering ladder loads for regulating double rifles. It’s not exactly cheap for a 470NE but certainly less expensive than missing the shot of a lifetime on an elephant.

i shot Barnes solids yesterday and get good regulation 1.5 inches at 50 yards but i also have 100 bullets of CEB and was going to try them if the opinion is they are better

 

[TOBY458]

i shot Barnes solids yesterday and get good regulation 1.5 inches at 50 yards but i also have 100 bullets of CEB and was going to try them if the opinion is they are better

Which did you end up using on your ele?

 

[Rare Breed]

CEB for sure. Just make sure your double patterns well. It could take some load tweaking to match your double regulation load.

HH

CEB’s gave me 0.6 at 50 yards regulation in my 470 NE!!! I used 84 grains of RL 15.5. Incredible performance!!!

 

[zephyr]

If you like the Solids you will like the Raptors in your 470

 

[Daniel Cary]

Does the "Flat Tip" create a greater wound channel, or less deviation, etc.
If anyone doesn't mind.

Thank you.

 

[Green Chile]

Does the "Flat Tip" create a greater wound channel, or less deviation, etc.
If anyone doesn't mind.

Thank you.

Some of both. They certainly track straighter than traditional round nose solids. There is also a good bit of slap from the flat nose (especially with cupped point solids). You can hear the crack on impact. Cupped point solids on my zebra last season lifted dust all the way down the back of the animal when the front shoulders were hit. It sounded like a baseball getting hit out of the ballpark.