.375 should be banned from buffalo hunts!

[Crishuntbrasil]

Buffalo is without a doubt the large-bodied animal I've hunted the most. I'm very close to 300 (both as a hunter and as a guide), 80% of which are huge water buffalo! And I'm going to say something controversial here, but anyone who knows buffalo in all its might will understand what I'm saying: The .375 caliber should not be used for buffalo hunting! Okay, now you can criticize!

 

[grand veneur]

Maybe I did not understand all something correctly, but in all cases you have to be a bit more precise in your statement because you are talking about the cartridge that is mainly used for buffalo hunting.

 

[DieJager]

Buffalo is without a doubt the large-bodied animal I've hunted the most. I'm very close to 300 (both as a hunter and as a guide), 80% of which are huge water buffalo! And I'm going to say something controversial here, but anyone who knows buffalo in all its might will understand what I'm saying: The .375 caliber should not be used for buffalo hunting! Okay, now you can criticize!

View attachment 710031

Could you elaborate what you mean and how you've got to that conclusion? What would you suggest?

 

[skydiver386]

Banned?

It the legal minimum in several Countries, and anytime you use the bare minimum one should be cautious. With that said, quite a few very experienced individuals on this forum use the 375 with great success, so much so it is their go to for Buffalo.

 

[Letzhunt]

And showing a perfectly mushroomed TSX bullet....in I'm guessing a .375? I use a bigger gun too but some can't shoot them well. A better statement should be "not every hunter should hunt buffalo!"

 

[UpNorthMI]

I'm sure you will get a few replies to this post!

I was hunting alongside my son on a recent water buffalo cull hunt in Australia we were sharing a double rifle in .500/416NE (Rimmed .416 Rigby) and a .375 H&H Mag bolt rifle. We were shooting 400 gr bullets in the .416 & 300 gr bullets in the .375. We shot a total of 32 buffalo in 6 days hunting.

There was a significant difference in the effectiveness of the 400 gr .416 compared to the 300 gr .375. I'm not saying that a .375 is not capable because that would be a stupid comment but I am saying that a .416 is a much more effective choice.

My experience on this trip convinced me that I needed a .416 bolt action rifle for future buffalo hunting trips. I just got out to shoot my new Blaser R8 in .416 Rem last week, I could not be happier with it's initial use, it's super accurate and achieved great grouping with 400 gr ammo. It will be my new standard go to rifle for future buffalo hunts.

 

[sureshot375]

And you believe this because????

 

[RLD]

Why?

 

[Foxi]

 

[Foxi]

And showing a perfectly mushroomed TSX bullet....in I'm guessing a .375? I use a bigger gun too but some can't shoot them well. A better statement should be "not every hunter should hunt buffalo!"

A better statement should be "not every hunter should hunt buffalo!"

1+

 

[Newboomer]

I would dare say that when my Barnes 350g TSX went stem to stern through a cape buf at 30 yds it is quite sufficient.

 

[Jonathan Kashouty]

With proper shot placement the .375 H&H is a terrific cartridge for CB hunting.

 

[sniper7]

Make better shots?

 

[375Fox]

Why? Because a scoped 375 with 300 gr Swifts, TBBC, or TSX is generally too effective? Use the right bullets, use a quality scope, and put the bullet where it belongs.

 

[pilar]

I would agree with your assessment generally that 375 is bare minimum and possibly even inadequate for buffalo, then I see buffalo dead as yesterday, by a few other caliber
Like 9.3 , 45-70 , 35whelen, I even have a pansy ass bow hunting buddy who killed one with his bow and arrow.
I lean toward a .416 or a.404 Jeffrey on shoulder shooting buffalo , but alas my 375Ruger with 300gr TSX @ 2625fps will have to make do till then!
I know shot placement is absolutely crucial and wouldn’t feel naked at all standing against a buffalo with a 9.3x62 especially if the person’s more recoil sensitive,
1st shot counts the most !

 

[steve white]

Evidently, we have already shot the thousands of buffalo who were susceptible to the power of the 375 H&H, and should start on the rest who are only susceptible to 40's and larger. They should wear a tag warning us not to use a 375 on them...

I hear what Chris is saying....there are more close calls with smaller vs larger calibers IF THE SHOOTER CAN HANDLE THEM WITHOUT FLINCHING OFF THE TARGET. That can be a big if for some people.
OTOH, there was a recent video up about a buffalo that hardly flinched from a 600!

 

[leslie hetrick]

thats going to piss off the 9.3x63 crowd.

 

[Crishuntbrasil]

Maybe I did not understand all something correctly, but in all cases you have to be a bit more precise in your statement because you are talking about the cartridge that is mainly used for buffalo hunting.

It's not enough for buffaloes! That's what I meant! Note that I didn't say it doesn't kill, I said it's insufficient most of the time! This gives buffaloes the opportunity to kill hunters, guides, and trackers! Yes, I know it's the most used, not for its efficiency, but for its comfortable recoil... that's why I gave this warning!

 

[Sarg]

I'm sure you will get a few replies to this post!

I was hunting alongside my son on a recent water buffalo cull hunt in Australia we were sharing a double rifle in .500/416NE (Rimmed .416 Rigby) and a .375 H&H Mag bolt rifle. We were shooting 400 gr bullets in the .416 & 300 gr bullets in the .375. We shot a total of 32 buffalo in 6 days hunting.

There was a significant difference in the effectiveness of the 400 gr .416 compared to the 300 gr .375. I'm not saying that a .375 is not capable because that would be a stupid comment but I am saying that a .416 is a much more effective choice.

My experience on this trip convinced me that I needed a .416 bolt action rifle for future buffalo hunting trips. I just got out to shoot my new Blaser R8 in .416 Rem last week, I could not be happier with it's initial use, it's super accurate and achieved great grouping with 400 gr ammo. It will be my new standard go to rifle for future buffalo hunts.

You would see that same effectiveness jump up with the .458 - .510 then .577 but most can’t shoot it well, carry it that far or afford to practice !

I have had to back up many more times with hunters using .375H&H than any other caliber but to be fair 3/4 of the hunters have been using .375 H&H of their own or camp rifles !

So on most shots used to stop a Buffalo have been .375 H&H followed by .460 Weatherby & .500NE lol

The right bullets & some practice putting them in the right place does wonders.

I used a .308Win & put hundreds in the abattoirs back in the day !

 

[JimP]

Most hunters who head over to Africa want a rifle and cartridge that they can actually use here in the US for big game.

Why not say that all DG rifles need to be double rifles for the ability for a quick second shot instead of having to work a bolt, along with banning a single shot because of it's limitations of a quick second shot.

There have been hunters, trackers, and PH's injured by every caliber out there that are legal for Buffalo. Some with good shots and some with bad shots.