.375 should be banned from buffalo hunts!

Could you elaborate what you mean and how you've got to that conclusion? What would you suggest?
With pleasure, after a few dozen kills with .308 and .30.06 using FMJ military ammunition, and having died and lived twice doing it... (that's what I had at the time) I got a .375! I thought I was in heaven! I almost died again! I got a .458 Lott, and then what almost killed me was the rifle's recoil! I exchanged it for the wonderful .416 Rigby and then felt the need to have a .375 HH for clients! Most people don't do well with high-recoil weapons! In the last 20 years or the last 100 Buffaloes, I had a unique opportunity to buy these two calibers in practice on Buffalo! And also on Lions! And I say without fear of being criticized that even well-aimed and using great bullets, the .375 gives the Buffalo a much longer lifespan than a .416! I have case after case recorded that can prove my theory! An extra 100 grain tip and a few thousandths of an inch make a huge difference on buffalo and lion! Anyone hunting buffalo should have at least a .416, you'll thank me for this advice!
 
Age-old discussion between "killing power" and "stopping power"...

Let us go directly to the bottom line ;)
  • .375 will kill them.
  • .40 will numb them.
  • .45+ will stop them.
There, it is settled :E Rofl:

PS: the only caveat is that it does not always work so neatly, as some adrenalin-charged Buffs have been known to absorb half a dozen .45+ and even .50 slugs and keep coming....

And:
  • Better be a .375 slug in the right spot than a .45 slug in the wrong spot.
There, it is double-settled :E Rofl:

And:
  • Better be a client who shoots his .375 well than a client afraid of his .458 Lott.
There, it is triple-settled :E Rofl:

:A Gathering:
 
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The offsetting drawback for shooting heavier bazooka loads is recoil and weight. I think most clients can handle the recoil of 375 H&H right off the plane. 416 Rigby and 458 Lott not so much. Should such softy folk be barred from buffalo hunting? I don't think so. If they can place one 375 H&H round reasonably well, it should do the job. If they don't, I think shooting a 375 instead of a cannon makes more sense for followup shot(s). More sense for them anyway. It's a gun they are more likely to handle adequately for followup. On the other hand, I do NOT think a 375 is the best buffalo backup gun for a PH.
 
.375 is fine for buffalo. . .just have Mark Sullivan there for his two quick follow up shots. :-).

Seriously, I would have no reservations about hunting buffalo with a .375, but the smack of a .458 Lott sure sounds better!
 
Hi Levubu. I see that you are a newer member here. Welcome. One reason I enjoy this forum far more than any other hunting- related forum is that people generally both avoid personal attacks and provide well-reasoned responses to questions. Your response does neither. Even if you vehemently disagree with the OP, I invite you to say why. Share an experience. Quote an expert. I personally don’t want this forum to become the cesspool of non-helpful content that others have become.
 
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.
I doubt there is another caliber in Africa that has killed more buffaloes than the 375, yes it does kill, that's not the issue here... what I mean is that there are much more efficient calibers, among them the good old 416 Rigby, it kills much faster and is much, much more efficient than any 375! The minimum for buffalo should be 416 and not 375, that's what I meant! Thousands of lives would have been saved and many bad things would have stopped happening if the minimum was 416
 
Oh good Lord. The Avatar speaks volumes.
 
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.
finally an enlightened mind!!! that's exactly what I meant with this post, my experience of direct comparison between the two calibers lasts about 18 years and about 180 buffalos, the superiority of the 416 in relation to the 375 is gigantic and as my numbers went up it became much more evident!
 
I doubt there is another caliber in Africa that has killed more buffaloes than the 375, yes it does kill, that's not the issue here... what I mean is that there are much more efficient calibers, among them the good old 416 Rigby, it kills much faster and is much, much more efficient than any 375! The minimum for buffalo should be 416 and not 375, that's what I meant! Thousands of lives would have been saved and many bad things would have stopped happening if the minimum was 416
From rusty memory, the 375 came on the scene soon after the 404 Jeffrey. Say around 1910-12. Are you really asserting thousands of people have died by utilizing it rather than a 416 and up? Roughly 20 people a year given it was not obviously utilized heavily in the first decade?
 
Clickbait. Here for the entertainment
This is not necessary, the intention was not to be controversial, it was just to provoke a good debate. I remain firm in my convictions, but I also accepted the opinion that a client who does not feel comfortable shooting with a 416, can be more accurate and kill buffalo with a 375... It was already worth it, the debate already added something to me, it was already useful to me.
 
From rusty memory, the 375 came on the scene soon after the 404 Jeffrey. Say around 1910-12. Are you really asserting thousands of people have died by utilizing it rather than a 416 and up? Roughly 20 people a year given it was not obviously utilized heavily in the first decade?
What I am saying is that the buffaloes that injured or killed someone after being shot with a 375 would not have been as many if they had been shot with a 416. In other words, fewer people would have been harmed.
 
To paraphrase a well known professional dangerous game guide...."anyone who thinks the .375 is in-effective has either never tried one or is unwittingly commenting on their own shooting ability ".
and the attacks continue... lol, that was expected! 375 was probably the caliber that killed the most buffaloes, as the difficulty in finding 416 bullets in Brazil has always been enormous. However, it will never be more effective than the 416, do you want to see this get much worse for the 375? Put a lion in the game!
 
Who's to say that those who were killed or injured by a buff who was shot with a 375 wouldn't of been killed or injured if shot by a 416 or larger caliber.

I also wonder why with your assessment of the 375 that you would ever book a client who needed a loaner rifle and didn't want to shoot something larger.

Also with a client going on a DG hunt who needed a loaner rifle should be questioned on their proficiency with a 375 or larger rifle.
 
Oh good Lord. The Avatar speaks volumes.
Perfect position waiting for a good rabbit target on the Sporting Clay range. Well, the barrel might be a little too high. :V Boxing:
 
Who's to say that those who were killed or injured by a buff who was shot with a 375 wouldn't of been killed or injured if shot by a 416 or larger caliber.

I also wonder why with your assessment of the 375 that you would ever book a client who needed a loaner rifle and didn't want to shoot something larger.

Also with a client going on a DG hunt who needed a loaner rifle should be questioned on their proficiency with a 375 or larger rifle.
This is impossible to say with 100% certainty, but if we follow the rational line of physics, logic, thousands of practical examples, and history, we guarantee that a .416 was, is, and always will be more effective than a .375 against buffalo, especially. If this weren't true, there wouldn't be a need for larger calibers than the .375... and there are MANY!Each client hunts with what they think they should hunt, what they feel comfortable with! I've seen clients shooting arrows at lions many times in Africa, and no one says anything! So who am I to say? Now, when they ask me before coming, what caliber I think is most effective for buffalo, I say .416! Come with whatever you want, but my greatest faith is in the .416 because I've seen many times what it can do in the bush... at short, medium, and long distances.
 
Perfect position waiting for a good rabbit target on the Sporting Clay range. Well, the barrel might be a little too high. :V Boxing:
Are your arguments so weak that you resort to ridiculing an avatar photo? Where have the good manners and the exchange of real experiences gone? And I thought people here were serious...

Aqui tá cheio de filhos da puta como em qualquer outro lugar! e corno também, muitos deles!!!
 

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Hello! I saw your post from last year about a missing crate from your hunt in Moz. I am curious how that all turned out? We (my fiancé and I) also hunted in Moz in 2024 and the trophies are being shipped with Hunters Services Limitada. We have some concerns on whether we will get the trophies home or not. May I ask who you hunted with?
 
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