Best caliber for cape buffalo

[Franco]

There has been much discussion regarding the best caliber for cape buffalo, different opinions, varied rational, but ultimately - it's the results which prove validity.

To that end I submit the following:

This cape buffalo was shot by a poacher using a musket, like the two pictured above, with a piece of 1/2" rebar as the projectile. That would make it a .500, solid.

The poacher was apprehended, the musket and buffalo confiscated.

I asked the local Game Scout if these were available in a double, I may have overpaid for my Heym.

 

[BeeMaa]

Insert frozen herring joke here.

 

[spike.t]

Insert frozen herring joke here.

Frozen kapenta at 9000fps for you speed freaks over there .....

 

[skydiver386]

If I had to use a Musket for DG, I'd at least want a bayonet for backup.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

If I had to use a Musket for DG, I'd at least want a bayonet for backup.View attachment 700564

And if that failed you could use that freaking ridiculous hat as a backup, I know it's killing me to look at it.

 

[Franco]

If I had to use a Musket for DG, I'd at least want a bayonet for backup.View attachment 700564

Kinda renders the discussion of a follow shot mute.

Think about it - we debate caliber, bullet, bolt or double, shot placement; equip ourselves as our budgets allow - and then a poacher armed with a black powder musket and a hunk of rebar for a bullet, sneaks up barefooted to a trophy any of us would proudly take - and kills it with a weapon with has as much probability of blowing up as it does being successful. All I can say is, "Holy Shit"

 

[revturbo9967]

Although the poaching aspect is terrible, very cool story

 

[Franco]

Although the poaching aspect is terrible, very cool story

This was my first exposure to what is apparently much more common. I mentioned this to a couple friends who are much more experienced Africa hunters and both said they had taken trophies which had healed wounds with those rebar "bullets".

The outfitter had at least a dozen of those confiscated muskets.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

In my mind the caliber argument is not really about "killing the buff", I think most would agree that a 30-06 with a quality 200/220 grain pill could do it, if the shot was true.

I think the argument is more about "what makes sense if things go wrong" which is why we lean to the 9.3's or .375's as a reasonable minimum. It is also what makes hunting the cape buff so special, since they are more likely to go on the offence than many other animals.

I doubt this poacher was a chap in the "4 a minute" club, and had this buff turned on him, he likely would have been turned to paste, before he could get off a second... Uh... Rebar chunk....

 

[HookMeUpII]

Necessity is the mother of all in invention. Poaching is wrong, no argument there.

However, when faced with the prospect of you and your family starving to death vs. getting killed by a charging buffalo, I can see why they made the move.

 

[pilar]

I wonder how many cow buffalo poachers kill?
Because we usually only see or hear about the trophy stuff they kill , all those wire snares and car spring leg traps are pretty much indistinguishable on what they catch.

 

[375Fox]

My internet is unfortunately too slow to load your photos to see, but this was my buffalo in Cameroon. It was likely a homemade slug from a homemade 12 gauge. It was starting to heal but badly infected.

 

[375Fox]

I wonder how many cow buffalo poachers kill?
Because we usually only see or hear about the trophy stuff they kill , all those wire snares and car spring leg traps are pretty much indistinguishable on what they catch.

50%. Where do you see or hear of poachers killing trophies? Snares and traps are indiscriminate. Meat poachers with firearms kill the first animal within range. I wonder what the wounding rate is? My buffalo above would have recovered. I’ve shot animals with broken snares imbedded in their legs. I’d think it’s very high with homemade firearms.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I’ll say this about poachers. I hate what they do (my job is to catch or kill them), but I sometimes really respect their innovativeness.

I recently arrested a group of Axis deer poachers who learnt to convert air guns into being capable of firing .22 LR ammunition. To say that I was gobsmacked, would be putting things lightly.

 

[PARA45]

This was my first exposure to what is apparently much more common. I mentioned this to a couple friends who are much more experienced Africa hunters and both said they had taken trophies which had healed wounds with those rebar "bullets".

The outfitter had at least a dozen of those confiscated muskets.

How cool would it be to be able to buy one of those muskets and bring it with you into the US/Canada. I wonder if there any laws that would prevent you taking one out of that country.

 

[wesheltonj]

Not much difference then taking a bolt to the head at the processing plant.

 

[pilar]

I’ll say this about poachers. I hate what they do (my job is to catch or kill them), but I sometimes really respect their innovativeness.

I recently arrested a group of Axis deer poachers who learnt to convert air guns into being capable of firing .22 LR ammunition. To say that I was gobsmacked, would be putting things lightly.

Yes they are very creative!
I saw a confiscated dart gun , made with PVC pipe and a nail with a broad head
The pvc had a tire air stem and bicycle pump for pressure, then a ball valve as a trigger
The dart was stabilized by nylon rope then stuffed into the PvC mechanism.
I asked the law enforcement officer if it worked, he aired it up and it blew through a 7/8th plywood target, a wicked giant hole from a nail dart
It was basically a potato gun turned into a big broad head dart gun

 

[revturbo9967]

This was my first exposure to what is apparently much more common. I mentioned this to a couple friends who are much more experienced Africa hunters and both said they had taken trophies which had healed wounds with those rebar "bullets".

The outfitter had at least a dozen of those confiscated muskets.

I've taken 2 trophy's with healed over wounds, but they were from other hunters, not poachers.

 

[grand veneur]

Orbital of an one-eyed buffalo that I shot about 30 years ago on the border of Angola with healed abscess cavity.

Inside of the cavity was a bullet from a 7,62x39mm cartridge.

 

[spike.t]

How cool would it be to be able to buy one of those muskets and bring it with you into the US/Canada. I wonder if there any laws that would prevent you taking one out of that country.

Would say so....they are a firearm and not on your visitors permit....