Best gun for hunting Cape buffalo?

[Dragan miloševič]

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!

 

[CAustin]

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 ?

 

[Red Leg]

.... And do yo intend to take PG on the same hunt? There are a lot of folks here with favorites in both caliber and action (I love my scoped S2 Blaser double). However, I firmly believe that the "best" rifle and caliber for a new buffalo hunter is a .375 bolt action, scoped with the best piece of glass he can afford having a low end range of 1 or 1.5, and firing a quality expanding 300 gr bullet. With such a rifle you can cleanly take buffalo up close and personal and still drop a kudu at 250 yards. Quality rifles run the price gambit from the CZ thru Dakotas and Blasers to some of the finest custom built rifles in the world. You will have fun on this quest and will receive a lot of firmly held opinions.

 

[Heym 88]

This is going to go a long way....or if he's just going buffalo and plains game, then he can get a Winchester M70 Safari in 375 H&H and be done with it. . I know I'm going to hear from the CZ guys...they're excellent guns too!

 

[siml]

Red leg, hit the nail on the head!! The only debate is the make of rifle, most makes are good.

 

[AZDAVE]

The largest caliber than you can shoot ACCURATELY, start at 375 and go up. Second criteria is that is must feed and eject reliably. Have Iron sight for backup and a quick release set of rings with a quality 1.5X- 4 to 6 power scope. Rifle fit is much more important on rifles that recoil a good bit. Manufacture is up to you; as a 495 dollar savage 375 ruger will kill a buff just as dead as a 600 NE double costing as much as a house.

 

[matt85]

The largest caliber than you can shoot ACCURATELY

+1

but im not a big 375 guy, I prefer 416's. the recoil on a 416 is heavier then a 375 but still pretty easy to deal with if you practice. the best budget 416 hands down is the Winchester M70 in 416 RM. CZ rifles are nice but generally require a bit of work to run flawlessly while the M70 comes ready to go.

-matt

 

[bassasdaindia]

Difficult question to answer, here goes :

375 is the minimum and there are many hunters and members here on AH that have been successful with 375, however IMHO if you can manage with a 416 and if you can shoot it accurately and get enough range time with it then that would be my starting point.

practicing and developing bullets for your hunt is very enjoyable and the more range time you get the easier shooting the bigger rifles becomes.

good luck.

 

[The_Wanderer]

Look no further http://www.africahunting.com/threads/what-a-pretty-rifle.24069/

 

[petrusg]

You must have a minimum .375 which you can also use on plains game.

 

[CAustin]

Ok now my two cents worth on make and model. Ruger Guide Gun in 375 or 416. The 416 in this model will take down anything from a wart hog to an elephant.......including your desired Cape buffalo!

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

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

 

[thriller]

Lol why not ask a simpler question like "What is the meaning of life?"

 

[johnnyblues]

Ok now my two cents worth on make and model. Ruger Guide Gun in 375 or 416. The 416 in this model will take down anything from a wart hog to an elephant.......including your desired Cape buffalo!

Agreed. I love my Guide rifle.

 

[Rob404]

The 375HH with a 300gr bullet will take down an incoming ICBM so it should work for Buff,as well as Plains game . Winchester,CZ Ruger Whitworth/Zastava are all in the average Joes price range it's just a matter of finding what you like

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Lol why not ask a simpler question like "What is the meaning of life?"

.....or better still: "What is it that my wife is thinking?"

..but seriously, I had the same question at the beginning of the year; just checking around, I found a good used Winchester model 70 in .375 H&H.....minimum caliber, yes...but it's recoil is just a tad more than my .338 Win. magnum. I put a 1x4 Leupold scope on it, with quick detachable mounts. I originally wanted a .416 Rigby, found a CZ in that caliber, and then I saw the cost of a box of ammo.......$10/round!!! OUCH!!!
.375 H&H ammo is made by several manufacturers, has a good rep for doing in Cape buffalo, and there are several out there to choose from......lots of reloading data available as well. That's why I chose the .375 H&H. (BTW: I don't plan on hunting any other dangerous game besides buffalo, so as others have said, if you are of that inclination, maybe you may want to look at the .416s, 458s, etc.)

Good luck in your quest...........the journey is half the fun!

 

[peras]

The .375 will always be the caliber to start with on dangerous game, however if you are comfortable with bigger either the .404 or the various .416's will stand you in better.

 

[Mike70560]

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

 

[vinnymbogo]

I've taken buffalo with 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 450 Watts and 500 NE. There is no comparison: the bigger ones cause a lot more "hurt" a lot faster. However, the 375 is quite versatile on plains-game up to 400 yds (maybe more, but I haven't tried it).

 

[browningbbr]

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...