Best lead expanding mushroom bullet for Buffalo?

[steve white]

Oh yes, like flipping light switches on..... every step up, the light gets brighter.

I went on a shooting spree in South Africa with the 9.3 B&M, shooting 210 ESP Raptors at 2900 fps. I developed the 9.3 as a medium for the lineup, to do medium things like most common plains game, and most North American game. I tested probably 25 or so animals in short order from impala to zebra, several of each. Impala/hartebeast type all DRT. Wildebeest/Oryx 50% DRT some ran 20-30 yards. Zebra all ran, but soon hit the ground. Tremendous damage, blood loss. Not bad. Later we were headed to Australia to shoot buffalo. I decided to take the 9.3 along to test. Using 255 Safari Raptors and even the 210 ESPs on buffalo, it was rather dismal. What was great on plains game was worthless on buffalo, even with these devastating bullets. When it comes to buffalo, you cannot make a Rat caliber a buffalo caliber even with the best of bullet tech............. After filling buffalo full of 9.3 caliber holes, most all exits even, serious damage reports, buffalo just didn't pay much attention to those Rat caliber bullets passing through. After 8-10 buffalo I put it away, brought out the then new 475 B&M shooting 420 Raptors at 2250 fps or so, along with some new North Forks and business picked up substantially. Buffalo started paying attention to taking these hits, many down on the spot, some went 5-10 yards and down. In addition I had one Son shooting a 50 Super Short, .500 caliber, another Son shooting a 475 Super Short and my best pal shooting 500 NE all with Raptors. The boys also using some new North Forks we developed, the Expanding CPS. Hammers, all of these buffalo hammers. I watched many buffalo taken with the 500 NE, 50 SS and 475 SS all DRT the spot. My Pal Sam shot piles of big bulls with the then new 475 Raptor in his 500 NE, they would stand, quiver, sometimes try to turn around, and fall over on the spot....... So much damage they could not run, stand and quiver.

Big step up from Rat Calibers to .416. The next year I would shoot a 416 B&M and all the Raptors avalable, even the 225 Raptors. I never recovred any, most exited, some frontals stayed in, but we were on a serious shooting mission, sometimes no time to dig. the 416 did ok, absolutely better than Rat calibers, but not extremely impressive.

From .416 to .458 MAGIC BEGINS................ I have shot a lot of buffalo with .458 in various cartridges....... most of the Raptors have been the 420 Raptor and it is wicked. I did test one of the 250 Socom Raptors on a cow buffalo once, and double lung and recovered far side. It was wicked too. But even in Conventional expanding, 458 is serious business and buffalo pay attention.

I did not see any jump in performance or reaction from .458 to .474 caliber. There is a jump in animal reaction, similar to the 416 to 458....... from .458 to .500/.510. A 500 caliber 450 gr Raptor at 2400 fps is very very serious buffalo medicine. Most stand and quiver, some can run short, 10-15 yards, I accidently gut shot a cape one day, figured we were in a hell of a bad way. We started tracking, and in 75 yards caught up to a very very sick bull. He did not run, I actually out paced him on his left side, no more than 10 yards, soon as I got in front of him, he looked, and tried to run away, I took him out at that point. Gut shoot a big bull with a conventional bullet and see how many days it takes to chase him........ 500 caliber 450 Raptor at 2400 fps is less than 75 yards.

Yes, almost every step up in caliber, you see increased performance, animal reactions and terminals. Not so with .458--.474, just not enough jump in caliber.

Watch out--you're going to take the "dangerous" out of dangerous game hunting. Then where will the fun be? Would love to see what they do to a grizzly, as well.

 

[Carnivore hunter]

They work very well. I use the 330 Lehigh's and the 340 CEBs in the 475 Linebaugh, and I've not had any issues with accuracy or terminal performance on big game in Alaska or Africa.

475 Linebaugh? Are you handgun hunting with that round? If so, is it a lot more difficult to get revolvers into Africa to hunt? Would a single-action revolver be easier to get into Africa over a double-action revolver or is it the same?

 

[akrifleman]

475 Linebaugh? Are you handgun hunting with that round? If so, is it a lot more difficult to get revolvers into Africa to hunt? Would a single-action revolver be easier to get into Africa over a double-action revolver or is it the same?

I had no trouble bringing it. There are a couple of caveats:

Use an agent - Makes a very big difference dealing with customs.
Laws - Many of the countries require a minimum caliber
Action - A semi-automatic is very unlikely to get through, and never for self-defense. I've only used a single action, but I've seen quite a few hunts using double action. I don't believe it matters as long as it is clearly a big bore with hunting being its only obvious use.
Letter from PH - I needed a letter stating my revolver was to be used exclusively for hunting.
Hunting - Yes, I used it for DG and plains game there and here in Alaska.
MIL/LEO - You may be those here. You are nothing there but a tourist. The gun must clearly be for hunting only, and your documentation has to back that up. Don't even think about it for self-defense, many of their laws will NOT support you.

 

[Brian]

Oh yes, like flipping light switches on..... every step up, the light gets brighter.

I went on a shooting spree in South Africa with the 9.3 B&M, shooting 210 ESP Raptors at 2900 fps. I developed the 9.3 as a medium for the lineup, to do medium things like most common plains game, and most North American game. I tested probably 25 or so animals in short order from impala to zebra, several of each. Impala/hartebeast type all DRT. Wildebeest/Oryx 50% DRT some ran 20-30 yards. Zebra all ran, but soon hit the ground. Tremendous damage, blood loss. Not bad. Later we were headed to Australia to shoot buffalo. I decided to take the 9.3 along to test. Using 255 Safari Raptors and even the 210 ESPs on buffalo, it was rather dismal. What was great on plains game was worthless on buffalo, even with these devastating bullets. When it comes to buffalo, you cannot make a Rat caliber a buffalo caliber even with the best of bullet tech............. After filling buffalo full of 9.3 caliber holes, most all exits even, serious damage reports, buffalo just didn't pay much attention to those Rat caliber bullets passing through. After 8-10 buffalo I put it away, brought out the then new 475 B&M shooting 420 Raptors at 2250 fps or so, along with some new North Forks and business picked up substantially. Buffalo started paying attention to taking these hits, many down on the spot, some went 5-10 yards and down. In addition I had one Son shooting a 50 Super Short, .500 caliber, another Son shooting a 475 Super Short and my best pal shooting 500 NE all with Raptors. The boys also using some new North Forks we developed, the Expanding CPS. Hammers, all of these buffalo hammers. I watched many buffalo taken with the 500 NE, 50 SS and 475 SS all DRT the spot. My Pal Sam shot piles of big bulls with the then new 475 Raptor in his 500 NE, they would stand, quiver, sometimes try to turn around, and fall over on the spot....... So much damage they could not run, stand and quiver.

Big step up from Rat Calibers to .416. The next year I would shoot a 416 B&M and all the Raptors avalable, even the 225 Raptors. I never recovred any, most exited, some frontals stayed in, but we were on a serious shooting mission, sometimes no time to dig. the 416 did ok, absolutely better than Rat calibers, but not extremely impressive.

From .416 to .458 MAGIC BEGINS................ I have shot a lot of buffalo with .458 in various cartridges....... most of the Raptors have been the 420 Raptor and it is wicked. I did test one of the 250 Socom Raptors on a cow buffalo once, and double lung and recovered far side. It was wicked too. But even in Conventional expanding, 458 is serious business and buffalo pay attention.

I did not see any jump in performance or reaction from .458 to .474 caliber. There is a jump in animal reaction, similar to the 416 to 458....... from .458 to .500/.510. A 500 caliber 450 gr Raptor at 2400 fps is very very serious buffalo medicine. Most stand and quiver, some can run short, 10-15 yards, I accidently gut shot a cape one day, figured we were in a hell of a bad way. We started tracking, and in 75 yards caught up to a very very sick bull. He did not run, I actually out paced him on his left side, no more than 10 yards, soon as I got in front of him, he looked, and tried to run away, I took him out at that point. Gut shoot a big bull with a conventional bullet and see how many days it takes to chase him........ 500 caliber 450 Raptor at 2400 fps is less than 75 yards.

Yes, almost every step up in caliber, you see increased performance, animal reactions and terminals. Not so with .458--.474, just not enough jump in caliber.

Any cape buffalo hunter who reads, and pays attention to these above post by michael458 will have a unique opportunity to save themselves a lot of fussing and money.