Buff are tough

[grand veneur]

I don't know what many of you usually hunt at home, but I also belong to the group of hunters who have spent decades hunting wild boar and deers at home and worldwide with 9,3mm cartridges, in my case the 9,3x64 Brenneke, and have often experienced how tough some game species, much smaller than buffalo, can be. Sure that you are a little uncertain when you go hunting buffalo for the first time with the same cartridges. However, I also shot my first buffalos with cartridges caliber 9,3mm and 375 without problems, but after a few buffaloes, I quickly assumed that things would not always go so well. That's why I quickly switched to something bigger.

 

[coreydb]

I wonder if I could handle the 458 with a good muzzle break.... Anyone do this?

 

[ThinusS]

Exactly: same conclusion about "recoil handling" and the caveat "if shoot it well"

View attachment 766203

I wonder if I could handle the 458 with a good muzzle break.... Anyone do this?

If you need a muzzle brake to handle a calibre that calibre is probably not the one you need.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Kevin, That's a great write up on your personal experiences shooting buffalo to date, I agree they really are tough animals. I also agree with all the comments that a well placed .375 H&H will kill buffalo. The fact is that larger calibers just do a better job of the task, assuming you can put the bullet in the right place.

My son and I killed 32 buffalo in Australia last year in less than a week, it was very clear for all to see that my .416 400 grain bullets were much more effective than his .375 300 grain bullets, I'm going to use the term "knock down" as a measure of effectiveness.

This significant in the field "knock down" differential was enough for me to decide to make .416 RM my buffalo hunting standard when I return to Africa. I totally understand why hunters step up to larger rounds.

I do love the .375 H&H and I will still use one in Africa but if chasing buffalo or larger I'll be dragging my .416 RM through the cover.

 

[spike.t]

Mostly for the kids, I might shoot occasionally. When I say 'kids', the youngest is 33!

Yeah knew they grown up...just if they not used to big calibres the 416 rigby would be better than jumping to the 500 jeff....

 

[DWB]

Thanks DWB. I am not familiar with five-legged sticks?

4Deadhold in SA.
Then you order the extra leg

 

[coreydb]

If you need a muzzle brake to handle a calibre that calibre is probably not the one you need.

...crap

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I also hear frequently, and have found so myself, that you don't feel recoil on the hunt. The idea is to fit a long eye relief red dot DG scope to be able to really zone in on the buff. The 500 alteady has a recoil reducer in the butt and I will also change out the decelerator pad for a 20mm, which I think is the thickest Blaser offers. We already all shoot off quad sticks and find them pretty easy and fast to set up. I have also been drumming into our group the AAS method - Acquire, Adjust, Squeeze. I think that will go a long way to getting things as optimal as possible on the hardware side.
Next is bullets. The rifle came with some brass and a box of Woodleigh 510, 570 grain FMJ's. I don't know whether they qualify as softs or solids?
I am thinking of starting off with 535 grain bullets and I hear that Perigrine copper expanding bullets are a good choice.

 

[DWB]

I also hear frequently, and have found so myself, that you don't feel recoil on the hunt. The idea is to fit a long eye relief red dot DG scope to be able to really zone in on the buff. The 500 alteady has a recoil reducer in the butt and I will also change out the decelerator pad for a 20mm, which I think is the thickest Blaser offers. We already all shoot off quad sticks and find them pretty easy and fast to set up. I have also been drumming into our group the AAS method - Acquire, Adjust, Squeeze. I think that will go a long way to getting things as optimal as possible on the hardware side.
Next is bullets. The rifle came with some brass and a box of Woodleigh 510, 570 grain FMJ's. I don't know whether they qualify as softs or solids?
I am thinking of starting off with 535 grain bullets and I hear that Perigrine copper expanding bullets are a good choice.

Save yourself the hassles and just get Spoor Bullet Company 535 or 570gr

 

[WAB]

Maybe I didn't convey my point clearly; I hate when I don't articulate well enough, and no chance to talk. When there is history of 7mm Mausers to the .600 calibers all killing and losing buffalos, bullet placement and proper bullet is the deciding factor in any kill. I definitely agree with your comment, I have the same calibers, but the .415 Rem Mag instead of your .458. It's a frickin awesome caliber, but my destroyed shoulder won't take it.....it sucks to be me on this.

I’m in the same boat. A lifetime of hockey resulted in surgery on both wrists. It just got to the point where the Lott was too much. If I do hunt buffalo again, it will be with my .375. The biggest thing you give up with the .375 are shots that you simply should not take without a larger caliber. My last buff is an example. I was above him and he was feeding towards me, head down at 80 yards. I shot down through his neck into his heart and lungs. A bolt of lightning could not have hit harder. I would not have taken that shot with a .375. The buff I mentioned that was a one shot kill with a 9.3x62 had a .375 bullet in it from a previous hunter. It was the same PH! He said that the prior hunter had made what looked like a good quartering frontal shot with his .375. They never came up with the bull and it appeared perfectly healthy until the 9.3 ended its journey with a perfect broadside. I would suggest that quartering frontal shots with a .375 are very high risk.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I’m in the same boat. A lifetime of hockey resulted in surgery on both wrists. It just got to the point where the Lott was too much. If I do hunt buffalo again, it will be with my .375. The biggest thing you give up with the .375 are shots that you simply should not take without a larger caliber. My last buff is an example. I was above him and he was feeding towards me, head down at 80 yards. I shot down through his neck into his heart and lungs. A bolt of lightning could not have hit harder. I would not have taken that shot with a .375. The buff I mentioned that was a one shot kill with a 9.3x62 had a .375 bullet in it from a previous hunter. It was the same PH! He said that the prior hunter had made what looked like a good quartering frontal shot with his .375. They never came up with the bull and it appeared perfectly healthy until the 9.3 ended its journey with a perfect broadside. I would suggest that quartering frontal shots with a .375 are very high risk.

So what calibre delivered the lightning bolt hit?

 

[375Fox]

Next is bullets. The rifle came with some brass and a box of Woodleigh 510, 570 grain FMJ's. I don't know whether they qualify as softs or solids?
I am thinking of starting off with 535 grain bullets and I hear that Perigrine copper expanding bullets are a good choice.

Woodleigh FMJs are solids for hunting purposes. The top two bullets are 458 550 gr Woodleigh FMJs from elephant bull.

 

[Red Leg]

We can logically deduce almost anything from small sample sizes (including my comments).

As others have noted, in Kevin's sample, the bulls hit properly seem to have died promptly. In my experience badly hit animals, regardless of caliber, are simply badly hit with all the potential attendant issues. I have now killed four cape buffalo and one water buffalo. The four cape buffalo were all dead withing twenty yards - two in their tracks. They were all hit well with 300 gr TSX or A Frames. Three were quartering toward me and one was a flank shot. Two were given follow ups after they were down just to be certain. The water buffalo was badly shot with the first round and slightly better with the second. Neither a 416 nor a 458 would have made an iota of difference in not finding him till the next day.

It is all about shot placement. Broadsword or rapier, both are lethal in the right hands and both can create a mess if wielded inaccurately.

 

[WAB]

So what calibre delivered the lightning bolt hit?

.458 Lott. Something you may want to consider is ammo availability. After the .375 H&H, .458 Lott ammo seems pretty easily obtainable in your neck of the woods.

 

[WAB]

We can logically deduce almost anything from small sample sizes (including my comments).

As others have noted, in Kevin's sample, the bulls hit properly seem to have died promptly. In my experience badly hit animals, regardless of caliber, are simply badly hit with all the potential attendant issues. I have now killed four cape buffalo and one water buffalo. The four cape buffalo were all dead withing twenty yards - two in their tracks. They were all hit well with 300 gr TSX or A Frames. Three were quartering toward me and one was a flank shot. Two were given follow ups after they were down just to be certain. The water buffalo was badly shot with the first round and slightly better with the second. Neither a 416 nor a 458 would have made an iota of difference in not finding him till the next day.

It is all about shot placement. Broadsword or rapier, both are lethal in the right hands and both can create a mess if wielded inaccurately.

I agree, and my wrists have put me solidly back in the rapier camp. I do think a heavy rifle, in the hands of someone who can use one, opens up shots that we should not attempt with a .375. In fact, after the shot through the top of the neck I mentioned above, my PH and our common friend Len, made the comment that he would not have allowed the shot if it wasn’t for the fact that I was shooting a Lott, and he knew that I could shoot it.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Gday Kevin
Welcome to the 500 club & im staying out of the r8 debate that spike tried to start yes I’m with him so no debate lol

Moving on yes placement & bullet ability go hand in hand which I love my 375’s one in h&h the other a rum which on a impact to tip point on Aussie buff ,scrubbies & odd cape or like sized critters the rum is just better ( with good bullets as it has gone the other way with poor choice of what it’s fed ) but it still lags behind the Jeffery but if you are willing to drop weight increase speed & have a pill that can handle it you watch the Jeffery go to another level even on some marginal shots well , if you push speed that is & a impact of 2700 puts a new emphasis on dead right there occurs

Side note on recoil with the Jeffery its brutal of the bench for me with full heavy loads & in the field it’s still one I need to slow down a touch on heavy pills as back on target suffers for me to do so I’d suggest trying a few out but dropping weight even to the 535 in woodleigh or Aframe etc & preformance is better than the 570 gr pills as speed is your friend regarding terminals ( if the pill can handle it , if it can’t you have the wrong pill )
But keep going down to the 475 raptor & then recoil is @ a level im back on target quicker & more importantly accurately

Today it looks like I’ve shelved all those weights & settled on a 358 ( oh @Bob Nelson 35Whelen Will love me lol ) which won’t be for everyone that’s for sure but one that is extremely pleasant to shoot even over 3k ( I haven’t fully decided on MV yet as that will be determined on a cull in June but 2750 plus it will be around those levels as I’ve already seen what that does & one that I’ll be using on elephant come July

Enjoy your time with the Jeffery & ease your way into it & it will be kind to you
Cheers

@Fordy
What sort of 358 are you using and what projectiles.
A 310 loaded to almost 2,500fps or a Woodleigh hydro @2,900 fps would be deadly medicine.
Bob

 

[Brian]

I also hear frequently, and have found so myself, that you don't feel recoil on the hunt. The idea is to fit a long eye relief red dot DG scope to be able to really zone in on the buff. The 500 alteady has a recoil reducer in the butt and I will also change out the decelerator pad for a 20mm, which I think is the thickest Blaser offers. We already all shoot off quad sticks and find them pretty easy and fast to set up. I have also been drumming into our group the AAS method - Acquire, Adjust, Squeeze. I think that will go a long way to getting things as optimal as possible on the hardware side.
Next is bullets. The rifle came with some brass and a box of Woodleigh 510, 570 grain FMJ's. I don't know whether they qualify as softs or solids?
I am thinking of starting off with 535 grain bullets and I hear that Perigrine copper expanding bullets are a good choice.

As you probably remember , I am a Peregrine BushMaster bullet fan. They will take all the velocity you can give them and they will give you back constant controlled expansion. Velocity is your friend. It gets that "Plunger" in the nose of the bullet to decisively and reliably initiate the expansion.
I killed 7 cape buffalo cows in North West Province, South Africa with .577NE Peregrine bullets in April 2025. All one shot kills. A couple flopped on the ground right where they were hit. Good bullets!

 

[Foxi]

Kevin.
Thanks for this interesting report.
I'm especially glad to hear that the Hornady products performed quite well.
They do get a lot of flak here on the forum.
Were those the bonded bullets or the older ones?
Best regards
Foxi

 

[Andrew62]

Kevin, I would personally like to say 'Thank You' for putting this information together for the rest of us. To date, all of the buffaloes I've taken have been with a .375H&H. While I have had wonderful success with Hornady DGX, Barnes TSX and Swift Aframes, I did just have some Northfork soft points loaded and am anxious to try those out, and, I am waiting for a 416 Taylor to arrive, if that gun fits and suits me, I will step up in horse power.

 

[SRvet]

All of this information is interesting. @Kevin Peacocke, I heard the story of the last buff via Glen and @Lancaster ....very exciting and I'm so pleased everyone got out of the situation uninjured.
I note that a lot of the shots were taken with the DGX bullets which have a bit of a chequered history if I recall correctly. Do you recall if these bullets penetrated deep and tracked straight or could poor bullet performance have played a part? I can only add two buffalo cows to the collective knowledge base and both are interesting for different reasons. The first was in 2022 with a .375 H&H, 300 g TSX and a frontal chest shot - the cows legs gave way instantly and she hit the deck exactly where she stood. A follow up insurance shot with a .458 Win Mag was administered to be prudent. The second buffalo cow was last year with a .458 Lott and 420 grain CEB Raptors. The buff was quartering on and the bullet hit the left shoulder joint, fractured the humerus and made a very narrow wound through the upper part of the lungs. We caught up with her very much alive about 20-30 minutes later and the terrier kept the cow at bay whilst numerous shots were fired with the 458 lott. I noted at the time that the 450 grain CEB safari solids appeared to hit her much harder than the 420 grain Raptors and the autopsy showed the petals had not reached the vitals. As a result of this experience I will be setting off to the Caprivi before long with "old school" 450 grain TSX and 500 grain TBBC, together with 450 grain CEB solids. They all shoot to the same point of impact so will take my PHs advice.
For the record I dont think the CEB Raptors are bad bullets, but I would be very careful which shot I took with them and definitely would not take a frontal or quartering on shot through the shoulder bones with them again. I am sure with broadside chest shots they would probably be excellent