Curious why cape buffalo have the same minimum caliber requirement as Rhino, Hippo and Elephant?

[Sourdough]

When hunting dangerous game one should never ask "can I hunt this animal with this caliber". One should ask "if I'm being charged in heavy cover is this enough gun to stop the charge". What the PH is carrying is irrelevant. What if the PH's gun malfunctions? It is up to us to carry enough gun to stop a charge, not putting the PH or his trackers, or our observers at risk, or ourselves at risk.

 

[Red Leg]

I have used a .375 exclusively on buffalo with great success. Any second shots were purely insurance shots. But let's say a buffalo is inbound with the intent to do serious harm. I would argue a .375 is just as likely to terminate the excitement as a .416 class rifle. Neither bullet in the chest is probably going to stop or divert a charge at close range. A 300 or 400 gr bullet going up the snout will. I simply believe most people are likely to put that bullet into such a small target with a .375 than a forty something.

I will agree that a .458 Lott and the 500's do have the potential to turn a charge, but even with those, I would be trying to get 500 grs of whatever into the control center under the boss.

So, if I have a choice between a .375, a forty, or a .500, I'll gladly opt for the .375 and its flexibility and ease of carry.

Back to the OP's original question, I am certain that a 250 gr bullet of the proper construction from a .338 would be absolutely lethal on cape buffalo. After all, the 318 WR was a favorite for buffalo (and rhino and elephant and everything else) for the better part of two generations before and between the wars. That said, a .375 is a very sensible minimum.

Should you wish to try something smaller, book your hunt in Mozambique where there is no minimum at all.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I have used a .375 exclusively on buffalo with great success. Any second shots were purely insurance shots. But let's say a buffalo is inbound with the intent to do serious harm. I would argue a .375 is just as likely to terminate the excitement as a .416 class rifle. Neither bullet in the chest is probably going to stop or divert a charge at close range. A 300 or 400 gr bullet going up the snout will. I simply believe most people are likely to put that bullet into such a small target with a .375 than a forty something.

I will agree that a .458 Lott and the 500's do have the potential to turn a charge, but even with those, I would be trying to get 500 grs of whatever into the control center under the boss.

So, if I have a choice between a .375, a forty, or a .500, I'll gladly opt for the .375 and its flexibility and ease of carry.

Back to the OP's original question, I am certain that a 250 gr bullet of the proper construction from a .338 would be absolutely lethal on cape buffalo. After all, the 318 WR was a favorite for buffalo (and rhino and elephant and everything else) for the better part of two generations before and between the wars. That said, a .375 is a very sensible minimum.

Should you wish to try something smaller, book your hunt in Mozambique where there is no minimum at all.

@Red Leg
Mozambique has recently updated the law. You have to use a minimum of .375 caliber for dangerous game.

 

[Red Leg]

@Red Leg
Mozambique has recently updated the law. You have to use a minimum of .375 caliber for dangerous game.

Thanks, I was unaware.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Thanks, I was unaware.

The only remaining country in Africa where a dare devil (or fool, depending upon who you ask) can now hunt dangerous game without any consideration towards minimum legal caliber is Ethiopia (where the huntable dangerous game species are only Cape buffalo & leopard).

In Benin, you can legally hunt Cape buffalo with any caliber above 6mm (on paper). But with the recent political turbulence there, I think that safari hunting to Benin is out of the question for the foreseeable future.

 

[Safari Dave]

I think .375 is a fine minimum for buffalo.



It is silly for leopard.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Conversely, should minimums be lowered for leopard and lion (which MIGHT weigh 150 or 450 lbs respectively and are certainly Dangerous Game?

 

[0002S]

Minimums aren't there for the uneventful. They are there for the 'oh shit oh shit oh shit' rare moments in life.

 

[Northern Shooter]

I think .375 is a fine minimum for buffalo.



It is silly for leopard.

Is 375 required for leopard and lion?

I swear I've seen videos of leopard hunting with .308, 30-06 etc.

 

[Tanks]

Conversely, should minimums be lowered for leopard and lion (which MIGHT weigh 150 or 450 lbs respectively and are certainly Dangerous Game?

Leopard one can shoot with a 7mm legally.

Minimums are there for the idiots that want to shoot animals with the smallest caliber possible. Yes, the PH is there with a big bore, but the last thing he wants is to follow a cape buffalo or a lion into the jess.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Is 375 required for leopard and lion?

I swear I've seen videos of leopard hunting with .308, 30-06 etc.

For lion hunting, the smallest legal caliber which you can use in any African country... is one of the .300 Magnums in Zambia. In Cameroon, you can use a minimum of .354 caliber. Everywhere else in Africa, .375 caliber is the legal minimum for lion.

You can hunt leopard with a legal minimum of 7mm caliber in Namibia and Zimbabwe. And in Ethiopia, there is no minimum legal caliber regulations in place at all for hunting dangerous game ( namely Cape buffalo & leopard).

 

[RR 314]

I wish there was a .375 magnum requirement on wildebeest. . Spent the better part of a day chasing one a hunting partner shot with a .270 Weatherby with Barnes TSX. Man, those things can be tough. Put a lot of holes in it and it kept on trucking!

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

The only remaining country in Africa where a dare devil (or fool, depending upon who you ask) can now hunt dangerous game without any consideration towards minimum legal caliber is Ethiopia (where the huntable dangerous game species are only Cape buffalo & leopard).

In Benin, you can legally hunt Cape buffalo with any caliber above 6mm (on paper). But with the recent political turbulence there, I think that safari hunting to Benin is out of the question for the foreseeable future.

Does anyone on this forum or elsewhere keep an up to date table of minimum calibers/energy requirements by type of game by country? If not that would be a good value add for the forum

 

[bobdahunter84]

When it comes to large DG, I personally believe you should shoot the largest caliber you can shoot accurately. Seems dumb to travel to the other side of the world, spends thousands of dollars only for the PH to kill your animal because you were under-gunned.

Talk to enough old timers and you'll hear stories about a bear being taken by 22LR or similar. Will a perfectly placed small caliber kill a lot of animals? Sure. Doesn't make it a good idea.

Not only considering your own safety and hunting success, you owe it to the animal to make it a humane and quick job.

I think a 375 is is an appropriate minimum for cape buffalo. You'd never catch me hunting an elephant with a 375 though, even if it is legal.

 

[Daisy]

American bison have a rather unique anatomy WRT their lungs (thus sayeth Steve Rinella). You only have to put a bullet into 1 lung to cause a full pneumothorax in both lungs. This is 100% fatal. An excited bison, breathing heavily, won't take long to deflate both lungs.

How the American Indians took so many with simple arrows.

 

[Daisy]

Leopard one can shoot with a 7mm legally.

Minimums are there for the idiots that want to shoot animals with the smallest caliber possible. Yes, the PH is there with a big bore, but the last thing he wants is to follow a cape buffalo or a lion into the jess.

Would you say anyone hunting dangerous game with a bow is an idiot? Serious question. You have to get a lot closer and the best arrows don’t carry the kinetic energy of large caliber bullets.

Btw. I crossbow hunt and wouldn’t go dangerous game hunting with one.

 

[Tgood1]

Read in several books Roy Weatherby cleanly took cape Buffalo with a .257 Weatherby, anything is possible

 

[375Fox]

How the American Indians took so many with simple arrows.

The real question is how many did they wound? 7.62x39 and 303 British have both accounted for a lot of buffalo in Africa. Here’s a 12 gauge slug from a poacher, badly infected, but healing. A different poacher killed a buffalo on my final day in a different camp with a homemade 12 gauge shotgun.

 

[0002S]

Sorry to derail, bows and crossbows were brought up.

38 yard shot. Raven 29X w/200 grain GrizzleStik Samurai / 600 grain total. About 380 fps with this set up. The tree was 4 foot behind the bison and required pliers to pull the arrow out. The stalk on this bison was around 500 yards. We had a perfect wind and the bison didn’t know we were there until right before the shot when we had to move from light cover. The bison went about 15 yards and died in less than 5 minutes.

The point isn’t to say bison are as tough as a Cape Buffalo or Hippo. They are not. The point is that a modern crossbow, with the right arrow set up, has enough energy to penetrate dangerous game. The key would be a perfect broadside or frontal shot at 40 yards max distance. The problem is, there are a lot of variables that could cause things to go sideways fast.

 

[cpr0312]

1) Yes
2)No- I've taken hippo with .375
3)No- I've taken elephant with .375