Brandon.Gleason
AH enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2009
- Messages
- 459
- Reaction score
- 784
- Location
- New England
- Media
- 27
- Member of
- SCI Life Member, DSC, NRA Life Member
- Hunted
- Canada, RSA, USA, Zimbabwe
Gents,
I've used the CEB Raptors in both .308 Win and .300 Win Mag on a number of whitetail over the last few years with great effect. In prepping for our recently completed hunt in Zambia, I chose the CEB Safari Raptors (standard configuration, not thick skin) in 275gr for my .375 H&H as the primary bullet. I loaded them over RL15 to 2560fps for the 300gr Solids and 2580fps for the Raptors, shooting the same point of impact with the same powder charge. They shot phenomenally accurate.
The first animal shot was a puku, broadside, at around 120yds. I had a pass through of the base and he dropped at the shot with a through the shoulders shot. There were two petals hanging out the offside skin about 4" from the center base. Great performance, I thought.
The second animal was a nile crocodile. Shot was 70yds and a neck shot behind the smile. The croc was probably 14-16" wide at the. neck? The croc was pinned with the neck shot, and two more shots to the body behind the shoulder as insurance. I was super surprised at no pass through of the base on the neck shot? I was not surprised the body shots didn't pass through.
Third animal was a spotted hyena, through and through chest shot, as expected.
Fourth animal was a grysbok with a solid, no comments really there.
Fifth was a hippo. 75yds just under the ear with the Raptor. Hippo sunk like a rock, stone dead, but on recovery no pass through. The base and all petals were found within the brainpan on autopsy.
Sixth was a yellow baboon, around 110yds, behind the shoulders, exited as expected and dropped within 20 yards.
So now for discussion: am I wrong to have expected exits on the croc neck shot and hippo side brain shot? We were having this discussion around the fire with our two PHs and they were both surprised it didn't exit. The question of how they would have performed on cape buffalo came up, and they doubted they'd get exits on a buffalo shoulder shot. Would those with experience say I should've driven them faster?
I've used the CEB Raptors in both .308 Win and .300 Win Mag on a number of whitetail over the last few years with great effect. In prepping for our recently completed hunt in Zambia, I chose the CEB Safari Raptors (standard configuration, not thick skin) in 275gr for my .375 H&H as the primary bullet. I loaded them over RL15 to 2560fps for the 300gr Solids and 2580fps for the Raptors, shooting the same point of impact with the same powder charge. They shot phenomenally accurate.
The first animal shot was a puku, broadside, at around 120yds. I had a pass through of the base and he dropped at the shot with a through the shoulders shot. There were two petals hanging out the offside skin about 4" from the center base. Great performance, I thought.
The second animal was a nile crocodile. Shot was 70yds and a neck shot behind the smile. The croc was probably 14-16" wide at the. neck? The croc was pinned with the neck shot, and two more shots to the body behind the shoulder as insurance. I was super surprised at no pass through of the base on the neck shot? I was not surprised the body shots didn't pass through.
Third animal was a spotted hyena, through and through chest shot, as expected.
Fourth animal was a grysbok with a solid, no comments really there.
Fifth was a hippo. 75yds just under the ear with the Raptor. Hippo sunk like a rock, stone dead, but on recovery no pass through. The base and all petals were found within the brainpan on autopsy.
Sixth was a yellow baboon, around 110yds, behind the shoulders, exited as expected and dropped within 20 yards.
So now for discussion: am I wrong to have expected exits on the croc neck shot and hippo side brain shot? We were having this discussion around the fire with our two PHs and they were both surprised it didn't exit. The question of how they would have performed on cape buffalo came up, and they doubted they'd get exits on a buffalo shoulder shot. Would those with experience say I should've driven them faster?
