HUNTING Buffalo

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Hunting Buffalo Shot Placement

Post your questions, comments or pictures relating to hunting shot placement.

Hunting Buffalo
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Hunting Buffalo
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Buffalo Front View Shot Placement

Hunting Buffalo Front View Shot Placement

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Hunting Buffalo
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Hunting Buffalo
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Buffalo Rear View Shot Placement

Hunting Buffalo Rear View Shot Placement

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Hunting Buffalo
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Hunting Buffalo
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Buffalo Top View Shot Placement

Hunting Buffalo Top View Shot Placement

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Hunting Buffalo
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I really like the shot where the neck and shoulder come together, as you can be off a tad and you still get a knock down shot and he probably won't be able to get up..I have used this shot many times, especially at short range with a double rifle. It really puts them down for the count.

The classic 1/3 up the shoulder or 2/3 down the shoulder is another favorite shot of mine, and probably the one I have used most..
 
Ray, seeing that you aso use a double, you must have experienced a buffalo frontal into the "V" at close range, making the bull lift his entire front bulk onto his two hind legs? It is one of my favorites and also really puts them down heavily. The effect seems to happen mostly when they are looking at you. From my experience, when you get them unaware, they just drop in their tracks. When they are aware of you, they take the brunt of it and you get a chance to empty the second barrel to bowl them over.
 
Ryan,
Your spot on...and basically it is the same shot that I prefer on a broadside shot where I put the shot where the spine and neck meet..Either from the front or the side you can hit the spine as it drops so low on bovine animals..

When they sit right down on their butt, you know you got'em good. I had one running at me (I don't think he ever saw me) and I shot him in the V with a .470 and a Northfork cup point, at about 25 or so yards and he sat on his haunches and flipped over on his back driving his horns deep into the soft damp turf with all fours sticking staight up and never a wiggle. I got one of those rare adrenaline rushes from that one. :) :)
 
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Vital Shots Buffalo

Vital Shots Buffalo
by Captain Chauncey Hugh Stigand (1877 - 1919)

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This animal has always been painted blacker than it is as regards its usual behaviour, but when once wounded there is hardly a more dangerous beast, especially if it has to be followed up in thick cover.
Care should be taken, therefore, to put a deadly shot in at first, and there is no better place to shoot than the point of the shoulder if the beast is broadside on.
If facing, and its head is up, shoot at the base of the neck for a raking body shot.
If quarter facing, aim at the side of the neck so that the bullet will get to the opposite shoulder.
The best type of bullet for buffalo would be the dum-dum, that is a bullet with the lead just exposed at the point.
For close quarters, in following a wounded animal, a big bore might be useful, for there is no doubt that once a wounded buffalo has made up its mind to charge, it means business, so it is better to have something in one's hand that will knock it down or knock all the charge out of it, though on ordinary occasions they can be killed easily enough with "303 and "256 rifles.
Solids are also good for buffalo, but we think a bullet with lead just showing the best.
If using a single-loading rifle, load up quickly after each shot, and if a magazine is used be sure there are cartridges in the magazine as a reserve.
If charged it would be easy to escape if a tree was handy, or an ant-hill. In the open, of course, it would not be necessary to go closer than 100 yards, at which distance there would be no difficulty in killing the animal. Wounded animals, however, will seldom be found in the open if there is cover about, unless they are so badly wounded that they are unable to reach it.

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The question of vital shots is a most important one, for, after the game is sighted, it is necessary that the sportsman should know exactly where to hit it, so as to kill it quickly, saving the animal perhaps many days of suffering, and the hunter the time and trouble of following it up.
Nothing is more distressing to the man with humane sporting instincts than to feel that he has sent an animal off with a painful wound to die slowly, tormented by flies, maggots, and the nightly terror it will suffer from lions, hyaenas, jackals, or hunting dogs.
It would be well, then, to shoot coolly, and not to aim at an animal's whole body, but at the exact spot you wish to hit.
Never jerk the rifle off, but press the trigger gently, and, when possible, sit down. When this is impossible, if a tree is handy, rest the rifle against it, taking care to have the arm or hand between the barrel and tree to prevent jump.
It would, perhaps, be better to take the animals in order of size and the difficulty in killing them.
 
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New ambassador
by Salahuddin Ahmad

I am extremely delighted to attach picture of a fully mature cape buffalo, which was shot 6am in the morning of today.

It was one among four Dagga Boys I selected.

It was looking aggressively at me in upfront position with a bit of body tilt. The distance was about 70 yards. I had put in Norma Oryx 300 grain as first shot in my 375 H&H rifle magazine (for maximum damage in boiler room) and remaining two Federal Premium Cape Shock 300 grain, Flat Nose Solid bullets for follow-up.

I shot him on front upper edge of the left shoulder hoping Norma Oryx to pierce through making a maximum wound channel through the lungs, thus causing lot of bleeding. (I was hesitant to shoot at the heart from that angle with an expanding bullet). Upon impact, it jumped, turned and started staggering. I put second shot but it was unnecessary as it had already fallen down, with blood oozing from the nostrils.

When we cut his body open to check, I was pleasantly amazed to see that Norma Oryx bullet pierced through the shoulder blade, broken a rib, made a huge wound channel rupturing through the lung and got stuck in rumen. Only one petal was stuck around the rib and rest of the bullet was intact with a proper mushroom.

As I wrote earlier that I am not ballistic expert but now I strongly believe that;

1- Norma Oryx 300 grain bullet has enough penetration and expansion to bring down 850 kg Cape buffalo.

2- 375 H&H is enough caliber to bring down cape buffalo with a premium expanding bullet.

3- Proper shot placement is the single most important key factor to bring down buffalo, with a single shot.

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Your Norma Oryx has made me your ambassador.
 
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Buffalo target

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Well I guess if you like them smack dab in the middle of the hear taking out at least one lung if not both, well yeah I guess that's okay.......perfect shot K-man!
 
Yes front quartering at about 40 yards. You could hear the air blow out his lungs and he staggered his first 2 steps and collapsed. Didn't even need a coup'degrace. That's a barnes x 3oo grn 375. Have pictures of the rest of the herd looking at him as he passed.
 
Sorry - I got called away and didn't finish. Thanks phil for the reference. I had intended to post the picture in my profile but its my first time with pics so I guess it turned out ok after all. Its really amazing to get to see the damage a good bullet in the right place can do.
 
Yes front quartering at about 40 yards. You could hear the air blow out his lungs and he staggered his first 2 steps and collapsed. Didn't even need a coup'degrace. That's a barnes x 3oo grn 375. Have pictures of the rest of the herd looking at him as he passed.

Yeah, those 375's on frontal shots…. Evidently your bullet did not skirt the ribs. :)
 
Yes brick. That happened to me on my kudu. My .300wm was "altered" by the nice baggage handlers so I was able to use the p.h.'s .30 06 also barnes bullets but could only see his front quarters. Shot hit left of center, skipped out, and re-entered his back hip, and exited again. Made for a long tracking job over 2 days. most useless feeling being the last man trailing behind 2 trackers and a p.h. They definately earned a good tip and my utmost respect for the craft.
 
Love seeing those big holes in the heart. Good shooting Kman
 
Points Vitaux Chasse Buffle

Afrique chasse points vitaux du gibier africain - Buffle
Placement de balle pour un tir efficace

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Hello Everyone,

Quite recently, I have read postings, from more than one member of this forum that, the frontal shot on buffalo is not a good idea (reference the relatively new Post entitled "Hunting Buffalo at Night" or words to that affect).
Does anyone else reading this, feel that the frontal shot on buffalo is not a good idea?
I had never heard this until reading it in this forum.

The only time I have hunted buffalo so far, it so happened that I shot my animal while he was facing me at about 30 to 40 paces, with my Army & Navy .450 No2 SxS and 480 grain RNSP (Hornady "DGX").

In the above drawing, please refer to the upper left bull, with it's aiming points indicated by numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

My bullet impacted pretty much exactly between numbers 3 and 4 as shown on said drawing.
The impact appeared to literally knock him off his hooves.
He did struggle back upright and was departing so, I shot him quartering away, with a solid (Hndy DGS) which also appeared to knock him off his hooves and there he died, apparently instantly.

Upon examining the wound channel, as the buffalo was being butchered, the PH told me my first shot was a very mortal wound but buffaloes are "stubborn", therefore my 2nd shot was proper.

Said PH has never mentioned before or after, that the frontal shot on buffalo is not a good idea, but I am willing to listen to any other opinion.

Regards,
Velo Dog.
 
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Hi Velo Dog . Theres nothing wrong with a frontal shot on a buffalo. I prefer the broadside shot , but its only personal preference and because of one or two bad experiences early on in my career ( early 90's ) with dodgy RWS bullets. No reason not to take a full frontal shot with an adequate calibre loaded with good quality bullets. The DGX's don't work well for me in my 500 NE. They tend to break up , especially when hitting big bones. I now use hand loaded CEB's . A friend of mine loads Rhino soft nose bullets with great success and Dzombo solids in his 500 NE.
You took a beautiful buffalo. Congratulations.
 
Hi Velo Dog . Theres nothing wrong with a frontal shot on a buffalo. I prefer the broadside shot , but its only personal preference and because of one or two bad experiences early on in my career ( early 90's ) with dodgy RWS bullets. No reason not to take a full frontal shot with an adequate calibre loaded with good quality bullets. The DGX's don't work well for me in my 500 NE. They tend to break up , especially when hitting big bones. I now use hand loaded CEB's . A friend of mine loads Rhino soft nose bullets with great success and Dzombo solids in his 500 NE.
You took a beautiful buffalo. Congratulations.

Thanks Jan,

The broadside shot seems the best to me as well from all that I have read and listened to.
But my one and only buffalo so far, apparently thought we were lions hunkered down in the foliage and he obviously wanted to fight, as himself and his grumpy looking mates were busy advancing to us, not charging but very surly/cheeky behavior.
None of them seemed interested in turning broadside LOL.
If we'd waited much longer, we surely would have known what type of weeds they'd had for breakfast, by their breath.

What you said supports my beginner's opinion as well.
It seemed odd to me if the frontal / brisket shot is risky that, people like Dr. Kevin Robertson would have warned against it, in his superb book "The Perfect Shot".

Bullets have leaped forward in quality lately and hunters are rejoicing.
I am not familiar with CEB bullets but am quite versed on Rhino and Dzombo.
In fact, I have a box of 200 grain Rhino 8mm softs for my 8x57 Mauser but they are hard to get here in Alaska so, not sure if I will shoot them any time soon.
They have an awesome reputation, as do Dzombo bullets.

From reading unhappy customer's comments on the DGX, and from my meager two animal experience with them, I have concluded that they appear to have a velocity threshold of around 2000 fps.
It seems to me that the steel jacket (possibly the hardened lead alloy core as well) is too brittle to resist fracturing at higher velocity, (or even moderate velocity such as the .458 Lott produces).

Yours truly used that bullet as my soft because after trying multiple combinations of bullet brands, powder and primer combinations, my old .450 No2 double regulated way better with the DGX & DGS at 2050 fps than any other combination of bullet and components, including Woodleigh 480 and 500 gr bullets (among other brands) at various speeds.
I dare say; probably as well as any best grade Holland & Holland was ever regulated.
Very accurate as doubles go.
In terms of a soft for bolt actions and single shots, presuming no accuracy issues, I would likely choose Swift A-Frame (excellent reputation and relatively easy to get here where I live).

I had written to Hornady after my last safari, indicating that I had great success with their bullets on two animals but that it was at low velocity/2050 fps.
Yet, they shed a bit of the front ends (still otherwise boring deep into the animals though).
Therefore, I suggested they consider no longer thinning the DGX jacket near the "nose" as they currently do and that they also consider not cutting the stress slits so far down into the ogive as well.
If they left the jacket full thickness, from base to nose and only cut the stress slits to about 1/3 their current length, I feel they'd have a much better performer.
I realize that drawing steel jackets is tough enough on their equipment as it is and that thickening the nose will increase wear and tear on said equipment but, such is life in the fast lane.

NNTR to any of the above but, Thank You for your answer to my original question.

Tot Siens (or however you spell it),
Velo Dog.
 
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