Show Me Your 375 Caliber Buffalo!

TOBY458

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Thought it would be interesting to see who all is/has been using a 375 of some sort to shoot their buffalo. Let's see the pictures, and give details of the loads and bullets used. How many shots it took, and how far the buffalo went after being hit. Recovered bullets are a plus as well! So, here we go.

These were all taken with a Sako Kodiak 375 H&H with Barnes 300 Gr TSX bullets. None of the bulls made it out of sight once the first shot was fired. I shot all 3 bulls with 4 rounds each. None really needed the follow up shots, but I had a full magazine and you pay the same price for the buffalo no matter how many time you shoot him!
The loads were around 2450 fps from the 21" barrel of the Sako Kodiak.
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Adam S, I found there is a substantial difference in recoil between the 416s and 375 H&H. You will note I actually have a muzzle brake on my 375. Not sure it is needed any more. When I purchased it, I was healing from a torn retina and decided I’d rather lose my hearing than to go blind. I will be shooting it without the brake to see how I do now.

I have read that the 404 Jeffery recoils little more than the 375. I’d be interested in trying it just for my own comparison.

Best of luck in your decision!
 
Adam S, I found there is a substantial difference in recoil between the 416s and 375 H&H. You will note I actually have a muzzle brake on my 375. Not sure it is needed any more. When I purchased it, I was healing from a torn retina and decided I’d rather lose my hearing than to go blind. I will be shooting it without the brake to see how I do now.

I have read that the 404 Jeffery recoils little more than the 375. I’d be interested in trying it just for my own comparison.

Best of luck in your decision!
I load my 416 Rem to about 2350 with 400 grain Swifts. Recoil is definitely more noticeable than a 375 off the bench. But, in the field you'll never feel either one.
 
Mozambique 2014...I had purchases a .375 Ruger African and used the .300 grain Hornady DGX which came apart on me. The initial chest shot at 80 yards was slightly high. The bull stumbles and the herd bolted off. After our pursuit he split of and we got another couple in him and he finally expired. Learning experience!
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Mozambique 2014...I had purchases a .375 Ruger African and used the .300 grain Hornady DGX which came apart on me. The initial chest shot at 80 yards was slightly high. The bull stumbles and the herd bolted off. After our pursuit he split of and we got another couple in him and he finally expired. Learning experience!View attachment 267775
I sure wish some other makers would start making 375 and 416 Ruger ammo! Would be nice to have some factory loads with Swift or Barnes bullets. Another reason I handload I guess.. .
Nice bull!
 
Four to date.

Caprivi - One shot, quartering toward us at about seventy yards. He dropped in his tracks and no follow-up shot needed or taken. 300 gr TSX from a custom .375 built on a FN Mauser action.

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Mozambique, Zambezi Delta - Two shots (really a double tap), slightly quartering away at about sixty or seventy yards. Went maybe thirty yards. 300 gr TSX from a Blaser S2.

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Mozambique, Zambezi Delta - Two shots, one slightly quartering toward and one as he bolted which only grazed the brisket. Dead withing 25 meters. 300 gr Swift A-Frame from a Blaser R8.

full


South Africa, Limpopo - Two shots, one head on at 25-30 meters and second at approximately 60 meters quartering away - already stopped and staggering. From position of first shot to second where he did collapse, perhaps 25-30 meters. 300 gr Swift A-Frame from a Blaser R8.

full


Nothing quite like a .375!
 
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BRNO 602
 
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2010 MKuze Falls PGR, KwaZulu/Natal RSA

Rifle is a Heym Africa Light in .375HH

Ammo used, Federal Premium, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw 300 gr.

Shot in the neck, died on the spot.
 

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375 H&H Winchester Model 70. 300 Grain Barnes. Facing us behind a tree at 80 yards. Trying to miss the tree only got one lung. Trailed him for 1.5 miles and finished him as he waited for us in the grass with a spine shot. Zimbabawe, Hwange area, 2013.

Africa 2013 226.JPG
 
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The following Buffalo were all taken with the same rifle and bullet combination.

Rifle: .375H&H Win Mod70
Bullet: 300gr Peregrine VRG3
Velocity: 2330fps

Shooting distance: 60m - 20m
Shots fired: 4
Area: Zululand
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Shooting distance: 45m
Shots fired: 2
Area: Free State
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Buffalo Cow
Shooting distance: 80m
Shots fired: 1
Area: Zululand
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First buffalo, Tanzania 1985. First shot a bit high, ran off. PH and I (also .375) followed up and both shot frontal chest and it collapsed right there. I had used factory Remington 300 gr solids. Second buffalo in Okavango-Botswana in 1990. Same load
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and rifle. One shot from 140 paces, perfect, read lucky, neck/shoulder shot. Stone dead when we reached him. Rifle is an 80's vintage Whitworth Mauser.
 
The following Buffalo were all taken with the same rifle and bullet combination.

Rifle: .375H&H Win Mod70
Bullet: 300gr Peregrine VRG3
Velocity: 2330fps

Shooting distance: 60m - 20m
Shots fired: 4
Area: Zululand
View attachment 267787

Shooting distance: 45m
Shots fired: 2
Area: Free State
View attachment 267788

Buffalo Cow
Shooting distance: 80m
Shots fired: 1
Area: Zululand
View attachment 267789
Did those buffalo not get the memo that they're not supposed to die from being shot with a push feed rifle???:sneaky:
 
First buffalo, Tanzania 1985. First shot a bit high, ran off. PH and I (also .375) followed up and both shot frontal chest and it collapsed right there. I had used factory Remington 300 gr solids. Second buffalo in Okavango-Botswana in 1990. Same loadView attachment 267793 View attachment 267794 and rifle. One shot from 140 paces, perfect, read lucky, neck/shoulder shot. Stone dead when we reached him. Rifle is an 80's vintage Whitworth Mauser.

SES,

Who was your ph on your Tanzania hunt and what area were you hunting in?
 

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