Taking a buffalo in a group, pass-through

[HookMeUpII]

Huge herds is one of the reasons I’m not thrilled about Zambezi delta hunts. I can’t imagine how they keep from wounding a lot of non-target buffalo. The other reason is the swamp. Not for me.

I didn't want to make this point, because I don't mean anything negative by it, but the videos I did watch were either from Caprivi or Zambezi. And it was big herds, on the flood plains, etc.

Seems this is more a free-range scenario which is ideally, the type of hunt I would like.

 

[375Fox]

Good point. Not knowing what’s behind a target isn’t the same as KNOWING there’s an animal behind it. You do your best and take your chances occasionally. Huge herds is one of the reasons I’m not thrilled about Zambezi delta hunts. I can’t imagine how they keep from wounding a lot of non-target buffalo. The other reason is the swamp. Not for me.

Another member made a comment here on a different thread about Mozambique delta hunts. He said if you use a swift A frame and have a pass through outfitter will pay the extra trophy fee. Any other bullet it’s on you. I’ve had 1 solid exit on 4 buffalo I’ve taken but no soft points even finishing shots. I think it comes down to choosing appropriate bullet.

 

[grand veneur]

I’d ask how many regions and how many buffalo hunters have taken for those saying they’ll never shoot if they can’t identify what’s behind. A small herd or group of dugga boys in relatively open terrain or late season is easy to wait. Hunt early season or huge herds like in Mozambique delta it’s easier said than done. Here’s my first early season bull. It was a lone bull but I shot it at 5 yards and could only see parts of buffalo. I had no idea what was behind it if anything. There was no opportunity for shots in open at any point on this hunt.
View attachment 694697

Famous French proverb : L'exception confirme la règle ! The exception proves the rule.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Another member made a comment here on a different thread about Mozambique delta hunts. He said if you use a swift A frame and have a pass through outfitter will pay the extra trophy fee. Any other bullet it’s on you. I’ve had 1 solid exit on 4 buffalo I’ve taken but no soft points even finishing shots. I think it comes down to choosing appropriate bullet.

This ties in well with the discussion in the 375 thread/post. Being I want this time of hunt to be a delta, free-range hunt, herd shots seem not uncommon.

Seems like Barnes sizzles right through things easily.

 

[375Fox]

Famous French proverb : L'exception confirme la règle ! The exception proves the rule.

It’s a true statement but there are hunts you’ll have to trust your equipment if you want to be successful. I would ideally wait until clear but not every hunt is ideal conditions or will present another opportunity.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I've spent a lot of time watching buffalo hunting videos as I'm looking at potentially going back with them as a primary target in 2027. One thing I've seen in a few videos is a hunter taking a specific animal in a group.

I know YouTube videos don't always show exactly what's going on. However, I've watched a few videos where the PH gives the go-ahead for the shot on a buff with a group standing behind it.

The question I've always had is: Are they not worried about pass-throughs? I understand it's a pretty dense, thick skinned, big animal. However, it's not uncommon to hear of even the minimum caliber 375HH, going right through. Am I missing something here?

Is it situation to situation based on firearm/how the animal is facing/etc?

Not criticizing or armchair-quarterbacking. I just always thought that even on bigger animals, pass-through and collateral damage was a risk.

The entire reason why I recommend using only premium grade expanding bullets on Cape buffalo… is specifically to avoid a pass through. Because seven out of ten African Cape buffalo are always hunted in herds.

 

[grand veneur]

The entire reason why I recommend using only premium grade expanding bullets on Cape buffalo… is specifically to avoid a pass through. Because seven out of ten African Cape buffalo are always hunted in herds.

That's right, the majority of buffalo are shot near or in the herds, but the use of premium bullets like TSX or A-Frame are in my opinion a no 100% guarantee to avoid a pass trough.

 

[375Fox]

That's right, the majority of buffalo are shot near or in the herds, but the use of premium bullets like TSX or A-Frame are in my opinion a no 100% guarantee to avoid a pass trough.

It’s not that difficult to find stories of pass throughs with TSX, but very uncommon with Swift A Frame. The mushroom and surface area is very large. You find them under skin if you get full penetration.

 

[grand veneur]

It’s not that difficult to find stories of pass throughs with TSX, but very uncommon with Swift A Frame. The mushroom and surface area is very large. You find them under skin if you get full penetration.

Maybe, but I had two times also a pass trough with 450gr A-Frame bullets. Perhaps the 460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge was the reason, I don't know.

 

[Hyde Hunter]

Just finished a Buffalo hunt. My PH would not let me shoot with another Buffalo behind the target bull.
He also made it very clear in the pre hunt talk that if I shoot a bull and it was pass through that hit another animal, I bought a second Buffalo.

but the worst thing would be not paying for it, would be to not recover it and someone else pays the price of a mad hurt bull.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

That's right, the majority of buffalo are shot near or in the herds, but the use of premium bullets like TSX or A-Frame are in my opinion a no 100% guarantee to avoid a pass trough.

Especially the Barnes TSX !

 

[deewayne2003]

Especially the Barnes TSX !

The only animal I shoot with others behind it is feral pigs and that's intentional; I once killed 3 pigs standing shoulder to shoulder with a 100gr TSX from a .257Wby; the recovered projectile weighed 93gr.

In Australia we were cull hunting water buffalo and I shot a cow with a 350gr Woodleigh Weldcore and it passed through and hit another behind it that I could not see.... not a fun follow up in that terrain but we got it done.

 

[Hyde Hunter]

the 404 gr 458 Stone Hammer bullet and the 458 CEB 420gr Raptor and the 400gr Safari solid will also pass through also

 

[HookMeUpII]

Especially the Barnes TSX !

I had a discussion in another thread about this. Great ammo. It kills. However, it somehow does it very effectively while completely zipping through.

Late expansion? Lack of expansion? Too high of velocity? Not sure I have the answer.

I know I'd be really concerned about pass through with something smaller like 300g going 2500fps.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Sure, but it is not only about money but above all about the risk of wounded another animals with all the suffering that this brings.

.....and the dangers of tracking a wounded buffalo....

 

[grand veneur]

I had a discussion in another thread about this. Great ammo. It kills. However, it somehow does it very effectively while completely zipping through.

Late expansion? Lack of expansion? Too high of velocity? Not sure I have the answer.

I know I'd be really concerned about pass through with something smaller like 300g going 2500fps.

If you want to be 99% sure that the bullets will stay in, you have to use classic SP bullets. The newer SP models with reinforced walls are also no longer an absolute guarantee. The problem with such bullets remain their working on heavy big game, which is not quite optimal in all cases, especially by using cartridges of smaller calibers. Therefore in my opinion, their use should be reserved primarily for larger calibers with sufficient impact velocity, but not too much, otherwise they will fragmented und loose weight too early. No matter how, it's best not to shoot when there is something behind.

 

[DLSJR]

Even when you take care to be sure there are no animals behind your target animal, strange things can happen. A couple years ago my son and I were tracking 3 Dugga Boys. My son approached the bulls with our PH, the bulls were spread out and my son shot the closest bull while it was broadside at about 50 yards, with the other bulls about 10-15 yards farther and off to the side. He was shooting his 375 H&H with 300 grain TSX’s. He shot the bull twice, with the 2nd shot being head on. The bull was down quickly and then our PH Alan Vincent began motioning for me to come up quickly. As soon as I arrived, Alan asked if I could see the buffalo standing behind some trees and to shoot it if I could. All that was visible was the shoulder so I sent a 400 grain Bearclaw into it. A few quick shots and that buffalo was down for good, going only about 20-30 yards.

When we were cutting up my buffalo, one of the trackers handed me a Bearclaw that was from my first shot. And then he handed me a TSX that came from the liver…. I hadn’t shot the buffalo midship at all, so was confused. Only after a bit did I realize it was a 300 grain 375 TSX. When my son shot his buffalo, the first shot was broadside. The bullet had exited at an 45 degree angle and hit my Buffalo standing behind and well off to the side. It hadn’t reacted to being hit, but also didn’t run away, which is why I was able to come up and shoot it.

TSX’s often exit, so extra care needs to be employed. I don’t recall having a Bearclaw exit on any Buffalo and they’re generally what I have in the chamber for my first shot.

 

[375Fox]

Even when you take care to be sure there are no animals behind your target animal, strange things can happen. A couple years ago my son and I were tracking 3 Dugga Boys. My son approached the bulls with our PH, the bulls were spread out and my son shot the closest bull while it was broadside at about 50 yards, with the other bulls about 10-15 yards farther and off to the side. He was shooting his 375 H&H with 300 grain TSX’s. He shot the bull twice, with the 2nd shot being head on. The bull was down quickly and then our PH Alan Vincent began motioning for me to come up quickly. As soon as I arrived, Alan asked if I could see the buffalo standing behind some trees and to shoot it if I could. All that was visible was the shoulder so I sent a 400 grain Bearclaw into it. A few quick shots and that buffalo was down for good, going only about 20-30 yards.

When we were cutting up my buffalo, one of the trackers handed me a Bearclaw that was from my first shot. And then he handed me a TSX that came from the liver…. I hadn’t shot the buffalo midship at all, so was confused. Only after a bit did I realize it was a 300 grain 375 TSX. When my son shot his buffalo, the first shot was broadside. The bullet had exited at an 45 degree angle and hit my Buffalo standing behind and well off to the side. It hadn’t reacted to being hit, but also didn’t run away, which is why I was able to come up and shoot it.

TSX’s often exit, so extra care needs to be employed. I don’t recall having a Bearclaw exit on any Buffalo and they’re generally what I have in the chamber for my first shot.

That’s really interesting about the bullet turning and exiting to hit another buffalo. The first time you wrote it I assumed it was directly behind. I’m surprised it had the stability to continue on. I’ve found bullet fragments in PG on the far skin. I watch videos and think there is a reaction in other animals. I often wonder if fragments from softer bullets hit more PG standing adjacent than hunters realize.

 

[Hunt anything]

I didn't want to make this point, because I don't mean anything negative by it, but the videos I did watch were either from Caprivi or Zambezi. And it was big herds, on the flood plains, etc.

Seems this is more a free-range scenario which is ideally, the type of hunt I would like.

The big swamps and flood plain is the reason I long to go back. Late in the season the swamps aren’t that bad and the amount of game you can see at one time is mind boggling.
The first place we stopped to glass we saw 10 different species of game. Truly amazing!
I shot my bull at about 60yds on the outskirts of a herd, 2 shots the first broadside with a 300gr DGX with the bullet recovered on the skin of the opposite shoulder. The second a 300gr DGS up the tailpipe and recovered in his dewlap. .375 Ruger.

 

[HookMeUpII]

The big swamps and flood plain is the reason I long to go back. Late in the season the swamps aren’t that bad and the amount of game you can see at one time is mind boggling.
The first place we stopped to glass we saw 10 different species of game. Truly amazing!
I shot my bull at about 60yds on the outskirts of a herd, 2 shots the first broadside with a 300gr DGX with the bullet recovered on the skin of the opposite shoulder. The second a 300gr DGS up the tailpipe and recovered in his dewlap. .375 Ruger.

This is actually the experience I really want for buffalo. I know I'll end up paying handsomely for it. RSA treated me very well but I would love to stalk out an old bull in the flood plains.