What calibre would you choose for Buffalo and Bovine hunts.

[Aussie_Hunter]

Minimum calibre 9.3X62 is my pick, it's my all time favourite cartridge especially in the Highland Stalker rifle. In my opinion the rifle is just the perfect weight and physical size for the 9.3, with nearly as much power as the 375 and less recoil. The heavy for calibre bullets in the 9.3 have a high sectional density for good penetration.

 

[Houston Bill]

Personally, I hunt buffalo with my 450/400 Heym 88B double rifle. It is regulated to Hornady ammo so I shoot the factory Hornady 400gr DGX. I have an Trijicon 1 MOA RMR on it.

If you don't want to go the double route, you cant go wrong with a bolt action 375 H&H. If you want a bit more pop and can handle the recoil a 416 Remington or 416 Rigby would also work great. I would shoot Swift AFrames or Barnes TSX or TTSX or comparable premium bullet.

 

[375Ruger416]

I have purchased a Blaser R8 in 300 WM and 375 H&H. 1-6 Leupold vx6 on the 375. First buffalo hunt 12 - 18 mos away minimum. Practicing with the 375, but planning on working my way up to a 416 Rem. Have since added hippo on land to my wishlist.

Widely agreed that 375 is adequate for buffalo as a client. According to Boddington, a scoped 416 may be the ideal buffalo rifle. I’ve read these threads and everything else obsessively the past couple of years, but practically, seems to come down to: start with a 9.3 or 375 and work your way up by shooting other people’s rifles to assess your recoil tolerance if desired.

It really becomes an optimization problem - larger calibers have more dramatic terminal effect, but adversely effect ease of shot placement and speed of followup shots.

Oh, and enjoy the ride!

 

[Green Chile]

375 is a good starting point and very effective. Even so, my own personal preference is 416, which has 30% more bullet weight and hits them harder. Also, I get exits on almost any angle.

 

[Green Chile]

According to Boddington, a scoped 416 may be the ideal buffalo rifle.

Boddington and I hunted buff together last year and he made numerous comments on my scoped 416 Rigby Dakota being an ideal buff rifle. I was fortunate to also take the biggest bodied buff he had seen personally and the first one over a ton in weight. The butcher who picked it up estimated it was 2400 lbs and it broke the trailer!

 

[Safari Dave]

A .375 H&H will meet all requirements and will get the job done.

I opted for a .416 Rigby (CZ 550) that wears a 1.5-5 Leupold on QD mounts.

I already had both, and could shoot the .416 as well as I could my .375 (and so could my son, who was originally going to take a crocodile).

(I also took a Heym 88b in .470 NE, but could never get close enough to make an ethical shot.)


I love my DR and wish I could have used it, but being able to make a well placed, magnified, shot through a fairly small opening in the bush at 80 yards made the difference.

 

[Rare Breed]

I hope to hunt Buffalo at some point.

My question is at what would be your preferred minimum calibre for any sort of Buffalo or Bovine hunting whether you have it or would choose it for the purpose?

Elaborate on the cartridge , rifle , scope etc if you like I’m interested in what works or what you would choose if selecting something fit for purpose

Tie between 375 H&H and 404 Jeffery. Both perfect calibers for Buff

 

[Rafiki]

I guess I’m looking at what individuals consider their own minimum. There is no wrong answer.

Just wondering what people would choose or suggest as a starting calibre

Well I got and customized a 375 H&H RSM just to placate a friend so I had to take it on my last buffalo hunt. It did wonderfully well hand loaded with 300gr Peregrine's; 104 yards, neck/spine, express sights, one and out. That said I prefer my 500 Ruger No 1, second buffalo, neck/spine, 31 yards, open sights, one and out obviously. Who needs a frick'n scope?

 

[Green Chile]

I love my DR and wish I could have used it, but being able to make a well placed, magnified, shot through a fairly small opening in the bush at 80 yards made the difference.

I have been saying this for years. It’s the key to being able to take MORE quality animals. More often than not, it’s what allows me to take the best animal in the area (after looking around) and on the last day or even last light. This has happened many times.

I just sold ALL of my doubles and while I enjoyed them, I won’t miss them. I also won’t miss most opportunities at animals in bad light or less than ideal setups.

 

[Hunter4752001]

@CBH Australia your 375H&H will get the job done, but upsizing to a 458 Lott would give you a bit extra margin for Murphy.

Given you're in Oz, forget about A-Frames, Bear Claws etc. They just won't be available when you need them. Look at Atomic29 or Woodleigh Hydros - both great choices and made here and therefore available. I recently took a Cape Buff using a 458 Lott with a 450g Atomic29 HP projectile. Complete pass through and put down.

As others have said, for a scope choose a low power (say 1-5) variable. Choose one that incorporates an illuminated red dot. Black crosshairs on a black buffalo in standing in the shade can be hard to pick up.

 

[BryceM]

I have a .375 H&H and a .416 Rigby. If hunting buffalo again, I'd go with the .416 Rigby.

That said, anyone hunting buffalo will be best served by a rifle they can handle and know how to shoot.

 

[375Fox]

It would depend on the hunt for me. For most hunts I think I’d prefer my scoped 375 I can shoot precisely for first shot and then reload quickly. However, I did my first early season hunt this year. There was not much possibility of shooting beyond 15 yards and no chance to reload. I would have preferred my 458 for that hunt. Most hunts though I’m only going to bring one rifle and combine with other game. A scoped 375 with swift A frame or trophy bonded bear claw is what I’ll take.

 

[Flbt]

I hope to hunt Buffalo at some point.

My question is at what would be your preferred minimum calibre for any sort of Buffalo or Bovine hunting whether you have it or would choose it for the purpose?

Elaborate on the cartridge , rifle , scope etc if you like I’m interested in what works or what you would choose if selecting something fit for purpose

Honestly if I get the chance it will more than likely be a ranch water buff.
My 45-70 would probably get the nod

Now cattle if I needed to kill one again the 45-70 or possibly the 44 mag leaver action.

 

[mark-hunter]

My question is at what would be your preferred minimum calibre for any sort of Buffalo or Bovine hunting whether you have it or would choose it for the purpose?

Elaborate on the cartridge , rifle , scope etc if you like I’m interested in what works or what you would choose if selecting something fit for purpose

A question, many times asked.

Availability of ammunition in local shops, universality of caliber to be used in hunting grounds at home, led me to choose 375 H&H.
In my opinion, 416 Rigby is a better choice for buffalo, but there is also a question of how many buffalo you plan to shoot in your lifetime, and whether it justifies the investment.

The platform:
I know many guns will work. And If I knew in my younger days what I know now, I would start my hunting career with Blaser R8, and keep adding the barrels as necessary.
But at the start, I went a different, classic route. So, I needed a gun. And decided that for a classic safari, I want a CRF rifle. So, I bought ZKK 602 in 375.
This was topped up with German swing mounts, and the most versatile scope I could imagine: Swarovski Z6, 1.7-10x42.
This rifle was on two safaris and took one buffalo plus plains game. Both reports available on the forum


The bullet, swift a frame, 300 grains.

 

[Ozishooter]

I hope to hunt Buffalo at some point.

My question is at what would be your preferred minimum calibre for any sort of Buffalo or Bovine hunting whether you have it or would choose it for the purpose?

Elaborate on the cartridge , rifle , scope etc if you like I’m interested in what works or what you would choose if selecting something fit for purpose

I use a 375WSM here in Australia for Buff and scrub bulls 270gr Atomic29 at 2680fps

 

[IvW]

The 9.3's and 375's are all perfectly adequite.

For a buffalo bovine only rifle it would be 404 Jeff or 416 Rigby. I prefer the 404. Jeff.

The 400 H&H is a very intriguing caliber and has wonderful balistics but I think ammo may be an issue.

 

[DaBill]

I started my buffalo planning with a .375 H&H. It’s legal everywhere in Africa and has taken countless buffalo, but when I put time in behind mine I couldn’t shake the feeling of being a little undergunned. That pushed me to dig deeper into what else was out there.

From my research and shooting, I found the .416s and the .458 Win Mag produce very similar recoil if rifle weight and barrel length are comparable. I eventually picked up a CZ 550 Safari in .458 WM. Yes, it kicks harder than the .375, but it’s not unmanageable. With a FalconStrike pad and a removable muzzle brake, the rifle is now much more comfortable — the pad in particular turns the recoil into more of a heavy push than a sharp jab.

For me, the .375 is the minimum I’d consider, but stepping up gave me confidence. I’ll take the .458 on my hunt, knowing it carries more authority on buffalo and still handles well. If you’re planning your first hunt, the .375 will do the job, but if you want extra margin, a well-set-up .416 or .458 is worth considering.

 

[BenKK]

Sounds like you’ve already got a good .375H&H, just use that. These days my preference is the 350 grain Woodleigh RNSN HD, but the 300 grain version works well as does the Hydro. Don’t overthink it or stress about it.

I’ve seen .270s work as well with good bullets and heart shots, but admittedly those guys had been around a lot of buffalo.

 

[uplander01]

If I was leaving for a buff hunt tomorrow I would grab the 416 rigby or 404 Jefferey. I’ve killed them with 375 hh and 500 jeffery, 500 became to difficult for me to practice and shoot a lot so I sold it, 375 does the job but nice to have a little extra in the tank as the saying goes. Whatever you use shoot it a lot off sticks (whatever kind you’ll be using in the hunt) and get to the point where it’s intuitive in your hands and you feel very confident, things can go really wrong if you don’t do your part correctly.

 

[bimbo]

9.3 x74r double O/U...and swarowsky optic 1.5-6x
CEB bullet 285 grs ,285 grs swift A frame ,woodleigh 285grs round nose or 285 grs Rhino barnes TSX .Some solid like hydrasolid ,norfork or CEB as well...
Minimum legal caliber ,minimum rifle weight
Minimum recoil want say to shot very straight and walking after a good trophy at will.In few words the secret of buffalo's hunting and every true hunt were a long walking and an accurated shot are mandatory!