Will a 500 grain Peregrine VRG3 front a .458 Lott exit on a buffalo chest shot?

[SRvet]

Time to milk the collective cow of knowledge once again. I’m mentally preparing for next years trip but struggle to source good quality .458 bullets in the UK. The three brands I can get are Barnes, Hornady and Peregrine but the chance of getting A-Frames is virtually zero. We do have a UK supplier of Peregrine bullets but getting any .458 calibre will be a special order.
Can I ask what people’s experience has been with the VRG3 bullet? Is its performance up there with the A frame and TSX? Is overpenetration likely to occur on broadside shots and is there likely to be sufficient penetration for a frontal chest shot? I am anticipating the muzzle velocity being 2200fps or there about.
Thanks in advance

 

[grand veneur]

I am not familiar with these bullet, but in general, it is very difficult to predict how a bullet will working in a game. It will depends on the position of the game when you pull the trigger, if there was various obstacles in the bullet's trajectory and ultimately where you hit the game. By the way, my main concern before a hunt was always if I will encounter buffalo in the area, the rest is left to what can happen on the terrain.

 

[BenKK]

No, I don’t believe it will, based on a Texas heart shot on a water buffalo bull from about 30m with a 570 grain Woodleigh Hydro from a .500 Jeffery… although, the head was down grazing so there was a lot of neck in the way after going through the chest… so, just maybe, if the head was up and you hit him square in the chest, it might have a chance to exit.

 

[michael458]

Can I ask what people’s experience has been with the VRG3 bullet?

I am not so familiar with various designations of the Peregrine bullets, but I believe this is the expanding version you are asking about. I have not used them in the field, but we did some test work here in 2015 at Peregrines request. Tested the expanding bullets in .458 and .416 and in both cases I would rate them very high on the list for buffalo.

They behave very much like the expanding North Fork CPS bullets we did many years ago in .500 caliber.

These would be very superior to most any conventional expanding bullet, A Frame or TSX. They will give deeper penetration in all cases, and create a lot of trauma along the way. I would not hesitate to use them for buffalo, they are very buffalo capable.

A strong probability they will exit broadside buffalo shots, and plenty of penetration for frontal chest easy.

Choices being Hornady, Barnes and Peregrine........ Peregrine all the way.......

At Lower velocity you have less expansion and deeper penetration.................

 

[BenKK]

I apologise if I misunderstood the question, I initially thought you were asking about the possibility of an exit from a perfect frontal shot, out the rear. Further apologies because I have also just realised the bullet you asked about does actually expand, unlike the Hydro that I incorrectly drew similarity to.

 

[Nhoro]

I have some loaded and haven't had the opportunity to use them yet. The flat nose and brass plunger result in more reliable expansion and quicker expansion than TSX. Penetration probably similar. Peregrine have a youtube channel and you can see how they perform on buffalo. They are also responsive on email and WhatsApp. I think there is a possibility of pass through especially if you shoot a little far back and only hit ribs and lung but that is probably true of most bullets. I would put the Peregrine on par with A-frame, or maybe a little ahead and better than TSX. But be aware the flat nose can cause feeding issues in some rifles ( mine needed work to feed all flat nose bullets )

 

[Brian]

Good bullet.

The VRG3 is the model shown in the Michael458 post above. I have used this bullet with complete satisfaction in .577 NE. on cape buffalo.

I found that the VRG bullet had predictable and uniform expansion. I found it to be a direct function of the velocity. More velocity, up to a point of course, brings you more expansion, exactly as shown in the Michael458 picture above. Predictable.

At 1,800 fps MV from my .577 NE there was very little expansion, of course, on cape buffalo which was fine with me as I was looking for max penetration. ( .577 bullets already come pre expanded. chuckle.)
Penetration was straight and deep, end to end on one buffalo, and right through on most broadside side shoulder shots.

I think that this bullet is right up there with North Fork and CEB for design, construction and integrity. Thats as good as it gets as far as I am concerned.

I agree 100% with the Michael458 post above.

Also, I met some of the Peregrine folks in Pretoria a few years ago. They seemed like a good bunch.

 

[Sideshow]

@SRvet Im currently waiting on North Fork to reapply for an import license as Im waiting on a shipment coming into Spud reloading you maybe able to tack an order on the end of this? I know its not bullets that you asked about but could be of interest if your stuck.

 

[Rafiki]

I'll pile in with praise for Peregrine Bushmaster (VRG's) bullets. I took 2 buffalo last October; one with 300gr 375 H&H the other with 550gr 500 Sharps VRG-3's. Small sample I know but they did perform perfectly, one shot each, down and out. I also took VRG-2's (solids) but did not use them.

I will be hunting buffalo again in 2026 and Peregrine Bushmasters will be going along.

 

[SRvet]

@SRvet Im currently waiting on North Fork to reapply for an import license as Im waiting on a shipment coming into Spud reloading you maybe able to tack an order on the end of this? I know its not bullets that you asked about but could be of interest if your stuck.

My preferred option was North Fork so this is definitely of interest. I have spoken to Spud a couple of times and he’s head in hands about the paperwork situation for NF. I hope they get it sorted soon for you. If they do I will definitely add some to the order. It was because of these difficulties that I was looking for alternatives and I have have had some Peregrine bullets in a smaller calibre from Edinburgh Rifles so knew the supply chain was up and running already.

 

[SRvet]

I am not so familiar with various designations of the Peregrine bullets, but I believe this is the expanding version you are asking about. I have not used them in the field, but we did some test work here in 2015 at Peregrines request. Tested the expanding bullets in .458 and .416 and in both cases I would rate them very high on the list for buffalo.

They behave very much like the expanding North Fork CPS bullets we did many years ago in .500 caliber.

These would be very superior to most any conventional expanding bullet, A Frame or TSX. They will give deeper penetration in all cases, and create a lot of trauma along the way. I would not hesitate to use them for buffalo, they are very buffalo capable.

A strong probability they will exit broadside buffalo shots, and plenty of penetration for frontal chest easy.

Choices being Hornady, Barnes and Peregrine........ Peregrine all the way.......

At Lower velocity you have less expansion and deeper penetration.................

@michael458 Once again you have surpassed all expectations with the quality of your reply. Thank you so much. The data that you have amassed is incredibly valuable.

 

[Sideshow]

My preferred option was North Fork so this is definitely of interest. I have spoken to Spud a couple of times and he’s head in hands about the paperwork situation for NF. I hope they get it sorted soon for you. If they do I will definitely add some to the order. It was because of these difficulties that I was looking for alternatives and I have have had some Peregrine bullets in a smaller calibre from Edinburgh Rifles so knew the supply chain was up and running already.

I'll keep you posted. Yes head in hands lol I put my order in through Spud back before April. NF didn’t get the paper work right the first time round so this is there 2nd crack at it. We will see if they get it right.


Still trying to sort which powder to use N140 or N150 N550 due to heaver bullets.

 

[Osama Mahdi]

The 300-grain Peregrine .375 H&H that hit the neck and passed through the chest had very deep penetration, but it was my PH’s handload.

 

[Boela]

I have shot 4 Buffalo with my 458 Lott, using 450gr VRG-3's, at approximately 2200fps.
All initial shots were broadside, and none of them exited.

You will be safe from an exit using a 500gr projectile on a frontal shot.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Frontal shot- exit is extremely unlikely
Quartering away shot- exit is extremely unlikely
Texas heart shot- exit is extremely unlikely
Broadside heart-lung shot- exit is possible if you don’t hit any heavy bone.

Peregrine & Rhino make some of the best bullets in South Africa today. Also DZOMBO (although they only produce solids).