I shot s fair sized scrub bull through both shoulders and he hobbled away. I could not believe he could even get to his feet! So going on Baz’s advice I’ll try the 450 grain Woodleighs. Friend Scott is going to get a 416 Remington magnum. He’s bought a 338 Winchester on my advice and now a 416. I’m beginning to think I’m a “bad” influence.
The Hydros are great if shooting in any kind of cover. I have/will use only hydros in the 416 Rigby on anything big. Trick with the hydros on Bulls, buff etc is heart shots/brain or neck/spine shots, but soft if animal is in a herd. The wound channels are impressive. However shoot bone with a 416 and it needs to be on Ele otherwise they may pencil through lighter bone. Not break and cause massive amounts of splintering as a soft does.
They will do that, though. They’re a tough animal, and can sometimes keep their feet longer than you’d expect. Then other times they’ll sink fast. The more bovines you shoot, the more you’ll develop x-ray vision for their hearts from any angle, and it’s generally a rapid demise. But no matter how many you shoot there will still be some that don’t go to plan, usually due to a placement error on our part on that crucial first shot. If a buffalo or scrubber keeps its feet for more than a hundred yards there’s a good chance something’s amiss. That’s just a rough rule, of course.
My opinion is neither better nor worse. As a .416 Rigby man I prefer the traditional loading. Both are emphatic. I swear by the 410 grain RNSN; another bloke will swear by the 450 grain version. Can’t go wrong with either. There is a lot about this game that is understandably in our minds, for good reason. Confidence is crucial, and if a particular bullet inspires confidence then it’s a good thing.
I don't think you will be disappointed with the results. I found out about the Hydro and lighter bones on a Camel.
Question, Wwhat Woodleighs would you use in a .375H&H? Same tactic soft with Hydro as back up or in cover or is will the .375 be a bullet act differently due to different class. I need to know before I start stocking up on supplies
It's fairly widely believed that Spitzer type bullets penetrate better than RN, so a 300 gr PP seems to be what you're looking for. Even if it doesn't penetrate better than RN, it has a higher BC, so it should be a bit flatter at extended range. IMO, you can't really go wrong with either one. Get a box of each and see what works best for you. I assume you're after scrub bulls or water buffalo. Bullets are a lot like women. There's something out there to suit each taste.
You assume correctly I am after an opportunity to shoot scrub bulls or Buffaloes. I have the rifle, I’ve got this Africa trip soon and I thought that would never happen but some leads here have made it a reality. I will use my .375 on pigs to burn the PPU and reclaim the brass but I wanted a safari rifle so I got one, I have the Woodleigh reloading manual but disappointed it doesn’t actually list the .375H&H info the main one I wanted, Yes but you can’t have multiple women to suit the occasion! Women are like guns you can see some appeal in many of them but there are restrictions around acquiring and safekeeping of them!
a 300 gr PPSN @ 2600 fps is more than enough pill from a 375 HH to take anything you might ever hunt with it, from duiker to hippo and everything in between. it could be argued that Barnes TSX or Norma Oryx or Swift A Frame are better choices (for cape buffalo), but I think that is getting into hair-splitting territory.
Woodleigh make two 375 Soft points. One is harder than the other, for big stuff go the harder one for pigs the softer one if using soft points. Otherwise same as for the 416 in regards to the soft and Hydros. If I were to use soft on Buff the it would be the first shot then hydros.
CBH, I’m confused about your comment regarding the Woodleigh manual and .375H&H. What info are you chasing? I miss having a .375H&H. I would simply load-up with the heavy duty 300 grain Woodleigh softs for buffalo.
+2 Just remember the PP are normally rated to a faster impact velocity then the round nose, not always but in most cases.
My mistake, I said the .375 data is not listed. What I was making reference to is the Hydros are not listed under .375H&H. I have a clear and extensive email reply from Geoff McDonald about this. In short he says *They used the Soft Nose data when testing hydros so the data was not listed in the printed manual. *Hydros generally create less pressure than the FMJ and the data for Soft nose is very close, However proceed with caution as always! I was disappointed to find the Hydro data was not in my manual as I only planned to have this one big bore rifle chambered in this classic cartridge until some other Aussies here started banging on about their .416 Rem’s. Being an Aussie I’m hoping to use the Aussie product supporting Australian business albeit barely rating as a consumer in this class. I’m going to get a few projectiles on hand so I can practice and carry plenty of rounds if i do a trip up North. I’m not shy of shooting pigs with bigger rounds. Even locally it’s the cost of travel always outweighs the cost of Bullets. I will get some HD softs and develop a load and some lighter softs for practice and local hunting.
