This is an interesting topic, the right caliber for Cape Buffalo.Most people will tell you that the right cal for cape buffalo is the biggest you can afford. But on the other hand, the cal most used to hunt buffalo is probable the 7x57 mauser during the early 1900. I met an old timer that did buffalo culling for the Rhodesian govt during the 60's. These animals carried foot and mouth disease and 1000.s we hunted down. He killed over 2000 with a 7x57 as this was all he had available. So, a 7x57 can kill a buff. BUT There is a difference between then and now. The hunters from the previous era did not pay for cape buffalo and they had all the time in the world to hunt them. If they do not have a clear shot then they leave it. We are pushed for time as many hunters only have a few days per year and wants to hunt as many different animals in a short period as possible. Many of the African buffalo hunts that went bad due to the lack of patience. Hunters get frustrated after a day or two when tracking cape buffs. They then take a shot that should not be taken and this results in a wounded animal most of the time. Surely this also happened to the hunters from the past with the small calibres, but, they left it for the lions to finish off. We however have to track it till we find it as you want the trophy, they do not. This is a much different and very dangerous situation. You surely need the biggest rifle a person can fire when on the track of a wounded Cape Buffalo. I have been there, in front of a charging buff, with a 7mm and can tell all about it and also why NOT to go with such a small caliber. BUFFALO HUNT First Shot It is the first shot that the will dictate the events that will follow. I still strongly believe that good bullet placement with a smaller cal is much better that a bad shot with a large rifle. The question is, will you get that shot? The best place for a buffalo is a shot into the heart, this however requires that the buffalo must be in a broadside position:- (shot distance is on average 40 to 80 yards as the bush is mostly dense where we hunt these animals). Surely a shot just behind the front shoulder even with a 7x57 will do the job as the skin is soft and there will be enough penetration to get to the heart. The buffalo normally goes less than 100 yards before it goes down but I have heard stories of buff going close to 300 yards with a pierced heart. If you miss the heart there will then be some damage to the lungs but this will imply that the buffalo will stay on its feet for much longer. Therefore, we normally wait 30 mins before proceeding on the blood spoor after the first shot. This is why the Barnes X works so well (as the first shot) as it has enough penetration but also have a cutting effect that results into heavy bleeding and a quicker death. (Take into account that the old timers hardly ever followed the buffalo after the first shot as it is a cull and they just left them and continue on to the next) BUT To get a broadside shot is not easy as these animals does not always stand that way once they have detected you. (Once again, during the old times the hunters had an advantage as they were culling, this means the first one that turns broadside get the shot). We however are trophy hunters, this implies that we need to select one trophy in say, 10 to 150 cape buffaloes. This takes time and this is where patience is tested to the limit. You will find many will be right for the shot but NOT THE ONE YOU ARE AFTER. Therefore many shots are taken when the buffalo is head on position: This is where a .375H&H is the right caliber as it is not too heavy to handle and it also have good penetration to get to the heart and lungs. The only option here with a smaller cal than a .375 will be between the eyes, below the boss. I have shot a charging buffalo with a 7mm mag at 15 yards, missed the brain by half an inch. This had zero effect and I might as well have shot it with a .22. Did nothing whatsoever. We had a look at the bullet path when we skinned the animal. The bullet went into the neck area but could not penetrate the spinal chord. Got stuck in the bones, very far from the spine itself. This is where a .375H&H with loaded with a solid would have been the minimum, of course the solid is when you miss the brain unintentionally. WOUNDED CAPE BUFFALO THE FOLLOW UP. It is clear that the old timers seldom went after a wounded cape buffalo and therefore they got away with smaller calibres. But this is not the same for hunters living in our time period. I have come to the conclusion, if you face a charging buffalo, to have a bigger gun than the .375H&H in your hands, loaded with a solid brass point to give you a second chance if you miss the brain. ( We have done experiments with my 410 Rigby. It shot right through a blue wildebeest head on, front side in, other backside out with a sold brass bullet). This what you want. Penetration right to the backside of the buffalo to improve the odds to cut some of the spinal chord as this is all that will save you if you miss the brain. No body shot will help here. Once a buffalo went down on its 14th shot. It was the hunter and 2 PH's for back-up. They were shooting, a .375 (Hunter) and two .458win as the back-up gun. THE STORY IN SHORT: The hunter hit it with the first shot too far to the back and missed the heart, the bullet cut a small piece of the lung and got stuck in the guts as the buffalo was not 100% broadsided when he fire the shot. The buff took off and the hunter got in a shot into its backside. The two PH's also put 2 x 530 gr bullets from the .458 up from behind. It disappeared into the thick brush. (We always ask the hunter if he wants us to put in an insurance shot after the hunter fired with the condition that we are positive that the hunter hit the animal. We call this shot: "slow-down-shot". But we also hold back if the hunter wishes to kill the Cape Buffalo all by himself. We do this on one condition, that we will not fire any shot unless the situation turns dangerous). Anyway, the buffalo with the 3 heavy bullets in his body took off and disappeared into the brush. We now worked out a plan of action as we were quite positive that the chances are good that this buffalo will still be on his feet for a long time. This is the most dangerous hunting situation. Going after a wounded buff in thick brush, so we made the plan as such: One PH will go on the track and one PH and the hunter with his hunting friend, also carrying a .375 will go ahead, take a large circle walk, to ambush the buffalo ahead. We were quite sure that the buff will go into the thickest brush and wait for us. There was a river about 300 yards ahead of us and we thought that he will go there. So we walked a great circle and got to the dry river bed. We crossed the river and proceeded carefully on the opposite bank, scouting the bush on the other side. Surely enough, it was not long and we saw the back of the buffalo. He had stoped, turned and was waiting for us. Everyone opened fire. He did not see us and had no idea where the shots came from. He then jummped forward and ran in a circle, probably to try and locate us. Shot 13 from a .458 hit him in the lower part of the spine, this paralized his back legs. He was still motoring, now only on two legs, towards us as he has seen us by this time. Shot number 14 stopped this mean cape bufalo. As you can see I love buffalo hunting and to write about it. I hope this is of value for you. I alway say that a hunter himself knows best what he is capable of. Here are some information on the buffalo hunt so you can make your own choice of rifles. No matter what you choose, we will always be there to back you up if something turns bad. AFRICAN CAPE BUFFALO PACKAGE WITH MADALA SAFARIS |