Hello Nicholas Barcomb,
I apologize in advance for the length of this rambling rant.
It's probably extra silly that I'm responding in such tedious detail, considering all these many long months that have passed since your original question.
My only feeble excuse is that I have enjoyed two double espressos this morning and I'm buzzin' like a saw.
1. From everything I have read and discussed in person with people who have taken many buffalo (and a few elephant in some cases), the following is a common concept that keeps popping up:
Even for hunting elephant (with 410 gr solid or 400 gr solid, depending on brand of projectile) or buffalo (soft, followed by solids) there is no need to load a large caliber cartridge, including the .416 to 2500 fps, no need at all.
Well respected Author Dr. Kevin "Doctari" Robertson has mentioned that in his experiences, anything above about 2400 fps maximum, is actually a potential DISADVANTAGE, for expanding bullets, in all of the suitably medium to large bore calibers, commonly used for heavy game hunting.
2. To quote John Luyt of "Duke Safaris" (named after a famous Kruger Park huge tusker named "Duke"):
"I've never seen an A-Frame Fail".
3. As Matt85 and others (including the manufacturer) have already mentioned, the Woodleighs are quite good / bonded core bullets that, work very well within their intended velocity range (refer back to Dr. Robertson's two cents on velocity, as it pertains to appropriate calibers for hunting heavy game).
4. Hannes Swanepoel of "Hannes Swanepoel Safaris" (named after a retired Kruger Park Game Warden - LOL), told me that he witnessed a Woodleigh 215 gr soft, fired from a local client's .303 British caliber rifle, travel lengthwise through most of a trophy class bull kudu.
It did not exit but was found in perfect mushroom shape, most of the way toward the opposite end of the animal.
5. North Fork bullets have an excellent reputation from what I have read about them but, I do not know anyone personally who has used them.
6. If you absolutely must load your .416 "hot", you should probably use the A-Frame or perhaps even the Barnes or similar monometal type expanding bullet.
However, as a result of my life's experiences with various shapes/profiles and patented designs of bullets (in rifles and handguns both), I do not trust any hollow point bullet so, I am not necessarily endorsing Barnes and similar designed hollow point projectiles.
Only having witnessed one animal shot with a Barnes monometal bullet (caribou / .30-06 / 180 gr), admittedly I am not in any position to claim conclusive findings.
However it failed to expand whatsoever, (as also has been my experience from time to time, with old fashioned conventional guilding metal jacketed lead core type hollow point rifle and handgun projectiles.)
I am however mentioning monometal expanding bullets, because of their toughness in holding together at extreme velocity impacts, they are justifiably famous for it.
Whether they decide to expand or just zip through like a military spitzer, they do retain their weight at pretty much any impact velocity your shoulder can stand in recoil, resulting in fantastic penetration.
In fact due to their ability to withstand extreme velocity impacts, it seems very strange to me that Weatherby, Remington Ultra-Mag and Spazzeroni, have not switched all of their live factory loaded ammunition to Barnes TSX or TTSX or TT-XYZ, TT-KGB, TT-KKK, TT-RIP, etc., etc., and whatever else they will call their inevitable next "improved version" of the monometal expanding bullet.
Dr. Robertson likes Barnes bullets (and that is an excellent-plus endorsement) and Hannes Swanepoel does not care for them, especially for buffalo (due to the occasional failure to expand when striking thickly slathered in mud condition animals), so take your pick.
7. Parting Shot as it were:
Don't drive old fashioned soft bullets too fast and don't drive new fangled hard bullets too slow.
Cheerio,
Velo Dog.
