Show Me Your 375 Caliber Buffalo!

[Proneshooter]

Courteney has become our friend Proneshooter, he pops into the office in Harare when he is in town. We are threatening to go for another group hunt with him in the Save one of these days. Being drivers to camp we get the opportunity to take them fresh veggies etc and bring out trophies for the taxidermist on the way back. In return he cooks us impala balls, delicious!

Kevin,
Then let me ask this question. When we were at Mokore in Sept. 2019 Courtney was there and a gentleman showed up in camp to drive another hunter from Mokore to the BVC, was that driver you? If so, that was my wife and I there in camp. I remember sitting at the supper table having a really great conversation with the driver as he was really getting into the history of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe

 

[Jim Golden]

Save Conservancy, 2019, Ruger No1 Tropical 375H&H, 300 grain Hornady DGS (I f I remember correctly). 140 metres, bad shot too far back, late in the day. Hair raising followup the next day, he hadnt gone far and war lying down, probably for the last time.

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Wow, using a single shot Ruger No. 1! That's cool! I have a No. 1 in .45-70 but have been thinking of rechambering it to something bigger. A smokeless .45-120 is basically a .450 Nitro Express. But just wasn't sure about a single shot on dangerous game. That's why I built my Enfield .375. This makes me think I really need to do something special with the Ruger.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Adam S, I found there is a substantial difference in recoil between the 416s and 375 H&H. You will note I actually have a muzzle brake on my 375. Not sure it is needed any more. When I purchased it, I was healing from a torn retina and decided I’d rather lose my hearing than to go blind. I will be shooting it without the brake to see how I do now.

I have read that the 404 Jeffery recoils little more than the 375. I’d be interested in trying it just for my own comparison.

Best of luck in your decision!

You will never go wrong with a .404j.

 

[Beck]

2015 Buffalo taken on the Sandveld Nature Reserve in the RSA. Same pic as my avatar.

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The Sandveld is a 60,000 acre reserve with a self-sustaining, reproducing buffalo herd. Took him on day 3 of the hunt after tracking him for several hours in the morning from a pan. 80 yard broad side shot with a follow-up Texas heart shot. The rifle is a Kimber Caprivi shooting 300 grain Barnes tsx. Recovered the first bullet which took out the top of his heart and broke the off shoulder before lodging just beneath the skin. Perfectly mushroomed and looks to have retained virtually all of its weight, though I have never weighed it. I took my next buff with a custom 404 Jeff, and will be taking that rifle back in 2020 for another buff. The Caprivi will go at the same time as my buddy is borrowing for his first safari, to include a buffalo. Says it will be his only safari - famous last words!

Prior to my first trip, I thought it would be the first/last/only African Safari. I booked the second trip before the first one was over. I bet you buddy does the exact same thing. Also, great buffalo! I have taken two in the Sandveld reserve as well.

 

[Beck]

View attachment 274464 Thanks @TOBY458 for a great thread. I hunted all DG exclusively with my Whitworth based custon 375 H&H for years so here we go! Not in chronological order.

My first Buffalo Bull in the Okavango in ‘92 shot from a mokoro

I love these old photos from Safaris long ago. A similar photo hung in my fathers reloading room of dead hippo was part of my motivation to go to Africa.

 

[Beck]

Love that gun, never taken a buffalo with a .375, but did take a lion with the exact same rifle.

 

[BnC 04]

Wife's bull she killed this year with her Winchester M70 375 H&H.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

 

[nomspc]

This guy was taken from 50 yards with a CZ 550 shooting factory Barnes .375H&H 300 grain TSX, both lungs, top of the heart, didn’t go far.

 

[nomspc]

These two buffalos were taken with a Blaser R8 shooting custom loaded .375 H&H 350 grain Woodleigh Weldcore HD at 2300 fps:

First, from 40 yards, high double lung hit, ran about 50 yards and keeled over:

Second; heart shot at 80 yards, didn’t go far. Can’t find a pic of the buff, but here’s the heart:

 

[Piet Brood]

Old bull taken in Bwabwata with my Model 70 and Barnes 270gr TSX. Down after one shot low on the shoulder. Insurance shots put in on approach.

Second bull taken in Sobbe Conservancy with the same setup. First shot took him low in the chest through the heart. Put two more in his neck whilst he was running away. Third shot broke his neck. Bullet recovered from neck, not sure if it was second or third shot.

 

[Fatback]

Got this bull in September in the Caprivi. I was using the PH’s rifle so not sure on make and model, I believe it was a CZ 550 but not for sure. Used 300 grain TBBC. I shot the bull at 30 yards or so. He was quartering to me slightly. Hit him a bit back with a second shot as he was running off. He went about 100 yards, we followed up and I was able to get a final shot in him at about 15 yards that put him down. I didn’t see any recovered bullets. We were on an island in the river and had about a mile and a half hike/pack out back to the boat so we were all busy with that and to be honest I never thought to ask about recovered bullets. I got myself a Winchester M70 in 375 upon my return and plan on using it with 300 grain TBBCs and Sledgehammer solids when I go back to hunt buffalo in 2024.

 

[CRCO]

Theron safaris, Dinokeng Game Reserve. Sako 85 375 H&H suppressed, 270 grain TSX first shot frontal at about 30 yards.

 

[Rich s]

375 H&H 300 gr tsx hand loads at 2,641 fps 1st shot broadside at 90 yards took out both lungs just above the heart. 2nd shot anchored him with a spine shot at about a 140 yards running though brush quartering away.

 

[TOBY458]

375 H&H 300 gr tsx hand loads at 2,641 fps 1st shot broadside at 90 yards took out both lungs just above the heart. 2nd shot anchored him with a spine shot at about a 140 yards running though brush quartering away.
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With the barrel on that rifle, you had a 5 foot head start. Lol!

 

[WAB]

These photos were taken on the same day in Botswana. The buffalo was the last one taken before the closure. It was taken with 350 gr Woodleigh softs. The ele was taken with a 350 gr Woodleigh solid.

 

[Rich s]

With the barrel on that rifle, you had a 5 foot head start. Lol!

Cut Down on Leeds. Lol

 

[TOBY458]

Cut Down on Leeds. Lol

No wonder you were getting 2641 fps! Lol!

 

[steve white]

Metetsi region of Zimbabwe, 2005 using my .375 RUM Rem 700 with a 300 grain Barnes TSX at 2830 fps. About a 50 yard broadside shot that entered his left shoulder, went through his chest cavity, and we found it in his right shoulder. A perfect Barnes mushroom. He ran about 50 yards and collapsed.

I am majorly surprised that you found the bullet still inside!

 

[Rare Breed]

Thought it would be interesting to see who all is/has been using a 375 of some sort to shoot their buffalo. Let's see the pictures, and give details of the loads and bullets used. How many shots it took, and how far the buffalo went after being hit. Recovered bullets are a plus as well! So, here we go.

These were all taken with a Sako Kodiak 375 H&H with Barnes 300 Gr TSX bullets. None of the bulls made it out of sight once the first shot was fired. I shot all 3 bulls with 4 rounds each. None really needed the follow up shots, but I had a full magazine and you pay the same price for the buffalo no matter how many time you shoot him!
The loads were around 2450 fps from the 21" barrel of the Sako Kodiak.
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375 H&H through its left eye dropping in his tracks. walked up and used DR for insurance shot in Omay with D&Y