Hello fellow Bullet Examiners and Shade Tree Forensic Pathologists De Los Animales,
I've only shot one buffalo (shown next to my screen name) and so, do not claim to be anything but a beginner at DG hunting.
My Army & Navy .450 No2 Nitro 3.5" regulates best with the Hndy 480 gr DGX and DGS @ 2050 fps (shot through a chronograph).
I know that's 125 fps below what Eley Bros / Kynoch always claimed for their ammo in that cartridge but, either they were puffing (AKA false advertising) back in the day, or my rifle was not regulated for their ammo.
I suspect the former is closer to the truth.
Whatever the case may be, it regulates scary well and good, with the specs I described, and although the Woodleighs regulated pretty good, the Hornadys consistently shot measurably tighter groups than with Woodleighs, by about half.
Buffalo:
I shot my beast in the throat at 30 to 40 paces with the DGX soft and dropped him instantly but he was thrashing on the ground.
Couldn't shoot again immediately because the herd was busy thundering past him on both sides, trying to get back across the river and into The Kruger Park.
He was up and running with them soon, so when none were in my line of fire, I slammed his right flank with the DGS solid and he again dropped to the shot, this time quite dead.
We recovered the soft a bit behind one shoulder, basically "mushroomed" but a small amount of the nose shed and I have kept it as a conversation piece.
The solid passed through 3 feet or so of gut and such, then smashing the spine between the shoulders and that bullet is still in Africa.
The shank of the soft traveled a long way and would've been quite fatal by itself, but the animal was not ready to agree with that immediately.
Zebra:
Also, I shot a Burchell's zebra with that rifle and the 480 grain DGX at 2050 fps, from about 30 to 40 paces (coincidence to the buffalo distance but, shots are quite often up close in The Lowveld), while said stallion was quartering toward me.
I shot him on the shoulder but he didn't drop to the shot like the bovine did from the one in the throat.
El zebra nearly fell on his chin but recovered and dashed a few yards, on 3 legs with his herd (couldn't give him my 2nd barrel because of the others running with him).
He rammed into a thorn tree, falling quite dead right there.
That bullet smashed the shoulder and tore through the heart / lungs, stopping as a visible lump under the skin and with a sharp edge of the jacket protruding slightly through, enough to cut my finger when I pressed on it, (off-side ribs).
I have shot at no other animals with this rifle and I am positive these two animals taken with the Hornady DGX and DGS bullets is nowhere near a conclusive test.
Fact is, perhaps I was just lucky to get such great performance from such simple bullets.
Be that as it may, I am very happy with the performance.
I know there are far tougher bullets on the market today but at old time velocity, the old technology JSP and FMJ seem to be about right for my pre-war cartridges and their pre-war velocities.
Besides, I'm nervous about shooting reinforced bullets through my expensive antique rifle.
If you are to read very much in this forum about Hornady bullets, AKA: "cup and core bullets" (like that's a combination of dirty words or something) you'd think my aforementioned 3 shots fired from my old .450 No2, would have bounced off the buffalo and the zebra, leaving both animals to roll around in the African dirt and grass, holding their tummies with their front hooves, uncontrollably shrieking with laughter at me.
I've had excellent results with the older/original Hndy RNSP from other calibers on other species, in N. America, to include Alaska where I live, as well as several species of non-dangerous African game, in some cases, multiple animals taken within the same species, over my 4 safaris (3 of which I used with great satisfaction, Hornady round nose bullets).
Not to worry, in a modern steel bolt action for DANGEROUS GAME, such as a proper Mauser (or modern steel single shot, such as the Ruger #1), I believe there is no finer expanding bullet FOR MY DG NEEDS (not necessarily your needs for your super-galactic 10 million feet per sec / death velocity over-bore magnum), than the Swift A-Frame and no better solid for my needs than almost any of today's monolithic solids.
In antique doubles I plan to continue using the Hndy RN softs and solids and the newer DG series seems pretty good so far.
I think the jacket material is actually soft steel on the DGX and DGS, instead of the older series Hndy bullets with guilding metal (can be brittle on impact).
In other rifles, on non dangerous game, I plan to continue using Hndy RNSP as well since they have never let me down at the tame velocities I always use them at.
All my best,
Velo Dog.
