Cape Buffalo with a Handgun??

Hello guys! I'm new to this sight and have enjoyed reading the commentary in this forum. Seems like there's a lot of experience out there.

Well, I've been hunting with big bore handguns since 2002....mostly in South Africa, and have taken 10 animals (all plains game) with a 454 Casull, 500 S&W and a couple different S&W 460's.

My next trip will include Cape Buffalo and I'm wondering which caliber and bullet would be a good choice. I currently own Performance Center S&W's in 500 S&W (10.5") and 460 S&W (14") and am in the process of building a switch barrel bolt action (15.75" barrels). My first barrel will be a 7X64 Brenneke but will have options up to 9.3X62 and 375 H&H (ouch!!!). All of the above could be loaded with softs or solids in various bullet weights and at various velocities ranging from 1400 FPS to 2300 FPS (rifle cartridges).

So, having said all that, I'd appreciate your opinions on the right caliber/bullet for taking down large dangerous game at close range (25-75 yards). Thanks.

Regards, Mac

Welcome. I don't know about any African game, but just wanted to say Welcome.

Gary and Tradmark just got back from taking Cape Buff with handguns. There is a post on this forum about it and I'm sure they would be glad to answer any questions for you.

As well as Darrell H. who recently returned from South Africa and took a Cape buffalo with a .475.

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like a good resume to me! I haven't I haven't taken a cape buff but the gents here that have should fix you right up. reflex264

Hi thelakerman, welcome to the site! Congratulations on your handgun hunting success. Please share photos and hunting stories/reports of your previous African plains game hunts with us!




There is a ton of large critter experience on the board. In addition to cape buffalo, our members have taken bison, water buffalo, yak, moose etc. Please forgive me if I missed it but which platform were you seeking information on? Are you planning on hunting cape buffalo with one of your revolvers or are you requesting suggestions on a barrel for your new switch barrel, bolt-action handgun?

If you could clarify this, I'm sure folks will chime in with their suggestions.

Again, welcome to the site!

Darrell H.

Please use the 500 revolver! Everyone knows that only wheelguns are real guns!

It sounds like you're pretty well equipped so it really depends on which gun you choose. Bullet placement is the most important aspect of any of this business with dangerous game. Don't believe all of those shot placement books either - not all of them even agree.

neither do the ph's nor the evidence seen in the field.

Very True!

It's amazing how much the vital area on animals differs all over the world. A sure lung shot on some American animals is a paunch shot on a cape buffalo. And all the talk of shooting a buffalo up the nose is BS as well. A buffalo charges with his head down, and must be shot just under the boss to stop him.

Based on what I've seen with Cape buffalo, a very good shot from broadside is in the crease behind the shoulder or just clipping the back edge of the shoulder. You can't go very far back but all that lung blood on my buff came from that exact shot and what my PH recommended.

Yeah. The shot gary killed his with was a shot that nearly every book and every writer ive seen or read would say was too far back but out ph whom is very experienced gave me a weird look when i was telling him where i thought i needed to shoot and basically told us differently than everything id read and he was obviously right. Gary followed his instructions perfectly and had a perfect shot that did massive amts of damage.

Gary
Did you shoot your buff with a handgun? If so, what caliber? Are there any restrictions on bringing handguns into African countries?

Depends on the country. In South Africa you can hunt with a handgun.

South Africa seems perfect for a handgun. I wish you could still take them into Australia. Those water buff would be fun to hunt with a handgun as well. They're fairly resonably priced too.

Yes I used a Freedom Arms in 454 Casull as did Trademark and Darrell H. but Darrell's was in 475 Linebaugh. I highly recommend that when you book your flights that you use Gracy Travel and let them arrange for your handgun permits and get the concierge service, it's well worth it to get the skids greased as much as possible. There is no fun in getting hassled after a 15+ hour flight. The only real restrictions for South Africa are that you cannot take two guns chambered for the same round and it's recommended that all handguns are scoped to avoid any hassles. Other countries are more of a hassle and some are flat out illegal, like Botswana, Tanzania, etc. Mozambique may be possible. Uganda is possible. Check before you go with your PH and your travel agent.

I personally recommend a good scope too for accurate sighting. Unless you're sitting in a blind at water or something the game is usually in a good amount of cover.

Did you have to shoot more than once on the Buffalo? I too have a Freedom Arms 454 and have always dreamed of Africa. I have a 375 and 458 rifle, but a handgun just seems like more fun. I've watched all of Mark Sullivan's movies and he makes them seem much harder to put down than I suspect they really are. I think most of that is due to using solids only, even on the first shot. Seems to me that a solid 454 bullet through the chest would do about as much damage as a 458 solid would do. I'd say a 45 cal hole is a 45 hole no matter how fast its traveling., as long as penetration is adequate.

A .45 Caliber bullet with a big meplat makes a much larger than .45 caliber hole. Most rifle hunters have trouble wrapping their heads around the fact that these big revolvers are terminally lethal on big game.

Yes. It seems to me that as long as you reach the vitals with a big enough caliber bullet, it wouldn't make much difference as to how fast it was traveling. So a 454 or larger revolver should have plenty of punch. The Linebaugh tests seem to prove that penetration is more that adequate with these guns. And the success of the many hunters that have proven this in the field should silence the critics.

A little off topic, but has anyone hunted any of the water buffalo available in Texas and Florida?

I cannot overstate how tough Cape buffalo are and how important shot placement is. If you go into a hunt expecting your bullet to exit you're very likely going to be disappointed. Depending on where and what you hit, many bullets from a rifle or handgun will not exit. Solids from a big rifle often will but we shot several rounds into the shoulder of Mark's buffalo from the 475 Linebaugh with 420gr Bear Tooths and 454 325 gr. Barnes Busters from about 15 feet after it was dead and NONE exited. A shot was fired from a 458 Lott rifle with softs and it did not exit. The shot I would recommend for a handgun hunter is low on the back edge of the shoulder to take the lungs out. In the crease seems to be fine. My bullet exited but I doubt it hit any significant bone. Unfortunately I shot the bull at dark and we had to leave for the Kalahari that night so I didn't get to see the carcass after skinning & gutting.

Entrance Wound

You've got to quit with all these pictures and buffalo talk! I had kind of gotten Africa off of my mind until I joined this forum! What part of Africa did you go to?

True gary and youre right. The other thing is with these animals this is not a problem bc ya get youre blood trail from what ya wreck on the inside and what they spew out the nose. Until those buff were down and on their side there was nothing coming out those entrance ot exit wounds. Garys bull spewed about 2 gallons of blood out his nose. My blood trail was almost all from the nose as well. Wreck the vitals and youll have a good blood trail exit wound or not. If ya dont hit the vitals it can be disastrous

Ill also add that having my havalon knife i broke out a fresh blade on my buff shoulder trying to dig out bullets post mortem and the blade was dulled in no time just cutting throught the shoulder meat. Its just a tough tough animal. Do mot expect pass throughs. The phs dont

South Africa, Kalahari near Ganyesa for lion and adjacent to Kruger near Phalaborwa for the buffalo.

Gary, First congrats to all, Sounds like you had a fantastic hunt.

I am just curious why you chose the Barnes Buster in 325 rather than a comparable Punch Bullet, which would deform less and has a greater me-plat.
Obviously your bullet did the job with out a hitch just curious about the selection.
thanks

If you measure the meplat on a punch they are nearly identical.

They are close , but the Punch's would not deform, so any reason why you chose the busters?

I've had some accuracy issues in the past with punch bullets and they are expensive. The busters are very accurate, they are ram tough, and 1/3 the price.

The busters i used that went thru the shoulder had no such deformity issues at all and have the same base to crimp groove distance so they were very very easy to get to hit the same point of aim. The busters worked really well but im kinda stoked to have a round like the aframe that is capable of expanding on deer and elk but also in taking a cape buff. I loaded one a frame followed by 3 busters for odd angle follow ups

It's kind of like the Woodleigh vs Hornady thing. Why pay 3 times the price for a bullet that doesn't perform any better. I honestly don't understand how Federal can get over $200 a box for some of their dangerous game type ammo, while Hornady is selling theirs for $60-$80.

It was my intention to use my 475 with open sights but the shot was too far for me to be comfortable so I used the scoped gun.

Toby, I don't think this is a valid argument, it comes down to bullet construction and there is a huge disparity between the quality of bullets in DG ammo. I highly recommend this thread Link


Gary, Tradmark, thanks you for your responses, look forward to hearing all the details of your hunt

I was mostly referring to solids. The 458 Hornady's I have shot will shoot through a very large oak tree. I can't imagine needing more penetration than that. At least not in my tree hunting experience.....;)

This has always been a point of concern to me. I would of thought a broad side shot on dangerous game would be better placed right under the ear(cervical vertibre?). But, you've been there and done this before me.
Steve

I have been away for awhile and can only say WOW! Congrats to Gary, tradmark and Darrell H!!!

I don't like shooting at the head or neck really on anything if there is another choice. When you see how quickly a quickly a Cape buffalo can swing his head you might change your mind.

True. Thats an expensive animal to pay for cuz he moved his head 6 ".

Gary & Tradmark,
Congrats on your sucessful hunt, were you able to film any of it?

we filmed most of it. got some really good footage. in fact, not sure how many revolver kills on lions and cape buff are out there but we got some. also alex's wildebeest. not so on his impala.

Can you put the video on youtube??? I'd love to see that!

Same here... that would awesome to the effects of the big bores on dangerous game. Any chance you might post it? Did you get any footage of your Alaskan bear hunt as well?

Unfortunately I didn't get mine