Rifles for Cape Buffalo

[finnbear270]

Slightly different beast in terms of musculature and construction.

Swamp Donkey, versus The Cape Buff?

 

[sh1kar]

I was always told on here that Moose are shot with the 6.5x55 which can be of similar weight to a Cape buff. So a 6.5 Creedmoor would also do or?
edi

 

[ejg]

My point is that at similar weight the less aggressive animal can be shot with a much much smaller bullet/energy. As if it doesn't matter if the less aggressive animal takes longer to die. That is all. Just observing.
edi

 

[welshwarrior]

We all know 17 HMR will do all these task up to 50,000m the Internet says so!

whilst off the internet people prefer dangerous game rifles to shoot dangerous game and cape buff is an anger SOB when poked.

 

[Dawnrazor]

Swamp Donkey, versus The Cape Buff?

Sounds like the last 2 lassies left in a Hawick disco!

 

[Heym SR20]

My point is that at similar weight the less aggressive animal can be shot with a much much smaller bullet/energy. As if it doesn't matter if the less aggressive animal takes longer to die. That is all. Just observing.
edi

Plenty of buffalo were shot in the old days with 303's, 6.5 Mannlichers, 7mm and 8mm Mausers with open sights. All tended to use long for calibre round nosed bullets that penetrated well. But a lot of this was n't singling out an old bull and tracking him etc etc, but much more meat hunting for rations. Big Game rifles were expensive and ammo just as much so - they were rifles for Safari Hunters, not for farmers and settlers etc who would just have one rifle they shot everything with and the cheapest were military based bolt actions - Lee Enfields, Mannlicher Schoeneurs and Mausers.

The 375H&H, 416 Rigby etc were unaffordable to most settlers.

 

[ejg]

Plenty of buffalo were shot in the old days with 303's, 6.5 Mannlichers, 7mm and 8mm Mausers with open sights. All tended to use long for calibre round nosed bullets that penetrated well. But a lot of this was n't singling out an old bull and tracking him etc etc, but much more meat hunting for rations. Big Game rifles were expensive and ammo just as much so - they were rifles for Safari Hunters, not for farmers and settlers etc who would just have one rifle they shot everything with and the cheapest were military based bolt actions - Lee Enfields, Mannlicher Schoeneurs and Mausers.

The 375H&H, 416 Rigby etc were unaffordable to most settlers.

Of course and now with ak47. My father shot his first Kudu with his Mauser pocket pistol in 32 acp. There was also the story of a cape buff shot by the farmers wife with a hornet because it wouldn't budge from the gate.
The 9.3x62 was the African farmers big game cartridge for a time and not the worst, good step up from 303. I am a strong believer one should use enough gun, trying to always get away with the minimum might go wrong at some stage.

edi