buffalo hunting

[bpcr shooter]

so my father will be going for a buffalo this fall and I am wondering what shot placement is most effective on these big guys??? We or I should say he will be using a 525gr PP bullet, it has a 1/8in me-plat. Thanks to all........

[bobw]

Heart shot period. Lungs are huge, brain is small. They die with a bullet through the lungs but it takes awhile and they can cover ground in that "while". The bullet must be right on the money for a brain shot and that spot is relatively small. but the heart is low in the chest, you hit behind the elbow and you got it, especially if your shot is slightly angling forward. To far above the heart you only get lungs and above that if you miss the spine you shoot the hell out of your meat going thru the long vertical spines of the vertebrate. Other than a dead ctr CNS shot buffalo are not knocked off their feet with any gun. I've shot 2 and I learned from it. Sandhills Cowboy has shot many he will tell you the same, heart placement is your shot. bobw

[Kurt]

Here is the best write up I have ever seen on a Buffalo hunting.http://historicshooting.com/mybb/attachment.php?aid=846

[Youngblood]

Depends on the ranch. They might tell you to put one in the ear and not give you a choice.

Tempting to shoot the leader in the lungs then make a stand and shoot a bunch for hides and tongues, but ya probably dont want to go there.

[Michael Johnson]

Only shot two. Both heart shot. One with a 45-70 at 100 yards. One with a 50-90 at 250. Both bled out pretty quick and fell over. 480 grain flat point at 100 and 550 grain flat at 250. Both were cast at 40-1. The 45 was found under the skin on the far side. The 50 penetrated clear through. The bison heart is a large target. We had a copy of "Perfect Shot, North America" by Craig Boddington available from Safari Press.

[sandhillcowboy1]

BobW said it well.
Bob, are you going to the Q ?

Rick

[bruce m]

the Africa hunting forum has a section on shot placement.
in there they have one on the bison, as well as the African and Asiatic buffalo.
you have to wait awhile on this forum so be patient.
I would like to see more on shot placement from different angles.
with smokeless rifles on animals this size I like to have the animal facing me on an angle such that a bullet on the point of the shoulder continues to the heart, but not so sure how an alloy bullet would cope with this.
bruce.

[bpcr shooter]

thank you guys I will be reading up more on this..... hopefully they let him out one in the boiler room and not the ear for sure!!!

[Barry Miller]

Heart and Lung, forget head shots. My shots was heart and lung, other shooters, trying the brain, dose not work. Used 555 grain lyman flat nose. Best wishes on your hunt. Barry Miller

[Kurt]

When that Buff is between 150 and 200 yards holding on him for a heart shot using barrel sights for two and a scope for one that it's a little hard to hold low where the heart is not knowing just how much of his hair is hanging below his chest made me hold a little higher but they all got the lungs.

One thing I swore I would never do again and that was using a scope on a Sharps rifle on a hunt. That big side hammer and being right handed makes it a little on the tough side loading a round with that scope close to the hammer if you need a back up shot, especially if the bullet is on the tight side for the throat. I always have the first round snug in the throat for the accuracy and a follow up shot loose for the fouled throat for easy loading. This time I reached into the wrong pocket and pulled out a tight patched round and had to fumble getting it loaded in a fouled throat. Never again will use a scope for hunting with a side hammer rifle.

I know I made Rick a little nervous on the last hunt with him making the final put down shot very close to the herd.

[bobw]

Rick, aka(Sandhills Cowboy) yes I am. I will drive up early Thursday. Been doing some casting and lately reloading for Big Hill and Forsyth shoots. Same .442" KAL TGBS mold adjusted down to 1.418" at about 517 grs with 1-25 alloy. I use these in my 45-70's which have std chambers but with Shiloh cut 7* leades. I am about out of FFg Express, the 1.5 Swiss gives me harder dry fouling that requires wiping after every shot. Last year I was able to get Olde E from Bear River and that is what I am using this year. I am impressed at how moist it's fouling is and easy to manage with just a blow tube. In June at the Q I've all ways been able to get by easily with the blow tube, come back in July for the 1000 and you better be wiping, there is that much difference in the humidity 1 month apart at the same place. bobw

[sandhillcowboy1]

Kurt has a good point about the amount of hair hanging down from the actual bottom of the chest on a buffalo. You do need to take that into consideration. You can be too far forward of the heart and still be in the body cavity and it is not a lethal shot. Most guys that missed the heart shot here, were too far back (towards the rear end from the pocket) If you shoot a little high you will get the heart to lungs plumbing which is just as lethal as a heart shot, maybe more. A little higher and you get the lungs. So vertical you have some room to play with, horizontal, not so much.

For angling shots look at a drawing or picture of the animal from above. Calculate where the heart is and draw some lines from possible intended shot angles and it will give you an idea of how much angle it really takes. Angled shots are tough and you must know the anatomy of the critter. Best way to learn that is to visit a processor when he is working on a buff. The anatomy drawing I have in the article Kurt posted is accurate and based on years of shooting and seeing the internal configuration of buffs, and keeping records and pics of clients hunts.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=24471 This thread has some good info on shot placement and angle shots. A Sharps rifle in .40 cal. and up is fully capable of shooting angle wise through a mature buff. I have had clients hit the humerus bone and break it completely in two before hitting the heart.

BobW made a good angled shot on a mature buff that entered what you would normally consider too far back, but angled perfectly into the heart with his 50-140. I have seen a similar shot made here with 40-65 using 350 gr. PP bullets. The second to the last buff I shot was at 200 yards with open sights. She was angled away from me some, plus the wind was adding more left to right with the shot. I shot back probably a foot more than I normally would and it angled through the heart and came out ahead of the far side shoulder. They can be done but I don't recommend them unless you do some studying first.

Not sure if my link will work but it is on this forum in the hunting section, under hunting with the 40-70 or something similar.

Rick

[sandhillcowboy1]

Bob, we will be there early Thursday morning, driving late Wed. night probably. Will be good to see you. I started using Old E a couple years ago and liking it. Fouling is much softer than Swiss I have used. Swiss was always accurate though.

Rick

Rick, aka(Sandhills Cowboy) yes I am. I will drive up early Thursday. Been doing some casting and lately reloading for Big Hill and Forsyth shoots. Same .442" KAL TGBS mold adjusted down to 1.418" at about 517 grs with 1-25 alloy. I use these in my 45-70's which have std chambers but with Shiloh cut 7* leades. I am about out of FFg Express, the 1.5 Swiss gives me harder dry fouling that requires wiping after every shot. Last year I was able to get Olde E from Bear River and that is what I am using this year. bobw

[bpcr shooter]

so I talked with the guide and he prefers a hart lung shot which i prefer myself, so now we just gotta get out and practice!!!! hope to see y'all at the Q next week.... will be the big green ford.

[Youngblood]

Thats great.
You should be able to shoot where you want.
Plus a bit of possible danger/excitement and you might get to shoot again if you want. Keep the excitement up a bit longer.
Whatever you do, dont do what this “mountain man” did.
NASTY!!!

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