375 H+H Solids

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reb

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I will be going to Africa in May on a Buffalo and plains game hunt.(It will be my first time) I am only taking 1 rifle my 375 H+H.I will load 300gr Branes TS and 300 Banded solids,I also have some 300 gr Nosler solids,That are more of a flat nose.I will do lots of shooting to see how each works.
My question is do the flat nose penatrate better than the round nose or which one is better for Buffalo.
Any Input would be great.
Thanks Reb
 
I'd use all softs for buffalo. I've done the soft in the barrel and a mag full of solids, but not anymore.

In the picture there is one solid that travelled from tail to chin.It's a Barnes flat point 300 grain .375.

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Yep, I'm with Dogleg, with the quality expanding bullets we have now solids are no longer recommended for buff, only elephant. I use 270 gn TSX in my 375 when in Africa, but wouldn't shy away from the 300 TSX if Buff was on the list again. Talk to your PH as they can be a little funny about such things but my last couple of trips the PH's said no problem to TSX's or A-frames or Woodleigh's softs. They really like to hear TSX though, best of both worlds.
 
I've only shot a water buffalo in Argentina but I used barnes banded solids .375 300gn FN.This was at the request of the outfitter.The only reason I can think of for their insistance on solids is to make the hunt more exiting.My guide did'nt even carry a gun or speak english.
The shot on my buff was from the front at the base if the neck ,the bullet penetrated the spine and exited ahead of the rear leg on the opposite side ,and one more shot for a finisher .The other 3 guys at the lodge used RN solids in their 375's and only one of them had any trouble. He used up all the ammo he was carrying 7 rounds as I recall.
I really think he got his monies worth on that hunt.
Personally I think solids are wicked cool but good softs work better.
None of the PH's I know recomend solids for buff.
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I used solids for most of my .375 shooting while in Africa, Speer African Solids, but my buff succumbed to a 580 gr .510" X Bullet. With modern soft points like TSXs, Swift A Frames, and the Woodleigh and Rhino solid shank bonded bullets, the need for solids on buff is pretty muchy a thing of the past. A good quaiity 270 or 300 gr expanding bullet will look after all the shooting you'll get on buff and all species of plains game, other than Egyptian geese and guineafowl anyway.
 
I run Woodleighs in my 470 and have yet to make up my mind with the 416 Rigby but I would be leaning toward the Woodleighs as well. I'm a traditionalist though. I'd be willing to bet that the Barnes Banded Solids would be outstanding bullets.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I run Woodleighs in my 470 and have yet to make up my mind with the 416 Rigby but I would be leaning toward the Woodleighs as well. I'm a traditionalist though. I'd be willing to bet that the Barnes Banded Solids would be outstanding bullets.
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What .470 ya got? I bought a Merkel a few years back and quite like it.
A PH I hunted with last trip brained a problem elephant, who was trying to climb in the truck with the 3 of them, at 5mtrs with a .470 and a Woodleigh 500 gn SOFT. He meant to use the solid in the other barrel but pulled the wrong trigger in all the excitement and killed him stone dead with the soft. He was impressed as was I.

I think the next double will be a Heym in .577, not sure why but my rationale has never been why, it's always been why not?
 
I used TSX's on everything from Springbok to Cape Buff, and they worked perfectly. Some of the very experienced African hunters on AR even suggest using the 270's instead of 300's.

I wonder, however, if it mightn't be wise to bring 5 or 10 rounds of quality solids in case you get an old-school, died-in-the-wool PH who hasn't comfortably settled into the terminal ballistic 21st century.

By the way...congrats on your first trip over! It'll be a life-changer!
 
Opted for the Wooleigh 350 gr in both softs and solids loaded in a 375 H&H for my buffalo in 2009. I am of the opinion now that a premium soft nose like a 300 gr Swift or Woodleigh would work well - solids aren't really necessary. Solids go straight through the animal - mine, did the 350gr Woodleigh soft stayed put - really impressed with this bullet. Pulled a couple of boxes out of the US and now TradeEx Canada stocks them.

Buffalo is a tough critter - best to get a good first shot on him above the front leg.
 
Thanks Alot Guys
Talked to the PH and he would like to see the 300gr TSX for the first shot and solids there after.I will take more TSX than solids as I will be hunting plains game also.Next is scope choices? I have the iron sights on it with QR Leuplod rings and bases,VX111-1.25x5on the rifle that has been great.(Alaska Grizzly,Yukon Moose,Alaskan Brown Bear) I will take it but am thinking of setting up a Ziess 3-9-40 in rings to change out if need be.
I have till May 1 so would like to do some serious shooting before I go.
First Safari can't wait.
 
reb said:
Talked to the PH and he would like to see the 300gr TSX for the first shot and solids there after.
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Very old-fashioned thinking, considering the quality of today's premium bullets and ammo. My PH was no kid, older than me in fact, but he was a gun guy and liked TSX's for everything, buff included.

He did mention that he had a few colleagues who felt the way your guy does, and that going along with their wishes might possible lessen the chances that they would feel it necessary to "collaborate" on the client's bull, i.e. start shooting after you take your first shot. If it's important to you that you kill the animal yourself, without assistance, you might want to keep that in mind. The PH must make the final decision as to whether or not he wants to jump in and start shooting, so keeping him happy couldn't hurt. You should discuss the topic with him before the hunt begins to make sure that you understand each other's thinking on this idea.
 
The petals on a .375" TSX weigh 70 grains, so even if all the petals shear off you've got 230 grains going for you with the 300.

They retain weight like nothing else, as well. The top TSX in the scale went into a Cape Buffalo bull, departing weight 300 grains, finished weight 300 grains. The second TSX sheared two petals, and still acted perfectly, with 297.3 grains retained weight when weighed together. They are an expanding solid, and that's why PH's like them.

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Been watching this thread and there is some great info here. I just finished my .375 and have to file in the iron sights. Considering that I plan on going to africa and shooting buffalo and others I wasn't sure what bullet to use for the iron sight work. Great info from all who have "been there".
 
reb said:
Thanks Alot Guys
Talked to the PH and he would like to see the 300gr TSX for the first shot and solids there after.I will take more TSX than solids as I will be hunting plains game also.Next is scope choices? I have the iron sights on it with QR Leuplod rings and bases,VX111-1.25x5on the rifle that has been great.(Alaska Grizzly,Yukon Moose,Alaskan Brown Bear) I will take it but am thinking of setting up a Ziess 3-9-40 in rings to change out if need be.
I have till May 1 so would like to do some serious shooting before I go.
First Safari can't wait.
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I went with a 1.5-6 Diavari on my .375 for lion and hippo and some other stuff.
I found 6X to be more than adequate for 300 mtr shooting and even 400 mtr at the range was no problem and I have great light gathering late evening and first am. I also find that with the 1.5 setting I can come real close to shotgunning both eyes open at 5 yds and still more effective than irons in low, low light. This was important to me for the lion part of the hunt !! The same might be said for buffalo though, things can get up close and hairy.
I highly recommend the 1.5-6 Diavari an found it a perfect compliament to the old H+H.
 
reb said:
Thanks Alot Guys
Talked to the PH and he would like to see the 300gr TSX for the first shot and solids there after.I will take more TSX than solids as I will be hunting plains game also.
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Good to see you're going to follow your PH's recommendations. Personally I would be fine using only TSX's, but I would still carry solids on my person, or better yet on my rifle. I have found that butt cuff ammo carriers work excellent - you can carry 5 or 6 softs and 3 or 4 solids right on the rifle.

reb said:
Next is scope choices? I have the iron sights on it with QR Leuplod rings and bases,VX111-1.25x5on the rifle that has been great.(Alaska Grizzly,Yukon Moose,Alaskan Brown Bear) I will take it but am thinking of setting up a Ziess 3-9-40 in rings to change out if need be.
I have till May 1 so would like to do some serious shooting before I go.
First Safari can't wait.
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If taking two rifles, I'd take along a small/light previously sighted-in "backup" scope for each rifle - something like a fixed Leupold 2.5 for the heavy and a fixed Leupold FXII 4X. A spare scope makes a great gift for your PH at the end of a good hunt as well, and somthing like noted above won't break the bank either.
 
reb said:
Thanks Alot Guys
Talked to the PH and he would like to see the 300gr TSX for the first shot and solids there after.

My last PH in Zambia said exactly the same thing with one exception, "Soft followed by solids, UNLESS using TSX then all TSX was perfect"


Longslide.45

Never used Parts in .375, can't comment, use Woodleighs in 470 and they seem to be an exceptionaloly well built soft.
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It would be a lot easier to agree with the PH's if they could at least agree with each other. Fact is, they don't so its left to you to decide whether they are all right, some of them are wrong or if it doesn't matter.

I used 1 soft followed by solids for my first 3 buffalo, then 2 softs over solids for the fourth. After that I screwed up my resolve based on what I had seen and used all softs for the next 16.
 
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