BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[JackHamr']

I've lurked around here a bit before joinin' , and see this , and have to comment on it ..
First off , I have been to Africa four times , and have 10 cape buffs under my belt ...
The 375 was set as a minimum for Dangerous Game many years ago .. At the time it was the most potent mid bore available .. Politics being what they are , and Africa being what it is , it is a hard thing to change .. But I know many countries probably wish it was a .400 minimum , and some have changed to that ..
A PH would much rather see you with a 375 you can shoot , than sumpthin' larger that you cannot shoot ..
I have see a buff drop to one well placed shot from a 375 , and I have seen one take six 458 Lotts and five 600 NE's , all 11 shots were kill shots .. Buff are tough ..
I am not calling you a liar , but , the 200 grain soft in a 444 ( a thin jacketed 44 magnum pistol bullet ) at 150 yards penetrating that far is a hard one to swallow ..

[cam69conv]

Buff Caped out,,, Like I said this wasnt in AFRICA,,,, How many times must this be said? The 3 lil pigs too on here if this posts. I did have pics of the recoverd bullet on this comp as well but cant find them yet. In a hidden file somewher but that lil bitty 200 grain thin jacketed pill kept around 90% of its weight and did a fine job on the buff. Believe what you wish. Experiance what you wish. I know what I did and I know what it did thats all that really matters to me personally.

[JackHamr']

Well sir with all due respect if the pic you posted is the buff you refer to shooting with the 444 200 grain bullet , then yeah thats very possible ..

However I ask you to look at your first post where you mention the buff , and you clearly state " cape buffalo " ..

The critter in yur pic is not a cape buffalo ..

[Whitworth]

Looks like a water buffalo of some sort, actually..........

[maddenwh]

Like I said earlier, a true "best seller". If that's a cape buffalo, then at this moment, there are pigs flying in a frozen hell. That looks more like something off my ranch than a real cape buff. Whitworth is probably right. It's some sort of itty bitty water buffalo. Judging by the size of that head, it wasn't even comparable to an american bison in size.

I believe my point has been made (i.e. your story was a dramatization full of hyperbole and b.s.). Clearly, you did not kill a cape buffalo, so the caliber that you used is irrelevant. That said, the .444 marlin is a great cal for american bison, and perhaps for other forms of buffalo, but despite your abilities as a "marksman" my friend, you won't find a reputabe PH out there that will allow you to hunt true cape buff with a .444 marlin. ::neener:

[Whitworth]

One anatomical anomoly about the cape buffalo that the uninitiated may not know. They have overlapping ribs that are really tough to punch through with lousy bullet construction (not saying that a bad bullet won't punch through, it just may not hold together). If the bullet fails on the ribs, then it may not reach the vitals, and then you're in a whole 'lotta s%$@*t......... This is why the PH carries the big gun...... :o

[JackHamr']

They also can absorb copious amounts of lead ..

[maddenwh]

Also, their testosterone and adrenaline levels really spike through the roof after they are injured. This can give them the ability to run hundreds of yards with busted hearts, broken legs and shoulders, and yes, pierced lungs. Another reason PH's carry big sticks. :)

[redrider]

If you want to talk about cape buffalo then start it up in the Africa forum. Otherwise get back to shootin' pigs or this will be closed.

[Whitworth]

I tried to do that a little while back, but some clarification was necessary! LOL!! OK -- back to hog killin'!

[maddenwh]

Redrider, I apologize, but he brought up this claim of killing a "cape buffalo" with a 444 out of no where. Frankly, I couldn't leave that alone.

As far as pigs go, the 444 marlin is a good one, but I prefer the 45/70 because of it's greater loading versatility. With the lever evolution bullets, you can get the 45/70 to shoot nearly as flat as the 444.

The best solution however, is to load down a 458 Lott or win mag to shoot some hot 45/70 loads... they make great pig killers. :yes:

[Whitworth]

Why load the Lott down? In full-tilt form, it'll put the serious smack-down on hogs! I've taken a few with my old Lott......... :laugh:

[redrider]

Just keepin' the peace. We all know insults and foul mouthin' won't work around here :thumbsup1:

[JackHamr']

Peeople need to get their facts strait on this before they speak out about sumpthin' .. End of subject for me on the buff ..

Pigs with Lotts and WinMags are fun , full power loads .. sure :thumbsup1:

[DUGABOY1]

I just had this same conversation on the African hunting forum with cam69conv, ans when he showed me the "CAPE BUFFALO" it was evident he had shot a Philappino water buffalo, and not a very large one, But I see here he was made aware it wasn't a Cape Buffalo in this string, as early as 15th of Oct, yet he was still saying it was a cape Buffalo on the Africa forum, as of day before yesterday, the 30th of Oct. ::-k IMO, he is just making a mistake, and is not well versed enough on Africa to make the judgements he needs! I think he honestly believes what he posts about the 444, but I hope he never tries to put it into practice on a real old DUGGABOY Bull, because my fear is he will get a lesson in short order, one he may not like! Still I think he is basiclly a good guy, just young! :roll:

Oh well, the subject is shooting wild hogs, and the origenal poster wants to shoot them with his 470NE double rifle. Well, the 470NE will do far less meat damage than most of the hotrock rifles people use for hogs. The bullets made in the .475 dia, are tough as concrete, and dont open at all, and drop hogs like the world was jerked out from under them! Hog hunting is very good practice for your big bore double rifles, and no rifle is better designed for hog hunting. It is easy to do a double tap on them, with a right, and a left taking two hogs. Several double taps are done every outing at the ranch.

We hunt hogs twice a year at a 120,000 acre low fence ranch in Texas on a DRSS get together, and we shoot hogs with everything fron little 8mm double rifles to 577NE doubles, and the meat is fine. The Club I mentioned is the DRSS (Double Rifle Shooter's Society) formed by me a few years ago, and it now has members world wide. We even have a new member in Moskow Russia, who is trying to start a new chapter there. We have members in France, and a chapter in RSA (Rebublic of South Africa) as well as many states, in the USA, and provences in Canada. These hunts are so we can use our double rifles between trips to better suited places for their use. Like myself, there are many members who hunt exclsively with double rifles for everything, but hogs get the biggest amount of fun shooting.

I shoot doubles on hogs chambered for 8X57JR, 9.3X74R, 45-70, 500/450#1 express, 458RCBS, 470NE, 577NE, 58 cal Muzzleloading double, and all are fine for shooting hogs, and none of them are meat eaters! The last trip to the ranch 8 shooters killed 13 hogs on the first hunt, the first afternoon. Smallest was 75 lbs, and the largest was 278 lbs,weighed, and by the time the three day hunt was over the count had moved up to 19 hogs amoung 21 hunters on that club get together!

So, My friend, if you want to hunt hogs with your 470NE, do it! you wont be sorry you did, and when you get in front of a REAL cape Buffalo, the practice will be very valuable, if the first shot doesn't sort him out! More often than not the first shot won't take the wind out of his sails! Practice re-loading quickly, without fumbeling the rounds! :thumbsup1:

..........................GOOD HUNTING :thumbsup1: