500 wow!!!

[roy reali]

I was watching some hunting show a television. I didn't catch the begining so I don't know where they were, but they were hunting Bison. It looked like they were either in Montana or Wyoming. One of the guys was using a Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum revolver with a scope of some sort. He was about a hundred yards from a Bison when he shot.

The Bison just dropped as though it was hit by a bolt of lightning. I realize the .500 mag is a big cartridge, but the Bison is one big animal. I must say, I was quite impressed.

Has anyone here taken any game with this round?

[pvt.Long]

well the .50 cal round cap and ball or modern is designed to drop nearly every animal in its path so why should the 500 be any diffrent?

[Buzzcook]

The anatomy of the buffalo is such that they fold right up when hit through the lungs. I can't remember the whys and wherefores though.

[roy reali]

well the .50 cal round cap and ball or modern is designed to drop nearly every animal in its path so why should the 500 be any diffrent?

Great point! But still, seeing such a huge animal drop like that is amazinhg. I rarely have seen deer drop loke that. Size0wise, a bison is a bit larger then a deer.;)

[sc928porsche]

Yeah.....a lot bigger

[hogdogs]

They are more a cattle than anything... Heck, the pinkertons and the sort were hired to clear the rail lines of bison while also starving out the indians... Many used lever guns in .35 and .30-30 for the high capacity...
Brent

[30-30remchester]

All I can say is WOW what a mass of misimformation about the American bison is in this thread. First off I saw the shot he is talking about, too bad the shooter didnt describe what load he used and where he placed the bullet. Usually the only shot that will instantly drop a big animal is a spine or brain shot. With these shots even a 223 will drop one. Second point they arent a little bigger than a deer. In fact they are the heaviest land animal on North America. Next they dont just drop from lung shots, their lung capacity is huge and to take any animal with a lung shot the lungs must fill up with blood, and seeings they are so huge they actually die slower with a lung shot than most animals. Next they were not shot out by the Pincketons. The Pinkertons were detectives not buffalo hunters. Lastly they were not shot to near extention by 30-30's or 35 high capacity guns. By the time the buffalo hunting was done @1884 the 30-30 wouldnt be invented for another 11 years.The buffalo vanished by large caliber single shot Sharps and Remingtons mainly.

[hogdogs]

Well it musta been the Winchester 1873 in .44wcf I seen in those paintings... Sorry to misinform... Pinkertons may not have been hired but companies were contracted for the job as well as letting settlers kill and harvest for the hides...
I was under the impression that buffalo killing took place up to 1900 or so to be sure the indians were defeated and unable to sustain the numbers that could threaten the white man and his "Iron Horses"...
Again I wasn't trying to quote exacts but apologize for misinformation...
Brent

[30-30remchester]

HOTDOGS i would like to make a public apology to you for my above post. After I posted it I realised it could have taken as insulting to you, this was NOT my intent. I am an avid student of the old west and there was some misimformation I was trying to correct. While I have never heard of the Pinkertons shooting buffalo it doesnt mean it didnt happen. What was done many time was a railroad would load sportsmen and take them out west and shoot herds from the safety of the trains. The buffalo havest only lasted for less than 20 years and was over by the mid 1880's with an ocassional small shoot now and then. While buffalo was shot with everthing concievable, all proffesionals used either Sharps or Remington single shots along with the "trapdoor" Springfields. All Indian resistance was over by 1891 while most Indians were starved onto reservations by the early 1880,s. And yes the object of the buffalo slaughter was to rob the Indians of their food supply and this was incouraged by the government. The fact buffalo robes, then later the buffalo bones could be profitable was the final nail in the coffin. If you ever get a chance to hang out around buffalo dont miss the chance they are interesting beasts. Again my reply was not meant to be insulting, if you or anyone took it that way I apologise.