Cape Buffalo with a 45 LC pistol

[trooper3385]

I was looking at the pictures of some game animals taken on the Buffalo Boar ammo web site. Some guy sent in a picture of a Cape Buffalo he took with a 45 LC. He was using a Ruger Bisely in a 45 LC with I believe 305 gr LFN buffalo boar bullets. It looks like a 4 in barrel. The guy wrote a short paragraph on the hunt and it sounds like he shot it 5 or 6 times before having to make a finishing shot in the spine. I hope this guy had some big guns behind him backing him up. Him and his PH must have been smoking crack the night before. That and some big huevos!! I can't believe someone would attempt this.

[rantingredneck]

If the loads were on the heavy end they may have been in or close to the lower end of the .454 Casull power spectrum. The .454 has been used a good bit for dangerous African game including Cape Buffalo. Not saying I'd want to do it with mine and I certainly wouldn't want to do it with a .45LC even with heavy loads for the caliber, but it's not as farfetched as you might think. Some people have a death wish I guess.......

[trooper3385]

If I remember correctly, the first shot was at 45 yds and moved on out to over 80 yds.

[oldguy52]

He was lucky it wasn't 45 yds to 8yds or closer. From what I've read a pissed off Cape Buffalo can downright ruin your day! Still there are a few very lucky individuals out there. I remember my great uncle telling of a missionary friend killing a hippo with a 22 years ago. Also a similar vein, a number of years ago a Professional Hunter took a Cape Buff with a spear @ around 10 yds. Fortunately his backup gunner was able to drop it after the prodding. I guess it only goes to show you can kill anything with luck, however it is prudent to have an exceptional backup close at hand!

[Socrates]

I used to have a Seville that was supposed to be Seyfrieds.
It would fire 345 grain bullets, over 27.5 grains of H110, at 1550 fps.

Ross used that load to kill a cape buffalo. Took 5 shots, in less then 2 seconds, and, the buffalo came for him.

Nose pretty much touched the muzzle of his gun, and, his gun bearer couldn't get him his 500 NE, because they were in thick, thorns, prone.

Those loads came in at about 60k. Blow your gun up type loads, after awhile.

Shot about 12 of em, and, didn't see the point. Can't load a 45LC/454 enough to stun a CB, so, the slower the bullet goes, the better the penetration. Same bullet, at 1200 fps, might have penetrated better...

S

[BillCA]

A friend of mine went to Africa a few years ago and the PH said his 7mm Rem Mag was a good "light" rifle and said the 375 H&H double gun was "just adequate" for Cape Buffs.

You'd have to prove you're a damn good shot with a handgun for a PH to agree to take you afield against a Cape Buff --unless you've been silly enough to pay your PH in advance!

To go hunting Cape Buffalo armed only with a handgun tells me the great white hunter either has a pretty big pair or a lack of brains!

[Jseime]

Why whould you use a goofy gun like that to kill a Buffalo when you could go get a .45-70 or .416 Rigby that would do tha job a hundred times better.

i heard a story of a guy with a .45-70 shooting a cape buffalo broadside with 500 grain hard-casts and killing the one behind it too.

[FirstFreedom]

Some guy sent in a picture of a Cape Buffalo he took with a 45 LC.

There are men, then there are MEN!

[stevelyn]

I think you have to approach handgun hunting the same way you do bowhunting. Be stealthy, get close and only take ideal shots.

[castnblast]

Another prime example of stupidity. That guy is lucky...Stupidity+Testosterone overload=dead guy eventually....

[trooper3385]

Exactly, you have to approach handgun hunting the same way you approach bow hunting. But I still don't think it's very smart to hunt cape buffalo with a bow either. Not saying it can't be done or hasn't been. Heck, I'm sure they've hunted them with bows and spears for thousands of years over there. But that was there only option. I've seen to many video's of people being stealthy, getting close and make a good shot with a 375 H&H mag or other big boar rifle only to have the buffalo turn and charge. If someone wants to hunt one with a pistol or bow, more power to you, but I'll stand back a long ways watching and laughing. Don't get me wrong, I would love to shoot a Cape Buffalo, but I'll stick with the big boar rifles. I think you will have a better chance to live and hunt another day

[Socrates]

Ross Seyfried, when he went after his, was arguably the best shot in the world, at the time. He was IPDA, or something like that, world pistol champ, and, a professional hunter, at least according to him, in Africa. He did this around 1980. He went after the buffalo, in thick
thorns, and, couldn't reach his 500 Nitro express, so he HAD to kill it with his handgun. He also had no backup shooter.
Was it a stunt hunt? Yes, but, he was pretty serious about it.

Keep in mind, a Ruger Bisley, with proper loads=454 level loads, though 305 is a pretty light bullet for a cape buffalo.

If he was good, at 40 yards, maybe the buffalo didn't know
where he was, and, the guy managed to get all the other shots off, before the buffalo found cover.

I will say that Seyfried's 345's averaged about 38" of buffalo, each. The new calibers, 475, 500 JRH, 510 Max, will all go near 5 feet of buffalo, even at slow speeds, read 1100 to 1400 fps, and heavy for caliber bullets, read 420 grain, 440 grain, and 525 grain bullets.


Heres a 425 and 440 grain 500 JRH bullet that went through 5 feet of asian buffalo, first shot at 1350, second at about 1100 fps.



Asian buffalo have hide an inch thick, or more, and, it's great for catching bullets on the off side. However, the problem is, it takes a LOT of punch to go through that skin...

S

PS I recently fired the perfect African rifle: 9.63 X 62 Merkel double rifle. Easy to shoot, little recoil, even in a light rifle,penetrates like crazy, and enough velocity, around 2400 fps, to get the best effect out of the bullets.

My choice for first shot is a 450 Ackley. Guys say 2400 fps, with a 500 grain soft point REALLY knocks em hard. They tend to go down, and get back up wobbly, or not at all.

Why whould you use a goofy gun like that to kill a Buffalo when you could go get a .45-70 or .416 Rigby that would do tha job a hundred times better.

NO, NO, NO!!!! 45/70 will kill cape buffalo, but, they are not enough gun to even be used in the same sentence as a 416 Rigby. Getting over 2150 fps, with good shot placement, is VERY important with buffalo. 45/70 will kill them, but, will also royally piss them off, and not hit them hard enough to get them to go the other direction...

PS Here's a picture of my old Seville, now sold, that was an alleged Ross Seyfried gun, and, pretty close to a twin of his cape buffalo gun, in 45 Colt:

[Art Eatman]

I suggest that for the average pistolero, the protective lubricant that's thoroughly coating the pistol is not for protection of the pistol.

, Art

[Yellowfin]

I think Albert Einstein said it best: "There are two things that are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

[squirrelsniper]

The 45 Colt wouldn't be my optimal choice, but I think the guy just needed to shoot better and maybe move up to a bit heavier bullet (I shoot 335s for whitetail ). Most people would consider a 454 adequate although not ideal for hunting cape buffalo, and in a Ruger (especially a custom 5-shot) or Freedom Arms revolver, the 45 Colt can come very close to the 454's performance.

IMO, if you want to hunt buffalo and live to tell about it, you're best using a suitable rifle and carrying your pistol just in case .