buffalo bullet

I am gethering points for Az buffalo and my largest rifle is a .308 and .270. I would eventually like to get a.300 win mag or larger for buffalo. I was told i could use the .308 but id need at least 200 grain for good penetration. Any thoughts and comments on this would be appreciated.
Thank you

I believe Randy used a 308 on his Montana buffalo hunt. I would think that would be sufficient with the right bullet, possibly a trophy bonded or X bullet. You definately want a well constructed bullet that will retain its weight.

I agree with as large of a caliber as possible and Barnes bullet.

200 gr Nosler Partition in a .308 Win should work fine. You'll have to reload. I don't think you can even get a 200gr bullet in factory ammo.

I just so happen to reload. I load 165 and 180 all the time. Ill have to pick up some 200's for when the time comes. My dad has a sharps falling block replica in 45/70 gvt. Maybe ill borrow that and try to relive history. Thanks for all the help guys. HTers always have the best knowledge and advice.

A 180gr Barnes ttsx pushed as hard as you can safely go in the .308 will work just fine. Just make sure the first shot is at the animal standing side on or quartering away, miss the big shoulder bone and double lung the animal and you will be fine.

I think that the 180 Partition would do just fine in the .308. Since you already have shot 180-grain bullets, it would be an easy load to work up. A 200 would be great also, but you already know what the 180 will do.

If you look at the ballistic differential between a 308 and a 30-06 there's not a huge difference. You should be able to get within 150 yards of a bison and drop the hammer on it with your 180 gr load. Obviously the key is accuracy and shot placement. Make sure you're familiar with the vitals of a bison and he'll go down. Barnes, Accubond, or even a good old Speer spire point flat base will work given you hit him in the sweet spot. I would not use a bullet that is designed for rapid expansion though like the Hornaday SST. Like an earlier post remarked, make sure it's a good solid bullet. A frames, Partitions, Barnes, Accubonds, 300 gr of solid 45/70 lead.......etc whichever is the most accurate for you.

John Byrnes was the guy who put out the long range hunting videos and in those videos, he explains that they aim for the far shoulder on their hunts to anchor the animals at 1,000 yards or more. That's why the animals drop like a rock when they hit them. The bullet is basically going through the lungs and breaking the far shoulder in order to prevent the elk from running away. He used to shoot a 7mm STW and now shoots a standard 7 mag. At those ranges, a 7 mag's velocity is less than a 308 at 300 yards or less. That coupled with a 180 grain .308 bullet instead of a 175gr 7 mm bullet and you'll be fine.

Be accurate, hit him in the right spot, and start taking pictures!

WOW..

Stick a good 150-165 grain barnes/nosler in the 308 and go kill a buffalr a 130-150 in the 270.

I shoot 180gr Partitions out of my .308win for critters. I have taken Elk with them, and would be fairly comfortable with them for Bison. A bonded or Monometal in a 180 or heavier should be fine.

Double tap ammo does load a 200gr Accubond in .308. Haven't shot much of their ammo, but it may be worth a try. If you don't handload See link for details. http://www.doubletapammo.net/index.php?route=product/product&path=303_323&product_id=206

Federal also has a TBT in a 180gr. That would be a solid load to consider as well.

havgunwilltravel said:

A 180gr Barnes ttsx pushed as hard as you can safely go in the .308 will work just fine. Just make sure the first shot is at the animal standing side on or quartering away, miss the big shoulder bone and double lung the animal and you will be fine.

Click to expand...

I'd disagree due to the low-ish velocity of a .308. Too many stories of Barnes not opening up out of smaller cased cartridges.

If you go to MT fish and game website, there is excellent info on shot placement when hunting buffalo. The heart and the brain shot are the most effective and recommended shot placements. I have been on two buffalo hunts where only archery equipment were used, shot placement is crucial.

I have killed a bull in MT, and also helped 4 friends kill bulls. The key is defiantly shot placement. Anything from a .270 on up is more than enough, but it will certainly depend on how things go from there. I personally think hitting bone and shooting out their lungs is the best plan. If you have a short range shot, the head shot is a quicker death.

Here is some data, and this is all with store bought ammo:

Herd bull - 350yd shot with .300WSM (180gr round) (took 6 more rounds at <50yds to kill the big guy). My first shot was slightly back and only got one lung)

young bull - Guy made a bad 150 yard shot, struck the bull in the neck with a 30-06 and the buffalo died instantly.

Good sized cow - One shot with a .300WSM at roughly 200 yards. Slightly quartering too, through the front shoulder into the lungs. Didn't take one step further.

Herd bull - Lung shot at 300 yards with a .300 WSM. Bull went into the timber and laid down. Took 3 more slugs from a 45/70 and still wouldn't give up. Finally got a head shot with the 45/70

Herd bull - 300+ yard shot with a 300WSM. Had to follow up with several more shots at under 100 yards.

Moral of the story.... they are very tough critters and shot placement, as well as damage done really matters. These animals have huge lungs, and can bleed out a lot before they expire. There is a theory, that the fat on the animals can help seal their chest cavity back up, if no bones are struck with a rifle (i.e. too clean of a wound). There is a well written article online somewhere that talks about the advantages of a arrow with buffalo. The author claims that the arrow allows more air into the chest cavity (When the arrow is only partially embedded), and causes the lungs to collapse.

My friend is an outfitter here in MT for buffalo, and he will agree with this theory. He has seen many bulls killed with everything from a pistol to large magnum loaded rifles. The one's that died the quickest had lung and bone shattering penetration.

- One side note... I never had any opportunities at shorter range shots, so the heart wasn't a consideration for me. I was hunting very open country. The other challenge is the herd size. Most herd bulls keep cows and calf's very close by, so this will also play a large part in your shot selection.

Best of luck! One of my most memorable hunts for sure!

Why are you defiant? It is just a bullet question. Do you mean definitely?

^^^Thanks for the correction! My typo mistake!

Here are two bullets from a 375 Ultra Mag. 300 gr Swift A frames.

One was a heart shot, the other through the lungs. Both bullets stopped on the opposite side of the hide. 190 yard shot on a mature bull bison. I don't have a scale to give weight retention.

They had good mushrooming.