cast bullet damage to buffalo heart

[elk hunter]

Finally found the picture of the heart of the cape buffalo that I shot with a 525 grain cast bullet from my 577 2 3/4" BPE. Frontal shot from 20 yards. Bullet was recovered from the paunch. I'm sure that the large meplat of the bullet was the reason the damage was this great. I believe a round nose would have just passed through doing far less damage but would have penetrated more.



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[nockhunter]

I like it!

Mike

[castalott]

:shock: 20 yards from a cape buffalo is much, much too close for me....[smilie=s:

[sixshot]

Thats why the PH with the double rifle 2 ft. away makes so much money!

Dick

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Very impressive ! Big flat nosed large diameter cast is sure the way to put the thump on a critter. I would rather have your results on a "dangerous beasty" than an exit wound with a heart that just got pierced. That is a huge gash through the main blood source.
Thank you for posting this and that fine write up.
Mike in Peru

[OnHoPr]

Interesting golf ball disintegration channel of the dense heart muscle. What is also interesting is there is really no gunshot bruising outside of the wound channel into the heart muscle.

[Pumpkinheaver]

Thanks for sharing this pic, very interesting.

[WBG]

Hello elk Hunter, Thank you for posting this. I am going to Africa in April to hunt cape buffalo with an 577NE with cast bullets. I sure would like to know more about your shot. Do you know the approximate velocity of the bullet and it's hardness/toughness? I am thinking that I will use a 650gr bullet at 1700fps - 1800fps. Also a wide flat meplate. How far did the buffalo go after being hit? ( I have made two frontal heart shots on cape buffalo at close range with a 375HH solid with a wide flat meplate. Both bulls ran about 30 yds. after being hit.) This next hunt will be my first time with cast bullets. I sure would like all the advice on the velocity and bullet, that you can give me. Thank you in advance. Brian

[elk hunter]

Hello elk Hunter, Thank you for posting this. I am going to Africa in April to hunt cape buffalo with an 577NE with cast bullets. I sure would like to know more about your shot. Do you know the approximate velocity of the bullet and it's hardness/toughness? I am thinking that I will use a 650gr bullet at 1700fps - 1800fps. Also a wide flat meplate. How far did the buffalo go after being hit? ( I have made two frontal heart shots on cape buffalo at close range with a 375HH solid with a wide flat meplate. Both bulls ran about 30 yds. after being hit.) This next hunt will be my first time with cast bullets. I sure would like all the advice on the velocity and bullet, that you can give me. Thank you in advance. Brian

Brian,

The bullet is the same as the one in my avatar. It weighs 525 grains cast from type metal, making it quite hard, and velocity was right at 1800 FPS. The bull ran about 30 yards and was down but not dead. I put two more in the shoulder for insurance. The two in the shoulder penetrated to the off side shoulder doing considerable damage to the lungs but were not recovered. A 650 grain bullet should penetrate even better than my lighter one. The bullet that we recovered had lost only the flat nose, it looked like a wad cutter pistol bullet. I haven't had time to weigh it but I'm sure it still weighs at least 425 grains. I would have liked to have recovered the two in the shoulder to see what they looked like. A bullet cast from type metal or water quenched wheel weights should do the job. The PH told me that I was the only hunter he ever had that was interested in seeing what damage the bullets had done. I thought that rather strange as I always want to know what went on inside the animal.

[WBG]

Thank you elk hunter! That info is very helpful. I sure appreciate it.

Yes, most hunters don't even go to see their animal skinned. It is wierd, isn't it. You are so right; Investigating your own bullet performance is part of the hunt.
Thanks again, Brian

[tcrocker]

Cool I have shot alot of deer and hog with a 45/70 using a 480 cast with a wide meplat got to love those flat nose bullits.148243

[WBG]

Wide Meplate seems to cut a wound channel instead of squeezing it's way through the meat. I have used Northfork cup point on cape buffalo. Nice straight pennitration. For buffalo I am casting for minimal expansion in .577. Brian

[Bigslug]

Oh that's lovely!

What do you suppose that amounted to Elk Hunter - - 5-6 feet of penetration? And you still had enough lead left over to make a .45-70 with.

Oh that's lovely!

[Huntsman]

I like it!