Best bullet for Buffalo

[UtahSharps]

I'm going to Montana in December for a cow buffalo, I want to use my Sharps this time with BP anyone have any experience on which bullet will work the best ? Shots will be anywhere from 100 yards on out, I will limit myself to 300 at most and try for a headshot.

[montana_charlie]

What bullets does your rifle already like?
CM

[UtahSharps]

I've shot 405's very accuratly, but I have some 500 grain bullets to load too, just wondering if there is a better designed cast bullet that will work the best. I killed two 3 years ago with my 86 Winchester 45-70 but i was using 300 grain jacketed bullets and smokeless powder, shot one 2 years ago with a .300 mag, so this year it is a Sharps with BP.

[Doc Highwall]

Go with a 500gr or heaver like Lyman's 457125. On the Shiloh forum look it up under their hunting section.

[NickSS]

I have used a 450 gr flat point LBT slug over 65 gr of FFG. The bullet was cast from 40-1 lead and sized .459. Went all the way through the chest of a cow I shot in Wyoming two years ago and lodged under the hide on the off side. Range was about 130 yards. One shot did the trick.

[Just Duke]

I'm going to Montana in December for a cow buffalo, I want to use my Sharps this time with BP anyone have any experience on which bullet will work the best ? Shots will be anywhere from 100 yards on out, I will limit myself to 300 at most and try for a headshot.

Welcome aboard Utah! :-D
The wife and I have three 1886 Winchesters and plan on using 485 grainers for Buffalo on one hunt and The Sharps rifles and variants on another with 540 grainers.

Nothing personal meant but have tried shooting at a head size target at 300 yards with a rainbow trajectory gun?
Can you tell us the make and model of your rifle sir and maybe post a pic?

[Just Duke]

300 grain jacketed bullets .

The "J" word! <shudder> :holysheep

[UtahSharps]

I'm not into posting pics, sorry, my rifle is a Pedersoli.

[Don McDowell]

If you have time and the enclination to try it, you might want to get ahold of a traditional Sharps paper patch bullet mould, something like the one available from Old West moulds.
Otherwise I'ld just do the 500 gr government bullet either the Lyman or Saeco mold.
Either way if you do your part buffalo head sized shots are a chip shot at well past 300 yds if you have a mind to shoot that far.

[Just Duke]

a chip shot at well past 300 yds if you have a mind to shoot that far.

What's a chip shot?

[UtahSharps]

Don, have you actually EVER shot a real live buffalo ?

[Don McDowell]

Don, have you actually EVER shot a real live buffalo ?
Do you mean the one with the 22magnum pistol, the 54 flintlock,:drinks: or the 3006? I mean sheez they were all 3 alive until they died, and the darndest thing about all three of em? I didn't have to go onto the internet to ask someone what bullet to use and then come back bein a smart *** to folks trying to give a straight honest answer.:roll:

[UtahSharps]

Don, I took your first response as kind of odd, and I wasn't trying to be a smart aleck about it, sorry if I offended you.

[L Ross]

Here is my experience based on my 3 personal buffalo cow kills, my wife's cow kill last Thursday, and being present for 19 other cow kills since 2004. My 3 and my wife's were all shot with cast bullets with alloys of 1/20 and 1/30. One with a 40-65. one with a 40-70, and two with 45-70. The 40 cals used a Lyman 410 gr flat nose, the first 45-70 was a 500 gr PP flatnose, and one was a pointed target bullet with the nose filed flat with a rasp to leave a .380" meplat and a remaining weight of 450 gr. All were one shot kills, one was an actual heart shots, two tore the aorta off the top of the heart, and the PP shot hit very close to the top of the heart but missed the big plumbing. All were down on the ground in from less time than it takes to reload to a maximum of 45 seconds.

Of the other 19 let's just say that shot placement is hugely important as double lung shot buffalo can travel a couple of miles. Once hit and adrenalin gets dumped they become less impressed with subsequent shots. Our personal shots have ranged from 80 to 130 yards.

I have no experience with head shots but from butchering a lot of animals I would say the the ball that joins the spine to the base of the skull would be instantly fatal but is less than a 5 inch target that would be best accessed from broadside or quartering away.

Complete penetration is the norm for all but hard quartering away shots to the chest.

Good luck,

Duke

[Don McDowell]

Utah, Here's a pic of the paper patch bullet I spoke of. I haven't as yet got it to shoot tight enough groups to go into bpcr competition with but it dang sure works for hunting.-http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f358/Ranch137/paperpatch.jpg

Here's a 270 yd group fired with the Rcbs 82084 bullet cast from 20-1 and weighing about 530 grs. The nose style isn't a classic hunting bullet but it might just work well enough for that.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f358/Ranch137/0908idddybit.jpg

Lastly if you hang around ol Buckskiiner types there in the land of Zion, tell ol Jim P Salmon I said hello

[Just Duke]

Little help for ya. ;)

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f358/Ranch137/paperpatch.jpg