45-70 Guide Gun on a Cape Buffalo

[tygar]

Depends upon what you consider "old Indian thing". Although the horse evolved in North America, it migrated to Asia during one of the Ice Age periods and then died off on the American continent. It wasn't until the Europeans came back here that the horse was reintroduced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_the_horse

Come on man

[sharpsguy]

tygar--the Sharps accounted for a lot of buffalo, but the 45-70 not so much. The 45-70 as a caliber came along late in the game, and the 500 grain Government load didn't come along until 1881. The buffalo were shot for the most part by calibers such as the 44-77, 45-110, 50-70 and 50-90, and to a lesser extent, the big 40 calibers such as the 40-90 and the 40-90BN.

The buffalo were shot out using black powder, as smokeless powder was not developed until the buffalo harvest was over. I use black powder because it flat out works. I consistently get single digit extreme spreads over the chronograph with my 45-70 loads using black powder, and get tighter groups, especially at longer ranges. Recoil from the black powder is more of a push than a hard whack, and the guns are more pleasant to shoot.

I also enjoy the reaction of guys that have never seen one of these guns work when they see it for the first time. When I killed a blesbok in Natal at 451 yards with a first shot hit, the South Africans went absolutely nuts. My host tells me that the PH still tells everyone he meets about it. Bottom line, I guess, is that it flat out works, and is a whole lot of fun. I do know that on my range here at my house that goes to 504 yards, I can hit things with black powder and a Sharps that I can't hit with smokeless. That and the fact that with the 480 to 520 grain bullet weights, you almost always get complete pass through penetration from any angle for a quick kill.

[Ammohouse]

I would humbly submit the most dangerous animal to man any where is Man himself.
over estimating his skill or firearms will kill him.

Hmmm let's see.. one chance at temporary pain in an acacia, vs sure death If I miss my perfect placement shot.....

Heck.. too many years back, I've even scurried up a Texas mesquite after putting a pellet gun to a peccary balls, only to be run up the danged tree by shreaking snapping foaming pack of the critters....
HEY!!! you're only 10 once, and some lessons are learned quickly the hard way....I can still feel the sweaty thorn memories, laughing at my own stupid kid tricks.

On a bet I snuck up on a javelina and slapped it on the ***...yep still have memories of the mesquite thorns myself!

[blikseme300]

On a bet I snuck up on a javelina and slapped it on the ***...yep still have memories of the mesquite thorns myself!

Being in deep South Texas now and looking at the Mesquite I treat them the same as the Acacia, with respect. Yes, when I was a youngster in South Africa I was quite adventurous and paid the price of being stupid during a hunt, once only. Back then you did not have a PH to assist but maybe a local tracker. When the tracker runs try to keep up!

Been following this thread through its twists and turns and all I can add is that the 45-70 would probably work for taking all of the big 5 when the right shot is placed. Many Elephants, Hippos and Cape Buffalo have been taken using the .303 and 8x57 as these were the most common rifles for a long time. PH or not the retreat up a tree must be considered when things don't go as anticipated.

[Tom_in_AZ]

Too many people underestimate the power of the .45-70

[X-man]

here's the zebra http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqs543qxTHE

What a fantastic shot! As an ethical hunter I wish all the animals I harvest will meet such a swift, sure and humane an end!

[micky_blue]

Being in deep South Texas now and looking at the Mesquite I treat them the same as the Acacia, with respect. Yes, when I was a youngster in South Africa I was quite adventurous and paid the price of being stupid during a hunt, once only. Back then you did not have a PH to assist but maybe a local tracker. When the tracker runs try to keep up!

Been following this thread through its twists and turns and all I can add is that the 45-70 would probably work for taking all of the big 5 when the right shot is placed. Many Elephants, Hippos and Cape Buffalo have been taken using the .303 and 8x57 as these were the most common rifles for a long time. PH or not the retreat up a tree must be considered when things don't go as anticipated.

Care to share any recipes for your boerewors and biltong? I have had biltong but never heard of the other.

[blikseme300]

Care to share any recipes for your boerewors and biltong? I have had biltong but never heard of the other.

Droewors is dried sausage similar to biltong. Think snap-sticks. The gotcha is not to use any pork in the sausage to be dried as it will go rancid.

There are many opinions regarding traditional biltong and boerewors that will make any family feud look tame by comparison. Depending from what part of the country you come the recipes will differ. With the birth of the Internet there are now too many "experts" telling us what genuine recipes are. Come on, did the trekboere use Worcestershire Sauce when making biltong? The basics are lean meat cut with the grain, salt, ground pepper, browned coriander and vinegar. All the other spices and additives are just perfume, IMHO. Yes, I am a Boer and grew up in the country and learned how to make traditional food from my grand parents. Vrystaat!

[horsesoldier]

I guess we learn something everyday!

[drinks]

I have eaten biltong and doerwors,( just means sausage), the items were sent from SA, I was not impressed with the biltong, in my opinion, good jerky is better, of course, to each his own. Much of the problem was likely the coriander seeds stuck on it. I detest coriander and the green plant form of it, cilantro.
The doerwors was a major disappointment, having been raised on smoked, dried, German/ Czech central Texas sausage it was tough, lacked flavor and was not well processed.
I make a lot of cured and smoked meats, mullet, carp, and sunfish , then several types of sausage, including kielbasa, pepperoni and salami as well as canadian bacon, cured and smoked pork steaks, cured and smoked beef steaks and jerky.

[fouronesix]

I don't speak German much less Afrikaans, so no help on terminology or recipes.

I remember a very hard, all-out 14 hour drive (across Zambia) in a loaded cruiser one time. We had a large paper sack of waterbuck biltong. It was very good and made the long, rough trip somewhat pleasant- even though some say waterbuck is the worst of all meat. IMO, most wild meats from Africa, either cooked or dried, are excellent! Bull buffalo roast is excellent as are the grilled chops. Oryx, kudu, impala, hartebeest, reedbuck, puku, etc. are all excellent! All the upland birds are excellent. Even elephant is very good tasting but yikes it's tough- a little easier on the jaw muscles if rehydrated in a soup or stew. Here's a pic of some elephant "magnum" biltong being dried over slow fire. Each strip is about 6" diameter and 4-5 ft long.

[blikseme300]

I have eaten biltong and doerwors,( just means sausage), the items were sent from SA, I was not impressed with the biltong, in my opinion, good jerky is better, of course, to each his own. Much of the problem was likely the coriander seeds stuck on it. I detest coriander and the green plant form of it, cilantro.
The doerwors was a major disappointment, having been raised on smoked, dried, German/ Czech central Texas sausage it was tough, lacked flavor and was not well processed.
I make a lot of cured and smoked meats, mullet, carp, and sunfish , then several types of sausage, including kielbasa, pepperoni and salami as well as canadian bacon, cured and smoked pork steaks, cured and smoked beef steaks and jerky.

Droewors translates to dry sausage. The biltong and droewors you got was definitely not the right stuff. Traditional biltong has no visible coriander seed, BTW. The commercial stuff sent here must be treated with preservatives and tastes off.

I enjoy the sausages made in the hill country and have included some of the central European style recipes to the variety of my sausage making as well. I plan on adding the smoked and fermented sausage making this summer when I get time off.

[hickfu]

Thats Pete, He is a member over on the Marlin Owners forum... He has tested the 45-70 against elephant skulls and it goes right through them! and humungous leg bones! A 45-70 can take out anything charging if you hit it in the head with a heavy hard cast boolit. People always give him **** when they see what rifle he has but they always want to get one after the hunt....

I love my 1895SBL Co-Pilot from Wild West Guns... If I had to choose 1 rifle to have and nothing else it would be that one.


Doc

[fouronesix]

I'll never forget the image of bwanaP jnr standing on the side of a 10,000 lb bull and shooting a 45-70 loaded with his 475 gr "kakuli" bullet straight down into the leg and shoulder with all the trackers, packers and game scouts standing around scratching their heads.

The most impressive bullets (to me anyway) during that round of testing on elephant skull, elephant hide, leg bones and buffalo hide and bones were a GS monolithic solid out of a 458 Express and a similar test of the North Fork monolithic cup nose "solid". The ones that penetrated all the way through and hit the backer tree (IIRC a large mopane, sausage tree or leadwood trunk?) were extremely hot. I guess due to the friction. Heck, I burned my fingers on one of them.

Make no mistake, bwanaP jnr is not the type to frivolously "hunt as a stunt", guide those doing so or shoot game like buffalo or elephant with arms not adequate for the job. So he has put a great deal of time and effort into testing and figuring out the strengths including the limitations of the 45-70.

[Iowa Fox]

drinks, Care to share any tips and pointers with us on your cured & smoked meats?