Going on a buffalo hunt in late Oct. From what info I can get the classic heart long shot is the easiest but the head shot will drop them in there tracks. My question is, what bullet to use in my 8MM Mauser 175gr. sp or 220gr. sp . The 220 is a pretty hard round and I found out to my chagrin that they aren't too good on whitetail, they blow through like a FMJ and left me with a long blood trail to follow. Anyone ever take a buffalo with the head shot? The ranch owner says to put one in the ear or just behind the ear so as not to loase any meat. I should get around 2400 fps in the 220 and 2700 fps in the 175 . Any thoughts on which to use?
BUFFALO (bison) hunt
- Thread starter KEN K
- Start date
MeekAndMild
New member
I don't have any informed answer for you but I wonder how you found such diverse ammo? I thought that 195, 196 and 198 grain were the usual loadings, and pretty hard to find.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
From reading about the days of the buffalo hunters: A heart/lung shot would have the animal remain in place until it collapsed. This meant no disturbance to the rest of the group, and thus no running away. Multiple animals could be killed from one shooting location.
Having known a few people who have gone on a bison "hunt" (some were buckskinners, others used BP cartridge rifles, and others used modern firearms), the animals are not hard to kill, but take a while to drop with the heart/lung shot. But you can take them out right now with one in the ear. Either way, the 8X57 with a 175 gr bullet will work. I know one guy who took his with a 243.
simonkenton
New member
The big bullet is not working well on whitetails, but this animal is five times bigger than a deer.
I would go with the 220 grain.
I would go with the 220 grain.
MeekAndMild
New member
Ken, just watch yourself no matter which one you use. I have read that of the first 12 ranchers who tried to raise buffalo 11 were killed by their animals. I don't know if that was true but I noticed during my drive through the west this year all the buffalo ranches had really big elaborate warning signs saying that these are really dangerous critters. 
I've seen three bison shot.
1) Adult cow, .30-06/ 180gr Core-Lokt, behind the ear: Dropped like a rock
2) 2 year old cow, .45-70-550. 5 shots: Lungs, guts, quartering through the guts to the offside lung/shoulder, Bridge of nose (attempted head shot), and finally, the neck. This went on over the course of two miles.
3) 8-year-old trophy Bull, .44-100-450. Two shots: One through both lungs. The Bull ran 300yds up a steep hill. 200 yds out on the plateau, a second .44/450 was placed behind the ear, ending it instantly.
4 & 5) The owner of the ranch said two Chicago men paid to shoot big bulls. They used a .30-06/220gr sp and a .30-378 WBY with 200gr partitions. Both put their bullets in to the lungs, and it was (reportedly) not a quick death. The bull shot with the .30-378 took 5 hits: 4 in the lungs, it went down, and a coup de grace was given, guess where, behind the ear.
1) Adult cow, .30-06/ 180gr Core-Lokt, behind the ear: Dropped like a rock
2) 2 year old cow, .45-70-550. 5 shots: Lungs, guts, quartering through the guts to the offside lung/shoulder, Bridge of nose (attempted head shot), and finally, the neck. This went on over the course of two miles.
3) 8-year-old trophy Bull, .44-100-450. Two shots: One through both lungs. The Bull ran 300yds up a steep hill. 200 yds out on the plateau, a second .44/450 was placed behind the ear, ending it instantly.
4 & 5) The owner of the ranch said two Chicago men paid to shoot big bulls. They used a .30-06/220gr sp and a .30-378 WBY with 200gr partitions. Both put their bullets in to the lungs, and it was (reportedly) not a quick death. The bull shot with the .30-378 took 5 hits: 4 in the lungs, it went down, and a coup de grace was given, guess where, behind the ear.
While I don't know whether that is true or not, I used to live in Nevada, and I knew the ranch manager at the Jacks Valley Ranch, where they raised bison for meat for Harrah's casino in Reno. I asked how come the fence around the ranch was all bui;t out of 4X10 lumber. He told me that when they first started raising bison, they tried using 8-strand barbed wire. The bulls just walked through them, and they spent too much money doctoring the cows that got cut up when they leaned against the t-bar posts and snapped them. These are big animals, and they are dangerous (but so are Holstein cows) just because of their size.
Huntergirl
New member
I shot a 2 year old bull with a 45-70 300gr Win partition Gold. Double lung pass through, one shot. It stood still for around 6 seconds, then bled profusely through the nose and right down it went. Placement is everything.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Ouch. Those things can take some punishment.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Nice. How is the recoil on that 470 Capstick? Pretty brisk?
W. C. Quantrill
New member
The old timers used Lung shots, but they were not concerned about right now drops because there was a skinning crew that followed up and did that work. The lung shot works because the lungs/ thoracic cavity fills with blood and the animal eventually runs dry and dies. The thoracic/lung cavity of the average buffalo can hold about 40 gallons so death is not to be expected quikly every time.
There is a place near here that sells hunts to dudes, and when he has to finish off a wounded one, he puts the bullet behind the ear or in the spine at the front of the shoulder.
There is a place near here that sells hunts to dudes, and when he has to finish off a wounded one, he puts the bullet behind the ear or in the spine at the front of the shoulder.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Cool. My buddy has a .375 Ruger No. 1. It's recoil isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Can't shoot it all day, but really not too bad.
One day I hope to head to Africa and will have to invest in a big bore myself. Let me know how that .470 Capstick works out for you and your shoulder...
