Looking for a big 50-100yd Buffalo Rifle...

[DPris]

That's what I was trying to clarify.
Most people call what we have "buffalo".

Our bison are not generally considered dangerous game, but didn't know if original poster was referring to US rifle or a true dangerous game gun for Africa.

Generally speaking, there's no need for anything bigger than a .375 for ANY game in America, including Alaska.
And you can get by with less here.

Africa would be a different matter, if you have the money to get there.
And a .375 is still fully viable on Cape buffalo.

But- if you don't even plan to ever go, no point in buying a major shoulder buster that runs even heavier.
Denis

 

[stagpanther]

Mossberg Patriot in 375 Ruger. Save the extra $1000 to spend on your trip.

Absolutely! I have one and it is awesome--shoot it right and you can shoot it well (like most big hitters). A modern, conventional-sized chamber cartridge that will drop anything on earth within the range you're talking about.

 

[Ricklin]

Bout beat myself to death

My wife bought me a really nice factory built Thompson Center Hawken for about the price of the kit. We just loved the old Monkey Wards surplus store. It was a fixture in PDX for many many years. Got the gun on closeout for about a hundred bucks back in the day. Gorgeous rifle.

Me being a 20 something kid just have to go bigger. I bought some 450? grain buffalo bore bullets for it. Then I went to the range.

110 grains of holy black with those heavy bullets beat the crap out of me from the bench, and yes I shot it prone too....prone was brutal.

I learned years later that curved butt belongs on your arm, not your shoulder. I was black and blue for a couple weeks.

It was easy shooting it standing, easy to soak up that big push. From the bench or prone?.....never again. I still have one of those mushroomed bullets that I dug out of a clay bank, nice mushroom of likely 80 caliber or so.

That was my experience with a big boomer. I have not fired any of the dangerous game smokeless rounds, and have no burning desire to do so.

 

[Longshot4]

Nathan: I think you are over doing it. Go pick up a H&H single shot 10 Gage Mag. and a 5 round box of heavy buck shot for it. That will rattle your teeth. But before you hand it to your so called friend to shoot. Make sure you show him how its done. Just to be fair.

 

[TXAZ]

...
This will just be a big rifle for fun and to scare friends with....basically as an example of what heavy recoil really is! ...

That's easy. Bring your friends to Texas and you can experience the full 12,000 ft-lbs of excitement pulling the trigger on Boomer (.50 BMG) with the suppressor on and muzzle brake off.

Maximum 1 shot per shoulder.

 

[Scorch]

If you are just looking for recoil, then buy a Weatherby Mark V in 378 Weatherby. It is the hardest kicking caliber I have ever fired, and I've fired quite a few. Or a 500-450 Nitro Express 3-1/2". If that doesn't rattle your box, nothing will.

 

[Gas Bag]

Yes, a .416 Remington would do it, and so would a .458 Lott, if you are hunting elephants. So I would mark those off of the list. A .45-70 would do as a buffalo gun.

 

[Erno86]

I'm a 416 Rigby fan...but the .577 T-Rex round does stoke my curiosity.

 

[J.G. Terry]

CZ 550's in DGR calibers.

For many years anything from Czechoslovakia could not be imported into the USA. Czechoslovakia was part of the "evil empire." None of the CZ's were imported here for many years.

I'd suggest looking at DGR's in the 550. Also do some research on CZ as used in Africa. One PH with whom I communicate with swapped his CZ 1n .375 for a 416 Rigby. I enjoy two 375 H&H's plus other magnums. If you want to master these rifles learn to reload. Firing a few rounds from a 375 H&H and you'll get an idea why in some circles this caliber considered to be "all around." I'd say CZ at this point has as much experience building these Africa caliber rifles as anybody.

 

[agtman]

Jeffrey's .404.

It was considered THE 'elephant rifle' for at least a couple of decades in Africa. (Pondoro Taylor said so ... Look it up).

A 400-grain, .423-diameter slug at just over 2000fps.

So if the old .404 Jeff can put a pachyderm down, it'll put a water buff down.

Plus, you'll be forever imbued with that nostalgia thing, and somewhere Pondoro will smile warmly upon you.

 

[jfruser]

I love my CZ550 in .375H&H.

 

[LineStretcher]

Picking up my Barrett M82A1 50 BMG tomorrow if the UPS truck can get it into town in time to get it out for delivery to the store. Probably won't get to shoot it for a couple of weeks due to snow storms coming but who knows maybe I can go blow up a few snowmen..