Brian the gunner
New member
Is the .300 win mag enough to bring down an American bison?
The .300 win mag is sufficient for hunt a American bison?
- Thread starter Brian the gunner
- Start date
^ Good point. I was thinking the exact same thingreynolds357
New member
Quite sufficient.
Arrows/broad heads don't kill in the same fashion as bullets. An arrow with 80 pounds of kinetic energy will kill just about any thing in NA where as a bullet with 80 foot pounds of energy most assuredly will not.
I've read how bullets do their work, something to do with dumping energy and destroying tissue and organs whereas arrows sever them.
Someone with a little better understanding of bullet lethality can explain it better, I'm sure.
To answer the OP, yes, a 300 wm will do the trick.
reynolds357
New member
The Indians actually did very little Bison hunting with bows and arrows. The Indians preferred method was to herd the Bison and drive them off a cliff where they fell to their death.
FrankenMauser
New member
.300 WM would be just fine.
Yep, this is a perfect example of how Kinetic Energy is a very poor method for comparison of such dissimilar projectiles. Momentum figures are much more useful. (KE has its place, but that doesn't include comparisons with stuff like arrows, spears, and Atlatl darts.)
Brotherbadger
New member
As long as your shot placement is good, .300 mag will be fine.
While I've never hunted Bison myself, I've always heard/read that non-magnum rifle cartridges like .308 Winchester, .30-06, and .270 Winchester are perfectly adequate for the task. That being the case, I cannot see any reason why a .300 Win Mag would work at least as well unless perhaps someone used too light and fast a bullet that didn't hold together well and thus penetrated too shallowly.
Exactly. While I don't know how the natives preferred to hunt Bison, I'm pretty sure that the big herds were shot pretty regularly with .45-70, .50-70, all manner of BP cartridges. I'd say that the .300WM should be perfectly adequate for the job. Use a good bullet and put it where it matters.
longranger
New member
Buffalo cartridges start with a "4".
reynolds357
New member
When was the "4" rule written? Back in the day of cast soft lead?
I would put a .30Cal Barnes X driven from a Win. Mag. up against any of the Buffalo cartridges of the 1800's.
I would put a .30Cal Barnes X driven from a Win. Mag. up against any of the Buffalo cartridges of the 1800's.
I went along as a non-shooter guest on a bison hunt.
In our case,we had a guide with us.We approached on foot to approx. 100 yds from the herd.Point,while there are different styles of hunting,unless you draw a tag for a wild bison hunt,you will likely be guided to a resident herd.The guide has an interest in taking good care of ther herd.So,likely you will be close.
In our case,the hunter could select any bull,but,the bull had to be in the clear.In other words,your target animal must be positioned so there would be no collateral damage.
It was cold,and the wind was blowing.
One shooter used a 45-70 sharps loaded with 405 gr lead bullets.
One shooter had just returned from Afghanistan,and he was a one rifle guy.He used his 16 in bbl FN FAL with 165 gr bullets.308,of course.
And,one shooter had a 416 Rem built on a P-14 Enfield.Why not,if you have a big rifle.
All three were Veterans who could shoot.
One observation,even a very well hit buffalo might take a little while to figure out he is dead.
First buff,45-70.Well hit,penetration to far side hide through lungs.It was a touch astern,due to wind,but a good chest shot.Guide suggested another shot.Good hit.A few seconds and the bull kneed on down.
Second bull,the .308.This gentleman fires double taps well.Thats what he did.Two quick shots,both well placed,animal down.
Third bull,the 416.Big gun.Good hit,animal down...but,another bull horn-coaxed it back on its feet.It was mortally hit,wobbly,but taking steps.No need to let it continue,another shot was fired.Perfect placement,I saw the impact through glass.Animal stood a few seconds longer,went down.
Jump to your own conclusions.I suggest you use a heavy bullet that will expand but not break up.A 200 gr Nosler Partition would be an example. There are other bullets.
I would not worry about pushing velocity to the max.
Study bison anatomy.Look to a book "The Perfect Shot" for one source.Bison organs and bones may not be as you imagine.
Good luck.
In our case,we had a guide with us.We approached on foot to approx. 100 yds from the herd.Point,while there are different styles of hunting,unless you draw a tag for a wild bison hunt,you will likely be guided to a resident herd.The guide has an interest in taking good care of ther herd.So,likely you will be close.
In our case,the hunter could select any bull,but,the bull had to be in the clear.In other words,your target animal must be positioned so there would be no collateral damage.
It was cold,and the wind was blowing.
One shooter used a 45-70 sharps loaded with 405 gr lead bullets.
One shooter had just returned from Afghanistan,and he was a one rifle guy.He used his 16 in bbl FN FAL with 165 gr bullets.308,of course.
And,one shooter had a 416 Rem built on a P-14 Enfield.Why not,if you have a big rifle.
All three were Veterans who could shoot.
One observation,even a very well hit buffalo might take a little while to figure out he is dead.
First buff,45-70.Well hit,penetration to far side hide through lungs.It was a touch astern,due to wind,but a good chest shot.Guide suggested another shot.Good hit.A few seconds and the bull kneed on down.
Second bull,the .308.This gentleman fires double taps well.Thats what he did.Two quick shots,both well placed,animal down.
Third bull,the 416.Big gun.Good hit,animal down...but,another bull horn-coaxed it back on its feet.It was mortally hit,wobbly,but taking steps.No need to let it continue,another shot was fired.Perfect placement,I saw the impact through glass.Animal stood a few seconds longer,went down.
Jump to your own conclusions.I suggest you use a heavy bullet that will expand but not break up.A 200 gr Nosler Partition would be an example. There are other bullets.
I would not worry about pushing velocity to the max.
Study bison anatomy.Look to a book "The Perfect Shot" for one source.Bison organs and bones may not be as you imagine.
Good luck.
What about for cape buffalo? I know the Bison is bigger and can be quite an angry beast when threatened, but I've also read where people insist that a 375 H&H magnum is the minimum requirement and even a 45-70 rifle is inadequate fore cape buffalo. Is the cape buffalo really that much more of a bada$$ than the American bison?
reynolds357
New member
Comparing a Cape Buffalo to an American Bison is akin to comparing an Abrams tank to those little Toyota pick ups running around with machine guns mounted in the bed.