| DUGABOY1 |
| (.400 member) |
| 08/08/11 06:24 AM |
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Re: Is 9.3x74R ENOUGH gun for Cape Buff?
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Opinions: The 9.3x74R is, indeed, marginal for such use, though it is a wonderful caliber if used properly for what it was intended; I own and shoot three of them, one o/u scoped; the other two iron sights, and I love them. Personally, I would never go against a cape buff. with a 9.3. Indeed, should the buff charge, it is fast and brutal; no time to think, only to react. Those conditions are not the best for most hunters, unless they have extensive experience in such situations, and they enjoy living "on the edge."
It is true the 9.3X74R is indeed marginal, and is illegal in many jurisdictions for buffalo and up! The fact that it is illegal in some places doesn’t necessarily mean it is not up to the task on buffalo, in experienced hands!
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I have a close friend who planned his buff hunt for months. He intended taking his .450/.400, but more experienced hunters repeatedly told him, finally convincing him, to use more caution, and to take his .450, so he did. The buff charged immediately, without warning of any kind, running down into a ravine as it came for them, out of sight temporarily, and when it appeared, it was damn close. Yes, my friend shot and killed the buff, but only a few feet from where he was standing, and the PH said that he had never seen anything like it.
There is a huge difference between the 450/400NE 3” and a 9.3X74R double rifle where buffalo are concerned! Far more difference between these two and the power space between the 450/400NE and the .450s!
That being said I would think that your friend brained the buffalo if he was that close, or he wouldn’t have stopped him! If that is indeed the case then I ask you whet is the difference, in effect, between a 400 gr .410 bullet, and a 480 gr .458 bullet in the BRAIN of a buffalo? In fact even the 286 gr .366 bullet in that same brain?
My reasoning in the above question is, the only thing between those mentioned bullets in regard to stopping a concentrated charge at close range of a cape buffalo, when the only thing that will stop that charge is a shot to the brain! One will do as well as the other in that case.
To me the difference between the two larger (450/400 & 450) and the smaller (9.3) is the smaller of the three is more likely to wound causing a follow up, while the other two are about equal with equal bullet placement in the initial shot on the buffalo, hence the legal status in some districts for the 9.3. When the close-in stop is needed there is little to choose between the three!
In your friend’s case I doubt the buffalo would be more likely to be wounded with the 450/400NE than it would be with the 450NE! To gain much power over the 450/400NE in hunting kills without problem the biggest thing you can shoot is not a sure thing! In a close-in charge of a cape buffalo there are only two shots that are sure stoppers, and they are the brain and/or the spine. In this case the proper type of bullet in the brain or spine and either of the three, mentioned here, will do the job there! So, with these three, the one you can shoot the best is the one to use! We often see the phrase “IT IS NOT A STOPPER” when what they actually mean is “IT IS NOT A GOOD STARTER”! By that I mean most charges are STARTED by a badly place first shot, or a fairly good first shot with a rifle that is marginal. When you get down to the IN YOUR FACE encounter the bullet construction, accuracy , and knowing where to put the bullet is what makes the difference!
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The wife of my friend said that it took him months to recover from the shock, and for hours after it happened, my friend was speechless, all understandable. Believe me, he was very happy that he took his .450! When bad things happen, even the most fearless don't want to have only a 9.3 in their hands---at least I don't, that is certain. If you do take unnecessary risky chances, be sure your will is in proper order, for you will not be hunting deer.
In this case he would have been just as well armed with his 450/400NE as he was with his .450! When going into the bush with dangerous game one always needs to have his will in order, but in this case his choice wasn’t what made that unnecessary, because it was not power that got him out of trouble, but his shot placement! Either one would have done the same thing!
