Author Topic: wifes asian water buffalo (Read 1663 times)

Lloyd Smale · « **on:** April 07, 2009, 12:21:18 AM »

hardest dying animal ive ever seen. She shot it through both front sholders with a 50 beowulf shooting a 420 grain punch bullet. When she shot it it dropped but she hit herself in the eye with the scope and was bleading baddly and it got back up. I took the gun from her and shot it dead on in the chest. It went down again and got back up and started running. I put a cast bullet (we only had two punch bullets) in the neck and it went down on its knees and got back up again. I put two more in the lungs and it went down but was still breathing after a couple minutes so to put it out of its missery i put a 44 325 cast slug in its brain. Didnt even phaze it. I put another in it same results. Al put a 4440 in its brain and it was still breathing. the third 44 325 finally made it quit breathing. We recovered 4 bullets. the first punch whistled right through the front shoulders. the one i recovered went in the chest head on and was found under the skin on hind quarter. It penetatrated the lenght of the buffalo broke the back leg and came to rest under the skin. Other then rifling marks it could have been reloaded. Velocity on all of these loads was about 1600 fps. One case recovered was one of the 44s shot into the brain. It was cast out of #2 and sheared right in half on some bone. It was not fractured but looked like half the bullet was wiped away, Not the nose but lengthwise. The two bullets shot through the lungs were 420 lfngc cast out of straight linotype. They both were found lodged under the skin on the far side. Both had there noses rivited (slightly mushroomed) they looked like someone hit them in the nose with a hammer. I would have never thought that a linotype bullet would have showed results like that on a perfect broadside lung shot. But i guess a 1500 lb animal is different then a 500 lb animal. Could be a rib cause the damage but to have both look about identical id thinking it was just hide which by the way was about twice as thick as any aniamal ive ever seen. this sure wasnt bison hide! What did i learn. There a tough dammed aniamal. Punch bullets like weve know blow away cast for penetration. especially if you want to run velocity over 1300 fps. Maybe the beowulf could stand a heavier bullet. Something with a little more sectional density. One kill doesnt show much but if i used that same bullet i think it try it at about 1400 fps instead of 1600. I also saw again something ive seen many times. Linotype bullets do not fracture! At least not a normal cast velocity. I wouldnt think of shooting another animal this size with anything softer then linotype and would like to experiement with something even harder. Maybe monotype. I also learned not to retract the stock on the beowulf so its more comfortable for the wife to use the scope. She has a real nice cresent around her eye and i couldnt get her within a mile of that gun again!

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #1 on:** April 07, 2009, 12:22:11 AM »

another

Oldshooter · « **Reply #2 on:** April 07, 2009, 01:46:23 AM »

Awesome animal!

If you dont mind me asking, Where did this shooting take place?

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #3 on:** April 07, 2009, 02:32:24 AM »

game farm in nothern michigan.

BBF · « **Reply #4 on:** April 07, 2009, 09:46:40 AM »

Maybe Atlaw can take a run at one of those beasts with his new cannon.!!

BTW what is a punch bullet??

Skunk · « **Reply #5 on:** April 07, 2009, 09:57:56 AM »

That was quite the experience Lloyd. What a beast they must be. Thanks for sharing the story and the pictures.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 07, 2009, 12:46:01 PM »

Quote from: BBF on April 07, 2009, 09:46:40 AM

BTW what is a punch bullet??

http://www.beltmountain.com/punch.htm

http://www.gunblast.com/BeltMtn_PunchBullet.htm

Oldshooter · « **Reply #7 on:** April 07, 2009, 03:26:52 PM »

Quote from: Lloyd Smale on April 07, 2009, 02:32:24 AM

game farm in nothern michigan.

Heck I thought you got to go someplace exotic! But still a good story!

moxgrove · « **Reply #8 on:** April 07, 2009, 05:31:55 PM »

Man that is a great story. It shows why some of the African guides are leery of anything but the heavy metal against big cattle in tight. It would be hairy if that Buff decided to get some payback b4 calling it quits.
Congrats to your wife! I would love to do that. What was the outfit?

blhof · « **Reply #9 on:** April 08, 2009, 03:45:45 AM »

One of my wife's relatives went on a African safarie for Cape buffalo and he noticed the guides carried double rifles that he said looked like heavy barrel 20 ga. shotguns. He didn't get a buf, but settled for lesser game and a lifetime expierience. There's been many stories written of the toughness of the water buf.

Camel 23 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 08, 2009, 01:50:24 PM »

Quote from: Oldshooter on April 07, 2009, 03:26:52 PM

Quote from: Lloyd Smale on April 07, 2009, 02:32:24 AM
game farm in nothern michigan.

Heck I thought you got to go someplace exotic! But still a good story!

I always thought Northern Michigan was exotic. It's not?

Nice animal Lloyd. I wish I could have been there to help drag it out.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #11 on:** April 08, 2009, 05:29:44 PM »

I guess it is if your from southern Michigan! Or BFE

Skunk · « **Reply #12 on:** April 08, 2009, 06:10:46 PM »

Quote from: Oldshooter on April 08, 2009, 05:29:44 PM

I guess it is if your from southern Michigan! Or BFE

Oldshooter,

If you ever get the chance to visit Michigan's Upper Peninsula, by all means do it. The UP is one of America's best kept secrets for sheer natural beauty and hunting.

And-a-ven-a-I-a-go-der, I-a-like-a-talking-wit-a-dem-a-crazy-Finlanders, oh ya.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #13 on:** April 08, 2009, 06:22:37 PM »

I'll have to do that Skunk, Bygolly

Been to St Paul by river boat and Chicago, I'll have to check out the land of the big lake they call "Gitchagoomy"

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #14 on:** April 09, 2009, 01:59:24 AM »

well skunk the beauty is still here but of late the deer hunting sucks!!

Dand · « **Reply #15 on:** May 04, 2009, 11:11:54 PM »

How is water buff for eating? Try any? I think some folks go to Australia to shoot feral water buff and it can be pretty exciting. Sounds like it can be in Mich too.

blhof · « **Reply #16 on:** May 05, 2009, 08:41:31 AM »

If it's anything like the asian buffalo, it's pretty good eating. I had some when I was stationed in the Phillippines, tender and not gamey at all. It was fairly lean and completely grass fed as the locals don't waste grains on animals.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #17 on:** May 05, 2009, 03:48:13 PM »

this one taste great but the steaks were not as tender as some of the bison ive shot. Dont get me wrong its not so tough that its unetable. The roast cooked in a crock pot cut with a fork. the burger is great. These water buff. have white fat not the yellow fat that a bison has and its eatable. the meat taste more like beef then the bison does. the meat is marbled with fat like beef and the burger tastes just like beef burger and has some fat in it. Ended up with 780 lbs of meat for a total cost with butchering of 1400 bucks so about 2 dollars a lb. Not bad.

flintman · « **Reply #18 on:** May 23, 2009, 11:57:17 AM »

Lloyd,
I didn't think that these animals were native to Michigan!

Jeff

Siskiyou · « **Reply #19 on:** May 23, 2009, 01:19:10 PM »

I am sure your wife got a nasty jolt from the scope. I watched my son get a cut from a far light recoiling .270 Winchester. It is a little tough at times to wipe the blood off and start over. I can respect a case of the nerves after taking a hit like that that. The old scope tube seems to find a lot of nerves, and blood vessels around the eye. It is painful, and unpleasant experience with blood flowing.

What an interesting large animal. The links regarding the punch bullet kept me busy. I re-read your write up a couple of times, from my end it appears that you received very good performance from the punch bullet, the unknown answer to the bullet weight question maybe very difficult to answer being the lighter bullet did a good job.

KAYR1 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 02, 2009, 04:28:26 AM »

Your wife is one tough lady! From the pics it looks like she bot belted pretty badly with the scope. I've been there myself, and it is no fun! Congrats on your trophy.