7x57 or 358 Norma Mag

[rookhawk]

I like your logic! Makes a ton of sense!

I also fully understand the legal 9.3 or .375 for Buffalo, but also struggle to believe that in a pinch a 358 loaded with 280gr swift a frames wouldn't be an adequate cartridge (I have zero buffalo experience to back this up).

Using a 300gr A-frame from a 375HH, my Cape Buffalo was unphased. Dying, but quite angry with plenty of energy left for mayhem. He charged and we shot the hell out of him. He turned and piled up, I shot him some more in a desire to end suffering. I was not impressed with the 375HH as a buffalo gun.

The 375HH is marginally okay on everything which no other caliber can claim, spanning the tiny-10 and the big-5.

The 404J is a much better choice. The 358 Norma is less-sufficient (and less legal) for Buffalo than even the 375HH.

 

[rookhawk]

@Clodo Ferreira
The 22lr is the best training rifle around.
Cheap to feed and easy to master.
The more time you spend behind the but ( with proper instructions) the better you get.
As you progress work up in calibre to you maximum comfortable recoil. You may have to use another person's rifle to find your tolerance level but you will find it.
If you have been taught well and mastered the basics including rolling with recoil like a boxer instead if fighting it bigger calibers become easier to handle.
Agree softer recoil does help a lot of people to shoot better but so does more practice.
My favourite range rifle is my 22lr. I shoot it out to 200yards for fun and practice. When I finish with the 22 I get one of my bigger toys out and fire a few shots. It's surprising how your shooting will improve.
Bob

My favorite practice caliber is the 17hmr. It makes an awful noise and shots straight as an arrow. I started my kids at age 5 at the range with the 17hmr. Within a shot or two, they were unphased by the loud noise. After they gained proficiency in a matter of 50 rounds (cheap rounds!) I slipped them a .243 and it had both the loud bang and a minor shove. That was all it took, kids were neither noise nor recoil averse. Probably a good principle for adults to follow as well.

At the lodge we use a 22lr suppressed for small vermin, but we use the 17hmr for about anything from plinking up to coyotes/racoons. It does everything a 22lr does, but louder and with much more energy.

 

[hunt4fun]

rookhawk, I read your comment about using a 300 gr A-frame on a buffalo. Did you get a look at the recovered bullets? Were they not expanding correctly? I have read about how tough the A-frame is supposed to be. Maybe it is too tough. I have shot two buffalo with a 375HH using 300gr nosler partition. One started spinning around and let me shot him two more times until he dropped. The other ran off about 20 yards and fell over from the one shot. But, I have wondered about the A-frame for the next hunt.