.50 vs .45 For Hunting Buffalo?

[Gun1]

I'm going to Africa to hunt buffalo and possibly hippos as well as perhaps rhinos. As a backup weapon I currently have the option of choosing something that'll shoot a .50, 300gr solid at 700fps or something that'll shoot a. 45, 255gr solid at 1050fps. Which of these would be the better option?

Thanks

 

[Jeff62]

Option 1 sounds like a muzzleloader.
Option 2 sounds like a Vaquero. Pick the six shooter,and...........I would brush up on my tree climbing skills.

 

[DocRock]

Have you spoken with your PH about this? Namibia and SA have pretty strict rules about handguns and you will need to understand those. Furthermore, I can’t see any PH authorizing use of anything with those ballistics on any of those three animals.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Sounds like you’ll be using a Ruger New Blackhawk in .45 Long Colt with about a 5 1/2” barrel, correct?

 

[Gun1]

It's between a Glock in 45 Super or .50 GI. PH has said there's better options but he can't stop me me from carrying that if I want to, lol. I already have my primary rifle and several friends as backup so I don't want to carry a really heavy 6 shooter, so I'm going to go with the Glock but don't know if I should go .50, 300gr at 700fps or .45, 255gr at 1050fps.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Ok so this is a backup firearm?

 

[Gun1]

Yeah, it's a backup, in case something goes horribly wrong I have 10+ rounds on tap.

 

[Steve S.]

Buffalo, hippo, rhino - what could possibly go wrong?

 

[horsey300]

It's between a Glock in 45 Super or .50 GI. PH has said there's better options but he can't stop me me from carrying that if I want to, lol. I already have my primary rifle and several friends as backup so I don't want to carry a really heavy 6 shooter, so I'm going to go with the Glock but don't know if I should go .50, 300gr at 700fps or .45, 255gr at 1050fps.

I'd load the .45 running a Barnes (there's one designed specifically for .45lc I can't remember which, it'll show in load data from Barnes for .45lc) as fast as I could safely push it.

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't think any handgun will be a "backup" on megafauna.
There are other uses for a handgun, lesser game, what Heinlein called "pragmatic Marxist in the jungle."
I'd take the .45.

 

[Seamaster31]

Sounds like you are planning a trip to one of the shooting farms in SA so I very seriously doubt that taking the pistol will be of any use. It is getting to be more of a hassle each time for me to take rifles when I hunt somewhere in Africa.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I'm going to Africa to hunt buffalo and possibly hippos as well as perhaps rhinos. As a backup weapon I currently have the option of choosing something that'll shoot a .50, 300gr solid at 700fps or something that'll shoot a. 45, 255gr solid at 1050fps. Which of these would be the better option?

Thanks

Nope and nope..

Buffalo and hippo, neither round you’ve mentioned is adequate. And as mentioned bringing hand guns into South Africa is getting to be a hassle. As far as I know South Africa is the only country where you can shoot a rhino.

Since the trophy fee on a white rhino runs between about $55,000 usd and $130,000 for a trophy bull I’d suspect that you can afford any rifle you want. When you throw in a Buffalo bull and a hippo and daily fees and airfare your hunt is going run well north of $100,000 and probably closer to $200,000. Buy a good rifle and leave the pea shooters at home. They’ll be nothing more than a hassle and extra weight.

 

[Patocazador]

When I went to Namibia and So. Africa in '82, I brought a 29 S&W .44 mag. along. I used it to kill a porcupine and a steinbok, two very small animals. It was adequate for them. Even though I was hunting plains game only, I never considered using the .44 as a primary weapon. Zebra and gemsbok were hard enough with a rifle and Nosler Partitions. Don't even think of bothering with a Glock.

.375 H&H and up for buffalo and hippo.

 

[Gun1]

I'm just thinking of a scenario where something goes very wrong, such as we get attacked by a pack of hyenas and I need to shoot multiple rounds fast, .50 300 gr FMJ at 700fps or .45 255 gr hardcasts at 1050fps?

 

[DocRock]

This “pack of hyenas” stuff is just silly. Talk to your PH and listen to him.

 

[jmr40]

Hunting and stopping a charge ain't the same thing. I've seen video of a guy taking buffalo with 10mm DoubleTap ammo. He hurt it bad with the 1st shot, put it down for good on shot #2. But he had someone behind him with a suitable stopping rifle in case things went bad. I wouldn't do it, but trying to take one with a handgun as the primary weapon makes more sense if you have backup. If the rifle doesn't get it done counting on a handgun as a backup is in my opinion delusional.

 

[Patocazador]

I'm going to Africa to hunt buffalo and possibly hippos as well as perhaps rhinos.

What country in Africa? If it's in So. Africa or Namibia, your chances of even seeing a hyena, lion, or leopard are almost infinitesimal.

 

[Gun1]

Hunting and stopping a charge ain't the same thing. I've seen video of a guy taking buffalo with 10mm DoubleTap ammo. He hurt it bad with the 1st shot, put it down for good on shot #2. But he had someone behind him with a suitable stopping rifle in case things went bad. I wouldn't do it, but trying to take one with a handgun as the primary weapon makes more sense if you have backup. If the rifle doesn't get it done counting on a handgun as a backup is in my opinion delusional.

Interesting thought, perhaps I'll try my pistol first. So if I'm using my Glock as my primary to take down a cape buffalo, should I go with .50 300gr FMJ at 700fps, or .45 255gr hardcast at 1050fps? I've personally seen the .45 255gr hardcast outperform a 10mm 220gr hardcast with a higher velocity than the .45 simply because the .45 has more mass; but I'm not sure if giving up 350fps for an increase of 45gr is a good tradeoff, although it's also a larger diameter bullet.

 

[Gun1]

What country in Africa? If it's in So. Africa or Namibia, your chances of even seeing a hyena, lion, or leopard are almost infinitesimal.

Yes, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, and the DRC.

 

[Jim Watson]

So if I'm using my Glock as my primary to take down a water buffalo,

If you see a water buffalo in Africa, it may be a first.

 

[Gun1]

If you see a water buffalo in Africa, it may be a first.

Lol, typo, a cape buffalo. Although there's water buffalos in Egypt, which is North Africa.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Yes, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, and the DRC.

Wait...

You are going on a hunt to, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and the DRC?

And you’re worried about being attacked by a pack of hyenas? And you are planning to do all of this with a handgun?

That’s going to be an impossibly (emphasis on impossible when you throw on the DRC) big adventure. And the price just went up significantly.

Send us some pictures and please give my regards to your booking agent. He or she is a genius of of untold skill and ability.

 

[eastbank]

to me hunting those big game animals with handguns is just a stunt, oh sure they will kill them but i think you may want them dead right now if things go south in a hurry. and if wounded and lost you will pay for it anyway. i,m not blowing smoke up your arse and have hunted in africa 6 times killing 66 animals from a buffalo to a dikker, with the last trip in 2019.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I think that we are going to wait for the after hunt pictures on this one...