Hunting & Fishing Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

[Vapor2008]

Has anyone hunted Bison with 300 Winchester Magnum and Berger 210 Hunter VLD bullets?
Asked the guide and he recommends a bonded bullet.
I'd prefer the Berger VLD bullets based upon their pin point accuracy.

Thoughts, and/or recommendations?

 

[Seth8541]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Save the bullet and just walk up to it and smack it in the head with a hammer. LOL

 

[ZLBubba]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Honestly Vapor, I'd probably go with a hunting bullet with a heavier jacket that the VLD. I hunt thinner skinned game with VLDs all the time with great terminal success. I've never hunted bison, but they've got some thick hides and I wonder if the VLD will make it through before fragmenting.

 

[LongRangEnthusiast]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

I would go with the guide's choice. I dont doubt he has taken a couple bison himself with bonded bullets. A bisons vitals are not a small target so i wouldnt worry tooooo much about accuracy unless you plan on taking a really long shot. I would buy some bonded ammo and take it to a range to see how they perform if you are worried about it.

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Have Remington 700SS 5R 26" barrel - Nosler 200 Grain Accubonds 2859 fps Reloder 22 - 3.617" touching the lanes grouping @ 0.434" @100. Have walked this out to 1000 yards on the Pawnee Grasslands and have a good dope.

Don't plan on taking a Bison over 300 yards.

 

[Bob L Swagger]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

When I took my buffalo I whacked him right between the eyes with a .375 Winchester big bore 94 and he dropped like a ton of bricks..

 

[X-fan]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Yes, 200grain Nosler partitions.

Long story, but it was a huge animal and it took 7 shots over about 30 minutes.
Postmortem we figured out that the fur was so thick and the animal so big that we killed the bull with 308 sized wadcutters...The expanded portion of the bullet was gone by the time it made it to the vitals and the vitals were full of pin holes.

I have never seen anything like it before, but a bonded bullet you definitely want. I talked to Nosler about it and they suggested the Accubond would have done much better. In the years since then I would agree.
The 200 grain TTSX would probably be my first choice.

This is no place for Bergers or other soft bullets IMHO...Especially from a 300mag.

Peace

 

[Scottie15]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: X-fan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
The 200 grain TTSX would probably be my first choice.
</div></div>
+1 on this.

Friend took a bison in 2010 with a 180 grain TSX boattail out of his 300 WM. Shots were 80-100 yards, he shot it twice. Both shots through and through, I recall one was broad side, one just less than quartering away. Both shots would have been fatal on their own.

I'd take a look at the TTSX bullets by Barnes. I had good success using them this year on game and at the range.

 

[teamr2]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Bear Claws, TSX's, Accubonds, Aframes, and Partitons will all send that Bison to the grazing ground in the sky with certainty.

 

[snave58]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

most important thing to know about Bison is that their vitals are up in between their huge front shoulders. I have taken many of them apart in my business and killed many, very important to have a quartering away shot to enter into the vitals, no matter what bullet you use. we killed all of ours with a spine shot at the base of the neck as to not ruin any high dollar meat. there is alot of bone loss in the processing of the animal and shooting into the shoulders is just tearing up good groceries. the spine shot in the neck can be very tricky with all the wool and neck on that critter, and a injured Bison is no fun at all.

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Spine shot under 200 yards could be the ticket. I'll work on my shots out 600 this year on the Pawnee so I get use to the wind.
Should help the shot accuracy at 200 and under.

 

[X-fan]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

I tried to finish our bull with a spine shot (first time I ever saw one) and I can assure you the spine is a bitch to find and a poor first shot for a beginner.
They have some odd physiology in the neck area.

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Thanks
The spine shot is not my first choose but if it presents itself over a heart shot then I'll take it.

 

[snave58]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

xfan, you are soo correct about the neck. seen many missed shots trying to hit the spine, only to piss off a beast and wound them. I would reccommend looking at a detailed anatomy view of a Bison so you can see whaere the spine lays in the neck.

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

I've taken a couple with bear claws and accubonds from a 7mm RM. Both worked well but the accubonds seemed to perform better. In my experience the bear claws tend to pencil through even in tough game. Of course results can vary shot to shot.

Oh yeah, heart and lung shots. I like to go through the heart and opposite leg if I can which isn't too much of a tall order with buffalo.

Accubonds were one shot kills and the bear claws may have been one shot but I didn't wait around and put another in while I had a chance.

Buffalo tacos rule.

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Thanks for the information.

 

[psinclair]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Use the VLD's and rock on.

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

I find PGS's recommendation surprising on bison. But he IS the man, so I would listen to him.

I want to be a hunter like him when I grow up.

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Just returned from Hunt 8/25/2012 Wyoming 
Berger 210 grain Hunter VLD, Remington 300 Win Mag 5R

Buffalo - 800 lb young bull @239 yards 20mph sustained wind prone shot. Wind burst to 31 mph west to WSW winds 

The wind effects created a bit of a challenge along with waiting for the other buffalo to clear. 

When I sent the shot there was ~26" between this bull and the next buffalo.

I waited for my guide to say he's clear send it.

Hit right behind the shoulder just above the heart. The Berger Bullet went in and took out the top of the heart, lungs, liver. Quite a bit of internal trauma. 

The hit sound like I'd shot a wood pile. Not the th-wap expected. The bull bucked a couple of times took a few steps and noise planted.. 

If I hadn't of practiced prone with Trigger Time Gun Club the shot would have been impossible with the wind.

Went out couple of times with Trigger Time Gun Club "Paul and Zach" . The help me improve my long range capabilities with shots out to 1677 yards. 
In addition they showed me how to read wind and mirage. 
Used these technics along with my kestrel during my hunt.

Since my last post sent 515 Berger VLD's down range. All grouping sub .25 MOA 

The Berger 210 VLD Hunter bullet did the job.
Twin Pines Ranch - Fantastic outfit great hunt unlike what you'd see from other outfits.
Trigger Time Gun Club - great bunch from the top down. 

 

[ykrvak]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

You've shot 515 rounds and they have ALL been sub .25MOA??? Yeah........um... okay..sure.

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Didn't shot in one setting. After the rifle was dialed group sizes consistently measured 0.126" to 0.224" using Sinclairs Group measuring Caliper attachment.

All shots are in controlled environment in door 100 yrd range at Trigger Time.

With that many rounds errant flyers average out.

If there's a different means that I should measure group size let me know if there's a better method.

Thanks

 

[Jim the Plumber]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

I've shot 2, both with a 338 RUM and 250 grain Partitions.
Also watched one killed with a 300 WM and green box 180 corlok.
All 3 were one shot kills and went down in less than 20 yards. They are not that hard to kill. I shot my first one through the heart, second one through the neck just behind the horn, complete pass thus. The one shot with the 300WM was a heart shot, complete pass through also.
Shot placement wins every time.

 

[Jig Stick]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

I would of shot it in the neck

 

[Vapor2008]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Like to have shot in the neck; there was a cow just too close and couldn't have a pass through.

 

[Cinch]

Re: Buffalo Hunt 300 Winchester Magnum

Congrats on the kill. Hang some pics!