Dangerous game animals are so named for good reasons. Unfortunately, we’ve just seen how a hunter in South Africa was killed by a cape buffalo. The hazards are real.
Certain risks are involved in this type of hunting, and to tell you the truth, that’s part of the draw for many of us. Col. Jeff Cooper once wrote, “danger, not variety, is a spice of life.” The good colonel was known for his well-thought-out quotes, and I certainly agree with this one.
No one wants to be mauled, gored, or trampled. However, the extra caution necessary when hunting the animals who might fight back, and the pungent fragrance of peril in the air as we follow them into the thorns, has an allure.
Is the hunter of dangerous game taking chances? Of course, just like the mountain climber, spelunker, surfer, deep sea diver, bull rider, motocross racer, and the list goes on…
At the time of this writing, I can only speak to hunting cape buffalo in reference to dangerous game, although over two decades tracking illegal aliens and drug smugglers might qualify as adding a little extra seasoning to one’s life. Very few human encounters were ever violent or dangerous, but the potential is always there, and that adds excitement to the mix.
I have not been charged by a cape buffalo. Like many of you, I have watched videos of bulls on the fight, and when they come, they mean business. Friends have stood in harm’s way as wounded cape buffalo bulls have homed in on them with deadly intent. Luckily, they have all shot well in those situations.
Choosing to hunt cape buffalo with an iron-sighted revolver might raise the brow of some. One man I have great respect for told me bluntly that to hunt buffalo in this manner was a stunt. Maybe, but it’s not mine alone.
There have been many hunters who have taken dangerous critters with the same setup. It’s a risk I’m willing to accept and have been fortunate to have done so three times now. Good Lord willing, there will be more!
A high degree of responsibility comes with taking up the task of handgunning a cape buffalo bull. We owe it to ourselves and anyone hunting with us to be as proficient as possible with our handgun. We also owe it to the bulls.
A sobering thought occurred to me the first time I set out to hunt buff with a revolver. Accepting the risk to my own hide was just part of the deal. If I messed up, my fumbling could get someone else hurt or killed. The trackers are not armed. They rely on you and the professional hunter to keep them safe, as well as the nearest tree of any size!
On my first bull, my 18-year-old daughter was standing right behind me when I pulled the trigger on a hulking black mass of buffalo just over 20 steps away. That will give one something to think about!
Two bulls have fallen to my Freedom Arms revolver in .454 Casull. Freedom Arms makes the finest production single-action revolvers in existence. They are built to exact tolerances, and they are exceptionally accurate guns. My 454 has a 7.5-inch barrel, express rear sight and brass bead front.
In getting ready for my first hunt, I drew a cape buffalo on a piece of cardboard, attempting to make it to the scale of the size of a bull at 40 yards or so. One evening, while practicing dryfire in our living room, I discovered I was having trouble seeing the bead in low light. Not good.
I needed some color, so I asked my daughter to find the brightest tube of orange acrylic paint in her art set. Putting the paint on a Q-tip and dabbing it on the bead made all the difference. And as luck would have it, I killed that bull right at sunset as he stood in the dark shadows of a tree. The bright orange bead showed brightly on his coal-black hide.
Same with my next bull a couple of years later. He was just as close with a bit more daylight left in the hunt, but the orange bead was gleaming as I squeezed off the shots.
Ronnie Wells of RW Grip Frames built me his John Linebaugh Tribute revolver in .500 Linebaugh for my latest cape buffalo hunt. When Ronnie asked about the sights, I requested something bright. He accommodated with a red fiber optic front sight that almost appears to glow with even the slightest of ambient light.
Like the Freedom Arms, this revolver is superbly accurate. It goes without saying that our hunting handguns require precision accuracy. With a dangerous game handgun, reliability is of the utmost importance. Revolvers, in general, are reliable. Weak springs and light hammer falls will get you into trouble.
Any gun we intend to hunt with needs to be thoroughly vetted before taking it to the field. This vetting on a dangerous game gun could mean the difference between life and death for you or another. Put ’em to work well before the hunt with the ammunition you intend to hunt with. Also, make sure that each round you take chambers easily in your revolver before you leave home.
.On the topic of ammunition, it is even more important than which handgun we decide to hunt the big stuff with.
First, we need sufficient power in a big-bore handgun to drive a bullet that will penetrate deep into the vitals of the animal. I have used heavy hard cast bullets with wide meplats on my buffalo and see no reason to change. These projectiles resemble the head of a sledgehammer, and from what I can tell, they hit like a hammer on contact, driving deep into the animal.
A heavy crimp is a must; you do not want a bullet jumping its crimp and tying up the cylinder of the revolver when you are in process of killing a cape buffalo. All my bulls have been shot with Buffalo Bore Ammunition and I find their ammo to be of the highest quality.
Practical practice is the key to success in the field and is vitally important in these situations. Once the gun is shooting to the sights, it’s time to employ real-world field positions into our practice routine with the ammunition we intend to hunt with.
My practice routine has been with full house loads when getting ready for a hunt. In practicing with these heavy kickers, I usually limit my range sessions to three or four cylinders full at a time. Between range days, I dry-fire on buffalo targets a lot at the house.
I’ve written elsewhere that I try to limit my shots with an open-sight revolver to 50 yards and much prefer them to be half that distance. Practice will determine what you can do in a pinch, and I strongly suggest you determine those limits before going afield, especially for dangerous game.
I have shot farther than my 50-yard standard on a few occasions. My last bull was shot at 80 yards as the terrain would not allow me to get closer. I was relaxed and confident, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish he were a lot closer! I knew I could get him at that range under those conditions and did. On previous hunts, large plains game fell to my 454 at 60 and 80 yards. These big guns will get it done with steady hands and the right ammunition.
Hunting with an iron-sight revolver is a challenge, and hunting cape buffalo with one is exhilarating. In most cases, you need to be close. You do not have the advantage that a scope can provide for threading a bullet through the brush where these bulls often hang out, and you cannot shoot what you cannot see, even when they are at 20 paces, sulking in the thorns.
At times, the handgunner will have to pass on shots a rifleman could easily make. There is an added bit of pride when you do connect with your revolver, no doubt.
So, is hunting dangerous game like the cape buffalo with a handgun a stunt? I don’t think so. To tell you the truth, I do it because I enjoy it.
Handgun hunting adds an additional challenge to the event. I don’t do it to gain attention or to prove the nay-sayers wrong. I do it because I like it and because I know my guns and I can do it, and I do it because it is a challenge. I think my much-appreciated readers understand my reasons.
Maybe one of these days I’ll take a big bore rifle after the bad boys of the brush, but for now I’m dreaming of my next dangerous game adventure with my revolvers!
