Yes I agree. That is why I got the .450 I wanted somethig a little different and also didn't want to have to reload to get the full power without having to buy specaility rounds. I know the really do a number on wild hogs.

R u talking black powder with the 45-70 rifles?

Couldn't of said it any better myself.

No I am referring to the fact that 1000'S of buffalo died to the 45/70 when it was a black powder round.Modern power or smokeless powder made it even better.I load 350 grain hornaday bullets with 54 grains of varget @ about 1950fps that is just anawesome round for bear,hogs and whitetail.I would go with 405 grain on buffalo or just buy some rounds for that purpose.

I look at this three ways.

For more a traditional shot. A in-line muzzlle loader like a TC Encore shooting a 300gr bonded shock wave with the most accurite max load. It would be scoped with a 3-9 power with a bullistic plex type reticle. This will be on par with the 45-90 and 45-100 sharps that killed thousnds of them.

Next a the big bullet aprouch, A bolt action Rem 700 CDL with its 24" barrel in 35 Whelen using Nosler's 250gr partition ammo at 2540fps. It is a 300 yard bisin killer. Sighted in for 200 or 250yards its gonna punch right through. And would be my top pick.

Last would be the High velocity apourch. The 338RUM with 250gr partitions. There is no dout this will work if you like the punishment!

Well, the 45-70 is a big part of the reason why there aren't tens of millions of buffalo roaming the plains of America anymore... If it worked so well in the late 1800's, why wouldn't it work just as well today?

Mike

This is what I would use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ebtj1jR7c

I'd have to go with a 338 Win Mag or one of my muzzleloaders, a .54 caliber 625 grain slug should knock the snot bubbles out of any buffler.

Judging from all the buffalo I've seen, the only way to get a 300 yd shot at one is to walk backwards. They aren't an animal easily intimidated. A 30/06 with heavy bullets would do fine.

I was just on a buffalo hunt in dec. in northen British Columbia,i shot nice bull around 1500lbs (live weight)i was using a 300 wsm with 180gr bullet.two shots one in the vitals and the second shot broke his back,was around 200 yards away.it didn't seem to hard to put this one down.-30 t0 -40 celsius weather it was a little chilly,we were on snowmobiles and had rode in around 25 kms,we have a wild herd here in B.C. around 4000 buffalo.But i have heard that for the most part they are hard to put down,i was talking to one of the guides there and he said that when you shoot a buffalo look for the steam coming from the vitals and if you see that just to wait for a couple minutes and it will go down (mind you thats in very cold temps) they are a big animal it took three of us to be able to move him enough to gut him out and let me tell youthat was a big job to gut one of those critters out,hope this helps you.