25 cal Airgun on bison..are you kidding me??

[Northwinds]

As some of you may know,last april I harvested a 2 year old Bison with a single shot from a .457 caliber air rifle,shooting a 525 grain bullet.The bullet exited and dropped the bison with a centre heart shot.
At the same time I purchased the .457 I also bought a .257 in a Airforce Texan. The .257 fires a 85 gun bullet at over 1100 feet/second.I started doing penetration tests on treated lumber and was astounded at the penetration of the little flat based spitzer.It penetrated as much wood as the heavier bullet out of the .457.The bigger bullet was a flat nose and had more surface area and I think this really affected penetration.
So as winter worn on,I got to play with the .257.Called a bunch of coyotes and shot them with it.Broadside shots on the shoulder dropped them in their tracks out to 150 yard,usually resulting in complete penetration of 1 shoulder and quite often 2.This spring,several beaver succumbed to that little bullet,it didn't matter what angle,the result was the same...dead beaver.
I got to thinking that a heart shot on a bison would at worst,have one rib to break but if I got lucky I could possibly miss the rib all together.Penatration should be enough to get to the heart and then some.
Well last tuesday was the day.Again,this was not a hunt it was done in a pen.The shot was 29 yards on a very big 2 year old bull around 1300ish live weight. The bulls were bunched really tight and it took a while to get the slight quartering away shot that was needed.At the report,I saw a silver flash as the pellet hit the bull exactly where it was supposed to.There was no reaction from the bull.I think he thought somebody hooked him in the ribs.He stood for a few seconds and I started seeing him pant bit,shortly afterwards he dropped stone cold dead.Start to finish way under 2 minutes.The interesting thing was the exact shot on last years bison took longer to be affected by the bullet,meaning didn't drop as quick.
As we butchered the bull out,I noticed that I wasn't quite as lucky as I had hoped and clipped a rib on the way in.The bullet deflected downward catching the bottom of the heart and lodged somewhere on the off side.The bull railed at 708 lbs.Long and short of it,these high power airguns are very deadly and can offer a whole new aspect for hunting.In Alberta you must have a minimum of .45 cal to hunt big game.I think these would be perfect for those who want something a bit different when baiting bears.
thanks for looking

[Twisted Canuck]

Pretty amazing what an air rifle will do. There is a video on YouTube of a cape buffalo taken with an air rifle on safari. All about shot placement as you say.

I wouldnt pick an 80 gr 257 travelling at 1100 fps as my first choice, but, shot placement.

[roper1]

Heckuva adventure right there. Interesting that you thought it through, did the penetration test, then went & killed a buffalo, fer crissakes!!! Awesome!!!

Thanks for sharing the story & the pic!

[threeforthree]

I shoot a 25 cal,,,,amazing gun.

[waldedw]

Geez Richard that's great, I thought the 457 was one heck of a feat, just proves with planning and testing it can be done in a controlled environment, good job.

I look forward to getting the long version of this when we have a chance to chew the rag a bit, hope to see you at the gun club this summer.

[Pioneer2]

http://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/...air-rifle.html

[Red Bullets]

Great pic. Nice looking bison too. From a .457 down to a .257. Interesting same result. Hmm, to complete your study is the next bison getting a .177 at 20 yards? Would probably be just as lethal. Is the 25 cal. as loud as the 45 cal.?

[Grizzly Adams1]

I'd like to see a pic of the bullets. Regular rifle type. ?

Grizz

[trigger7mm]

That’s cool Richard. I’d love to see that thing in action. Shooting beavers with it would be a blast!

[Northwinds]

compared to a long rifle.Dean if you ever want to borrow it for a while give me a holler!!! Thanks for the kind words

[Stinky Buffalo]

That's really impressive! Nicely done.

[teledogs]

I would not have thought it was possible! I was surprised by your first buffalo with the .457. Nice to see the homework you did before trying. Congratulations!

[creeky]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

http://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/...air-rifle.html

"Peace through superior fire power & a parlor trick"- brilliant.


Thanks for sharing.


Creeky....


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