One Hunters Quest for the Perfect Rifle. Part 4 - The Hunt Report

Remember the original challenge -- “pick a rifle and caliber for any game, any where”

Having chosen the Montana Rifle Co Vantage V2 375 H&H with a Swarovski 1-6 Z6, the next step was to get out on a hunt for a trophy Buffalo and put the rubber to the road. 

(Read Part 3- The Scope)

Hunt Report:

If you head east out of Darwin Australia - as the crow flies about 330 miles- and drive for 12 hours- you will end up on the mud flats of Buckingham Bay. The bay is part of the Gulf of Carpentaria- and only 200 miles from Papua New Guinea. This should give you a good idea that we were a long way from nowhere and Asian Water Buffalo was the target.

Our research over several years led us to the Northern Territories of Australia - where the buffalo are plentiful and un-molested - meaning they are big and mean. The goal was to find nice symmetrical old bulls that scored 99 inches or more.

Our outfitter and guide had us on big bulls from the first day- so we could be selective and have a chance to compare different horn types and shapes. After seeing 100’s of buffalo and covering miles of flood plain- we saw a bull come out of the forest that was impressive- and even though it was too far for a shot - I knew we should get closer and be ready.

Luckily the old bull had someplace to go and didn’t pay attention to us sneaking up to flank him- 500 yards closing into 200 yards. The horns looked great and the choice was made - get closer - to about 150 yards - and drop him with one shot.

Everything worked exactly to plan - except the one shot thing. How about 3. The buffalo took a hard center shoulder shot, stumbled then got up and took off. A couple more quick running shots brought him down. Which is good- because swamps were nearby and they can be super hard to recover once they get back to water.

The only issue with the equipment was the scope. It just never had a good clear sharp image- like I have come to expect with Swarovski. No missed shots on the hunt- but it wasn’t right- so when we landed - I put in a call to the Service Center- and got a return authorization for repair.

After removing it from the rifle- there was something rattling around inside the scope. Nothing you could see from the eyepiece- but looking thru the objective- there was a ring of about 1/2” width- laying sideways. Wow- I’m surprised the scope worked at all! We’ll see what they find out.

I have replaced the scope with a Schimdt and Bender 1.5-6 Classic. It looks great and it’s ready for another day at the range to sight in.

One other observation on the rifle- the muzzle brake was FANTASTIC. Over 60 shots- some fast and furious- and never a hint of recoil. I am sold on the Flats brake for the 375 H&H. Running shots at 250 yards were made with ease and fast follow up on the culls. We never lost a single animal the entire trip.

This bull scores a nice 109 inches.

Highly recommended outfitter:

Greg Pennicott Safaris