.457 480gr Safari Solid-Nitro Express - 20ct

Wildebeest:
This hunt was not planned when I arrived in Zimbabwe, I had all intentions of trying to shoot a Warthog, (I like having those ivories laying about the house). But the drought of the previus year took a toll on the locals and finding a good shooter was going to be tough. We decided go after a Wildebeest with my 450NE Double Rifle making it more of a challenging hunt. That morning we had made a few stalks both times being busted by either Impala or Giraffe, we had been driving for awhile when word came into the cab that three Bulls had been spotted. The cruiser was stopped behind a bush and the PH and I got out as the cruiser drove away. We circled back and around to get the wind in our favor and started to work our way towards where we had seen the Bulls last, the last yards on hands and knees or duck walking stopping behind the last bush between us and them. The PH was squatting and glassing the Bulls and explaining the layout, the Bull with the better horns had ambled off, the older Bull was standing right to left and a younger bull was laying down in front of the Bull standing his head and left horn between us and the standing Bulls shoulder. While all of this was going on I glanced to our left to see a group of Buffalo feeding towards us. They had got to about 30 yards when they started to curl away except for one old cow who was still feeding our way and starting to pay more attention to the shapes in front of her. The PH ask me at what distance I was comfortable shooting my Double, most of my practice is done with 4" and 8″ targets, an 8″ target almost covered by the front bead at 50 yards I said maybe 75 yards and he said the standing Bull was an easy 100 was I still interested. My answer was I would let him know when I got on the sticks which he was sliding around the bush as we were speaking. I slid around the bush and got on the sticks and looked through the sights, A Wildebeest at 100 yards is a whole heck of a lot bigger than an 8″ plate I was able to see shoulder, definition and the tip of the horn from the Bull laying down that was just below my aiming point. I could also see that damn Buff Cow that was still feeding towards us. It seems that I had more than enough time to look through the sights take the safety off but the safety back on look at the Cow Buff and back at the Kongoni when the PH said to shoot. I will say that this was one of the sweetest shots I have ever taken, everything felt right, the sight picture, the trigger press, when the sear broke I sent a 450gr CEB Raptor on it’s way. I saw the shot and it’s effect was dramatic the Bull hit the ground like someone pulled the rug out from under it, Butch commented that I must of shot high and hit the spine but I said no as we made our way forward. The Bull on the ground started to bellow and tried and get up I put one more right barrel into it. I have shot my share of animals and I would have to say that I have never seen so much blood on the ground and still pumping out of both sides, when we got back to the skinning shed all of the plumbing from the Wildebeest heart had been destroyed in some manner or another.
For the academics I shot this Wildebeest with a .457 dia 450gr CEB Raptor leaving the Gun at 2170fps, according to my JBM Ballistics Calculator it would have hit the animal 1730fps and generating 2980'/lbs of energy.