Shoot’n, Fish’n ‘n’ Hunt’n

The .405 Winchester has had more than its’ fair share of bad press. Almost every modern commentator, who has written about the .405 Winchester, has referred to the belief that the 300-grain projectile, which is the standard size for the .405, has insufficient sectional density for reliable penetration on large and dangerous game. This controversy, about the validity of sectional density as an indicator of penetration, has been addressed in another article on this site and you can read that article by clicking on the link at the end of this article. At the risk of ruffling some feathers, I will state, from the start, that the importance of sectional density, when considering penetration on large game animals, has been grossly overstated. This is especially so in the case of the .405 Winchester.

Where the opinion, that the 300-grain projectile is an inadequate penetrator, originated from is not too clear. However, it is likely to have started with John Taylor, when he wrote African Rifles and Cartridges, for his comments about the .405 were less than complimentary. To be fair, I should also point out that not all 300-grain, .405 Winchester projectiles were created equal, and, amongst the historical accounts, there are some spectacular failures as well as spectacular successes. However, I believe that this is indicative of poor bullet construction, poor quality control and incorrect bullet selection, when considering some brands of .405 Winchester ammunition.

British versus US Ammunition

While British manufacturers generally made very effective African hunting ammunition, most US manufacturers, in the first quarter of the 20th Century, had little experience with making projectiles that were intended for use in the ‘Dark Continent’. The Americans simply did not have the experience, that the British had, when it came to making ammunition for stopping dangerous game such as Cape buffalo, rhino and elephant. This was true with both soft point and full metal jacket (FMJ) ammo. Most, if not all, US-made, .405 ammunition was intended for hunting moose, elk and bears and not buffalo and elephants.

In the case of FMJ ammunition, most US manufacturers considered FMJ projectiles to be primarily used in target shooting. This included Winchester, Remington, UMC and Western companies; all of whom made .405 Winchester ammo. Accordingly, FMJ ammunition, from these makers would, almost certainly, be substandard, perhaps even useless, when used the large and dangerous game of Africa. It is quite possible that some of this ‘target’ ammo could have ended up in use in Africa and India by hunters who did not understand the differences between British and US big game ammunition. Indeed, I strongly suspect that many of the spectacular failures were with this US ‘target’ ammo while the spectacular successes were with British ammo.

The Historical Record:

Yet when we read many of the historical accounts of .405-toting, hunters, of yesteryear, we find little dissatisfaction with the performance of the 300-grain projectiles. Hunters, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Cottar, Stewart Edward White, Edison Marshall and Kenneth Anderson, all wrote books that included accounts of hunting, with the .405, and which record successful hunts of even the largest and most dangerous of game. Others, such as Martin and Osa Johnson, produced motion picture accounts of successful hunts, including some excellent footage of Osa dropping a charging rhino with her .405 Winchester. It is true that Theodore Roosevelt also documented some failures, with the .405 on dangerous game, but he was using Winchester-made ammunition that he personally shipped into Africa for his hunt. Most of the other hunters, at this time, were most likely using British made ammo as US made .405 ammo, was not readily available in Africa.

This elephant is one of eleven such animals taken on the Solvay safari, of 1907, with the .405 Winchester.

It seems, to me, that many, of the modern-day detractors of the .405 Winchester and its’ historical users, have formed their opinions from the comfort of an armchair and without reading the historical accounts in full and without taking ammunition supply into consideration. For example, I have read some very unkind comments about Theodore Roosevelt’s 1909 African safari, but it was abundantly clear that the author, of those comments, had not read African Game Trails in full, did not know much about TR himself and had cherry-picked parts of the book to justify his opinion. Even more certain, is that these detractors, of the .405, have not spent a single day hunting dangerous game with a .405 Winchester.

400 Grain Projectiles:

This ingrained and widely reported bias, against 300-grain projectiles, has led many modern .405 users to load Woodleigh 400-grain projectiles when hunting large and dangerous game such as Cape buffalo. The 400-grain projectiles are meant for the .450/400 and are considerably longer and with a higher sectional density: 0.338 versus 0.252 for the 300 grain projectiles. In order to shoot the 400-grain bullets, through an 1895, the throat needs to be lengthened. However, the length of the box magazine has the final say on how far these projectiles can be seated out from the case neck. In addition, the .405 case is not that large and so the heavier projectiles, even with the longer throat and seated as far forward as possible, severally limit powder capacity.

So, while the 400-grain projectiles may have a greater sectional density, their velocities are going to be much lower than those of the 300-grain projectiles. In fact, the 300-grainers can be launched at around 300 f.p.s. faster than the 400-grainers. Woodleigh .412”, 300-grain projectiles are simply shorter versions of the .411″, 400-grain projectiles and are made in exactly the same way, with exactly the same jacket thickness and material. It, therefore, becomes questionable whether the 400-grainers, at a much lower velocity, are really going to be any more effective than the 300-grainers. The Woodleigh recommendation for best performance, with both the 300 and 400-grain projectiles, is for an impact velocity of between 1800 and 2200 fps. The 400-grain projectiles will drop below the 1800 fps mark before they have even travelled 50 yards.  The 300-grain projectiles will not drop below the 1800 fps threshold until around 125 yards.

Accordingly, I cannot see the value in shooting 400-grain projectiles through an 1895 Winchester as the velocities are just going to be too low. Yes, there is load data out there that claims to duplicate .450/400 performance, with the 400-grain projectiles, but you won’t do that in an 1895 without pushing pressures to an uncomfortable, even dangerous, level. However, if you are shooting a single shot .405, such as a Ruger No1 or a Winchester 1885, then the issues of throating, cartridge OAL and, therefore, powder capacity, allow for higher velocities and potentially better, game taking performance with the 400-grain projectiles. In the case of the single shot .405s, you can almost duplicate .450/400 performance and, in that case, the 400-grain projectile almost makes sense. However, the question then becomes; why buy a single shot .405 when you can buy, or build, a single shot .450/400?

A Better Option:

The other option, as I found, is to use the Woodleigh 300-grain projectiles for initial shots but with a back-up, solid projectile like the Cutting Edge Bullets (CEB) 350 grain, Safari Solid in case things turn sour. The CEB 350-grain projectiles are not as long as the Woodleigh 400-grain bullets, being 1.324” as opposed to 1.412”. The CEB 350-grain Safari Solids have a higher SD than the 300-grain bullets, at 0.296 versus 0.252, although that makes no practical difference. The entire nose section of the CEB bullet, from the driving bands forward, is of the bore riding design, so there is no need to modify the throat of your rifle to shoot these. More importantly, these solids are of the ‘super-penetrator’ style, so they will penetrate far deeper than most solids will. Being slightly shorter also means that they impinge on the powder capacity less than the 400-grainers do. Nevertheless, velocities are still down on the 300-grain projectiles resulting in markedly different points of impact. This difference in points of impact is not critical if you are trying to stop a charge and you find yourself in ‘knife-fighting’ range with your intended target.

On a recent water buffalo hunt, in the Northern Territory of Australia, I used the 300-grain Woodleigh and 350-grain CEB combination on two water buffalo and one scrub bull with good results. This hunt was conducted solo and without any backup, so I was acutely aware of the need to stop these large animals as quickly and as cleanly as possible. It doesn’t matter what caliber I am using or what game I am hunting, I always subscribe to the philosophy that you “keep shooting, until they stop moving!” and I certainly adhered to that philosophy on this hunt.

Water Buffalo Hunt with the Winchester 1895:

I was using my Miroku-made, 1895 takedown model and the first three rounds, one in the chamber and two in the magazine, were 300-grain Woodleigh loads and the last two rounds, in the bottom of the magazine, were loaded with 350-grain CEB Safari Solids. In order to get a better understanding of the effectiveness, of both projectiles, I deliberately fired all five rounds into each animal, even though only the first two shots. with the Woodleighs, were necessary to put the animals down. Most shooting was conducted within about 40 yards and the longest shot was 65 yards, as measured on my handheld GPS. As a result, most of the follow-up shots, including with the CEB solids, were into animals that were already on the ground as the 300-grain, .405 Winchester combination was far more effective than some gun-writers would have us believe.

First buffalo taken with the .405 Winchester at a range of 65 yards.

Two of the three animals were on the ground after only requiring a quick second shot. This was with one buffalo and the scrub bull. In both cases the first shot, taken from the less-than-ideal front quartering angle, on an alerted animal, failed to immediately drop the animal and they were able to turn and start running. A quick second shot knocked both animals down and ended their escape before they had covered more than a handful of yards. Watching these animals fold up, mid-stride, and collapse on the spot from the impact of the 300-grain Woodleighs, convinced me that there is nothing wrong with this projectile on big game.

The second buffalo took three shots but only because my second shot was a poor one and hit low in the brisket and through both front legs (you can see the exit wound on the foreleg in the photo below). This is one of the big advantages of the 1895 in .405; that you can shoot quite quickly, because of the lever actions speed of operation, and because recoil is so much more manageable, compared to many other big game rifles. Indeed, many of the early African .405 users highlighted, in their writings, the advantage of being about to take quick, follow-up shots with the 1895 in .405; and they were right.

The second buffalo taken with the Winchester 1895 in .405 Winchester.

On all of the broadside shots, the 300-grain Woodleighs fully penetrated both of the buffalo and the scrub bull. On quartering shots, the Woodleigh bullets did not exit. All of my shots, with the CEB 350-grain Safari Solids, exited even on quartering shots. I don’t believe that the CEB projectiles would exit on an end-to-end shot, as there is just not enough velocity for that, but I know that they would penetrate deeply. So, from this experience, I cannot understand the view that the sectional density, of the 300-grain, .405 projectiles is inadequate for dangerous game; provided you pick your shots which is what you should do with any calibre. While a statistical sample of fifteen (15) shots on three (3) animals is not something to bet your house on, the excellent performance, within that sample, still demonstrates a very workable option.

A scrub bull that fell to the Winchester 1895 in .405 Winchester.

This experience further supports the view that sectional density is not as important, for penetration, as we have been told. What is of far more importance is bullet design and construction. For example, let us compare the Woodleigh and Hornady 300-grain projectiles. Whether you are discussing the Hornady flat nose or the spire point, the sectional density is virtually the same as the Woodleigh 300 grain projectiles. The only reason that the SD varies, slightly, is because the Hornady projectiles are .411″ and the Woodleighs are .412″. So, while their sectional densities are almost identical, there is no way that the Hornady projectiles will penetrate as deeply as the Woodleighs. You would not want to hunt large, dangerous game with the Hornady 300-grain projectiles because, from my experience, they are way too soft. Even on feral pigs, they open up quickly and are extremely lethal on that size of animal. On deer, pig and antelope sized game they are great, but not for large and dangerous game as they would expand too quickly and not penetrate deeply. The Woodleighs, on the other hand, are a totally different proposition, are far harder and will penetrate quite deeply.

A medium sized pig taken with the .405 Winchester and Hornady factory ammo. Even on game of this size, the Hornady projectiles expand readily and quickly.

At the start of this article, I alluded to the difference between British and US ammunition from the early part of the last century. The Woodleigh projectiles, of today, are heavily influenced by the British projectiles, of yesteryear, and this is why I believe that the Woodleighs are so effective on large and dangerous game, even when launched from a .405 Winchester, and why they worked so well on this hunting trip. Strangely, the differences between British and US made .405 projectiles, from the early part of last century, are still partly true today, except that the difference is now between Australian and US made .405 projectiles.

To supplement the Woodleigh 300-grain projectiles, it would be great if a 300-grain CEB Safari Solid, or something similar from another bullet maker, was available. Such a projectile would be capable of being fired at similar velocities, to the Woodleighs, and would, therefore, have similar impact points. It would also, I believe, fully penetrate an all shots up to, and including, quartering shots. Such a solid, of a super-penetrator design, would perform well above all expectations that a simple comparison of SD would suggest. I just wish that someone would make such a projectile.

From this experience and considering that Asiatic and Cape buffalo are similar in size, and construction, I believe that I would shoot a Cape buffalo with the .405 Winchester, and the 300-grain Woodleigh/350-grain CEB combination, and not feel handicapped. I believe that this combination would also work on hippo, rhino and even elephant; just as the .405 hunters of yesteryear reported it did.

Having said all of that, would the .405 be my first choice for large, dangerous game? No, in fact, it wouldn’t be, and I would normally choose my .400 H&H or .450NE over the .405. However, I have no doubts that an 1895 Winchester, chambered for the .405 Winchester cartridge, can be an effective big game rifle for all species including dangerous game. It is not an ideal choice but it is an effective one. How sure am I of that statement? Well, one day I plan to do my own ‘Roosevelt safari’ and the .405 will feature prominently on that hunt.

In Part 3, I will discuss reloading for the .405 Winchester with today’s components. Also, if you wish to read the article, about sectional density and bullet penetration, that was mentioned at the start of this article, you can find that article here: Sectional Density and Bullet Penetration.

If you missed Part 1, you can read it here: .405 Winchester (Part 1)

Copyright 2022 Robert E. Pretty