Finally a shootable buffalo hunter .58

I finally have a shootable Navy arms Buffalo Hunter .58. The first one froze nupple cracked stock in 2 places so I bought a 2nd one this one is a shooter. Managed groups under 2 inches at 50 yards using a .58 maxi from track of the wolf 100 grains Goex 2F felted over powder. The surprising thing was it really shined with a .570 ball .015 patch and 80 grains 2F older eynesford. Shot some trash can .575 diameter and they are plenty accurate at my hog killing range. The .58 maxi I may shoot them out of my cables hawken .58 and see how they do.

Nice, I always thought that would make a practical hunting gun. Your trigger guard bow is on backwards. The boss for the sling swivel should be to the front. If you take the trigger guard off you'll see the bow is held by 2 nuts so it's easy to turn around.

hawkeye2 said:

Nice, I always thought that would make a practical hunting gun. Your trigger guard bow is on backwards. The boss for the sling swivel should be to the front. If you take the trigger guard off you'll see the bow is held by 2 nuts so it's easy to turn around.

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Saw another gun, an Enfield I think, turned that way.
Owner said it was because he liked to carry it dangling on a single shoulder strap like one of those other kinds of guns....

The one I had shot well with SWC style bullet.

F62C1427-8281-44B1-8B5C-20FAEFC8AF93 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

Phil Coffins said:

The one I had shot well with SWC style bullet.

F62C1427-8281-44B1-8B5C-20FAEFC8AF93 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

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Awesome hunting rifle!
Capable of anything on this continent, and most others.
With groupings like that, it would also make a good squirrel gun.
Hit the tree, when it shakes an the squirrel fall out grab em. Sometimes that can be a wrestle, especially if the squirrel does not like being picked up.
Fred

The trigger guards on the Buffalo hunter were always put on backwards, from the factory... I have no idea why. The guy installing them may have been dyslectic.

Nice grouping, I picked up a Buffalo Hunter in a pawn shop a few years ago and it like a PRB over 70 grains of 3F Geox for target load. The trigger guard on mine doesn't have any boss on it at all, both ends are the same. Wonder if the previous owner removed it.

Congrats Howie! Tasbay is correct about the trigger bow. See the attached pics from the 1977 Navy Arms Catalog.
Ron

Ron

Oh my, Eye Candy yum yum yum.

that SWC other bullet, would it been this by Lyman ? I discovered this fun Minie to shoot back in the 70s ! Only 350gr (I recall) so was fun to shoot in our local monthly competitions at the AMLGC out of San Antonio. Shooting over cross sticks once at 50yd target I was accused of cheating (?) when we turned in targets. I handed over one of the bullets to the scorer and pointed out the rules just said minie ball for competition, it didnt specify what type ! He agreed !

Just like the one I had! Jim Moran, the local Gunsmith, silver-soldered a Lyman peepsight boss on it ahead of the drum. It was a 50yd one-holer off the bench. liked 75g of 3fffg as I recall. Also shot .562RB as well, but Minies were more accurate. Would blow the hammer to half-cock with 80g fffg, musket caps were all I shot. With 75g, it would blow to half-cock occasionally Tinhorn.

When I picked up my Buffalo Hunter it came with a bunch of different supplies along with a mix of minnie balls. Some of the minnie balls were shorties that weighed 325 grains and shot great over 35 grains of 3F. The previous owner must of shot competition with that load because there were over a dozen plastic caps plugs loaded with that powder charge and the light minnie ball in the shooting bag which came with the gun.
I was surprised by the accuracy of that load with such a small charge of powder. All this talk about Buffalo Hunters make me want to pull mine out of the safe and burn some powder.

You have discovered what we (N-SSA members & mini ball shooters) repeatedly try to tell the world. It doesn't take 80 grains of 3f or a hand grenade to expand the skirt of a mini into the rifling.

I don't remember how many years the Buffalo Hunter was marketed but there seems to be a bunch around. It's nice to see it has been rediscovered. For anybody that wants one and can't find it there are plenty of Zouaves and Mississippi's out there that could be cut down without much work to make a comparable piece.

I bought one over the winter. Haven't taken the time to sight it in, but it shot decently with roundballs. I bought two new nipples for it to stop the blowback. One musket cap and one #11 cap. I polished the tumbler and mainspring nose to reduce the trigger pull. Also turned the TG bow around.

Duh!! I meant to say the sear nose.

hi howie, do you have any plans for the first one you purchased ?

2 shots said:

hi howie, do you have any plans for the first one you purchased ?

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If this is asked with the idea of buying it remember, it is against the forum rules to make an offer to buy or to sell an item in the general areas of the forum.
The only place people can make such offers or requests in the public areas of the forum is in the Classified Advertisement section.

My advise to questions about buying or selling things outside the Classified Ad section is for the person to make a private message to the other person.
We call those PM's a "Conversation" here on the forum so, click on the guys/gals name, choose "Start a Conversation", give it a title, write whatever you want, and then hit the orange button at the bottom of the screen that says, Start Conversation.

Howie, i'm sure you'll enjoy your buff hunter as much as mine. Mine has the slow twist, so the 500 gr minie doesn't do well, but the lighter ones do. I haven't tried prb, but i may.
Yea i turned the trigger bow around, it smacked my fingers.

(Big brother is watching YOU!!!!)
LOL -

sorry bout that