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Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter is back!

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WW...Do you happen to know if they are gonna offer it here in the states? that ad you linked to was in Italian.... sure would be nice to be able to buy one of those new..I almost won a couple on auction...almost aint good enough.
 
They are a nice looking gun and I wanted one bad in the early 70's after seeing a friends but after seeing what he went through trying to get it to shoot straight, I didn't want one after that. I remember you could feel high and low spots the length of the barrel.
 
I'm real impressed with 58 cal based on a couple of other guns, so you have my attention.

Any idea of twist rate or guess on prices? I checked the NA site, and their prices on other Z models aren't all that bad.
 
I have a Dixie Gun Works version that is nearly 40 years old and have never had a moments trouble with it. It handles ball and Minies with equal accuracy and is very well made.
Anyone notice the matchlock at the bottom of the page?
 
wwpete52 said:
Many years ago Navy Arms made a restocked Zoauve called the Buffalo Hunter. It was a cool looking rifle. Euroarms is now making it again. They are calling in the Buffalo Hunt Carbine. Take a look. I love the way the stock looks compared to the Zoauve. http://www.euroarms.net/Avancarica/catalogo/CATALOGO AVANCARICA 2005 PAG 13.pdf[/quote]

that is not correct they where never a restocked zoauve. i had one and a zoauve the buffalo hunter was bigger in the barrel and breach outside dimensions if you read the story in the lyman black powder hand book first edition of navy arms founder val fogert useing one in africa and the loads he used,i took an aisan water buffalo with mine in the north of australia with a one shot kill through the brain with a 625 grn minie.
bernie :thumbsup:
 
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Mine shoots the round ball very well out to 50 yds which is as far as my current range allows, but never shot minies too well, although I did not spend much time trying---too much fun with round ball, and much less expensive. A nice gun for hunting, and packs a real wallop, good smoke, ron
 
Maybe my wording was incorrect but here is what Navy Arms say about it:

"The most famous single shot muzzle loading rifle Navy Arms has ever built, the Buffalo Hunter, is back in production. This .58 caliber muzzle loading rifle was used by Navy Arms founder, Val Forgett, Sr., to take the African “Big Five” (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard). Mr. Forgett was the first man in 100 years to accomplish this and was honored by Safari Club International in 1986 for this.
BASED on the civil War era ZOUAVE rifle, the Buffalo Hunter has a shortened forend and checkered wrist for fast handling. Other features include a color case-hardened lock and hammer and brass patchbox perfect for storing caps and small tools. The Buffalo Hunter has taken the largest, most dangerous animals on Earth, ensuring any hunter will have ”˜enough gun' for any encounter in the woods."
 
My Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter is 1:60 and has only 3 riflings in the barrel but they are about 3/16- 1/4 inches wide. I also know where another one is for sale (not online),,,but can give their phone # if wanted
 
Not saying wwpete52 or windwalker_au is wrong but "BASED" could mean many things, especially to an advertising man.

The new gun may have a thicker barrel but use a cut down Zouave stock. It may indeed be a regular Zouave that was simply shortened. Notice I said "new gun".

From where I'm sitting, I would hope that windwalker_au is correct.
The Zouaves barrel is fairly thin as was the original gun. It was made for shooting minie' balls over 65 grains of musket powder.
I would think a .58 cal rifle that was designed for taking very large animals should have a heavier barrel to take the heavier charges that kind of hunting requires.

I guess I could ask folks to measure their Zouave barrels at the breech, and anyone out there with one of the Buffalo Hunters could do the same and post the results here.
Also, if anyone buys one of the newly made guns, they could also measure their barrels breech. Then we would have something to hang our hats on. :)

My mint condition old ARMI-JAGER Zouave ([XX8]= 1972) measures 1.120 from one side flat to the other at the breech if that helps to get this measuring underway :grin:.
 
Zonie said:
My mint condition old ARMI-JAGER Zouave ([XX8]= 1972) measures 1.120 from one side flat to the other at the breech if that helps to get this measuring underway :grin:.


For what it's worth, both of my 58's (octagon) are also 1.12 across the flats at the breech, though one tapers to 1" and the other to 15/16" at the muzzle.
 
Zonie said:
Not saying wwpete52 or windwalker_au is wrong but "BASED" could mean many things, especially to an advertising man.

The new gun may have a thicker barrel but use a cut down Zouave stock. It may indeed be a regular Zouave that was simply shortened. Notice I said "new gun".

From where I'm sitting, I would hope that windwalker_au is correct.
The Zouaves barrel is fairly thin as was the original gun. It was made for shooting minie' balls over 65 grains of musket powder.
I would think a .58 cal rifle that was designed for taking very large animals should have a heavier barrel to take the heavier charges that kind of hunting requires.

I guess I could ask folks to measure their Zouave barrels at the breech, and anyone out there with one of the Buffalo Hunters could do the same and post the results here.
Also, if anyone buys one of the newly made guns, they could also measure their barrels breech. Then we would have something to hang our hats on. :)

My mint condition old ARMI-JAGER Zouave ([XX8]= 1972) measures 1.120 from one side flat to the other at the breech if that helps to get this measuring underway :grin:.
zonie the one val fogert took to africa was a antonio zoli mine was a zoli and much thicker than the std zouave, as well mine had a 1 in 48 twist. fogert only used it on lion and plains game not rino elaphant or buffalo he used the .58 hawken hunter for that,the load fogert used in the buffalo hunter for lion was 125 grn of fff under a 625 grn shilo stake buster minie,i had a long phone call with val fogert about the buffalo hunter and he gave me the load to take my asian water buff here in oz.
bernie :thumbsup:
 
I don't have a Buffalo Hunter to measure but I would be very surprised if the barrel is any different from the Zouave, which is in no way "delicate", they really are pretty durn massive. To use a heavier barrel would have required a heavier stock as well and that would have run up production costs as well as increasing the weight when lighter weight was the whole point of the Buffalo Hunter.
 
Pulled my very old (bought it about 25 years ago, its a Zoli) Buffalo Hunter down and measured it. Best I can tell its 1 3/16" just in front of the bolster and 7/8" at the muzzle. This one has always been pretty accurate with both round ball and the Hornady Great Plains bullets. Never tried it with minie's. Only problem I had with it was the sights were loose in the dovetail. Once I figured that out and staked 'em down, haven't had any problems.
 

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