375HH mag or 375 ultramag?

[EastHunter]

Hi guy.

Ok this is not long range cal but nead info on it. A good friend of mine is in for the old caliber, i will be more for the ultra for short range "destruction".
Did someone have work with either one? He said 300yds is the max shoot is he right? What kind of balistiq can you have with it? What will be the best bullet for moose hunting with either one? My friend (hunting partner too) did not have a computer so doing the reaserche for him.
thank in advence.

 

[J E Custom]

Although the 375 H&H is enough for the moose it is a little light for the big bears
so I would go with the 375 RUM.

The 375 H&H with the 260gr accubond has 2000 ft/lbs of energy @ 475 yds.
The 375 RUM with the same bullet has 2000 ft/lbs of energy @ 675 yds.

The H&H produces 2000 ft/lbs of energy at 425 yds with the 300 gr bullet.
and the 375 RUM produces 2000 ft/lbs at 550 with the 300 gr bullet.

Drop with 260gr- H&H= 130" @ 675 yrds.
RUM=99" @ 675 yrds.

Drop with 300gr- H&H= 89" @550 yrds.
RUM= 72" @ 550 yrds.

If the shots are all going to be less than 100 yrds then it doesent matter except
when confronted by a large brown bear intent on ruining your day then an extra
1000 ft/lbs of energy @ 100 yrds could improve the odds.

Assuming a moose weighs 1500 lbs the H&H is recomended to 125 yrds the RUM
will have the same energy @ 275 yrds.

With that said you be the judge as to what you want to hunt with.

J E CUSTOM

 

[hammertyme]

Since I live on Kodiak Island and know most of the long time guides here. I can easily say that the 375 H&H is the cartridge of choice up here for big bear.

Overall in the same vain the most popular caliber of those I know, is the 338 Win Mag for all of our hunting needs. Yes the 250 grain bullet is the most common one even for deer hunting. Bigger is better but it also comes with a serious recoil issue. Now one can brake the heavy hitters and that is a choice. But, when it comes to protecting oneself we very seldom have time to put on hearing protection. Ever touch off a round on a braked gun in the brush?

Having guided for many years it would be my personal opinion today as it was 30 years ago. Hunt with what you normally hunt with, in as large a caliber you are most accurate with. Moose go down easily with pretty much any caliber and a well placed shot. Bears can't read so are not impressed with ballistic charts.
If you place a 225gr 338 bullet where it belongs, you are more likely not going to have to dig an angry bear out of a brush pile. I own a 458 Win Mag now because a hunter bought it just for brownie's. The hunter had never owned anything that had this type of recoil and with a combination flinch and excitement he made a poor shot at under forty yards. AT the second shot the bears muzzle landed 12"s from the hunters boot.

Along with this picture is one that recently happened. A gentlemen was after a 338 WIN Mag of mine for some time. The largest gun he had ever hunted with was an 06 and 150's for whitetail many years ago. I refused, telling him that I would loan him a Savage Weather Warrior and premium 180's. He got the chance and was going deer hunting for a week in heavily populated bear country. The week passed and while I was working outside saw the guy coming my way. AT 10-15 yards from me I saw the telltale bloody half circle on the bridge of the nose and above his eye. Very ugly and black eye and he had not shot the gun for the past five days. Its been 6 weeks now and I haven't heard a word about the 338 again.
In concluding, so many of us get caught up in the hype gun writers create. If two or three writers have something similar to say and throw in a couple of factory paid or supported famous hunters shooting whatever, then like this last guy, so many have to have it even though they know nothing about it.

Just some personal experience. As always the choice is yours.

Neal

 

[EastHunter]

Thank for the reply.

To me the 338 caliber is what im tinking about. Know a guy that could loan my one for a weekend to try if the recol fit me. In my case(and for my friend) those rifle will be a gronwup toy....

 

[Fiftydriver]

300 yards is about the limit if your using a conventional scope. If you have a scope with reference lines for hold over or you will dial up, either will reach out ALOT farther then 300 yards. You drive a 300 gr bullet to 2600 fps or more, you still have plenty of punch at longer ranges.

That said, the game you will be hunting generally are not long range targets. Moose can be but often there is no real need. Bear, very few guides will let you shoot very far at one just to assure proper shot placement.

The 375 H&H is often eggagerated as far as its recoil energy. In a conventional sporter weight rifle in this chambering, recoil is suprisingly comfortable and most anyone can become accustom to it quickly if they have basic shooting skills.

The 375 RUM is a different story. For some reason, Remington decided to put these into a very lightweight, for caliber, rifleand as such, recoil can be classed as severe by many that are not used to shooting such a chambering.

A muzzle brake will eliminate this problem on any rifle but with an increase in muzzle blast.

Simply comes down to this, the 375 RUM will offer you more velocity and energy but at a cost of recoil and muzzle blast. No moose or big bear will survive being hit with a properly designed 300 gr 375 bullet put through the vitals from either chambering.

If your a bit recoil shy and do not like muzzle brakes, 375 H&H would be my choice. If you can handle more recoil or are not opposed to a muzzle brake and the issues it brings, I would opt for the RUM.

I have shot and used both and both can be extremely accuracy and consistant.

 

[comfisherman]

375 H&H, All the guides I know carry one. Its sufficient enough for moose, has way better component and factory ammo availability. If you just want to whack the snot out of stuff the ultra mag will definitely do the job. I believe its a 200 fps gain with the ultra mag versus the H&H in the 300 grain bullets

For out to 300 I think either would kill a moose equally dead.

comfisherman

 

[Blackhawk41]

I've hunted with my fathers .375H&H and love it as well as done a lot of reloading for it. The 300 grain sierra spbt's are the ticket. Out to 300 yards is about as comfortable as I feel I could shoot with it.

 

[rtv900]

I would opt for the .375H&H. I own three of them and love them. Its a great round that has proven itself over and over.

 

[JPRITT]

Another thing to consider is Brass/loaded ammo availiblity. the 375 H&H has been around forever and you could probably find ammo for it in just about every hunting country. the 375 RUM to my knowlege is only made by remington. And costs a ton for factory loads. just my two pennies.

 

[EastHunter]

I do think the same way too for the ammo availibility.Thank JPRITT.

 

[Overkill338]

Why not wait a little longer for the .416 Ruger to hit the market ? Ofcourse there is the .375 Ruger also, which matches the .375 H&H in a handy 20" barreled rifle, ready for Alaskan conditions.

 

[Bwana]

Well, here is my two cents. I've read the other guy's posts and it is all a matter of personal preference. However, here is my experience in Alaska over the last 6 years using the following:

.375 Rem. UltraMag w/ a Zeiss 3.5x10x44.

Two black bears and a 60" Bull Moose taken using the 300grain Swift A Frame. It packs a mean wallop out to long range. I killed my Moose with two shots at 501 yards according to the laser range finder. Both shots were through the shoulder only 5 inches apart and exited the ribs on the other side. Before anyone lambasts me for taking these shots, I practiced on the range for a year and burned through over 30 boxes of ammo with this gun. I tore up two sets of rings and a scope before getting every thing right. My comfort zone was easily out to 350, and I knew the ballistic tables from 0 to 600. The drop for my shot on the moose was 46 inches and both shots were true. Dead moose on the first shot, and the second was for insurance.

Kodiak Island in 2007 shooting 260gr Nosler Accubond at 2900fps. One nice blacktail, and was confident in the weapon when a brown bear stood on his hind legs to get a better look at me. Not to say the hair didn't stand up on the back of my neck. Thankfully, he decided to find a better morsel.

The Rem. Ultra Mag is one of the heavier commercial guns out there in that caliber. If you want to pay thousands of dollars, you can get a heavier safari-grade gun. Mine is 9.5lbs. unloaded and the felt recoil is more of a push than a kick, but it is substantial. I've shot the H&H and it has a fine reputation and is a great gun. I love my RUM, and it is equivalent to a heavier caliber gun when you look at down range energy.

You mentioned ballistics, and the best website I have used is JBM ballistics. You can look at trajectories, etc. for a wide range of conditions.

Finally, the .338 Win Mag. is awesome and cheaper to shoot than the RUM. It will take down everything Alaska has to offer. However, if you ever plan to hunt the Big Five in Africa, you'll need to buy another gun. Darn, I hate that (Sarcasm).

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

 

[AJ Peacock]

... I killed my Moose with two shots at 501 yards according to the laser range finder. Both shots were through the shoulder only 5 inches apart and exited the ribs on the other side. Before anyone lambasts me for taking these shots, I practiced on the range for a year and burned through over 30 boxes of ammo with this gun. ...

Nobody is going to lambast you for taking those shots, at least not on this website.

Congrats on the great shooting and welcome to the site.

AJ

 

[brentc]

The H&H is a classic for many reasons and one of them is that it will deliver a 270-300 grain bullet to it's target with mounds of energy out to 400 yards and they'll do it with surprising accuracy. I know because I've done it with a 375 Ruger African.

I've only had the gun for a year and it's killed everything from a large moose out to 400 yards to numerous big black bears at ranges up to 240 yards carrying 3000 ft/lbs of energy. I am very confident with my ability to shoot it, and it is every bit as accurate as anything else in the gun safe.

I have had success loading 260 grain Accubonds and I used them last year on my moose. I now use the Barnes TSX 270's and I have never seen a bullet that performs better.

The best thing to do is shoot one, see if you like it. If you like it, learn how to shoot it well and then you decide it's effective range. I'm telling you 300 yards is a chip shot for these bad boys. It doesn't matter whether it's the H&H, Ruger, or the Ultra Mag.

I use a traditional sighting method with my 375 in that I go to the field with my scope dialed in with a good point blank range and I hold over for anything past that range. My point blank range with the gun sighted in 3" high at 100 yards has an effective point blank range out to 325 yards in my gun with my loads.