.375 hh

[bounty hunter 2]

375 caliber is a great mid bore caliber but I derive a wee bit more personal satisfaction by adding the spice of a wildcat. Three that I have tried in 375 caliber using the same basic case are the 375 Scoville, the 375 Whelen Ackley and the 375 Whelen. Of the three as a preference based on feeding characteristics not ballistics I have settled on the standard 375 Whelen. Perhaps not quite as energetic as a magnum non the less eminently lethal on big game. When loaded with a 375gn LFN of my design loaded to just barely shy of 2300 fps the load has proven itself a smashing (literally) success. A broad side shoulder hit at about 75 yards with the generous meplate of this long 375 caliber torpedo had the effect of completely knocking both antlers off a respectable bull caribou. Sounds like BS but gospel truth!
I also tried for a bit a 375 H&H improved in the form of the 375 JRS and it was a long range moose swatter to be sure but I just do not favor the additional weight of the magnum rifles usually having a more robust barrel contour than non magnum calibers.
Currently I have two rifles in 375 Whelen one for each type of hunting I might do with them. One is on a pre war Husqvarna with Euro style 27" barrel and scoped for relatively open country and the other on a1903 Springfield with 18" barreled carbine with receiver sight for close in timber hunting. Both rifles have coned breaching and controlled round feed so are quite dependable in feeding and extraction.
These are the enjoyable preferences of but one man but I felt might add a wee bit of spice to this discussion.

 

[tomsd]

slowly building my collection which honestly isn't very big at the moment but to cover all the bases I have a .22, .223/5.56s, 7mm08, .300 win.....thinking of adding a .375 hh. Just a basic stainless Remington factory 24" bbl Tupperware stock. I am a little on the fence with it or .338 win. I want to to stick with cartridges that components and ammo are relatively easy to acquire. Not looking to start a conversation about .338 vs .375 but I feel the .375 is a logical jump to really cover any use I might have.

Cra

 

[tomsd]

slowly building my collection which honestly isn't very big at the moment but to cover all the bases I have a .22, .223/5.56s, 7mm08, .300 win.....thinking of adding a .375 hh. Just a basic stainless Remington factory 24" bbl Tupperware stock. I am a little on the fence with it or .338 win. I want to to stick with cartridges that components and ammo are relatively easy to acquire. Not looking to start a conversation about .338 vs .375 but I feel the .375 is a logical jump to really cover any use I might have.

Craig Boddington just wrote a good article in Guns and Ammo? - about the relative merits of the newer .375 Ruger and the good old .375 H&H. A good review of each one and their relative merits. Overall - he loves the Caliber.

 

[tomsd]

slowly building my collection which honestly isn't very big at the moment but to cover all the bases I have a .22, .223/5.56s, 7mm08, .300 win.....thinking of adding a .375 hh. Just a basic stainless Remington factory 24" bbl Tupperware stock. I am a little on the fence with it or .338 win. I want to to stick with cartridges that components and ammo are relatively easy to acquire. Not looking to start a conversation about .338 vs .375 but I feel the .375 is a logical jump to really cover any use I might have.

See: http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammo/choosing-the-375-thats-right-for-you/

 

[joekidd]

I have 3 375's, 1 Winchester super grade factory original, 1 Winchester SS barrel cut to18" with a brake and a 375jdj g2 contender. It's a great caliber for me , there is recoil but not is intense as 338 , at least in the rifles I owned. I also found if you hit gun shows you can find bullets and cases cheap from guys who have been collecting them over the years. I have probably enough bullets and casings for 2 life times. I use it extensively in the eastern deer woods. Killed 2 elk, 3 black bear an eastern moose and several deer. You will be totally satisfied with the h&h. Another consideration for the h&h is it's been around over 100 years. And if you're on a trip hunting out of the lower 48 you can find 375 h&h anywhere. Try finding ruger, ultramag or weatherby 375 when yours is lost. Have fun making you 375 , better yet have fun using it. JK

 

[ofbandg]

I purchased a Remington stainless in .375 H&H twenty-five years ago and it has been my go to rifle for all my northern hunts. Have used it on both grizzly and moose and found it very effective. The Remington is slim and fits very well and is a pleasure to carry compared to many other heavy calibers. Believe it or not the recoil isn't too bad. I also have a .338 Win Mag Browning I take along as a backup rifle and I noticed that they kick about the same which could be because they use about the same amount of powder for the same weight bullets. I prefer the .375 because of the case taper makes feeding and extraction smoother and when grizzly hunting that is an important factor. As for long range, with a GMX 250 grain I can get over 2900 fps which gives it comparable trajectory to a 7 mag with 160 grain bullets. Moose are a big target and my hunting partners and I regular take them beyond 400 yards. My usual load is either the 250 grain Swift or the 235 grain Barnes and both are very effective out to 300 yards and probably beyond. The only powder I have ever used is Reloader 15 because it has done it all.

 

[epoletna]

I lived (and hunted) in Tanzania from 1970-1973. I started hunting with a 7 mm Rem Mag when I first arrived, but Jon Speed told me one day he had seen a Win Mod 70 African in .375 H&H in a gun shop in Tanga. We flew up and took a look at it, and after waiting for a license to come through I picked it up for around $200, IIRC. I have never regretted that purchase.

I used it on everything from dik-dik to cape buffalo, with a lot of plains game thrown in. And when I ran low on ammo on safari in the north of Tanzania, I was able to pick up several boxes at the local gun shop in Arusha, which would not have carried any of the wildcats that people here are telling you are better cartridges. Perhaps on paper they are, but in rural Africa, they are not.

My longest shot with that rifle was around 500 yards on an antelope of some sort -- probably a Grants gazelle, as we shot a lot of them for camp meat and leopard bait. Most shots were in the 70-150 yard range, and I only remember once having to use a second shot. That was on a zebra, which are notoriously hard to kill and will run for miles if not dropped with the first shot.

I also carried a .450 Nitro Express for a while, but only for cape buffalo or elephant. And indeed, the .375 H&H was my preferred rifle for buffs. I once had to dispatch a buff in thick grass after someone I was hunting with managed to wound him. The .375 put him down right now!

Hunting near Tarangire the last year I was in Tanzania I broke the stock behind the action when I tripped on a root chasing a herd of buff. I epoxied it next to the camp fire that night, wrapped it with the only electrical tape I had (white), and was hunting with it the next day. I have a picture of myself holding that taped-up rifle, with a nice oryx that I took the next day at around 300 yards.

So yes, there are more efficient cartridge designs, and there are probably better rifles than the Win 70 African with a wood stock, but they will not kill game any deader or so far away you cannot see if they're a trophy.

And when I returned to Ohio and hung a metal target at the far end of my farm, my .375 H&H was my best choice to ring that gong nearly half a mile away.

My vote would go to the .375 H&H. Fred

 

[sailorjim]

slowly building my collection which honestly isn't very big at the moment but to cover all the bases I have a .22, .223/5.56s, 7mm08, .300 win.....thinking of adding a .375 hh. Just a basic stainless Remington factory 24" bbl Tupperware stock. I am a little on the fence with it or .338 win. I want to to stick with cartridges that components and ammo are relatively easy to acquire. Not looking to start a conversation about .338 vs .375 but I feel the .375 is a logical jump to really cover any use I might have.

Can't go wrong with 375. Components & ammo available worldwide. You can load it up or down for any use.

 

[Rupe]

I had a .375 HH Win. Mod. 70 and it was an awesome rifle and round. Should have never sold it. One of these days I'm going to get another one.

 

[pak74]

That̓̓s my baby, sadly I see her gone soon, we need a truck.
I now all about regrets lol

 

[Rupe]

Makes a grown man cry

 

[pak74]

i wonder if the pics showed ?

 

[Rupe]

The wet tear stains on stock?

 

[Milepost]

If you really want to get classy then get a Weatherby Mark V in the original 375 Weatherby Magnum caliber. It's basically a 375 H&H Improved and will throw those 300 grain bullets out at 2750-2800fps. You can also fire the factory 375 H&H ammo in it in a pinch too.