med/big bore - ridiculous?

[Guy Miner]

Is it silly to use something like a .375 H&H for elk & black bear? I've still got that silly urge to buy one - but the chance of me ever making it to Africa for Cape Buff, or to SE Alaska for Huge Bears is slim indeed...

I will however continue to hunt elk, bear and mulies here in the Pacific Northwest... Maybe a .375 using a 260 gr AccuBond instead of the 300 grain buff busters?

Beats me why I want that rifle. Yes, the same one is still for sale... My .30-06, .25-06 and 7mm mag rifles have never failed me... Why do I want a shoulder bruiser???

Pop - I'm not sure I'm going to read your input. You and Reflex would shoot coyotes with a .416 Rigby... :grin:

Guy

 

[JD338]

Guy,

There is only one way to cure that itch! If you want a 375 H&H, go get one. :lol:
Yes, the 375H&H is more that what you need for the game you hunt, BUT, it will do an excellent job for you. In my mind, there is no such thing as overkill. Dead is dead and when you shoot game with a big bore in the right spot, they don't go far. Trajectory is very close to a 30-06 with a 180 gr bullet so you could have yourself a 300 yd rifle with the right load.

You never know what the future holds, you may actually have a NEED for a 375 H&H in the future. :wink:

JD338

 

[SJB358]

Guy, one of my good friends is an outfitter in Idaho, and after he finished out the season with his hunters, he decided to do some hunting for himself before he packed out camp. Well, the only rifle he had in camp was a 375 H&H his father had dropped off for him and some Remington Ammo his father had zeroed the rifle with. Well, he went out in the morning a slayed a big 6x6 with the 375 at 150 yards. He said it made a neat one inch hole all the way through, and put the elk to sleep easily. He is starting his business and doesn't have alot of extra money, so he has two rifles, a 22-250 and a 375. He kills coyotes (and maybe some wolves) with the 22-250 and uses the 375 for everything else.

I was pretty jealous when he sent me the pictures in Afghanistan of him killing the elk with the 375. I immediately starting looking for something bigger to top him, so I am looking for that 416! Either way, I have a 338 Win Mag and a 35 Whelen, but I really want a true big bore. I may never go to Africa or hunt the big bears of Alaska, but it would still work just fine for black bears and elk in the timber. Get yourself one, I bet it would be fun! Scotty

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

I've seen elk shot with a .375. It flattens them. No need to worry about a wierd angle. Just aim for the vitals regardless and pull the trigger. The 260gr AB would be my first choice for North America.

 

[Big Squeeze]

Is it silly to use something like a .375 H&H for elk & black bear? I've still got that silly urge to buy one - but the chance of me ever making it to Africa for Cape Buff, or to SE Alaska for Huge Bears is slim indeed...

I will however continue to hunt elk, bear and mulies here in the Pacific Northwest... Maybe a .375 using a 260 gr AccuBond instead of the 300 grain buff busters?

Beats me why I want that rifle. Yes, the same one is still for sale... My .30-06, .25-06 and 7mm mag rifles have never failed me... Why do I want a shoulder bruiser???

Pop - I'm not sure I'm going to read your input. You and Reflex would shoot coyotes with a .416 Rigby... :grin:

Guy

..............................Looking for a good excuse to buy a 375 even though an African hunt might not be in your future?

It can be done, but you certainly don`t need a 375 for black bear and elk. But aside from black bear and elk, how about a 375 for BIG bears, moose and bison over on this continent?

Don`t need to go to Africa in order to own a 375.

 

[REDGREEN]

You'll love the 375 H&H. I sold 3 of them, and am still regretting it. They don't tear up a deer or bear or moose anywhere near as bad as a 30 06 or 300.They kill like the hammer of Thor, and are a lot more pleasant to shoot than a 338. If you are in an area where there are some real "nasties", you are not undergunned for whatever you encounter, and they are deadly accurate. P.S. Try some 235 grain Speer in it. They are fast, and really lay a smackdown on whatever you hit. If you want an extremely explosive load, the 38 55 255 grain flatpoint is a virtual grenade out of them. I have shot hundreds of gophers and yotes with one, and luuuuuuuuuuved it!

 

[Anonymous]

Guy,

You're in luck. We just got one into the shop here. If you PM Nosler4 or call down to the shop and ask for Shawn we'll get you a really good deal. 1-800-285-3701 ext.1041

-Justin

 

[jmad_81]

This deer didn't seem to mind being shot with a 260 gr AB from a 375 R. AND I LOVED IT :twisted: One thing about the 260 AB, both the elk and this buck had almost no blood shot meat on them. Ranges varied from 40 yards to 240 yards. So you really do need a 375 because they save meat. You will not have a second thought about it when you put down a big bull or a big buck, or a speed goat, or a yote, or maybe that charging ground squirrel. If I had to only have three rifles for hunting everything a 375 would be the heavy hitter for in my safe for sure, an H&H, Ruger, or Weatherby would all do the trick.

 

[Greg Nolan]

I just have to say that the 375 RUM with 260 gr. Accubonds don't waste meat or lose animals. The 375 H&H won't either but it will put them down with authority,
Based just on the size of the animal versus the weight of the bullet to be over gunned for elk we'd have to be shooting 50 cal. BMG ammo.
Remember that the mountain men were shooting 290 gr. lead from a 50 cal. Hawken when they hunted. They weren't shooting .30 cal "There was a reason for that" :wink:
Good Hunting
Elkhunt :grin:

 

[JDMAG]

I have to agree with more than a couple of these post Guy. Based on a book that Greg Noln sent me by Elmer Keith, that big bore as stated in an earlier post doesn't seem to care about weird angles of entry. they just get the job done fast. Like a lot of folks, I probably wont go to Africa either, but I wouldn't mind having a big bore either, and my next major purchase of a firearm, will probably be one. preferably in a second #1. I just don't know what caliber yet.
GET IT!
JDMAG

 

[Desert Fox]

My trip to Africa opened a new perspective for me when it comes to choosing the right caliber for the intended games. I thought the 375 Weatherby was way overkill for plains game. What I found out was the opposite. Actually, It was an ideal cartridge for everything in my opinion. The key here is to choose the right bullet. Our choice of using the 235 grain Barnes TSX on the 375 Weatherby for this trip was the right one. Being a solid copper and having a larger than normal hollow cavity at the tip makes this bullet very deadly. The exit hole is not much larger than the entry hole but somehow it kills with authority. All animal that we've shot, from the smallest Impala to the 900 lb. Zebra all went down with one shot.

Here's the Warthog that I've shot at no more than 60 yards. You can visibly see the entry hole at the shoulder. I can hardly see his body from the tall grass. Actually, I just visualized where I thought the warthhogs body was and let the 235 grain do the rest. I hit the warthhog perfectly square in the forward left shoulder and the bullet traveled 3/4 of his body lenght slightly crosswise and exited just forward of the right hind leg. Part of small intestine was visible where the bullet exited. It threw the warthog 5 feet but still managed to run another 10 feet before expiring.

Here's the Zebra at 150 yards. It was a very difficult shot being the Zebra was moving away from me and it only offered about less than a quarter of it's body for me to be able to place the bullet on the vital. The stripes compounded the difficulty even more. To top it off, the Giraffe was in the line of sight. Luckily, the Giraffe probably spotted us because it moves out of the way there after. That was all I was waiting for and as soon as the Zeiss crosshair found the spot, I pulled the trigger and I heard a very loud slap and the Zebra took off. It was my first shot on an African animal and the PH was asking me if it was a good one. I thought it was, but I had my doubt.

Here's the spot where the Zebra was standing. We were pointing at a blood splatter on the grass.

The Zebra runs about 50 yards and collapsed. The shot was perfect. Both lung and heart were pierced. The darken blood said it all. The bullet exited from the zebra's chest.

My buddy George, a non hunter on this trip decided to take this Red Harteebeast at a distance of 200 yards. George using the 375 Weatherby hit the Harteebeest further behind the shoulder and it went down about 10 yards from where it was standing. It took a while for the animal to die but it did'nt go anywhere. The trackers were bored to death.

And then of course there was the Kudo. After hunting several days and passing several eye poppers, when a 56 incher monster presented itself, you need the biggest gun you can muster. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity! It might not come again. You want that animal down and that
was exactly what the 375 did.

We were riding shotgun at the back of the Land Cruiser when we surprised the Kudu as we rounded around the bend. The bull was trailing three Kudu cows. I never saw the Kudu since I was pre-occupied with the Gamesbuck on our left and the tracker and Ph spotted the Kudu on our right. The PH grabbed the 375 and handed it over to me with a specific instruction "shoot this one". "What is it?" I asked just as I saw this beautiful thing running and jumping over tall brush as if it was floating on air. The Gamesbuck joined the Kudu and they're running side by side away from us. I had both animal in my sight and I was hoping I won't make mistake since we're not allowed to shoot Gamesbuck in this property. I was watching my trophy slipping away when all of a sudden the Kudu stopped at about 80 yards and turned to look at us one last time. That was all I was waiting for. The Zeiss found the shoulder and I squeezed the trigger. I never shot an animal offhand, let alone on top of the vehicle. This was all first time for me. The kudu was hit hard! Actually the bullet droved the 650 lb. animal to the ground. The Kudu recovered, got up, and run. The Ph jumped from the Land Cruiser and went after the Kudu. I did the same. I cycled another 235 just before I hit the ground but the rifle jammed. I ejected the round and slammed the last round in but it was not needed after all. The PH turned around and congratulated me. That's when I spotted the Kudu laying on it's side dead. You couldn't asked for a perfect shot. The bullet entered the left shoulder, traveled crosswise, and exited behind the right shoulder. Both lungs and heart were pierced.

 

[nodak7mm]

Holy Smokes Guy,

If D/Fox pix and story doesnt inspire you to get on, not much will unless it is Sandra Bullock in a bikini offering you one for free..

I have been at the same quandry for yrs too, I want one too. Why, dunno just want one.. There is an air of romance with one while it conjours up time on the African Plains (with Sandra Bullock) chasing Buff and other exotic dangerous game..

Also, it is a classic of an era we'll never again experience. It is truly the Grandfather of all Magnums and you can then say "that you" have a 375H&H.

Heck, I almost got myself talked into one, again. I wouldn't care if I only shot milk jugs with it. You then have something in common with Ruark, Capstick, Wally Johnson and the like.

Go rent "the Ghost and the Darkness" and then make your decision.

One more point to consider, your boy needs to shoot one and when him and his budds hang out around the campfire, discussing who has the coolest cartridge, he'll top em all (unless he's hanging with Pop's kid) by saying "My Dad has a 375 H&H, got it from Sandra Bullock too"..

Rod

 

[JD338]

Me too!
I need a 375 RUM! :grin:

JD338

 

[Richracer1]

Me too!
I need a 375 RUM! :grin:

JD338

JD, if your lucky like I was, you might be able to find a 375RUM LSS, like your 338RUM, on GunBroker.

 

[FOTIS]

http://www.weatherby.dk/showthread.php? ... #post34602

 

[Big Squeeze]

Is it silly to use something like a .375 H&H for elk & black bear? I've still got that silly urge to buy one - but the chance of me ever making it to Africa for Cape Buff, or to SE Alaska for Huge Bears is slim indeed...

I will however continue to hunt elk, bear and mulies here in the Pacific Northwest... Maybe a .375 using a 260 gr AccuBond instead of the 300 grain buff busters?

Beats me why I want that rifle. Yes, the same one is still for sale... My .30-06, .25-06 and 7mm mag rifles have never failed me... Why do I want a shoulder bruiser???

Pop - I'm not sure I'm going to read your input. You and Reflex would shoot coyotes with a .416 Rigby... :grin:

Guy

..............................Looking for a good excuse to buy a 375 even though an African hunt might not be in your future?

It can be done, but you certainly don`t need a 375 for black bear and elk. But aside from black bear and elk, how about a 375 for BIG bears, moose and bison over on this continent?

Don`t need to go to Africa in order to own a 375.

................Guy!........Are you by chance debating between the 375 H&H and the 375 Ruger?

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

How about a real .375.....375RUM!

 

[Richracer1]

As for the need of a "big bore" rifle, I have no need what so ever. I bought a 375RUM just because I wanted to have all four of the RUM calibers, nothing more. :lol:

 

[FOTIS]

Pop - I'm not sure I'm going to read your input. You and Reflex would shoot coyotes with a .416 Rigby... :grin:

Guy

Yup...Got to the link I posted above :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Big Squeeze]

How about a real .375.....375RUM!

..............Yep! The "real" 375s! Might as well throw in a 378 Wby too!

Those "real" "he man" 375s also come with a price too. Alot more punishing recoil, added powder expense, not to mention added costs in factory ammo. Most could not handle their recoil anyway.

I`m not going to take anything away from the 375 RUM or the 378 WBY. But under just about most if not all hunting situations where a 375 would be used on big bears, moose, bison, African plains game and dangerous African game and at the average distances for the first shot with the guidance of a PH, their additional power is un-necessary.

Even in one of Boddington`s articles I read, he even states their power is un-needed and too fast for any or under all normal hunting situations.

I suppose if one was given the OK by a PH (which I seriously doubt) to shoot a caped buff at 200-250 yards, then the 375 RUM or the 378 WBY will have the downrange energy advantage. Or to use them on African plains game beyond 350-400 yards they would also have the downrange advantage.

But under all normal hunting scenarios, even though the energy #s are more, within the AVERAGE shooting distances for the game hunted, the 378 WBY and the RUM offer no advantages. Instead, one gains more punishing recoil at the bench, which won`t make for an enjoyable day at the range beyond a few rounds for most.

That is why the 375 Ruger or the 375 H&H are better balanced. Gives everything one needs for adequate killing power under all normal circumstances and are far more enjoyable to shoot.