Reloading for the 375 H&H

[AzDak42]

Anyone have any recommendations for good loads for this rifle?

I have no ambition or expectation to hunt with this rifle in the next few years, it was really just done as a 'fun' rifle to play around with and appease the need for a 'Safari' gun I've had since seeing Hatari! as a kid.

I managed to get my hands on some Norma brass, Redding dies and a box of 300g Hornady RNs.

My thought at this point is to do up one full power load with the 300g and then maybe look at some reduced recoil loads to play with as well.

Any tips, tricks or areas to be thoughtful of when reloading for this one?

 

[PJGunner]

My .375 H&H is a Ruger #1. My play with plinker load is 49.0 gr. of either IMR or H4895 capped by a 270 gr cast bullet sized to .378". Bullet is the RCBS #37-250-FN and accuracy at 100 yards runs right at 1.5". Recoil is right at factory 180 gr. 30-06 level. Nice fun load and brass seems to last forever. Usually, I neck size for 4 loadings then do a full length resize. I've loaded this one box of 20 rounds over twenty times now and yes, I anneal the necks when it's time for the full length resize. That rifle is in my category of fun gun.
Paul B.

 

[SJB358]

Anyone have any recommendations for good loads for this rifle?

I have no ambition or expectation to hunt with this rifle in the next few years, it was really just done as a 'fun' rifle to play around with and appease the need for a 'Safari' gun I've had since seeing Hatari! as a kid.

I managed to get my hands on some Norma brass, Redding dies and a box of 300g Hornady RNs.

My thought at this point is to do up one full power load with the 300g and then maybe look at some reduced recoil loads to play with as well.

Any tips, tricks or areas to be thoughtful of when reloading for this one?

Seems like RL15 is a hit in the H&H as well, so I would imagine it wouldn't take much to get a fun load with some 260's or 300's..

Cartridge : .375 H.& H. Mag.
Bullet : .375, 260, Nosler AccuBond 54413
Useable Case Capaci: 77.778 grain H2O = 5.050 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.600 inch = 91.44 mm
Barrel Length : 24.0 inch = 609.6 mm
Powder : Alliant Reloder-15

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 1.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-10.0 90 64.53 2539 3721 45760 7925 97.9 1.295
-09.0 91 65.25 2565 3797 47215 7999 98.2 1.277
-08.0 92 65.96 2591 3874 48716 8071 98.4 1.259
-07.0 93 66.68 2616 3952 50264 8140 98.7 1.241
-06.0 94 67.40 2642 4030 51860 8206 98.9 1.224
-05.0 95 68.12 2668 4109 53506 8269 99.1 1.207
-04.0 96 68.83 2693 4188 55205 8329 99.3 1.190
-03.0 97 69.55 2719 4268 56957 8386 99.4 1.174 ! Near Maximum !
-02.0 98 70.27 2744 4348 58765 8440 99.6 1.158 ! Near Maximum !
-01.0 99 70.98 2770 4428 60632 8491 99.7 1.142 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 100 71.70 2795 4510 62559 8539 99.8 1.126 ! Near Maximum !
+01.0 101 72.42 2820 4591 64548 8583 99.9 1.111 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+02.0 102 73.13 2845 4673 66603 8624 99.9 1.096 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+03.0 103 73.85 2870 4755 68725 8662 100.0 1.082 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+04.0 104 74.57 2895 4838 70918 8696 100.0 1.067 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+05.0 105 75.29 2920 4921 73184 8727 100.0 1.053 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 100 71.70 2895 4839 74140 8191 100.0 1.052 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 100 71.70 2648 4050 51227 8579 96.3 1.225


Cartridge : .375 H.& H. Mag.
Bullet : .375, 300, Nosler PART SP 44845
Useable Case Capaci: 78.693 grain H2O = 5.109 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.600 inch = 91.44 mm
Barrel Length : 24.0 inch = 609.6 mm
Powder : Alliant Reloder-15

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 1.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-10.0 86 62.67 2383 3784 46453 7875 99.2 1.374
-09.0 87 63.36 2406 3858 47870 7939 99.4 1.355
-08.0 88 64.06 2430 3932 49328 8001 99.6 1.337
-07.0 89 64.76 2453 4007 50828 8059 99.7 1.319
-06.0 90 65.45 2475 4082 52372 8115 99.8 1.301
-05.0 91 66.15 2498 4157 53961 8168 99.9 1.284
-04.0 92 66.84 2521 4233 55595 8217 99.9 1.266 ! Near Maximum !
-03.0 93 67.54 2543 4309 57278 8264 100.0 1.250 ! Near Maximum !
-02.0 94 68.24 2566 4386 59011 8308 100.0 1.233 ! Near Maximum !
-01.0 95 68.93 2588 4463 60794 8348 100.0 1.217 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 96 69.63 2611 4540 62630 8388 100.0 1.201 ! Near Maximum !
+01.0 97 70.33 2633 4617 64522 8427 100.0 1.186 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+02.0 98 71.02 2655 4695 66470 8465 100.0 1.171 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+03.0 99 71.72 2677 4772 68476 8503 100.0 1.156 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+04.0 100 72.42 2698 4851 70544 8541 100.0 1.141 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+05.0 101 73.11 2720 4929 72675 8578 100.0 1.127 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 96 69.63 2691 4824 73706 8063 100.0 1.126 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 96 69.63 2488 4125 51672 8602 98.1 1.302

 

[Guy Miner]

Have done some messing around with other loads, but settled on two loads, developed for my rifle by gunwriter John Barsness:

260 gr Nosler AccuBond @ 2620 fps via 69 grains of RL-15. Very accurate.

300 gr (any) @ 2520 fps via 75 grains of H4350. Accurate and stable.

Barsness told me that he used the H4350/300 gr load extensively in Africa. He took a Cape Buff and several other African plains game species with it. I've only used it at the range, though one unlucky rockchuck fell to a different load with a 300 gr Sierra... :grin: At the range I've seen little or no difference in accuracy from the various 300 gr Sierra, Hornady and Nosler bullets I've shot. They all shoot well.

I adopted his 260 gr load as my "standard" hunting load. Recoil is a little less than with the full power 300 gr loads. Also, Nosler lists the 69 gr RL-15/260 gr AccuBond as their most accurate load. This load really impressed me. On more than one occasion I've been able to shoot three of these Accubonds into less than an inch at 100 yards! Four thousand ft lbs of energy and MOA accuracy... Nice! There is room to bump this load up a bit too, but I didn't see any need to do so.

Hey, when a guy like John Barsness works up the loads and field tests them, who am I to go reinvent the wheel? :grin:

The 260 and the 300 both shoot with a very similar trajectory to the .308 Win & .30-06, out to 300+ yards. I sight the rifle in at 200 yards, and have no trouble slamming a 12" steel gong time after time at 300 yards, simply by holding at the top of the gong.

I have looked, but have been unable to find any Cape Buffalo or Elephant in Washington State. We do however have lots of elk, more than enough bears, and some rockchucks. Might as well use the .375 H&H...

In 2010 my son and I had a great spot & stalk bear hunt here in Washington. I took mine at 306 yards with a single 260 AccuBond. Stalked to where we ran out of cover, set up the shooting sticks, sat still and waited for the bear to stand. Boom. Then slap! The sound of the bullet striking was clear in the mountain air. The bear simply dropped. He did drag himself about 10', leaking badly. We found him under the berry bush where he'd been feeding. No recovered bullet to show off, it's somewhere in the hillside. Much destruction of internal bear working parts where the bullet hit.

I think very highly of my .375 H&H Number One. It's been a good rifle, and is going bear hunting again this fall. Elk too perhaps...

260 gr AccuBond after being slammed into the gallon jugs at close range, and an original bullet:


A selection of .375 bullets:


235 gr Speer held up surprisingly well to being slammed into the jugs:


300 gr Hornady SPBT is a sleek rascal:


Yeah, I'm a little nuts about loading, shooting and hunting with the .375 H&H. Also - if you haven't already discovered this - I'd describe the recoil as more of a big push, rather than a sharp, unpleasant jolt.

Regards, Guy

 

[Oldtrader3]

I had really good luck and good accuracy with my .375 H&H Winchester Model 70, shooting loads using IMR4350.

 

[russ808]

Guy,
Was the rockchuck charging? Looks like the 260 did a NUMBER on him. Nice bear rug.
Russ

 

[SJB358]

Very nice Guy. I know you have made me look for a 375 a number of times.

 

[AzDak42]

Wow - Love the pictures and the war stories with the 375. Now I'm even more excited to get my bench back together and get going on this one!

Much obliged gents,

AzDak

 

[R Flowers]

A couple of quick comments here.

First of all, that is an amazing bear rug that Guy posted a picture of, great bear, WOW.

Secondly I think the loads Guy mentioned should be great. I had similar results with the H 4350 and most any 300 grain bullets. The Sierra and Hornady boattails shot under an inch with H 4350, while the 300 grain TSX did pretty well, but not as good.

In regard to the 260 grain AccuBond, my own personal 375H&H is just another example of the fact that not every rifle will shoot well with the same load. I tried the 260 grain AccuBond with several powders and the groups were dismal.

In my own rifle I have settled on a load of 72 grains of H 4895 behind the 270 grain Barnes TSX.
This is right out of the Barnes manual and it shoots great in my rifle, under an inch any time I do my part. This load gives 2760 fps out of my rifle and I would not hesitate to shoot anything short of an elephant with it. (But like Guy, I have not seen any buffalo or elephants running around here in CA, either.)

 

[nosler06]

I had really good luck and good accuracy with my .375 H&H Winchester Model 70, shooting loads using IMR4350.

A long time ago I helped a dear old hunting partner load for his .375 H&H Model 70 with I believe it was IMR4350 and 285gr Sierra Boattails. I can't remember what load it was, but like already posted the recoil is much like a solid push compared to a jolt you might get from a smaller calibre rifle. I learned quickly that i never liked shooting it prone that is for sure.

 

[Laker_Taker]

Great gun! this is what I use for my combo!

 

[DrMike]

That looks pretty good from here.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Yup, nice group for sure.

 

[SJB358]

Very nice. One of these days I gotta get a 375 H&H! They almost always seem very accurate and very easy to load for!