I know there are quite a few that have hunted with the 375HH. If I had my pick of calibers just to hunt these 2 animals I would be packing something a little bigger. But...for now (until I can afford a nice double) all I have is the 375HH.
What are your experiences with the 375HH and buffalo and elephant? Would you use the 375HH again?

Terry,

I used a .375 H&H on a buff and it worked well for me as it has for countless others and I have no regrets...

But I'll tell you this, if I'm fortunate enough to go back I'll carry nothing smaller than a .416 for buff. And elephants are positively HUGE!!! I wouldn't even think of using a .375 even though I know it will work.

As a point of reference I hit the buff once with a soft and again with a solid and neither exited. My PH used a .500 Jeffery and shot at the same time as me on the second shot at the same angle as me and his bullet left an exit hole the size of a half dollar. I liked the looks of that...

I look at the .375 H&H on buff like a .243 on deer. It'll work most of the time but it does limit your options.

I'd suggest reading The perfect shot by Kevin Robertson. He has pretty sound advice on caliber and bullet selection.

Cood Luck!
Cross

I haven't been on my buff. hunt yet, but have had friends take several. The .375 seems to "do the job" but the .40 & over get it done better. When I do go (hopefully 2003) I'll be shooting a .404 Jeffery bolt or .470 in a double.

The 375 H&H works very well on Buffalo and Elephant for those who can shoot well....

I would not hesitate to hunt Buffalo or Elephant with one and they have all the penitration one can get in a rifle...As to a 500 outpenitrating a 375, well that is rather unusual, it shouldn't have, but of course these things happen all the time.

I prefer a 40 caliber probably for no other reason than it makes me feel better...but I have seen the 375 fail or sorta fail with softs on more than one ocassion.. On frontal shots it will slide around the outside of the rib cage sometimes with a soft, but a good solid will cure that little quirk...A solid in a 375 will usually give complete broadside penitration 99% of the time, unless you are driving it too fast.

All in all it is pretty darn hard to fault this old girl...Most people shoot them well, by comparison to bigger bores.

The 375 is still carried by more PH's than any other gun, in Africa for what thats worth..In todays Africa there are a world of PH's who have shoot very few dangerous game animals. Even fewer who will admit it.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I'm with Crosshairs on this one. But I think the 375 is more like a 223 on deer. I've seen buffalo shot 6 and 7 times with a 375 and still take a while to die. I've also seen a buffalo shot once with a 300 and keel over dead.

One of my hunting partners and our PH hit a buffalo 4 times with a 465 and a 500 NE. The bull ran over a hundred yards and was still on his feet and mobile for the fifth and sixth shots.

They're mortal living creatures and will succumb to a shot in the right place. It's just that they seem to be able to cover alot of ground while "dead on their feet". Often there just isn't alot of ground between you and them when you hit them right.

I wouldn't pass up a big bull while carrying a 375 or even a 338, but if given a choice I'd take a 416+ any day.

Terry,

My only experience (so far) is on one buffalo with a .375 H&H. It worked fine and I wouldn't hesitate using it again. [No experience with elephant - so I won't comment]. However, I am headed to the Selous this year for 3 buffalo and I will be using a .416. One buffalo with a .375 H&H is fine (backed up by a PH with a .458 Lott). Three buffalo in 16 days and I feel more comfortable with the .416 (even though I will be backed up by a PH with a .577).

A good shooter with a .375 H&H can take anything on the planet. Confidence in your shooting skills and in your rifle can stop most problems before they start. Adopt a "sniper's mentality" and you will be lethal.

Regards,

Terry

[This message has been edited by T.Carr (edited 04-27-2002).]

The first shot on my buff was with a 300 grain Swift A-Frame out of my 375H&H through both lungs. He became a very sick buff and it showed immediately after the shot.

I figured that I did not come to Africa to save ammunition, so I quickly followed up with a 300 grain Barnes solids through both lungs as well. He then slowed down to where he was just barely moving and I but another Barnes solid through both shoulders. That stopped him from moving, but he was still standing on all fours. My 4th and final shot, also a 300 grain Barnes solid, through both shoulders again caused him to drop straight down and never to move again.

The Swift A-Frame (1st shot) did not exit on the double lung shot. It was a good thing too, since my buff was in a herd. All three 300 grain Barnes solids went clean through the buff in a straight line. Two of the shots went through both shoulders and exited. I don't think that you could ask for better penetration than that.

All four shots happend very fast, probably not much more than a minute or two. My PH said that had I given the buff a couple of minutes, he would have gone down pretty soon after the first shot.

My PH had also told me before the hunt that he would not shoot unless the buff was bearing down on us (actually, he said if was coming for him) He said that I would have to kill it myself. I think that he was just trying to save ammo. I'm sure that if he felt the buff was going to get away, he probably would have shot, but I appreciated his style and attitude. I think that I would have felt a little different about my buff if my PH had helped bring him down.

By the way, I had planned on shooting my buff with my .458 Win Mag. I had just happened to be carrying my .375H&H when we came across the tracks of my buff's herd.

Tim

While on a Namibia plains game hunt in '96 I got the opportunity to do a problem elephant hunt in the Caprivi Strip. I had brought a .375H&H for the plains game hunt. For the short notice elephant hunt I was offered the use of some larger calibers, but they also said my .375 would be fine and they would provide me with some South African solids to use. I opted to use my .375 as I felt a lot more confident and comfortable with it.

As it turned out, one brain shot from the side at 35 yards from the .375 H&H did the job. It dramatically knocked the unsuspecting bull over and it was dead before it hit the ground.

During that trip it took three shots from that same rifle to take a 450 pound gemsbok. The first shot was too high on the shoulder. Couple hundred yards later it soaked up two lung/heart shots without hardly flinching. It still tried to walk off but just ran out of blood and keeled over.

Also had an interesting encounter with a "scrub bull" (wild cattle) in Australia with that .375. Hit it several times while chasing it about in the brush. The last three times were good chest shots at 20 yards as it tried to mount a charge on us.
There was no reaction from the bull that I was hitting him but it did prevent him from getting a lot of momentum built up. The guide handed me his .458 Win Mag and that decided the issue with noticeable impact on the gnarley old bull.

The .375 is a very useful, versatile cartridge but does lack as a stopper.
First shot bullet placement is the key, as there is a big difference between taking out an unsuspecting animal and one that has his blood up.

P.S. I'm going to Namibia (plains game) and Mozembique (buffalo) this year and will taking one rifle: the same .375 H&H.

[This message has been edited by Matt Norman (edited 04-27-2002).]

Matt,

If you hit 'em in the brain it doesn't matter what you are shooting! Awhole lot less than a 375 has dropped ele with brain shots. If you had shot that bull or antelope in the brain they would not have been absorbing all that extra lead and/or copper!

All I have to say is if you are going to use a 375 for ele I hope your life insurance is paid up. I am not saying it won't work. I am just saying it leaves little margin for error!

Todd E

ToddE:

I'm going to have to quit agreeing with you, it's not in my character! But I will this time. Going after ele with a 416 is marginal stuff, in my opinion, much less a 375.

If you miss the brain, bringing down a runaway bull with a 375 is going to be a chore.

And I wish I could have the opportunity to be able to see the difference between a 470 and 500 in the field. I doubt I will ever drop enough game with either to be able to notice, especially since I currently only have a "peewee" 470.

Will

I have only had the luck to shoot one buffalo and it was with a 375 TBBC. One shot the Buffalo went 40 yards and died. Was lucky enough to shoot it in the heart. Bullet did not exit the animal. My wife will use a 375 to take her buffalo this year.I think for elephant you would want more gun than a 375.

BigB

Terry,

I have used 416s and 375 for both elephant and buffalo.

There is no way I can tell you that one of them works better than the other.

That is why I stopped using anything else but a 375 for the past few years, and never regretted that decision.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

I tend to agree with Saeed, and besides a brain shot is a brain shot and elephant should be brain shot with a 375 or 9.3 IMHO.

Shoulder shots may or may not be better with a bigger bore, depending on where the bullets go...An elephant is still going to make at least a 100 yds. in all probability with a shoulder shot, regardless of caliber.

I don't have a pat answer to this question and doubt that I ever will. I will use a 375 with confidence on any animal but I also like my bigger guns, mostly because I just like them.

In my opinion penitration is the criteria that kills elephants regardless of caliber..Bore cross-section is what gives some hunters confidence.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I have been hunting Africa since 1962 starting off in Mozambique. I have shot during the following years over 30 elephant, both bulls and cows, uncountable buff, all with the .375 H&H....All of the elephant were brain shots (except one in the Sudan) and many times I could hear the bullet whistle off into the wild blue yonder after zipping through the complete elephant skull. Very impressive penetration....No one, and I mean no one can talk down the .375....Of course, you have to wait for your shot, but a bad shot by a .470 or .500 will also result in a lot of tension during a follow up......To my way of thinking the .375 is the perfect caliber for all the African animals and doubly perfect if you only own, or can just bring one rifle.

Up & at 'em - Pete

quote:

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Originally posted by Atkinson:
I tend to agree with Saeed, and besides a brain shot is a brain shot and elephant should be brain shot with a 375 or 9.3 IMHO.

Shoulder shots may or may not be better with a bigger bore, depending on where the bullets go...An elephant is still going to make at least a 100 yds. in all probability with a shoulder shot, regardless of caliber.

I don't have a pat answer to this question and doubt that I ever will. I will use a 375 with confidence on any animal but I also like my bigger guns, mostly because I just like them.

In my opinion penitration is the criteria that kills elephants regardless of caliber..Bore cross-section is what gives some hunters confidence.

---

I really like the .375 for me, I can shoot it fast and accurately, with bigger guns, i can shoot fast OR accurately, not a wise position to be in. Perhaps as I go through the second half (hopefully) of my lifetime i will get better with the big guns, but until then they will be confined to practice sessions and game that has no intention of making me or the PH into road kill.

The .375 will kill anything but is only marginal stuff. It will not zing through buff nor body shots on elephant, as the big stuff can.

To paraphrase Tony Sanchez, you're crazy going after ele with a .375.

Will,
The 375 H&H will penitrate as well as any of the big bores, the same for the 9.3 and in the case of the 9.3 even more so.

The problem, if there is one, or should I say weakness with the 375 and under, is with the cross section of the bullet, it just does not knock thoes big bloody holes that the 40 cal. and up will, and this does make a difference when the brain or spine is not stuck, or with shoulder shots I should say..

Tony Sanchez sez one thing, Other PH's of equal or more fame like Bell and Harry Manners will tell you the 375 H&H is all one needs for elephant, so there ya go the argument will always prevail among hunters.

I suppose if such royalty as the above argue over the merits of the 375, then guys like us, with our limited experience, by their standards, don't even belong in that arguement!!

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Ray:

You're right, if we all could only talk from first hand experience, there would be about 100 posts here instead of 30,000!

I have never seen all this supposed great penetration from .375's. Maybe it's just me, or voodoo. I just want all the horsepower I can bring to the table.

Arguments (opinions) forever!!

Have a good one.

Bill Stewart