I don't want to start another thread concerning the pro's and contra's of both calibres. Both shoot rather flat and can be used successfully for DG. My question is: suppose I would have both calibres, would one of both be gathering dust after some time? Untill now I have only hunted PG, but intend to start hunting DG (buffalo). I don't know jet how often I will be hunting DG. For the sake of completeness, I wish to add that the heaviest calibre I have is the .300 WM. I am a lefty and it is not that easy to sell a left hand rifle, once I would regret my choice. Your input will be appreciated.

The .416 has enough of an advantage on DG, and a small enough disadvantage on PG, that I would probably leave the .375 at home and use only the .416.

But I prefer bigger bores over smaller ones for DG such as buff, elephant and hippo, and have a tendency to "go large."

if you have both anyway ...for DG more is often better your .375 will get limited use ...nothing that you can shoot with a .375 cant be taken with a .416. both are the same , just as easy to get ammo, just a bit more punch in .416 thats what you need on DG !!

RON:
mrlexma hit the nail square on the head !!!!

I love, have and take them both.

My intentions are to use the 416 on DG and the 375 on PG. If I encounter DG while specifically hunting PG, I'm still covered. This has worked well for me.

If you are purchasing a large calibur mainly for Africa then I'd completly concure on one gun and that being the 416.

The only slight consideration is that ammo for the 375 runs $45 to $65 at Midway USA and 416 is $110 to $140. Not that you will likley shoot a ton of it but not shooting is the short cut to a miss.

For North American and many other world wide hunting scenerios the variety of weights and bullets and accessibility of the 375 ammo over 416 make it a versitle unit and a good arguement to have one of each.

Best regards

Mike O

I agree with SBT.
I took a 404 buffalo hunting this year, the only reason I didn't take my 375 was that I had to lend it to the friend who accompanied me. once he took his buff, I took it back and used it on a zebra.
next time it's 404 for buffalo, 375 for plainsgame.

TerryR

I am going to Namibia Friday and my arsenal will be a 416 Rigby and a 375 H&H. My plan is to use the 416 on elephant and the 375 for hippo and buffalo. The 416 is sporting iron sights and since the elephant will be close work I think that will work nicely. The buffalo and hippo may be a bit farther out and the scope on the 375 will give me an edge for them.

I suppose the .416 Rem is the better caliber if you can tolerate a little more recoil..A 350 gr. bullet at 2700 FPS shoots as flat as a 180 gr. 30-06 and thats flat enough for big game hunting...for DG, it shoots a 400 or 450 gr. bullet at 2400 FPS and thats all you will ever need for anything...

I love the .375 and have always had one but for a one gun African hunter the .416 outshines the great .375, like it or not..My .375 collects a lot more dust than it used to, and on ocassion I take it to Africa just to prove to myself that its still a viable caliber and it is.

I think taking both is a great idea. The .416 for dangerous game and the .375 for plains game/dangerous game backup. I do not care what some people say about the wonderful long range capability of the .416 as it has never proven out with all the experimentation I have done. The .375 with 270 grain Barnes TSX and A-frames at 2800 fps or so have always proven flatter shooting than the .416 with 350 grain bullets of any flavor and any speed. I believe the .375 to be way more accurate also but most likely due to lesser recoil and therefore better shot placement. On the other hand I would rather have a .416 or bigger for strictly dangerous game any day. I would have to say that I agree 99% with Ray on everything except the long range thing between the .375 and the .416 calibers. I certainly do not claim to know everything though and my experience may differ greatly with others. I guess it boils down to opinion in the end.

Thanks,

jfm

Get a 375 and shoot it lots. Then if you still want a 416 get one. Or a heavy double or who knows what. Tough to say what is best for someone else.

I have both and if I had to choose one and buff or something bigger was even a possibility I'd take the 416. A good hit with the 416 is visibly more effective. If buff and other big stuff are not contemplated the 375 is fine. Regards, Adrian

I have both the 375 and a 416 Rem. I've never taken the .416 to Africa, but certainly think it would be a wonderful caliber. I just returned from Zim and took the .458 Lott and the 375. This was a great battery. I shot hippo and buff with .458 Lott and croc and plains game with the .375. The plan initially was to use the 375 on the hippo for a brain shot, but I didn't like how it was shooting in terms of accuracy that day. I ended up using the .458 Lott. It hits hard! I think the .416 would be perfect on Hippo. It would also be a great buffalo gun. I had the .375 loaded with 270 grain bullets, and would probably suggest the 300's if any DG was going to be shot with it.

I have both the 375 H & H and 416. For my first trip to Africa in September both my outfitter and PH were pleased with my choice of the 416 for cape buffalo. I am left handed also and it does limit some of our choices.

I would think with you owning a 300 Win Mag that the 416 would be a great compliment to that fine cartidge.

As an African hunter I am a 2 gun taker and my light rifle is a 375 and heavy a 450#2...A 375 with a Barnes TSX bullet is a very destructive combination...
The 416 or a 375H&H in the hands of a good shooter will do all he asks of it..

Mike

Ray I agree with you. I take my 416 and my 375 gathers dust. I prefer 300 for PG
My two cents

I own both, have had both to Africa, and shoot both frequently. I feel guilty about my 375, because as much as I love it, the 416 Rem will probably get to go to Zambia with me. It's just a better DG cartridge, and would better compliment the 300. Having said that, you'll probably find a bigger variety of LH rifles in 375. Best of luck, I'm sure you'd be just fine with either!!

Ron,

Last time out for Buf I took a .416 Rigby and a .375 H&H. Used the .416 with 350s at 2700 on the Buf. Terrific performance.

While a .375 is certainly adequate for Buf, it is not as authoritative as the .416. I also tend to "go large" when DG are involved.

The recoil of the larger calibers is different than that of the .375 H&H. Would be good to shoot one to see if it is tolerable for you. Does take some practice.

I don't know what the reloading laws are in the Netherlands, but .416 ammo is pretty expensive and may require reloading to get that 350 gr load that Atkinson mentioned.

I'm taking one of each to Tanzania in 5 weeks for buffalo. .375 is going strictly as a backup because my 470 started acting up. Was planning on using the 416 on plains game and am confident it's up to the task. In my opinion, its comfortable to shoot and out to 200 yards, its pretty flat shooting. My guess is that if you have both, you'll end up using the 416 more than the 375. That said the 375 is a fine cartridge. Why not a 416 and a 458 Lott?

Ron,

As others have suggested taking a 375 and any bigger caliber is a great idea. Particularly with a 375 and a 416 you have 2 calibers that can do double duty for DG and anything else. I used to believe that you needed a light and a heavy. Now that I've discovered the 270 TSX for the 375 I'd be perfectly happy with it for everything except elephant. Combine that with your 416 and you've got a great pair for 90% of your safari hunting. A 300 magnum or something of that nature is only really needed if you are hunting wide open country as in the Kalahari.

Mark

Damn Ron, everytime someone brings this up I gust get confused. I thought I had this all figured out, using my 416 with 350gr Swift A Frames on lareg PG, then having my 470 for my heavy rifle.

Then I bought a 375 H&H, not sure why They sure are sweet to shoot.

I think Ray probably covered the question well.

I've taken several different combos to Africa and the 300mag-416 is the best for a general bag hunt, IMO. If really large game like elephant and buffalo are the main targets, with just a few plains game thrown in afterwards, the 450-375 works nicely. I typically like to shoot a lot of plains game for bait and trophies. For me, the 300mag is just a better gun for those uses than anything larger. And likewise, the 416s are just better than a 375 for the big stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Ron Creusen:
My question is: suppose I would have both calibres, would one of both be gathering dust after some time? Untill now I have only hunted PG, but intend to start hunting DG (buffalo). I don't know jet how often I will be hunting DG.

It seems to me that the question of whether one will just sits and gathers dust, or if both get used, has as much to do with the rifle and not just the chambering. If the two rifles are exactly the same except for the chambering, then one will just gather dust. But it doesn't have to be that way.

I own and shoot a .416 Rigby. I've never owned a .375H&H, but I've hunted with one fairly extensively. The first deer I ever killed I killed with a .375. I like it very much. So much that I've ordered a .375 H&H (gunstores in Texas don't stock them; they think my .338 WM is a cannon).

But my stainless & synthetic 8lb .375 will serve a slightly different purpose then my blue & walnut 9lb .416. For instance, they both will be topped with low power variable scopes, but the 40mm objective on the 1.5x6 scope will mean the .375 is better in low light situations (like with leopard) than the .416 with its 20mm 1.5x5 scope.

I really think they are, or at least can be, set up sufficiently differently so that they both are useful. And while the .375 isn't as authoritative as the .416, it'll at least be adequate and legal if it's the rifle in your hands when you walk up on the biggest buffalo your PH has ever seen while you're out stalking an impala.

I am probably a lone voice on here and will be roundly condemned but I see to real need for any of the 416's. To me it is neither fish nor fowl. The 416 has more power, recoil and weight than needed for plains game hunting and lacks the stopping power of the 458+ caliber cartridges so important when dealing with PO ed cow elephants. Give me a 375 H&H for plains game where you might encounter DG unexpectedly and a big bore double or 458 Lott for elephants and wounded buff, thank you.

465H&H

465H&H
That makes sense to me. a 375 and a heavy double. Worked great for almost a hundred years. 416s are great for buff though.

Thanks a lot guys. Your input is appreciated very much. Since the short time I joined the forum I already feel 'at home' and I am impressed by the sincere and often extensive advise to guide a relative novice, like me. There seems to be no definitive consensus as to the question whether one could use both calibres but most of you agree that the .416 is a better buffalo calibre and a better DG calibre in general. I will try to shoot both calibres asap to make up my mind. The alternative route could be to postpone my buffalo hunt for a while and start hunting PG with a .375 H&H, followed by investing in a .416 RM for a dedicated buffalo hunt one year later. I can always use my .300 WM for PG at long distances in open desert like situations, like Namibia. What do you think ?

April 2008 in RSA
I "easily "stopped a cafer in charge with my 375 HH ( norma oryx 300 grs), with a shot just under the right horn; not dead but KO, according to the same principle as boxing: ( this buffalo had been extremely resilient to a previous chest shot..)

I have both, in addition to several 458, 577, 600 and 700 caliber rifles.

All of them get shot on the range.

But, only one goes hunting, every year.

The 375, and neither me nor the dozens who shoot them on safari have evr felt they needed anything else.

Saeed,
To me this is a valuable piece of advice, as I know that you and some other members are real experienced DG hunters. How did you reach your conclusion to hunt DG exclusively with the .375 ? Still there are many hunters who favor the heavier calibres for DG hunting, stating that they see a noticable difference as to the reaction of the animal upon impact. One of the other reasons could also be the fact that they like to shoot heavy guns, besides the extra confidence that such a calibre gives the hunter.

Ron,

I would just use your 375 on your first buff hunt, and then if you feel it lacking you can always step up.

Being a crack shot with your 375, with a good soft like the 300 gr. Swift, is probably going to be more important than the difference between the 416 and the 375.

And besides, how are you ever going to relate the staggering difference between the two if you never use a 375?

Will,
That's a good one.