I was just wondering what people think the 375 H&H is perfect for? Just curious, no particular reason. I think we could agree that rabbit and squirrel is perfect for the .22 rimfire. Groundhog is perfect for the 243. Deer are perfect for the .270
I think you get the idea.

My vote would be for Lion! You could also throw in eland.

I think it was Jeff Cooper that said "The 375 H&H is too much gun for 90% of the game, and not enough for the other 10."

I personally think the 375 H&H is one of the best "All Round" calibres.

If you have to shoot an impala and an elephant 30 seconds apart it is a good choice.

As far as what the 375 H&H is "Perfect" for I would say, the big bears, eland, lion.

It has enough power up close and has the trajectory and power for a longish shot.

Also because of its recoil it is capable of longer range hits by most people with a little training and practice.

I have never used a 375 H&H in Africa, I use my 9,3x74R Double rifle, but anything I have done with that I could do with a 375 H&H, I just prefer the double.

I have killed several deer and wild pigs, and a couple of turkeys with a 375 H&H, using full power and some reduced power loads.

Frank,

The 375 is perfect for the one gun safari. With solids it is perfect for all the pygmy antelope and adequate for elephant with proper shot placement. With modern expanding bullets like the TSX it just works perfectly for everything else.

The 375 really shines on the medium to large antelope and cats. It also may have slain more buffalo in the hands of tourist hunters than anyother caliber.

I'm taking the 375 Weatherby version this year on a 3 week 2 country safari and expecting perfect results on buffalo, eland, waterbuck, nyala and all the way down to red duiker.

Mark

The 375 is perfect for . . . AFRICA.

I've taken bigger and smaller rifles to Africa, but I've shot the majority of my animals with my trusty 375H&H. From steenbok to buffalo, it works just fine.

makes for a good elk,moose,bear round

The 375 H&H is a perfect way to start an argument.

It also happens to be my favorite caliber for almost anything African, but that characteristic pales in comparison with its ability to start arguments.

The 375 is useful on anything from squirrels to elephant. There are better calibers for each, but the 375 can do it all.

John

For recoil sensitive folk it's the best med-big bore one could own, for most women and early teenaged folk I think it's the absolute best DG caliber, moderate recoil amazing penetration. IMO it's great for big bears, lion, and eland if not the best caliber choice for these critters.

quote:

Originally posted by frank4570:
I was just wondering what people think the 375 H&H is perfect for?

The 375 H&H is.

The 375 is perfect for the guy who likes to shoot it for anything....

Mike

It is perfect for the second rifle on safari.

If your safari includes elephant, buff and or hippo on land, then the 375H&H can do the job on your largest game, if required, but can still do the job on the smallest.

If your safari doesn't include any large dangerous game then the 375H&H is tops for the larger plainsgame but will still do the job on the smallest, if required.

Also perfect for Bears in Alaska or No. Canada.

I've killed everything from a ~15lb grysbok to a ~1,500lb eland with a 375H&H and never felt over gunned or under gunned. Not many other cartridges can cover that range at all, let alone very effectively.

JPK

As Oldhandgunhunter alluded to earlier, the 375 can be a source of heated campfire conversation. I see the 375 being to Africa what the 30-06 is to North American hunting. It is a great "compromise" caliber for a one-gun hunter, but if you're not limited to just one gun, it's uses are limited. Yes, a 375 with modern bullets can kill a Cape Buffalo or an Elephant, just like the Eskimos heart-shoot Caribou for mean with a 22 RF, but it is hardly the best caliber selection for those animals. On the lighter side, none of the Plains Game, save maybe Eland, require the power or bullet weight of a 375, but it will do if it's your only rifle. I'd rather bring the rifle(s) that makes the most sense for the animal(s) I'm hunting. If I do need to limit my battery, I'd rather arm myself with a rifle that's better than "adequate" for the largest game I plan to hunt, then use that same rifle, perhaps with lighter and/or more frangible bullets, for other smaller, non-dangerous game on my menu. In October I'll be hunting in Mozambique for another Cape Buff, plus Sable, Waterbuck, and perhaps a couple little Suni and Warthogs. I will use my Jarrett Pro Hunter in 416 Rem Mag, with 400gr TBBCs and Sledgehammers for the Buff, and softer 300gr bullets that Larry at Superior is making me up now for other game.
I see the 375 as a great caliber if you're only hunt with one rifle, but I don't often plan to limit myself to one rifle!

Wasn't the 375H&H conceived as a bolt action (affordable) round for soft skinned, large bodied game, Suitable for world wide use ?

I beleive that is what most of the previous posts have alluded to.

eg Bears (not just bears in the USA either), large antelope and cats.

Any damn thing a hunter is able to properly place a bullet into.

I have never hunted Africa and probably never will, but if things evolved to the point that I could only own and use one rifle world wide, it would be a 375 H&H.

I do not like the 30-06, but if I were going to recommend a 2 gun battery for hunting everything on this planet, the 30-06 would be the sall gun and the 375 would take care of everything else. JMO.

Safari-lawyer, Retreever:

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
The 375 is perfect for . . . AFRICA.

....and Alaska!

Brett

[QUOTE]Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I think it was Jeff Cooper that said "The 375 H&H is too much gun for 90% of the game, and not enough for the other 10."

And he also said one in 10 buffalo is going to charge you.

A load of bloody rubbish, to both statements.

The 375 is good for any game animal alive today.

Well, it would seem to be the "perfect" caliber for the one gun battery. International travel is more and more of a pain with rifles. I hesitated quite a bit before taking mine to Namibia last month, thinking it might be too much and not ideal for long shots in the Kalahari. But loaded with 260 grain Nosler Accubonds it's got a pretty flat trajectory. We didn't have time to measure the distance before the shot on the springbok I took but later pulled out the rangefinder which said 250 (and I still don't know if that was yards or meters by the way) and it worked without any holdover, meaning I didn't miss and the animal was down. Is there a more versatile caliber?

EVERYTHING

There is not a wrench that will fit every bolt, just like there is not a gun that will fit every situation.

But there is one gun that is capable for all situations. Perfect for cats, Eland, Waterbuck sized plainsgame. Capable for Buffalo and Elephant and the only gun that some guys/gals can handle for DG. Let's face is a 416 has a substantial amount of additional recoil. Kids, ladies, and some booking agents sometimes can't handle the additional recoil.

If there was a perfect caliber contest, it would get my vote.

The 375 H&H mag is perfect medicine for the big feral pigs we have in Texas, it will tame a mean boar very quickly,,, like dead right there.

quote:

I was just wondering what people think the 375 H&H is perfect for?

Anything! After all, it's just an overgrown 30-06.

You would be hard pressed to find a Brown Bear guide who would not call a 375 the perfect hunting round. I happen to like it because it gives good traqectory and good energy with little recoil.

I leave it to the other obviously more experienced shooters of the 375 H&H to defend the cartridge - but I will say that my 375 H&H (300 gr.solid)stopped a buff as he turned towards me and even if I had never before shot at a buff, I knew it was a killing shot. (The follow up after he was down was an insurance shot) MY PH told me that he and a number of other PHs used the 375 to kill elephant in culling out herds because they could stand off at nearly 100 yards and drop elephant due to the great penetration of the 375. I understand that the cartridge has been around since 1912 in Africa. That does seem to suggest that the locals find the cartridge to work on a lot of targets. (I wouldn't want to face a charging elephant with a 375 -but I do also remember that you can shoot most effectively with a cartridge that you are comfortable with -and that doesn't make you flinch. (I have been reading posts in AR of guys who have "been there" in front of a charging elephant and they do seem to indicate that you must be very precise in aiming) Anyway, this is one more defender of the 375 H&H to say that it's one great cartridge. (BTW, I shot a buff at about 35 yards as he turned to me. He made the SCI record book and was estimated at near 1800 lbs. Looking back - I would rather have had a 3.5 bazooka, but that's neither here nor there!)

Perfect for --
the hunter on a budget,
that needs one,
affordable gun,
for any hunt.

It might be heresy, but while I love the tradition, history, and "shootability" of the round, I don't find a lot of use for the 375 in Africa. I have a number of safari rifles I love, and so don't need to "settle" on one caliber to cover everything. To me, the 375 is kind of like the 30-06 for domestic hunting. Sure, it can kill many types and sizes of animal, but it is probably not the perfect round for any one game. If I'm going on a hunt that includes large dangerous game, such as Buff, I will bring a 416 or larger specifically for the Buff, then a much smaller caliber for Impala, Suni, Waterbuck, and whatever else is on the menu. Yes, I could take a 375 and be a bit undergunned (IMO) for the Buff, and overgunned for the Plains Game. But why should I? To me, much of the fun of a safari is being able to use your rifles; magazine, doubles, etc, for their intended purpose, which is a good excuse to bring more than one.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
You would be hard pressed to find a Brown Bear guide who would not call a 375 the perfect hunting round. I happen to like it because it gives good traqectory and good energy with little recoil.

Alaskan brown bear can only be killed by 45-70s. It's like werewolves and silver bullets! Come on I thought everyone knew that!

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer: Alaskan brown bear can only be killed by 45-70s. It's like werewolves and silver bullets! Come on I thought everyone knew that!

Brett

Brett, yes it has to be a 45-70 but your leaving out an important part of the brownie medicine, it also has to be shot with a Marlin lever rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I think it was Jeff Cooper that said "The 375 H&H is too much gun for 90% of the game, and not enough for the other 10." .....

Jeff may have said that - I don't know, but kinda it sounds like him.

I do have a friend that was on safari with him when he was "field testing" his 375 Lion Scout.

Think he preferred people to do what he said, not necessarily what he did.

It,s almost as good as the 375 Ruger , and that is a pretty good thing ... TOO bad all the rifles for the round are longer than they need be ...

quote:

Originally posted by RaySendero:

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I think it was Jeff Cooper that said "The 375 H&H is too much gun for 90% of the game, and not enough for the other 10." .....

Jeff may have said that - I don't know, but kinda it sounds like him.

I do have a friend that was on safari with him when he was "field testing" his 375 Lion Scout.

Think he preferred people to do what he said, not necessarily what he did.

Ray

See page 458 of "The Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip".

Ray

Also I believe he killed his lion with Fireplug
his 360 Super Scout, a 350 Remington Magnum, with a magazine about 1/8th inch longer, seating the 250gr Swift A Frame out accordingly.

He shot his lion at about 10 or 11 yards if I remember correctly.

I believe it to be about right for anything you want excluding elephant and hippo.

I just came back from Zim and I took a buffalo, 1 shot with woodleigh solid, eland, kudu, impala and bushbuck with a 375. Ranges from 75 to 180 yards. My sons all used a 375 on the same trip and took zebra, kudu, impala, wildebeest and warthogs.

I love the 375 H&H. Great all around cartridge.

crl

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:

quote:

I was just wondering what people think the 375 H&H is perfect for?

Anything! After all, it's just an overgrown 30-06.

With a belt and no shoulder ... the .50 BMG, on the other hand, could be the real thing.

I don't know if it's perfect but it is sure good enough for most anything, anywhere.

I've only hunted Africa once, but after sitting around the campfire listening to stories about large, dangerous animals charging kudu hunters , it was comforting to carry my .375 while hunting antelope. I know that is the PH's job to take care of emergencies such as this. But, what if he misses? What if the shot of a lifetime opportunity at a large lion occurs while you're out hunting lessor kudu with you're .270.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Ray

Also I believe he killed his lion with Fireplug
his 360 Super Scout, a 350 Remington Magnum, with a magazine about 1/8th inch longer, seating the 250gr Swift A Frame out accordingly.

He shot his lion at about 10 or 11 yards if I remember correctly.

I met him at Medina when Brett Clifton had his stock business there. Thet were repaintng the Super Scout stock. I believe Cooper said 5 or 6 feet, coming out of high grass.

The .375 H&H is perfect for, well, springbuck!

Statement made because a former friend, who owned many rifles in various calibers, invariably, after a short discussion, came to the decision to take his trusty .375 H&H on virtually every hunt! Many springbuck died with brainshots right out to quite far by that very accurate .375 H&H rifle!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

In two trips over with a .375:

1 PAC ele
1 Buffalo
1 Waterbuck
1 Warthog
2 Impala
Several head-shot Francolin and Guinea Fowl...

Never lost any .375-shot critters