Will the .375 penetrate the vitals on a facing shot???? and some answered yes! and I am sure they based that on experience, but there is a dark side to the .375....

I have seen on not one but 3 ocassions where the .375 with softs did not penetrate the vitals but took the path of least resistence and slid along the outside of the rib cage. This was with a Woodleigh, Swift and another bullet but can't recall the make..All were excellent buffalo bullets btw.

Kevin Robertson has also commented in his book, The Perfect Shot, on this and claims the cure is to use a solid and I believe this to be correct..

I have also seen softs fail to penetrate well on going away shots on buffalo with the .375 from time to time, rarely with todays bullets but it does happen..

I am a great fan of the .375 and I consider it a fantastic big game caliber and I have used it many times and will continue to do so, but I think its a good idea to know its weak spots if your going to use it, and make those adjustments accordingly or you may regret it, but of course that is your decision.

I use a soft and follow up with flat nose solids in the .375 H&H...I also prefer the 350 gr. PP softs by Woodleigh for what its worth.

A great all around caliber from Duiker to elephant, when used properly.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
God does have and does shoot a .375. . .Why do you think he is God?

He sold it to me. It is a way pre-64 Winchester, with a great piece of walnut for a stock, but it shoots really high for me.

The question is, "Will the 375 H&H do it all?" The answer is a definate yes but it will not work as well as a 22/250 on praire dogs or as well as 458 lott on elephants in the Jesse. But then again the 22/250 is worthless for elephants and the 458 Lott is almost worth less for praire dogs.

465H&H

Ray, there is a dark side to almost every cartridge made that can be fired from the shoulder. Especially when using soft point bullets on thick skinned game. I can only say this from what I've heard from friends that hunt Africa or from what I've read, but still, it is there. I've had a cousin say the same thing about the .416's. He uses the .416 Rigby exclusively for all bovinae and says he has encountered the same problem when using softs (SAF) and wished that he had started shooting with solids. I believe that if a person wishes to use softs on thick skinned game they would be better off using Barnes TSX bullets in the traditional weights instead of the "suggested one step lighter than normally used". Or at least use a mono-metal projectile. Anyway, all soft bullets fail on occasion but you already knew that. I don't believe in dark sides of cartridges. Only improper shot placement and occasional bullet failure.

Thanks,

jfm.