I'm leaving for a 10 day hunt with Sandriver Safaris in the Messina district. I WAS going to take a Remington 700, 375 H&H, however it is shooting patterns, not groups. I should have listened to others advice. I have fired factory ammo, reloads, tried different stocks, bedding, scopes, and even took it to a gunsmith, who can't figure out why it took a dump. I've ordered a replacement .375, CZ, but I would like to "know" a rifle before I take it to the field. I do have a Model 70,.338 Winchester magnum, that is a tack driver. I'm after plains game and have a pet load with Woodleigh 250 grain soft points. Opinions?

Your .338 will do just fine on any of the plains game species.

If you are only after plains game, take the .338 & don't worry. On my last trip I hunted Duiker to Zebra, Gemsbok & Kudu w/ my .338-06 & didn't feel under gunned. Have a good trip.

There's no magic to the .375 H&H for plainsgame. In fact, unless you have buffalo and/or lion on the menu in addition to plainsgame, you don't need it.

In my experience, a .300 Win. Mag. kills everything from the tiniest to the largest plainsgame animals just as well as the .375 H&H. Lots of guys take all manner of plainsgame with everything from a .270 Win. and .30-06 to the various 7mm magnums, .300s, .338s, etc. With good bullets and good shot placement, they'll all work just fine.

If you have a tackdriving .338 that you know and trust, by all means, take it. It's probably one of the very best plainsgame cartridges you can possibly select, especially with good 250 gr. bullets such as the Nosler Partition.

AD

Your 338 will do very for all the plains game.

I have shot hundreds of plains game with a 270 Ackley, and never felt I needed anything bigger.

Just make sure you use premium bullets.

Your Woodleigh should be perfect.

I hope you enjoy your hunt, and we all look forward to hearing your stories when you come back.

The .338 is great for plains game, that's established. What is curious to me is your comment that you should have listened to others advice. What advice were you getting?

Thanks for the assurance. It's a life long dream and I sure as heck don't want to blow it.

Do not listen to Saeed.

He thinks a .375 is overkill.

hacksawtom,

You are looking for a solution for which there is no problem. The .338 Win. Mag. will be purrrfect!


BTW, If you find out what's wrong with that Model 700 .375 please post. I've got the same indentical problem. A rifle that used to shoot 1 1/2 " groups is now an irratic 3" mess!
Rich Elliott

I too am having fits with a Safari 375H&H... I am getting 2 1/2" to 4". I want to know what wrong with mine too. There is a topic going on in the Big Bore forumn...two topics actually pertaining to Safari 375s.



Editied: OOPS, I misread the first time thru... you fellas are talking Rem 700's..... Sorry.

Mr. Elliott, have you given the barrel a super cleaning? Something to assure that ALL copper is removed? A lot easier said than done, but I have seen it cure your problem more than a few times. No guaruntee, just a thought that might be worth it if you haven't already.

I had a similar problem with my .375 H&H, Remington 700. I found my action was clamping between my floor plate, magazine box, and action. The action never clamped down into the wood stock. If you open your floor plate and reach in the magazine box should be free floating. I shimmed out my floor plate away from the stock and bedded it, the rifle now shoots great. Hope this is what's wrong with your rifle because its easy to fix. Good luck

Arts,



Yeah, I went that route. May try it some more.



Boise,



Good info. I'll check it and get back with the results.





Edited a bit later.....

Well, That didn't take long. The magazine box will move up and down about 1/16th of an inch (or less) Guess that means it's free floating.



Rich Elliott

The solution to your .375 issue is a fine Mauser rifle from Reimer Johannsen:







Or you could get this Dakota:









www.hallowellco.com

Have you checked barrel clearance and the wood? Not a .375, but I just cured a fellows 700 of that scattergun problem by free floating the barrel (which I predetermined was touching on one side of the stock). I also bedded it, but the barrel preassure I'm sure was the problem. The guys report (complaint) was basically just like yours--"used to shoot great, now it's all over. Can't figure it out. I think maybe I need a new scope". I know you didn't say the scope part.

If/when I go for a dangerous game rifle it's going to be a Dakota for me in .416 Rem. Mag. left handed!

hack,

It is the shot and not the caliber...Make the shot an do notworry about the gun... Taking a 338 to Zim in Aug and it will crush the animals...


Mike

hack,



It is the shot and not the caliber...Make the shot and do not worry about the gun... Taking a 338 to Zim in Aug and it will crush the animals...





Mike

Usually when a heavy caliber goes bad, it's the scope or mounts. In this case it sounds like that has been eliminated. Let me guess, you have been shooting Barnes X. Now your bore is fouled with copper. And normal cleaning won't remove it. Try electrolytic cleaning, or one of the more aggressive copper solvents. And take a good look at your bore while you are at it. If the throat is dark and the rifling is not sharp in the first inch of bore, your bbl is shot out.

I've shot lots of plaingame with the .338 win mag. If you shoot it well, which you must, and are obviously comfortable with it.....take it and shoot everything with it! I've shot duiker to eland with it and never felt under or overgunned!

Forget about fixing the 375 for now, you don't have time to mess with it...

Take the .338 Win., its a much better plainsgame rifle anyway and your used to it, its a tack driver, its the perfect combination for all plainsgame, and I have shot Cape Buffalo with it in a pinch and it performed admirable...

Arts,

Several scopes have been tried. I have another one mounted now in different mounts now that I'm going to try. I glass bedded and free floated the barrrel and if anything it got worse. I now have the pressure point built back in . Think I'll give it another copper solvent treatment and try it again. Saw a new one at the Louisville gun show I should have bought but the truth is....I really don't need a .375 H&H for anything I do anymore.

Rich ELliott

Take your 338 I have shot a lott of big game like Kudu and Gemsbok and never had a problem, with premium bullets you will not have to worry about a thing

hacksawtom,

I don't own a .338 Win Mag but I have seen one in action on plains game. (I do own a .340 Weatherby but I've never hunted with it yet.) I took a .375 H&H on our trip to SA in 2000 while my friend Kate used a .338 Win Mag with 250 gr Noslers handloaded to 2650 fps. She hammered everything she shot with it. I don't have nearly as much experience as a lot of the posters here but IMHO the .338 Win Mag is great for plains game. Both of our PHs said that the .338 was an excellent choice. Take your .338 and you'll be happy.

Just my two cents....
-Bob F.

I've used the .338 Win exclusively on 2 safaris, one which included old Nyati, and have only found 1 cartidge that I feel is superior to it for plains game, including Eland--that is the .320 DGC wildcat that I took on this recently completed safari. I may be a bit partial.