I have a new .375 H & H this year, and haven�t "rolled my own" for it yet. Used Federal factory 300 grains Noslers to hunt deer and moose. The Nosler had quite a temper, opening up quickly. I want a bullet with a mellower temper, was thinking about trying one of the 270 grain Woodleigh bullets. Does anyone have any experience with this bullet?

Hi Trb:

Try Swift A Frame 270 GRN.... 375... around 2700 FPS.... either RL 15.... H Varget... or my favorite IMR 4064 between 68 and 71 grains.

Bullet Sierra 300 Grain Spitzer Boat Tail
Powder 78.7 grains of IMR-4350
Primer Remington 9-1/2M Large Rifle Magnum
Case Winchester
Firearm Ruger
Velocity 15' from muzzle around 2595 fps

TRB,

I have had great results with the Woodleigh Weldcore .375 Cal 270gn PP on a recent scrub bull hunt. It was a quartering shot. Entered behind the shoulder & penetrated to the off shoulder & broke it.

The scrub bull is wild cattle with anatomy similar to Cape Buffalo. Weight @ 900 Kgs. Retained weight 80% or 216 gn and expanded up to 1.8 times calibre.

It is alo one of the consistently accurate bullets in my Sako .375 & my friend's Ruger magnum. Won't hesitate to recommend the Woodleigh for big game.

My load is 83.0gn Win 760, WLR primer & WW Cases. This is maximum load so start 10% below but it is safe in my rifle.

Good Luck.

John T

Thanks for your reply, sounds like I need to try this bullet. I used the 300 grain Woodleigh SP in my former .375, a CZ 550, very accurate and effective. I have to use Scandinavian powders, cant�t get US varieties in Norway. Thought I would try Norma 203B, Vihtavouri N150 and N160 with the 270 grain bullet. Does anyone has any experience/thoughts regarding my powder choice?

300 grain bullets:

N-203 From 66.1 grains to 67.1 grains
Remington 9-1/2M Primer

N-160 From 73.8 grains to 82.0 grains
Remington 9-1/2M Primer

270 grain bullets:

N-160 From 76.1 grains to 84.1 grains
Remington 9-1/2M Primer

N-203 From 69.5 grains to 70.5 grains
Remington 9-1/2M Primer

Ricciardelli

Thanks for the data. I�ll start out from there and see how my barrels responds. Your suggestion for the 203B is on the safe side though (nothing wrong with that!). I have previously used 71 grains of 203B behind 300 grain Woodleigh bullets, remington cases and primers. Fast, precise and safe in my previous barrel.

I assume your Noslers were Partitions and it is not unusual for the front portion to break away leaving the base of the bullet to continue on. If I recover the bullet it will usually weigh about 2/3's of the original weight.

Is you problem meat destruction or not enough penetration (hard to believe on deer and moose) or ??????? I've never seen a Nosler Partition fail to perform at any reasonable velocity.

DB Bill

I did use Partitions, and my problem is meat destruction. I shoot one Moose cow cleanly trough the ribs, penetrating both lungs right above the heart, and exiting of course. The cow dropped after about five seconds, so I have no complaints about the killing power. When we dressed the animal it was very clean on the inside, two "silver dollar" holes. But when we skinned it both sides and the nearside shoulder were very bloody, like red gello. The deer I shot also went right down in their tracks with shoulder shots. The nearside shoulders and sides on these animals looked awfull, and only fit for hamburgers. I have the same experience with 150 grain N. part. in the 7 mm RM. used on deer.

Your problem isn't the bullet, the problem is your shot selection. Any high-velocity bullet is going to ruin meat if you shoot for the shoulder. You need to hit behind the shoulder (both of them as you found out)...if you can handle it, the low heart shot usually doesn't damage much meat except of course the heart.

If your shooting is at reasonable ranges you might try using a good, hard cast bullet at a modest velocity....plenty of penetration and minimal meat damage.

DB Bill

Basically your right, shoulder shots will always ruin meat, no matter what bullet you use. But the Moose I mentioned was shot cleanly behind the shoulders, zipping trough the rib cage. Still it looked nasty under the skin. I don�t mean to go on about this forever, there isn�t much meat on the rib cage anyway, but the shoulder was very bloody too, and the shot went in two inches behind it. I think maybe a bonded bullet will expand slower, not imediatly upon impact. I think I�ll try them anyway, and find out for myself if they fit my choice of caliber, shot placement and the kind of game I hunt. Tks.