My safe includes, among other's, a .375 Win, a 38-55, a .375x2-1/2", a .376 Steyr, and a .375 H&H Mag (on a nice commercial Mag Mauser action).



HOWEVER, I think if I was going to do it all over, and start with my first .375 today, I'd opt for the .375 WSM.



Why?



MRC actions or existing Winchester short actions, with the bolt face and mag box for the .300 WSM, will hold that cartridge case with 300 gr. RN bullets nicely. Also will feed them without mods to the actions. Brass will be much more available, and cheaper than, say, the .376 Steyr for the forseeable future.



Power should be fully equal to the .376 Steyr, perhaps more. WSM case is shorter, but case head diameter is bigger (ca. .500 for the Steyr case head, approx .550 for the WSM).



Cartridge is built for a short action.



Rumour (rumour only, at this point) is that Winchester is looking at bringing out this cartridge as a factory standard anyway. I know at least one gun writer published in the American Rifleman who will be bringing that subject up with Winchester at the S.H.O.T. Show next month. Perhaps we will hear something back from that. (Probably not, but maybe.)



In a nice classic sporter stock, with a relatively short barrel 20" to 23" long, should make a heck of a handy round for use in the thick stuff.



I'd load mine up with premium bullets of about 285 grains, and never look back from there.



Whaddya think?



AC

If it happens, and they put a short barrel on it, I wouldn't put any money on it lasting two years.
Give it a 24" bbl, and I'm certain there's folks that'll buy it in a hurry.
Probably the stainless/synthetic utility type of which I'm not so fond.
Problem is, they will throat them for a COL of 2.8" or so, like the rest of the WSM's (I think that's right, no?) and you lose out on a lot of the potential.
If you could load it out to 3", and with a bullet to the base of the WSM's neck (~1.25" if .35" neck - think 270g North Fork) you get a 15% powder capacity over the Steyr. That's huge. 2750 fps should be doable.
That's about 4500 ft bl from a short action. Subtract 100 fps for 20" bbl, and you're still in a very respectable neighborhood.

You might well be right about the short barrel, but maybe not.

One of the nice things about a .375 bore is that it develops decent power in a relatively short tube. For up-close work in North America on seriously hazardous game such as angry bears in the alder thickets, a short barrel can be very, very handy.

It will also have enough velocity and a flat enough trajectory for easily making shots up to 250 yards or a bit farther. The sectional density of a 285 or 300 grain bullet would obviate any need for a sight adjustment, with the proper hold, and a .375 diameter bullet with the good penetration of high SD should be a good killer...particularly with the variety of premium bullets available today.

There's little point in using a short action or a short cartridge case if an unneccesarily long barrel is saddled on it. Might as well use a standard length case in a standard action.

Either way, I suspect that the sheer good sense and excellent performance of the cartridge would make it a sales winner for Winchester if they decide to bring it to market. I sure would buy one.

(It would also probably be the death knell in North America for any breath the .376 Steyr has left.)

MHO, YMMV.

Best wishes,

AC