thinking about making my 375 HH my all around use for anything rifle.I would be mostly deer hunting with it with an occasional trip to Africa please let me know your thoughts

I love the 375 H&H for dear hunting. It has that ability to knock 'em stiff with one shot and you can eat right up to the hole. As a one African do-all rifle, it's hard to beat.

I am just finishing Boddingtons book on African Rifles and it seems almost every chapter, mentions the 375 as the almost perfect gun to take.

I've fallen into the .375-for-everything mind set since I got my first one about '95. The first one was in stainless/plastic and that rifle has been to Africa for buffalo and plains game, finished off countless pigs, made my longest shot on a deer and taken more ground squirrels and coyotes than most .223's.

The client that put together the stainless .375 for me more recently put together a similar rifle in blued/wood for fair weather. That gun has only been with me 3 years but it's been to Africa once, taken quite a few local animals and gets carried more than any of my other rifles put together.

I've put in a serious amount of hours carrying rifles from .30-06 to .460 Wby. and I keep coming back to the the .375 H&H for everything.

Kyler

Another excellent option is the 9.3 x 62. It is right on the heels of the .375 in terms of power but is found in lighter rifles that typically hold one more round than a .375.

I like my .375H&H as a superb all-around rifle... Maybe it´s strange overkill, but I love it, hunting pigs and fox with it so far and if a roe should make the way in front of my rifle I want hestitate to take it... :-)

I love this round. It´s a superb caliber...

(but I don´t like the 9,3x62 - sorry 500grains: I have shoot it twice and it knocks more to the shoulder than my .375H&H)

While I love the .375H&H cartridge, a case could be made for the .338 Win. Mag. being 'better', in terms of weight, recoil, trajectory, etc. IF DG is not on the menu.

George

I agree a bit with 500 gr since I took a 9.3 with me last year to SA. I took plains game out to 250 yds (kudu) with it and it performed perfectly. My wildebeest required a second shot as I didn't quite do my part on the first. I wouldn't consider it much more than a 250 yd rifle (the kudu didn't give me a choice) but I was very happy with the results. BTW I was shooting 286 gr Partitions at 2400 fps.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI

I agree, the computer says a 9,3x62 with the 286gr at 2400fps will give the same "felt" recoil as a 375H&H with the 300gr at that speed; BUT, in a two pound lighter rifle, and my CZ 550 medium FS will hold more rounds. I would not sell a 375 to buy one, but if I were shopping for a "do-it-all" in a handy rifle package, the FS would be hard to beart. One could also "power up" by rechambering to 9,3x64 Brennecke and match 375ME levels, still in a standard '06 length action.

Rich
DRSS

Only punched paper with mine so far, but from everything I've read it could be described as not perfect for everything, but adequate for anything.

My favored – The .375 H&H has an unbeatable track record, wherever I hunt my .375 goes with me.

Roland

The overall performance noticability between any of the calibers 338 win-375 ultra is going to be not much (considering your shooting deer at from what I gathered under 200 yards). Considering that 375 H&H mag rounds are easy to reload, reasonably cheap to buy (very cheap compared to some), one of the easiest to find preloaded, and yet still retains that cool big bore/africa style are all positives in my opinion. Its pretty easy to find a reasonably priced new/used gun not breaking the bank and have a great time with it.

It seems one can make a mountian out of a mole hill at times, or so Im guilty, as when having something period to use verse what we (I) occasionally build up in the head we need which can be two vastly different things. Go find a gun that makes you smile and enjoy it; youll never look back.

Good Hunting,
Justin

If I were limited to one rifle only,
the 375H&H would be my choice.

Dave

Yup!

A rightly done up beefy (they're not Mountain Rifles although some consider them so) .375 H&H - gets my vote for the do it all, everytime - but please use the correct bullet for; well - EVERYTHING - 300 grainers.



I adore my 9.3x62 but it's realm is a lighter rifle and lighter bullets - 250 grainers.

I really think it is the finest all round cartridge in the world. Although there are better cartridges for specific species and occassions.

If you place that first 375H&H bullet right, the game is over.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
Yup!

A rightly done up beefy (they're not Mountain Rifles although some consider them so) .375 H&H - gets my vote for the do it all, everytime - but please use the correct bullet for; well - EVERYTHING - 300 grainers.



I adore my 9.3x62 but it's realm is a lighter rifle and lighter bullets - 250 grainers.

Gerry,
You would have loved my 375 Sako carbine for mountain hunting. I don't remember for sure but I think the weight with scope was about 7.5 lbs. I think I rember 8.2 loaded with sling ready to hunt.
Bill

I consider the 375H&H the best all around cartridge for anything in any condition up to the big five and then adequate from there unless well placed shots are available. R.

.375 gets my vote everytime! Does it all, ammo everywhere (including Africa should your gun arrive sans ammo).

It's the 30-06 of Africa / Alaska!

JW

Another excellent choice is the 358 Norma magnum. It also is in the same power range as the 375 H&H but is found in lighter rifles. My go to rifle for everything right now is a CZ 550 in 458 Lott. I load it down to mid 45/70 levels for deer and it goes up from there.

I prefer the 9.3x62 over the 375 for the ability to have it built in a lighter balenced rifle for general hunting conditions.
Most of the nice 375s I have used are rifles that are a tad heavy for general hunting imo.

Lion's comment about "...Go find a gun that makes you smile..." expresses it just right for me. Every time I walk away from a range session with my Whitworth .375 H&H, I'm smiling and thinking YES! The .375 consistantly has the right stuff.

The Alaska Standard.......8 lbs is just right ..20-22" barrel a nice soft trigger and a good pad...express sights and scope and your set.......

The 375 is my "go to" rifle. Only use something else if there is a good reason, haven't thought of any lately

Yes or no depending on what's on African hunt menu. There is no point in carring this powerful cannon for smaller ungulates.

makes sense for the 9.3 x 64 in a standard action. light enough and the comparable oomph to do just about all you need done liken to the .375HH. I have had the opportunities to own one but never wanted to carry the weight and the caliber, my .33 calibers have always done me well here in Alaska so that would pertain to the rest of the U.S. ----- don't know what it is like across the "pond" and in the "dark continent" though.

9,3x64, now there is a PIA hottie. First one hunts for box of ammo.......Yep, best roll your own with this one, and by all means bring it along. What does one do when the ammo gets lost in transit? NOT

Load date for the 9,3x64 Beast are here.

After hitting Water with 1.100 m/s the Bullet looks like this:


Some 9,3 mm KJG remains after a 1.100 m/s Crash!

The Bullet gives You 258 m Point blank Range at + - 5 cm. Recoil is moderate and can be almost halvet with a gas dynamic recoil brake (aka Muzzle brake), to allo very lightweight Rifles.



hdp-recoil brake

Lutz
http://home.snafu.de/l.moeller/

I've loaded up some 350gr RN bullets going about 2420 FPS. I agree that the 375 H&H can do it all.

One rifle. One world. One caliber. .375 H&H Magnum.

quote:

Originally posted by pokerguy:
thinking about making my 375 HH my all around use for anything rifle.I would be mostly deer hunting with it with an occasional trip to Africa please let me know your thoughts

It is what I did and it works quite well for me. If I was limited to one rifle it would be my first consideration.

Lutz M,

From the photos above - where did you get the nickeled brass for the 9.3x64?

Hallo Gerry,

the 9,3x64 Brass above is RWS and, other as You assume, is not nickeled. But if You like, I could galvanicaly nickel plate Cases and send them over at Cost, so they won`t stain in the Tropics in Leather belts. That is not a big Deal, see here



More on English Rifle Articles

You may email me at kjg(a)snafu.de

Lutz

I've only used my 375 H&H at the range so far. Though you can make it an all around rifle I don't think it is ideal for deer for a couple of reasons. Two that come to mind are weight of the gun. I have a Model 70 synthetic not sure what it weighs but I just wouldn't want to carry that around on my shoulder all day. Second negative is the drop in bullet out past 300 yards. I am not calling myself an expert marksman but I practice regularly with my 300 WHBY mag and 270 WHBY mag out to 300 yards. I shot a real nice mule deer at 390 yards and a nice whitetail at 366. Both one shot kills. If you have a long shot at a nice trophy deer past 300 I would not take it with the 375 but would with the 300 or 270.., Get yourself a nice shooting deer rifle that you can take a poke out far with and use your 375 for Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by pokerguy:
thinking about making my 375 HH my all around use for anything rifle.I would be mostly deer hunting with it with an occasional trip to Africa please let me know your thoughts

I had made a switch from 30-06 to 375H&H years back for bear. I skipped over the 338WM. At that time I started culling a number of deer on kill permits as part of a management program. I initially started w/ an issued sniper rifle just to get trigger time but eventually went to my mountain hunting rifles as the terrain dictated the tactics (The deer were hunted and culled from out of a spike camp and not by spotlight in an open field).

I eventually decided to drag out my 375H&H on these culls just to get trigger time in preparation for a bear hunt. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. I quickly discovered in the field what all the hype was about in print. It just plain works and works well. Not only is it an effective anchor for big, BIG game but it is also very effective as a meat gun on medium game!!

For deer sized game, there is absolutely no need whatsoever to download the 375H&H. Any standard velocity load in either 270 or 300gr will put a deer down now with the least overall meat damage of most anything I've ever used. I've been culling now since 1994 and my records reflect as many as 26 deer I've havested in one season. The most consistent and most reliable thing I've discovered in all those years has been the 375H&H.

The only kink in its armor is finding a cost effective way to get it in a basic standard CRF rifle that doesn't weigh a ton. The best option had been an out of the box M70 375H&H stainless classic but that is now history. There was a glimmer of hope with the Mark 10 M98 Mauser now being imported by Remington but this seems to be headed down a dead end road. The CZ is basically a poor mans version of the RSM. Both are good rifles but they are much too big and too heavy for a 375H&H class rifle. This is now why I'm looking at the new Ruger "375Ruger" as a way to fill this void.

Just as a note, I've taken two friends as guests with me on culls while I used the 375H&H. Both are seasoned deer hunters and both were absolute skeptics of using the overkill 375H&H. One witnessed me dump a deer at a measured 149yds from a ridge down into a creek bottom and the other guy witnessed me dump a deer at a measured 287yds from the same ridge across to the next ridge. Both were so impressed w/ how hard the deer went down w/ such little meat damage that both purchased 375H&H rifle upon return from their hunts.

later,
GVA

Jack O'Connor once wrote that the 375H&H was not the best rifle for anything...but it was the best rifle for everything. I could not put it better than that, and I am NOT! an O'Connor fan.

Rich
DRSS