I am intrested in purchsing a larger magnum, not that i need one at this time but i am thinking ahead, one day i will do a hunt that i will need one, maybe bears in north america, or large plains game in africa. I am trying to determin the caliber choice and i believe either will do for what i want. i am intrested in accuracy and mostly recoil, i want to get use to it and shoot it well. i dont know anyone with any of these to test, to determin which i like better, if there is much difference in recoil. I am not fond of muzzle breakes so would not realy like to go with one, also wondering which can be lowded down better so i can work up a load as i get use to the recoil, i will go with a number four or five contour barrel.

guys please give me some input to decide, thanks

I forgot to add, i am refering to the .338 win mag or the .375 H&H mag.

thanks for the input

well, since you posted in big bores, the only answer is the .375

jeffe

I would opt for the .375 H&H but thats just me.....many will tell you .338.

Well considering a rifle of the same weight the 338 will show a calculated recoil of about 88% of a 375 and about 153% greater than a 30-06. A 12% difference would be a lot harder to feel than the jump from a 30-06.

The 338 could be cheaper to build and feed than the 375. Max hunting bullet weights are 275 and 300. The 338 allows a lighter bullet. The 338 might be a touch faster and flatter.

But the 375 carries the mystic.

I don't currently own a 375 but have a light 338 and 358 Norma. The norma will calculate a recoil greater than the normal 375. From the bench I use a magnum Past. I feel that most people that develop a flinch or fear of the recoil of their rifle do so from a rest at the bench.

Bottomline the choice will still have to be yours. Either will do what you are asking and do it well.

If you want an all around gun, the .375 will allow you to legally hunt anything currently walking on this planet.

I would go with the 338, even if this is the Big Bore board.

It is really more flexible and can be made into a shorter, lighter rifle. You will have a much large selection of guns/actions to pick from, and reloading will be much cheaper for practice (primarily because cheaper bullets are available.). It is adequate for anything in North America.

I also think that a 338 class fits better into a small battery for most people. I have always thought a sensible 3 rifle battery for most people would be a 270/280, a 338, and a 416 of some flavor. This would be the minimum investment battery for hunting about anything. IMHO, the purchase early on of a 30/06 and or a 375 kinda screws this whole plan. Both are all around calibers, but leave you short on the top or long on the bottom.

.375 H&H. Absolutely.
Best, Starcharvski.

Or....why not both? I could make you a package deal on a used Win. model 70 stainless in 338 and a used Win. model 70 stainless in 375.

Unless you're going to Africa, where the .375 really comes into its own, you don't need a .375 and will be better served by the .338.

As for recoil, it's hard for me to tell the difference between them, but in rifles of equal weight, the .338 seems to come back a bit faster and just as hard.

I love the 375, but I can't tell you why, its neigher fish nor fowl as Allan says...but out of respect I have always owned one, and I have used it a lot. Its not impressive but it will get the job done 90% of the time on dangerous game and 100% on the rest, but does not shoot as flat as the .338...

I would get a .338, I consider the .338 the most useful caliber on the planet..It will do anything the .375 will do on the top end and more on the lower end..It is the most versitile caliber I know of...I have shot deer and Cape Buffalo with mine and had no problems..

I have both calibers, so I don't have to make that decision thank goodness...

Thanks for all the input guys, and yes i will have one of each one day, i am just trying to determin which to start with. i have not read any bad things on the 338 and i consider the 375 just because it is a 375, been around for a long time, and i am not saying i have heard anything bad about the .375, only except that some feel more comforatable with a larger gun on some of the dangerous critters, not that i will be hunting those. And i am not trying to say the 375 is not good for the big stuff i know it works and it has worked time and time again, i dont want to start a debate over if it is enough gun.

i reload everything and what i see in price of bullets there is not that much of a difference, this is for cheap bullets, practice stuff. I am a remington man so the action will either be a 700 or a Mcmillan. I would probably go with a number four contour if i went with a 338 and a number five if i went with a 375, weight wise this may make them about the same as far as recoil goes. and i have refered to the chart on this site. under FAQ.

again thanks for all the input, and keep it coming, i am now leaning toward the 338 because it is flater shooting, i like fast things but not quick barrel burners.

quote:

Originally posted by RINO:
I am a Remington Man so the action will either be a 700 or a Mcmillan.

Well if you are a Remington man, then get the .338. It will be lighter and since it will be lighter it will kick the snot out of you, not because the recoil energy is go great but because it is so fast. Sorry, but the .375 does it all and is much more pleasant to shoot as well. A all-round 2 gun battery will be a .375 and something under .30 cal. A three-gun for the whole world will be the same thing plus something in .458 Lott or thereabouts. Ignore the .338 entirely. If there is something that is neither fish nor fowl it is that nasty piece of work.

I know this is blasphemy on the Big Bore page but... If you are intrested in accuracy, range and versitility and you are looking for a gun that is for North Ameica and African plains game you should forget the 375/338 debate.

300 Win Mag will kill anything that bleeds in North America and in Africa you will not want for a bigger rifle untill you go after Buffalo, Elephant or Rhino (not you the animal).

My first "big" gun was and is a Winchester model 70 supergrade in 300 win mag. To the rifle's credit I can remeber 4 Southern CA mule deer, countless coyote, javalina, wild pig, moose, 2 whitetail, a few zebras, 1 Kudu, 1 waterbuck, 3 impala, 3 warthogs, hyena crocodile thompson and grant gazelle and others that I don't remember right now!!!

Animals were shot from point blank to almost 300 yards and the reaction was always the same.. THEY FELL DOWN AND DIED INSTANTLY, except the hyena who took a second shot up the ass as he gimped away.

I like loading Barnes X 200 g with 71.5 grains of H4831. The 338 is a close second in my opinion however I don't feel that the slightly heavier bullet weight makes up for the flatter trajectory of the 300 win.

One final note is the versitality of the 300 if you handload or buy custom bullets, you can have a 220 grain Moose and eland cloberer load that still shoots as flat as a 30 06 with 180s or you can have a 110 grain varmit load that will shoot flat out to 450 yards with 3" high at 100 yards out of the same rifle and scope.

Honkey

Honkey:

Ihave two 7mm mags, one remington 7mm mag (mcmillan) and a 7mm short mag (custom 700). I love the .284's I dont think a 300 mag. is much of a step up, thats why i want something bigger, besides not much of a fan of .30 cal.

thanks

Then definetly go to a .338wm. At some point you may want to hunt DG in Africa, & by then you'll be ready for a .416!

375 H&H in a CZ 550, Whitworth, Ruger 77 or Winchester 70.

Oh, I found my .375H&H to be quite svelte, "tame", and flat shooting with 235gr Kynoch SPs.
This .338Winnie vs .375Holly is pretty much a coin toss, but the "Holly" goes better with a Range Rover, or a Land Cruiser.

quote:

Originally posted by Paolo9,5x73:
Oh, I found my .375H&H to be quite svelte, "tame", and flat shooting with 235gr Kynoch SPs.
This .338Winnie vs .375Holly is pretty much a coin toss, but the "Holly" goes better with a Range Rover, or a Land Cruiser.

I guess that means my .375 "RUM" would best go with a HUMMER; and an ice cold Coke...

Honestly, I got rid of my .338 Win.Mag. ( 700 BDL-DM ) because it didn't kick hard ENOUGH compared to my 700 BDL in 7mm Rem.Mag.!
I'm serious.
After beating my City Boy brains out on the internet and Forums, I decided to stick with the Remington rifle I was used to and jump UP a notch from the 'Holly' to the 'RUM'.

"...One small step for a Man, one GIANT leap for Mankind..."

You're 1/2 way there.

Go with the 375H&H

RINO

A 338 will match your 7 mag well. A 338 with 250 grain bullets is adequate for any North American big game.

If you want a bigger round for Africa I would recommend a 404 or 416, and it HAS to be on control feed action....

You made the proper decision IMO...the .338 is the best all around caliber in existence for all NA game, and really a fine African round, then when you hunt buffalo, Lion and elephant get a 416, its much better than a .375 for the dangerousl animals IMO. I like the .375 and shoot one from time to time but a 416 has a better effect on the big black bulls I assure you.

If you're going to team the .338 with a .416, then you're equiped for everything, if you want one gun to do it all, then the .375.

As far as enough gun for all NA game, I still think the .338 comes up short for the biggest bears and the 375 is always the better choice for that hunt.

Trajectory, load 270's to 2700 in the .375 and it shoots every bit as flat as the .338 slinging 250's.

It really comes down to the rifle, a .338 will be a slightly lighter and more compact rifle, and as such, something you'd rather be toting up hill and dale when after elk.

If I was to choose but one gun for all NA game, then I'd give the 338 the nod. If I had two guns, then it would be 300 win mag and 375 H&H.

Another vote for the .375H&H.

It'll push a Barnes x 270 gr bullet .503BC at over 2700fps. making it every bit as flat shooting as any .338 load. And it's DG legal.

It'll also do that out of a shorter pipe than a .338 will.

Pretty darn usefull round.

the .338 ain't no slouch either. I just like the versitility of having my second rifle DG capable while hunting in Africa.

Do somthing different. How about a .350 rem. mag? If you want to stick to the norm, go .338.

I have found the 338 with a 210 Nosler at 3005 FPS shoots considerably flater than a 270 gr. 375 at 2700 FPS...

I also have used the 300 gr. Woodleighs on Cape Buffalo and its as good as a 9.3x62, 9.3x64 or a 375 IMO on Buffalo at least..It also works great on elk and bison..but for the big stuff I would rather have a 416 and up, not a 375 or 338..

I just don't see the 375 and a 416 as a match for a pair or either the 375 or 338 as a shoot everything rifle..much prefer the .416 for a one gun safari...A 300 or 350 gr. monolithic shoots fast and flat as a .375 and a 400 gr. beat both of them...I like the .375 for buffalo, but its not a really great charge stopper, and I think buffalo rifles should be charge stoppers, just in case and having shot quite a few buff with the 375 I determined I needed a bit more gun.

Just my opine, whatever anyone wants to hunt buff with is their business..