The largest caliber gun I've ever shot is a 30-06, which I'm told produces around 20 or so ft lbs of recoil. My brother is planning a hunt for us next year to Africa, and it looks like I'll either be shooting a 375 Ult Mag, 375 H&H or 378 Wby. I am a large guy 6'3" 225 lbs, so I'm sure I can probably handle the recoil of these calibers, but I'm concerned about making such a huge leap in caliber.

Unfortunately I know no one with calibers in between that I could shoot to work my way up. Any problems you guys forsee? Or should I just go for it? How shocking a difference will the recoil be? Thanks in advance.

My first step up was from an '06 to a .375 H&H Magnum and had no problems--and I'm sure you won't either.

If I were you, I'd take Holland & Holland's finest caliber in a bolt action rifle with a good stock design and recoil pad--that fits you--and that weighs in at 9 pounds or so--and just go for it.

You might try a slip on recoil pad until you see what the recoil is like. I don't believe you will find a well designed 375 of the proper weight uncomfortable. I had a 375 the weighed just 6 lbs and it made my quit after 4 -5 rounds every time.

I jumped from a 7mm Rem Mag on a muzzle brake to a 375 RUM. The 375 definately kicks harder, but it by no means knocks you out of your sneakers. Of course it is not a gun that you are going to practice all day with. My limit is less than 12 a session.

But, if I had to do it all over again, I would get the H&H or the 378. Not too many folks like the rebated rim of the RUM. I did not know the mistakes of my ways till I started reading threads in this forum. And a rifle @ 9 pounds is a good idea too.

fusine, why not slide into a .375 starting with mild 235 grain loads. After you you have mastered them move to the 270 grn and work your way up to its top velocitys.. The recoil difference between them and the 300 grn loads are so small the couple of extra ft. lbs. wont be noticed. I truly do belive it is the best " all around " caliber . Oh no i think i have just started a fued that will break the existing thread response by several thousand posts, sorry all. Charlie

First piece of advice, don't start shooting a new big bore caliber from the bench. Use a standing position at a 25 yd target. Second piece of advice, shoot at least 200 rounds through the rifle (that is only 10 rounds per weekend over a six month period or 20 rounds once a month) before you go. IMHO opinion, physical discomfort is not the problem with recoil in a medium bore like a 375 (unless the rifle only weighs 6.5 pounds) but the ability to cycle the bolt and get back on target quickly and that takes practice.

fusino,
Shooting the .375H&H off-hand doesn't hurt. If you know what you're doing, it doesn't hurt at the bench, either.

Don't worry about it.

George

Dealing with recoil is more of a mental mind set, rather than a physical challenge.

Hog Killer

quote:

Originally posted by Hog Killer:
Dealing with recoil is more of a mental mind set, rather than a physical challenge.

Hog Killer

That's VERY true. I'm new to the 375 also and it really don't hurt to shoot it. The problem is I have to keep telling myself that each time before I pull the trigger

To be honest I'm not worried about the 375 H&H, but the 378 Wby does make me a little nervous. I've heard it really kicks the crap out of you...might make it hard to shoot well.

what i tell myself, and friends

"you've already decided it's going to hit you, you now get to decide how well you are going to shoot it"

jeffe

quote:

mrlexma: My first step up was from an '06 to a .375 H&H Magnum and had no problems--and I'm sure you won't either.

Ditto. And now I also have 416Rigby, 10.75x68, 458Lott, 460Wby & 510Wells. It gets addictive. I weigh 155 lbs.

quote:

Originally posted by fla3006:
[... I weigh 155 lbs.

yeah.. when HOLDING a 458 lott!!



jeffe

I did the same many years ago, went from 30-06 to 375 H&H. Defenately another leage, but no problem. I´m a small guy, 5,8 foot and 165 lbs.
( but so was Elmer Keith )
I still hang on to the H&H and there will always be one in my cabinet.

I am sure the 375 H&H will work just fine for you. The 378 Weatherby is a world of difference in recoil, etc.. loaded to factory specs. I had a 378 settled on the 375 H&H. For something bigger...I have a 416 Rigby, 458 Lott, and 470 NE.

If you want something bigger you probably would be better off with a 416 or 404 verses the 375 Ultra or 378 Weatherby.

Good luck with your choice!

^^I think you have a point about the 416 or 404. Unfortunately I'm not set up to reload yet, so ammo for the 378 would probably be rediculously expensive too.

With a bit of shooting, you should have no problems w/ a .375h&h. Now a .378wby. is a whole nother animal. I put it's recoil, & probably the .375RUM, in the .416rem. + catagory. You might as well shoot a bigger bullet if you are going to take the pounding anyway.

fusino,
I moved straight from a 30/06 to a 458WM at the age of 20. Held correctly, and from a standing rest no gun will ever hurt you... you've got to believe that! At the time, after 20 minutes coaching I had my then girlfriend shooting the 458WM (w/ 350gr Hornady) and she'd never even used a gun before. My biggest issue has always been and remains scopes with not enough eye-relief. The 375H&H is my favourite allrounder and very nice to shoot.
Cheers...
Con

Why not just take the 30-06? Are you hunting dangerous game? If not you will not need the 378.

quote:

Originally posted by ROSCOE:
Why not just take the 30-06? Are you hunting dangerous game? If not you will not need the 378.

Roscoe,,,
this IS the BIG bore forum... were a .375 bullet is only allowed in by custom, not common opinion!!!

ROSCOE, yeah I need more gun because we'll be hunting Cape Buffalo. I love my 30-06 for everything on up to elk, but needless to say a Cape Buffalo hunt with a 30-06 would be ill-advised as well as illegal.

fusino,
The obvious choice is a .375 Weatherby.
Until you get used to it, you can fire standard .375 H&H ammo in it, and it will slow the factory loads down to 2400 fps with 300 grainers. No accuracy loss, only 100 to 150 fps velocity loss, in the NEW .375 Wby chamber. Milder recoil. Then work up to full-power .375 Weatherby loads and you will be killing buffalo like Saeed does, with the added practicality of firing .375 H&H ammo to good effect in a pinch, if airline baggage monkeys lose your ammo.

Some consider the 2400 fps 300 grainer to be more deadly than the 2740 fps 300 grainer that a 24" barreled .375 Weatherby will do with the factory 300 grain Nosler partition ammo from Weatherby. 5000 ft.lbs.

Use a 3.8" box and handloads and you can surpass the .375 RUM factory loads with your NEW .375 Weatherby.

No bull hockey.
rip

fusino..my 1st jump to a big bore was from a 300 weathery to a 378 weatherby...I since have jumped to a 460 weatherby..to me the 378 only took about a hundred rounds to get use to the recoil. I think the 378 is a fine round. But watch..mention the word weatherby and some of these folks get their panties all knotted up..have fun with your choice!

What would you guys say is the limit of caliber as far as bench shooting it? I would imagine anything above .416 would be pretty brutal from anything but a standing position.

quote:

fla3006: I weigh 155 lbs. Jeffe: yeah.. when HOLDING a 458 lott!!

Someone on another thread said smaller shooters don't get hit as hard, not enough mass there to absorb the recoil or something like that. Not sure if I buy that theory, I still go home with headaches alot! Keith has it right, it's more a matter of psychological conditioning. My favorite caliber (30-06) is now a piece of cake, even at the bench with heavy loads in a light rifle.

fusino..I shoot the 378 and 460 from the bench. to me..the trick is to have the rifle pretty much even with the shoulder (without crouching over)while sitting down on the bench.I'm only 6 feet and 190 pounds. My limit is 20 rounds per rifle per session..

Any particular brands under 1500 US $ that anyone would say are the best options?

CZ American Safari, well under $1000, but you might have to take it to a smith if it does not function right.

^^Yeah CZ rifles seem to be pretty popular as far as value priced big bores go. But I'm a bit concerned as you say about the quality. If it might need gunsmithing out of the box, I'm not sure it's the rifle I'm looking for.

On the other hand, maybe there is not such a rifle under $1500, one in an african caliber that needs no or very little gunsmithing. Maybe I'm being naive =).

fusino,
what part of the world are you in? I'm sure there is someone near you that would gladly let you try a few shots from a .375. I'm in the houston area if you want, drop me a pm and we'll try to meet up.

^^bwanajcj check your PMs =)

Fusino,

Two sugestions:

1) Buy a cz 550 in .375H&H. It's the best deal on the market and I am told the .375 H&H is the "30-06 of Africa. Will do anything if you place your shot well and ammo is readily available worldwide.

2) Don't sweat recoil. Wear plugs and muffs. Most people fear recoil but it's muzzle blast that really is frightening them. I went from 30-06 to .375 H&H and it didn't bother me. The weight of the cz dampens recoil. BTW at a shooting course last year I fired my instructor's .458 WM. I didn't find that bad either. I'll admit my experience is limited, but I think much of recoil is in the shooter's mind. BTW I'm 5'10", 225 lbs..

When I mentioned taking the rifle to a smith, I was in no way implying that the rifle was sucky, just meant that you want to be sure that the rifle will function EVERY time. Besides the parts and assembly labor, action work is also an integral part of the cost of a custom rifle. Taking the rifle to the smith is only insurance, not to fix a "problem" so to speak.

quote:

Originally posted by fusino:
^^Yeah CZ rifles seem to be pretty popular as far as value priced big bores go. But I'm a bit concerned as you say about the quality. If it might need gunsmithing out of the box, I'm not sure it's the rifle I'm looking for.

On the other hand, maybe there is not such a rifle under $1500, one in an african caliber that needs no or very little gunsmithing. Maybe I'm being naive =).

Dude,
EVERY DGR needs to be looked at by a DGR smith at or immediately after purchase.

that's weatherby, winchester, cz, etc etc etc

jeffe

As per the original question ... the .375 H&H is a great first step into a larger caliber that is legal is all of Africa. If the rifle has reasonable weight (9 pounds or so) with a scope, the recoil is very reasonable and you will get used to it pretty quickly.

The next larger calibers (the .378 Weatherby and any of the .416s) will be much more challenging to shoot, especially from the bench.

I went through this three years ago or there abouts. I got a great price of a .375 H&H and found it to be a great caliber. After getting my sea legs, I also found a CZ 550 in .416 Rigby that had already been worked over with a trigger job and full stock reenforcement and bedding. The price was reasonable.

The first time I shot it (from the bench), the recoil was very different. I had it held tightly with a strong cheek weld. It moved my head so quickly that it blurred my vision because my head was moving faster than the vitreous humor my eyes. Sort of took me aback a bit.

Did figure out how to mount and hold it without beating myself up. I did get used to it enough to take the step into a .470 NE later. Turns out I have relatively little sensitivity to recoil ... but I didn't know that going in.

The point is that the .375 H&H is a very easy transition ... the larger calibers will take some getting used to for the inexperienced.

The .375 Weatherby is worth considering as it has a bit more juice without being silly, and can use .375 H&H ammo in a pinch.

Have a good time with the little cannons ... and enjoy the adventure.

bwanajcj, once again check your PMs. =)

You've got some good advice here.

Start off with the first shots standing up with a 375 H&H. Then, when you move to the bench, don't hunch over. Sit upright and let your body roll with the recoil rather than take it straight back into your shoulder.

Most importantly, use a scope with plenty of eye relief. The little Leupold 2.5x is plenty for a big bore and has more than any other I've found. Recoil doesn't hurt, but getting cut on your eyebrow by the scope sure as hell does. It's happened 3 times to me and I've since made sure to alter my shooting style to prevent that from ever happening again. That includes my 416 Rem and 458 Win - both wear low power Leupolds.

It is a misconception that being larger helps with recoil. if you think about it there is more resistance to the recoil, thus more for it to overcome, equals more ouch. seems that it is always the smaller guys that have less problem with it. I am 6' and 260lbs., I don't shy away from it but at the same time think that the weight and size work against me.

probably a person with the mathematical understanding, or physics, could say whether I am right on this or not and explain it.

another option is shoot a couple of rounds of 458, then drop to 375 and feel like its a pussycat

Red

quote:

Originally posted by fusino:
What would you guys say is the limit of caliber as far as bench shooting it? I would imagine anything above .416 would be pretty brutal from anything but a standing position.

There are ways of shooting bigger stuff off the bench, but in general, I'd say that's pretty spot on. I've yet to find shooting full patch loads out of my 458 Lott from the bench to be recomended, but loading 350's @ 2400, it's a pussycat. The 500 Jeffrey wasn't that bad off the bench, but I hadn't worked up to full potential, though 600 gr @ 2200 does get your attention.

Yeah guys thanks for all of the advice. These forums really are awesome when it comes to knowledge. By the way please keep posting =)