What should I use for my deer hunt this year in my whitworth Mauser? Distance will be 100-150 yards.

Federal Blue Box, Rem Core-Lokt, Hornady Interlock.

I've used the Hornady on deer....Didn't make big holes.

Colin,

Any of the suggestions Heeler made would be fine. I can tell you from personal experience that the Remington Core-Lokt 270 GR round nose is devastating on thin skinned game. Also in my rifle they were incredibly accurate.

Mark

I will repeat the old line, "Whatever your gun shoots best."
I also have a Whitworth 375. It likes Sierra 300 grain, I missed the heck out of a Texas whitetail with it. Clipped a stick.

Colin, Others have pretty much covered it. Go with just about any factory load. My suggestion though would be... avoid the temptation to shooting light,fast Bullets. The higher velocity will cause unnecessary meat damage. Plain old 270 trainers will "do you good"! memtb

quote:

Originally posted by memtb:
Colin, Others have pretty much covered it. Go with just about any factory load. My suggestion though would be... avoid the temptation to shooting light,fast Bullets. The higher velocity will cause unnecessary meat damage. Plain old 270 trainers will "do you good"! memtb

This. At those ranges on deer you don't need premiums but I would stay away from light bullets. I have used both the Barnes and Speer 235's on deer pushed to max velocity. The accuracy was outstanding but the cost was a little more meat damage than I liked.
My advice would be to pick any C&C that your rifle shoots well.

Use what you, and the rifle, together shoot best. Placement, placement, placement.

I was going to also suggest the now almost forgotted 235 grain bullet. But then read Blacktailer's comment.

Use the weight that you usually use in the weapon and put the bullet in he right billet on the beast.

Someone gave me partial box of Prvi Partizan 300 grain softpoints. I remember that 7 or 8 rounds went into an inch at 100 yards with my Model 70. MidwayUSA sells them for less than $50/box so you might want to give them a try.

For deer and such you could use beer cans and cattails and do well indeed!

Any .375 bullet at H&H velocity will work like a charm, even cast bullets, that's one of the claims about the .375, its the worlds "All around rifle". If not, it's sure close enough for Gov-ment work. Ive used solids for deer and they worked very well.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
For deer and such you could use beer cans and cattails and do well indeed!

Any .375 bullet at H&H velocity will work like a charm, even cast bullets, that's one of the claims about the .375, its the worlds "All around rifle". If not, it's sure close enough for Gov-ment work. Ive used solids for deer and they worked very well.

Of course solids are illegal in most states.

Just use whatever 270-300 grain load that shoots best. My m70 Winchester likes the federal 270 hi-shok best. It works just fine, is extremely accurate and doesn't ruin meat.

I've been using a .375 H&H for deer for the last 40 years. I like the 270 grain pointed soft point.

Lots of great recommendations above. We shoot Remington Safari Grade 300g A-Frames out of our 375. We've been lucky to buy them for about $65 a box of 20. A litte stout for deer, but it certainly works on elk, black bear and brown bear so fart. Keeps things simple for us. One round for North America.

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
For deer and such you could use beer cans and cattails and do well indeed!

Any .375 bullet at H&H velocity will work like a charm, even cast bullets, that's one of the claims about the .375, its the worlds "All around rifle". If not, it's sure close enough for Gov-ment work. Ive used solids for deer and they worked very well.

Of course solids are illegal in most states.

Just use whatever 270-300 grain load that shoots best. My m70 Winchester likes the federal 270 hi-shok best. It works just fine, is extremely accurate and doesn't ruin meat.

I just looked it up today, in Ky full metal jacketed ammunition is prohibited. Kind of stupid.

IN some states the solid is illegal, most laws are made by politicians with 0 knowledge of ballistics, however in all fairness a solid will certainly go a long ways without stopping so I wouldn't recommend them for populated areas. Our ranch was unpopulated.

Solids have been rated by some experts as a poor killer of game. I have not found that to be the case, it penetrates and kills most deer size game and PG as well IMO..The solid has been killng elephants with shoulder shots for ions, go figure! I recall an elephant shot with a Woodleigh solid with either a 06 or 7x57, it went 100 to 150 yards and died and Ive never seen so much blood on the ground, about what one would expect of a deer under the same circumstances. If a tiny solid will kill and elephant, for goodness sakes it will surely kill a deer!!

During WW2 when rifle ammo was impossible to find, my family used black market milsurp 30-06 solids, ground the nose off to lead..They either killed deer well but on occasion they would certainly test your tracking skill. The final opinion was just shoot them as they came out of the box, no grinding off the tip. as they were too eradic and tended to come apart or whatever.

A .375 is just that much better than a 30-06 with a solid..much better indeed as bore size is the key to solids in such circumstance..All that said a good soft is the best in the .375, I would pick a hard one that wouldn't expand too much.

My one experience on deer was a 300 gr Hornady soft, and I hit it solid in the spine - almost cut it in half...

My experience on hogs has been similar - a solid hit on bone results in extensive damage. On soft tissue or chest shots, they don't destroy too much meat.

I can also tell you that unless you are proficient at head shots, the .375 is a bit much for turkeys...

Mine seems to prefer 260 to 270 grains for best accuracy.

I killed my deer last year with a 260 grain Nosler Accu-Bond going 2750+. The shot was about 40 yards with a nearly broadside presentation. I shot him just aft of the near shoulder. After a short sprint he piled up, no fuss and little meat damage.

375 + Deer
and we are discussing what ammo / bullet ?
Seriously ?

Don' t matter what a 375's is loaded with merely pointing it in the direction of the deer and hitting it will ensure a kill

I would try to keep shots behind the shoulder I suppose, but there is little meat on a deers shoulder sooooo???? Off the shoulder expect two holes, lots of blood on the ground and a 25 to 50 yard run..less blood shot meat than most of todays small calibers..

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
What should I use for my deer hunt this year in my whitworth Mauser? Distance will be 100-150 yards.

Hello Colin Masters,

I have shot 6 whitetail deer here in Wisconsin with my 375 H&H Remington 700 Safari.

250g Sierra SPBT - 80.0g I4350 - F215 = 2800 fps

With this load and sighting below you can aim at the heart from zero to 300 yards.

One year I shot 2 deer, one at 27 yards, and one at 300 yards, same point of aim. (at the heart)

Less meat spoilage than with a .308 winchester. Just a nice big hole, through-and-through.

100 yds = +3.00
150 yds = +3.25
200 yds = +2.00
250 yds = -0.75
300 yds = -5.25

Thanks for all the insight. I have been shooting it offhand at 50 yards well with the open sights, and I'll have the scope ready to sight in this week. I feel silly saying it but my shoulder is a little stiff.

Factory .375 H&H ammo good for deer:
Ditto: "Whatever shoots best in your rifle."

A 300-grain Swift A-frame at close to 2700 fps in a .375 Weatherby, hitting a Kodiak blacktail at 50 yards distance:
Nearly cut the deer in half.
Made it easy for me to finish cutting him in half to haul him out of the ravine.

That was a very appropriate deer hunting load on Kodiak Island.

buckstix's 250-grain Sierra GameKing load is a good idea,
IIRC, Federal used to load some factory .375 H&H ammo with that bullet.
A similar handload worked well for me on a 300-pound black bear at about 200 yards, uphill. He dropped and rolled downhill,
one shot through the boiler.

Similar should blow right through a deer at 100-150 yards, as said.
You could even slow the MV down a little, to about 2700 fps.
Whatever shoots best in your rifle.


Rip
.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
..... I feel silly saying it but my shoulder is a little stiff.

Hello Colin Masters,

I'm lucky in that I acquired "first year" Remington 700 Safari rifles with Factory Muzzle Breaks. (in 1962 they made fifteen (15) 375's, and twelve (12) 458's, using the left over barrels from their discontinued Kodiak models)

These kick about as much as a standard model in 308 Winchester cal. - so no stiff shoulder.

I have never weighed it, but my whitworth seems to weigh about 8 lbs. It's brisk! I'm going to work on shooting the irons at a 100 and then onto the scope work.

Given how it shoots I'm surprised that the .375 doesn't blow fist sized holes in thin skinned game. I was also very proud of my 14 year old stepson, he shot it twice at 25 yards and did very well.

quote:

Originally posted by buckstix:
I'm lucky in that I acquired "first year" Remington 700 Safari rifles with Factory Muzzle Breaks. (in 1962 they made fifteen (15) 375's, and twelve (12) 458's, using the left over barrels from their discontinued Kodiak models)
These kick about as much as a standard model in 308 Winchester cal. - so no stiff shoulder.

Howdy buckstix!
Is that a copy of the Winchester "African" rear sight on that "Pre-'64 Model 700,"
or just a sight that has a similar silhouette appearance?
What caliber rifle is pictured?


Rip
.

Hello RIP,

Its an early 1962 Rem rear sight. The rifle pictured is 375H&H and I have its twin in 458Mag. Both with the early Kodiak Barrels with Factory Muzzle Breaks.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
Thanks for all the insight. I have been shooting it offhand at 50 yards well with the open sights, and I'll have the scope ready to sight in this week. I feel silly saying it but my shoulder is a little stiff.

It'll help when you get the scope on. An extra pound is a lot on a rifle when it comes to
recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
Lots of great recommendations above. We shoot Remington Safari Grade 300g A-Frames out of our 375. We've been lucky to buy them for about $65 a box of 20. A litte stout for deer, but it certainly works on elk, black bear and brown bear so fart. Keeps things simple for us. One round for North America.

exactly use what your rifles like and one bullet is less headhache.

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
Thanks for all the insight. I have been shooting it offhand at 50 yards well with the open sights, and I'll have the scope ready to sight in this week. I feel silly saying it but my shoulder is a little stiff.

It'll help when you get the scope on. An extra pound is a lot on a rifle when it comes to
recoil.

Colin,

At the range and use some kind of a sissy pad (I do). Mines just a doubled up piece of 1/2" closed foam sleeping pad. No use in getting thumped while at the range by recoil. A .375 isn't that bad but it's best to concentrate on shooting rather than recoil. Once hunting you won't notice at all.

Have fun with your .375, they're kind of addictive!

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
Lots of great recommendations above. We shoot Remington Safari Grade 300g A-Frames out of our 375. We've been lucky to buy them for about $65 a box of 20. A litte stout for deer, but it certainly works on elk, black bear and brown bear so fart. Keeps things simple for us. One round for North America.

exactly use what your rifles like and one bullet is less headhache.

Exactly!! I have advocated this for many years. One rifle,one load, one zero....once you use it enough, familiarity leads to proficiently! From my .375AI,a 250 TTSX launched at 3130 has worked for me on coyotes, antelope(Pronghorn), and elk. memtb

I have used the Sierra 250 grain 375 in a Ruger I used to have.
Shoot them right into the shoulder; they will be blown down, and the shoulders will have a huge hole in them.
I don't eat the damn things anyway; I just want them knocked to the ground quickly.

The 250 Sierra BTSP is a favorite among Idaho locals, they show me perfectly expanded bullets out of elk every year..I shot a Gemsbok and a Kudu with them and the bullets were expanded and just under the off side skin..Ive seen enough to feel comfortable with them, but I do think there are better bullets out there like the Nosler Accubonds and partitions..I might have to shoot something up its keyster and need a bit more penetration..

I am currently running through my supply of 300 gr Hornady interlocks.

In a 375 H&H, any bullet that is legal where you hunt is going to work like a charm, but, the lighter bullets tear up a lot more meat. I have shot 20+ deer with a 375, the 300gr bullets are a lot easier on meat then the main stream "deer cartridges" like 308 win, 270 win, etc.

I agree, having shot several deer with the .375, a 270 or 300 grain bullet will do far less meat damage than the most popular deer cartridges. Plus you should not have any messy tracking jobs as everything I have shot with the old H&H went down like it was electrocuted.

Use 225 grain hornady interlocks at only 2600 ft./sec.

In Europe, I use 260 NP for roebuck (chevreuil), wildboar and red deer : very efficient without meat damage (a lot less than my 300WM but similar to my 9,3x62) I think this should be suitable to all your American game including big bears.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Colin,

Any of the suggestions Heeler made would be fine. I can tell you from personal experience that the Remington Core-Lokt 270 GR round nose is devastating on thin skinned game. Also in my rifle they were incredibly accurate.

Mark

+1

I've used a 375H&H rifle for just about everything from a coyote to Hippo with 300 gr expanding bullets. I haven't found it lacking, or causing over damaging on even the coyote, or hard to hit what I shoot at from muzzle to 300 yds.

If I could legally have only one rifle for hunting, it would be a 375H&H CRF bolt rifle with a 3 to 9 power scope, in return to zero scope mounts and iron sights! One rifle for the world!

......................................................................

A point overlooked is many soft nose bullet in .375 caliber react as a solid on small deer..

This year I shot a number of whitetail with the 30-06 using my elk loads, a 200 gr. Nosler Accubond, killed extremely well, mostly instant kills, a couple ran 25 yards, internal damage was extensive, but only a 6 inch blood shot area, I was impressed and surprised and pleased as to finding one load for all game with the 30-06..Same bullet works great on elk.

Shooting deer size PG with the 375 and various softs and solids one should expect runs of 15 to 50 yards, good blood trails, and not a lot of meat damage..Good option any way you cut it. Instant kills in many cases show a lot of blood shot meat..velocity is the villain of instant kills and ruined meat.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
A point overlooked is many soft nose bullet in .375 caliber react as a solid on small deer..

This year I shot a number of whitetail with the 30-06 using my elk loads, a 200 gr. Nosler Accubond, killed extremely well, mostly instant kills, a couple ran 25 yards, internal damage was extensive, but only a 6 inch blood shot area, I was impressed and surprised and pleased as to finding one load for all game with the 30-06..Same bullet works great on elk.

Shooting deer size PG with the 375 and various softs and solids one should expect runs of 15 to 50 yards, good blood trails, and not a lot of meat damage..Good option any way you cut it. Instant kills in many cases show a lot of blood shot meat..velocity is the villain of instant kills and ruined meat.

I was just going to say that just about any bullet out of a .375 is going to act a lot like a solid on soft little critter like a deer.