I'm considering a 375 H&H for New Mexico oryx and elk (as opposed to dangerous game). I've found one I like, but it has a 22" barrel. While I generally prefer short barrels, I'm concerned about the effect it will have on bullet performance (specifically, trajectory and retained energy). Would a 24" barrel be that much more effective? Any input is appreciated. - John

Go forth.

Where in NM?

Out of a 24" barrel, i am getting around 3020 fps from a 235 Barnes TSX, in the neighborhood of 2840 from a 250 Sierra Gameking and haven't chrono'ed anything heavier yet. The 250 or the Nosler 260 gr would be my choice for NA game. The shorter barrel might cost you as much as 100 fps but probably not that much. The .375 just kills stuff and I don't believe you'll notice any loss in killing stuff. Just my .02

I sure wouldn't let a 22" stop me if it is a nice rifle. Anything you shoot will never tell the difference.

If you like it buy it, before someone else does and you regret it.

Thanks for all the responses. Its good to know the shorter barrel won't make much difference. I was just thinking about this purchase earlier, now I'm thinking about it alot more. It would certainly fill a void in my safe...

JSL3170, I'm in Las Cruces, but I'm originally from Maine too. Small world!

My in-laws live in Ruidoso. Where in Maine?

thirty years ago a local shop had a Sako carbine in 375H&H. 20" inch barrel in a mannlicher stock. The original owner thoughtfully had it magna-ported. After an hour of jewing down to $300, plus tax; it came home with me. Factory 300gr loads were down about 240fps. It still killed stuff, but just at both ends. It might have weighed seven pounds.

Buy it!

OK! OK! I'm convinced! Thank you for the good advice. Now all I have to do is convince the Boss. Talk about dangerous game! - John

JSL3170, I sent you a PM.

I shortened mine from 24 to 22 inches and added better sights, the difference in velocity with my hand loads was less than 50 fps.

Fix a shorter barrel with RL-15 and 250-grain TTSX's.

With 235 gr. TSX and 21" barrel I get a mean velocity of 3066 fps. Get the rifle and don't look back It is one hell of a caliber that has earned its reputation on every continent. It is not a high velocity round so the few feet a second you lose will not mean a thing because elevation is constant when you know the b.c. and velocity you will know the tradjectory adjust for it and it's a bang flop every time. My rifles balance better with shorter tubes I'am not so concerned with paper ballistics any more.

Add 1 more vote for getting the rifle. My 375 has a 24 inch barrel, wished it was 26 inch as I prefer longer barrels, but with the 22 inch barrel, you and the critter you shoot with it will never know the difference.

I would never again buy or build a rifle with more than 21" of barrel length... These days are past... Earlier I believed in 25" or 26" barrels and max velocity. Now I know I only loose 80-100 fps going from 26" to 21" of barrellength in many big bore calibers, and in the real world it means no difference... But a shorter rifle, lighter weight and a more fasthandling rifle MATTERS... A LOT!!!!

FWIW, i was at the range with my 23" 375 yesterday in an Echols Legend stock. i had loaded a batch of 250 gr TBBCs and while i haven't got them over a chrony, I guess somewhere in the 2700-2750 range. Very easy to shoot! Everyone who held it noted the balance with the stock and the barrel length.

For a synthetic, i cannot highly recommend the Legend enough!

I have been shooting short barrel rifles for well over 50 years. My favorite 375H&H has a 21" barrel as does my 416Rigby. I have been reloading for well over those 50 years also and have never had a Chrono or even seen one at the range. I load somewhere below maximum and when the group is good I quit experimenting. I have yet to have a game animal complain that the bullet didn't hit him hard enough. Guess they just can't read ballistic's tables.

I have used a SAKO Handy rifle in 375 H&H with a 20" barrel a fair amount, my brother has it now.

My current favorite 375 H&H has a 19 3/4" [50cm] barrel.
I would not hesitate to hunt cape buff or elephant with it, IF I was to use a rifle with ONLY one barrel...

I've got a sako .375 manlicher w 20.5" barrel, vg shot a fair amount of game with it. i like it very much and it is very accurate.

If you like the rifle I would buy it to see how it shoots. My first .375 was a Pre-64 with virtually no bluing and the stock was grimy and kind of black. It had a 2 1/2x Alaskan in a G&H side mount. Someone had cut the barrel to just over 20 inches, apparently with a hacksaw, then crowned it with a file. No front sight was installed. Kinda rendered the G&H mount moot. It was cheap, very cheap and it was a.375. I shot it with great satisfaction for years, but got bit by the snob bug and let it go cheap. I really regret it now. It seems that the larger the bore, the less effect the length has on velocity and you get a "stiffer" barrel too. My first .375 shot Speer 235 grain "seconds" at high velocity and with great accuracy.

I know you've already made up your mind to get the rifle, but if you hadn't, I'd add my voice to those trying to shove you in that direction.

For several years I had a .375 H&H pre-'64 Model 70 I bought in Alaska. The owner there loved it, but had gotten too old and too infirm to go out in the woods anymore.

It had a 19" barrel, A Griffin & Howe double lever side mount, and a Lyman Alaskan scope. It was a GREAT hunting rifle. I never would have sold it except my kids kept wanting to eat and I needed the money to keep us all alive while I finished my last term in university.

I doubt you'll ever have reason to regret this particular purchase of yours.

quote:

zimbabwe: I have been reloading for well over 50 years and have never had a Chrono

You should get one. They aren't expensive, aren't rocket science, remove alot of guesswork and add alot to the overall handloading experience.

I have a Chrono that I ended up with for free (was a loaner, uncle got another one and didn't want this one back) I like that it takes all BS and guessing out of it. I chrono both factory loads and loads I roll myself. is interesting. one thing its taught me, if Hornady loads superformance for what you're shooting, don't bother with handloading except for practice! (I'm a big superformance fan)

In testing ammo between 24" and 22" barreled 30-06's it was so negligible a difference that I wouldn't worry about performance when deciding barrel length, to me it is more important handling and balance.

Red

I've never understood the place or the need for a 22" rifled barrel.

As far as I'm concerned, rifles have barrels of 24" (or for our metric friends, approx. 60cm) or more. And carbines have barrels of 20" (or approx. 50cm) or less.

To me, it's all about handiness. A "rifle" with a 22" barrel is to me no more handy than a full length barreled rifle. But a carbine with a barrel length of 20" or less is definitely handier than a rifle with a full length barrel.

Anyway, sorry for the diversion, as it's probably just my particular way of looking at this thing. But I'd say that if you want a rifle, I'd hold out for a true "rifle"!

And if you want a true carbine, then buy this one and saw off the extra two inches.

I say forget it and just go for a stainless .375 Ruger with a 20 inch barrel or buy a barreled action from Legacy Sports and throw it in a pepper laminate stock from Boyds. You can get 2700 fps with a 270 grain bullet even with the shorter 20 inch barrel and 2550 with the 300 grainers

http://legacysports.com/products/howa_baractions.html

Or how about this:

http://legacysports.com/products/howa_375ruger.html

Twenty or twenty four inch stainless barrel for less than $686 bucks. You just can't go wrong.

I was once a naysayer but now I am sold on both the 300 and .338 compact magnums as well as the .375 and .416 Ruger. Mitch at Hornady is a genius when it comes to cartridge design.

250g Swift A-Frames with IMR 4320 gets you 2800 fps with very little recoil. Good for anything in North America. My Rem XCR II in 375 Weatherby gets 2700 fps with a 300g A-Frame from a 22" barrel, but it does kick a tad more ...

quote:

Originally posted by Beelzebubba:
I'm considering a 375 H&H for New Mexico oryx and elk (as opposed to dangerous game). I've found one I like, but it has a 22" barrel. While I generally prefer short barrels, I'm concerned about the effect it will have on bullet performance (specifically, trajectory and retained energy). Would a 24" barrel be that much more effective? Any input is appreciated. - John

In reading your original post yet again, I can't see anything in there about "needing" a short barrel. What I do see is a question about whether or not it loses so much power or the trajectory worsens so much with its 22" barrel as to make it inadvisable to buy this particular rifle you've seen.

What I tried to show in my post about the 19" barreled .375 H&H Model 70 I bought used was that, NO, the short barrel did not hurt its performance enough to make it a poor rifle to hunt with. It was a GREAT hunting rifle, and I loved that sucker.

If you like this rifle you've been looking at, and have the coin, buy it and use it without worries.

Whether any one else understands your desire for it is irrelevant. It will still do the job for you with its 22" barrel and you will still like it. That's all that is important in this situation.

Ciao