Mark,

The only thing you should have to compute is just how much elephant you can afford.

George

GeorgeS

Your right its 285 not 385, thats what I get for doing it in my head. Must be this dang fever

Mark,
Don't be shooting elephants at 100 yds if you can help it! Get as close as you can, and then get closer! Muzzle energy is just fine to consider.

However, a .375 will usually hold up better down range with better BC for most of the considered solid bullets for elephant, versus the larger bores.

The 375 Weatherby is a grand cartridge that has been hurt by bean counters and association with the Weatherby/"Woundedby"/"Wounderbee"/"Woundabeast" hypervelocity smear.

The 375 Weatherby would be great with a 300 grain or 350 grain solid of any make. The heavier the bullet, the better the 375 Weatherby becomes. Light weight bullets are better served with a 375 H&H but the 300 and 350 grainers really shine in a 375 Weatherby.

350 grainers at 2550 fps for just over 5000 ft-lbs ME is an easy task in the 375 Wby with 24" barrel. RL-22 or Norma MRP about 90 grains will do it, with </= 3.600" COL.

The 375 Weatherby does with 350 grain bullets what the 375 H&H does with 300 grain bullets, velocity wise, at same pressures and barrel lengths. That is the best way to sum up the 375 Weatherby.

The 375 Weatherby can only do about 100 fps better with the 235 to 270 grain bullets, but the slower powders and heavier bullets will get 200 fps greater, easily, with 300 to 350 grain bullets, versus the 375 H&H.

A CZ 550 with a 3.8" box will allow more advanced tuning of loads for the 375 afficianado. An extra cannelure on some bullets would be a good idea. Lower pressures AND higher velocities with excellent accuracy can be obtained.

You are really looking at about 800 ft-lbs energy advantage, if that matters, of the 375 Weatherby over the 375 H&H at any given range, with the same 300 to 350 grain bullet.

I am not an elephant hunter, but have hunted with various .375's on two continents over the last 17 years. My opinion of the 375 Weatherby just keeps getting better with time.

And don't forget that a 375 Weatherby will turn 375 H&H 300 grain factory loads into Doctari super killers when fired in the Weatherby chamber in a pinch.

The prefered freebore is 0.3700" nowadays on the 375 Weatherby standard chamber, but you can go shorter with a custom chamber. Do not get the old 0.7500" freebore of yore.

And yes, the 416 RemMag Winchester M70 Safari Express weighs as much as the CZ 550 Magnum 416 Rigby, nearly identical.

Barnes manual no.2
imr4064 71gr = 2600fps

Rifle weight? CZ 550 9.3lbs + scope + sling + rings.... I used a total weight of 10.7 pounds.

All calculations were done using the calculators on www.realguns.com

Mark,

No reason whatsoever. With properly headstamped brass, you won't have any bureaucratic issues to contend with.

I don't know how much benefit the extra 100fps aand 285ft.-lbs. of energy will offer on an elephant, but it cannot hurt to have.

George