To buy or borrow a rifle.....?

I plan on hunting cape buffalo in the not-to-distant future. I do not, however, have a rifle that I can legally use to take such a critter.....the biggest rifle I have is a .338 Win. magnum.
I know that outfitters have rifles that they loan/rent for clients, and I was wondering if it would make more sense to borrow a rifle for this hunt than to buy.
As I am only planning on doing this once (I have no other interest in other dangerous game.....at least at this point in time), I am leaning towards borrowing/renting, as that $1200-$1500 that I am looking at to buy a good, used quality repeater in .375 H&H or .458 Win. mag could be put to something else, such as air fare, taxidermy, or another animal or two. And the initial outlay for the rifle is just the start.....then there is ammo (.458 Win. mag is running about $100/20 rds), reloading dies, time spent working up loads, powder, bullets, etc.

However, I do have some concerns: Would I be able to handle the recoil of a .375 H&H, esp. under hunting conditions, without much "practice"? Is it sound wisdom to hunt dangerous game with a rifle one is unfamiliar with?
I was thinking of practicing with my .338 and a stout load with a 250 grain bullet.....would this get me "in shape" for shooting a .375 (from what I've seen on recoil tables, the two are somewhat close, numbers-wise)?

Looking for input from those who have borrowed rifles (esp. for dangerous game)......any issues? Also, from the PH side of things: Do you prefer your clients come with their own rifle, or do you feel it is sufficient to spend a little time on the range and then go hunting with a borrowed rifle (again, for dangerous game)?

All input is appreciated..............thanks!

One other thought: Has anyone ever "borrowed" a rifle from a friend and taken it to S.A. or Namibia on a hunt? There is the possibility of borrowing a Ruger 77 in .458 from a friend, but I don't want to suggest it if there are going to be all types of hassles with governing bodies, paperwork, etc.

Sir,
Borrow your outfitter's .375H&H rather than buying a rifle. It will just add unnecessary costs to an already expensive hunt to go out and buy a rifle. Honestly, the .375H&H is far from being heavy on recoil. You will be just fine!
Maybe hunt two small heads of game on day one and two, before setting off after the Cape Buffalo, or, get your outfitter to pick you up a box of the cheapest .375H&H ammo to simply get the feel of the rifle. Don't worry too much with what you do on the range with the cheap ammo. As long as you can put the "hunting" rounds in the correct spot. Shooting distance will like be 50-100m on Cape Buffalo.\

We look forward to the photos and the report!

Agree with Marius.

As you, I am a .338WM user.
When going for my buffalo I just asked a friend of mine to lend me his .375HH. Believe me there is not much difference in recoil.

...you lot suck...Don't listen to them!! Buy a new gun of course! Fiscal responsibility has no place in matters of the heart. Anyways, its a 450/400 you need and you will not be able to borrow that

recoil is about the same.

I would suggest you rent a rifle from your PH.

I am not sure what country you will be hunting in.

I was able to rent a rifle from my PH and i brought along 3 boxes of ammo 2 boxes of solid and a box of soft. Silly me, The PH found the unused ammo in my tent after i left as some how i overlooked it and forgot to pack the ammo.

Hello Mr. 16 gauge,

Most "gun nuts" (myself included) will tell you that the average rifle in caliber .338 Winchester / 250 gr load seems to "kick harder" than the average rifle in .375 H&H / 300 gr load.
I have noticed this mostly with an old Ruger M77 in .338 that I bought in my 20's in preparation for moving to Alaska, back in the old horse and buggy days.

The first time I fired that thing, I thought the fillings in my teeth surely had come loose.
Since those carefree days of my sordid youth, I have fired up to and including the .600 Nitro (many of my fellow geezer gun nut friends here are serious collectors).

I am not as sturdy against recoil as some of my tougher friends are and the .600 is too much for my plinking pleasure but, I can definitely handle the .375 H&H, very accurately, even with full factory spec loads / 300 grainers.
You will be able to do the same, I have no doubt.

Be that as it may, these days I load my 300 gr bullets only to 2400 fps.
This chosen load / velocity is not rare with some PH's, throughout the parts of Africa where hand-loading one's own ammunition is common place.
Recoil from this load is noticeably more comfortable than the full house factory spec 300 grainers are (2550 fps) and it still strikes with more authority than it's rather misleading "paper ballistics" seem to suggest.

I am convinced this sharper .338 recoil is mostly because way too many .338's are built at about 8.5 to 9 pounds - too light for the 250 gr load - IMO.
Furthermore, the .338 has fairly straight sides and a sharp shoulder, whereas the .375 tapers well and has only a slight shoulder.
I believe this results in the .338 having a "faster" recoil than the classic old .375 H&H (same goes for the .300 H&H compared to cartridges like the .300 Winchester, .308 Norma magnum and similar wildcats).

Many .375's, thankfully weigh in at 9.5 to 10.5 pounds.
Good for taming recoil but, carrying it all day can wear out the average city slicker if he or she does not care enough about their hunting trip to get in shape for same.

Being a dreaded gun nut and all, I have owned both the .338 Winchester and the .375 H&H but, sold the .338 almost 30 years ago and of the two, I have only the .375 these days.
Reason being, I do not favor long range big game hunting and the .375 will shoot a 300 gr bullet with plenty flat enough trajectory for what I do.
The .375 H&H is likely a favorite, among The Hunting Gods no doubt.

Long, boring story short, if you are not a gun nut/rifle collector, you likely will not want to sell/trade off your .338 for a .375 and therefore, I vote with the others here who recommend that you borrow or rent a .375 from your PH.
As eluded to in my above rant:
"If you can shoot a .338 Winchester / 250 gr well, then you will also be able to shoot the .375 H&H / 300 gr well".

Help, I'm typing and I can't stop.

Cheerio,
Velo Dog.

Funny thing is for me one of the appeals of hunting dangerous game is just so I a reason to own a big gun!

But for me, I started off being interested in guns and shooting then interest in hunting came next.

I agree with Velo Dog.
Witold

I you can handle your 338 Win Mag the 375 H&H will be a piece of cake. I have a Tika T3 in 338 win Mag, I would rather shoot my CZ 550 in 375 H&H

brushmore said:

Funny thing is for me one of the appeals of hunting dangerous game is just so I a reason to own a big gun!

But for me, I started off being interested in guns and shooting then interest in hunting came next.

Click to expand...

Me too.
Great minds think alike.

Kinda like to "shoot " something I harvest with my own weapon. I just went out and bought a 375 Ruger in there guide gun model. It has a muzzle break installed by the factory and it does have some weight to it. I have not shot it yet as the weather here in NY has been cold, snowy and just plain miserable. I plan on hunting buffalo and lion in the near future with it. Having owned a 338 win mag and several 300 weatherbys over the years I m not too concerned about the recoil and I do shoot at the range with a caldwell lead sled. Worth the money for sure.

Borrowing is an entirely practical approach, but not the way I would go. Somehow hunting dangerous game with a borrowed weapon gives me the willies. Assuming all goes well it is not a problem. Still, I like to be familiar with the rifle I'm using.

The cost of buying a rifle could be mostly recouped by selling it. If it were purchased used and you didn't damage it, you could end up owning it for free.

No need to invest in hand loading equipment if you aren't going to own it long term. Just shoot factory ammo for practice, get familiar and go.

As far as borrowing the rifle from your friend, since here in the USA there is no rifle registration, as far as anyone can tell it is your rifle. The only proof I've ever had to show in Namibia is my customs form. All the customs person is saying on the form is that you had it in the US before you left so that you don't have to pay import duty. I've never showed a receipt to the customs man, just here I am, here's the gun, write down the serial number and that is that. You could even purchase it from your friend and get a bill of sale if you want and sell it back to him after the hunt if it makes you feel better.

Johnnyblues you will love the guide gun. I have it in 416 Ruger and it is great to shoot with or without the break. Have fun with it.

Mr. 16 gauge said:

However, I do have some concerns: Would I be able to handle the recoil of a .375 H&H, esp. under hunting conditions, without much "practice"? Is it sound wisdom to hunt dangerous game with a rifle one is unfamiliar with?
I was thinking of practicing with my .338 and a stout load with a 250 grain bullet.....would this get me "in shape" for shooting a .375 (from what I've seen on recoil tables, the two are somewhat close, numbers-wise)?

Looking for input from those who have borrowed rifles (esp. for dangerous game)......any issues? Also, from the PH side of things: Do you prefer your clients come with their own rifle, or do you feel it is sufficient to spend a little time on the range and then go hunting with a borrowed rifle (again, for dangerous game)?

All input is appreciated..............thanks!

One other thought: Has anyone ever "borrowed" a rifle from a friend and taken it to S.A. or Namibia on a hunt? There is the possibility of borrowing a Ruger 77 in .458 from a friend, but I don't want to suggest it if there are going to be all types of hassles with governing bodies, paperwork, etc.

Click to expand...

I would always say it's more fun to shoot your own rifle, and I think everyone would agree with that, but that's luxury we may not all have. I've done it once before, and wasn't thrilled with the result - a borrowed .375 in Zimbabwe with hand loaded ammo. The rifle was in decent shape, but I had a very hard time getting the scope as crisp as I am used to, and the ammo was another problem altogether. However, it can be done.

As far as recoil goes, you will obviously fire the gun a few times before you actually use it on an animal, but if you've used something like a .300 win mag in the past, you will have no problem. There is more recoil to the .375, but in my experience (I have both), the .375 pushed rather than slaps, so I don't see much difference between the two, regardless of what the ballistics tables say. And I can assure you of one thing - when you actually pull the trigger on an animal, one or more times, you will not feel the recoil at all.

So if you can't practice with a .375 or something close, then just practice with a good gun of reasonable calibre, and you will be fine with the .375.

Here is a link to a Rifle Recoil Table and you will notice that the .375 HH isn't really that much more than your .338 Win mag.

As for borrowing, renting, or purchasing a rifle I am the type of person that would purchase one. Either a used one or new to take with me. There is something about using your own weapon on a hunt that creates memories.

Recoil from a 375HH while heavier than I was used to but not a deal breaker,,,In a real life situation with the adrenalin rush I guarantee you won't feel the recoil JMTC

Rent the gun from your PH. One of the real advantages of that course of action is not having to go through the hassle of bringing a weapon through US and international customs - an advantage you will void if you borrow your friends and drag it through the whole process. For a one time hunt, I would definitely opt for the .375 over the .458. The recoil of the .375 will be little different, probably even less, than your .338. More importantly, the trajectory will be almost identical - important when you are shooting at all those other things that are a bit farther away and aren't big and black.

Buy a 375, then you will buy a 416 and then a 458 and then.......... It is a vicious cycle! Need really has nothing to do with it. You need to eat and you need to drink and you need to buy more guns. Period

If you buy 375.... Then you will spend another $1000 in ammo, in CA make that $2000. Then the asswhip of travel with. I don't know... You're call. I was on my plane ride back from my first trip, arranging for my 375 for my next trip for bigger game. You might consider that $2 or 3k to the good & apply to another animal..... Eitherway.... You're welcome here.