Is the .375 H&H strong enough

[JOODOWD]

It sounds like most people shot a .416 Rigby or larger, but most countries state the minimum Big 5 caliber to be a .375. Does the .375 H&H not have the knockdown?

 

[Gerhard]

Many many big game animals have been shot with the 375 H&H in Africa.

As with all calibres you need to place the bullet in the vital area and your bullets need to be strong enough to penetrate deep and brake bones if need be.

 

[oscar1975]

I agree that the 375 H & H Magnum is a gauge that has killed many animals of the so-called dangerous, but I also think exist for these animals, the 375 H & H Magnum calibers is an ideal for all kinds of blackbucks caliber and then good idea is to carry a 416 for everything else (dangerous fauna).

Oscar.

 

[hound_hunter]

.375 for Blackbuck? I'll be the first to admit that I would be the last to know.. but doesn't that seem like major overkill? I would think like a .270 or 7mm at most for blackbuck, I could be wrong though?

 

[Mike70560]

I believe Oscar is Spanish and at times the translation is not perfect. He more than likely was refering to plainsgame not blackbuck, which if that is the case I agree with him 100%. I just had a 375 built specifically for plainsgame, but would not hesitate to shoot anything with it if I had to.


With that being said, if something really big wants to kill me I prefer a little more horsepower.

 

[jaustin]

The .375 H&H is big enough for anything that walks the earth and most people can handle the recoil so they tend to shoot it better than something bigger. One thing that is rarely mentioned in the discussions on the merits of the .375 is that most hunters are going to be backed up by their PH, and the pro is probably going to be packing something that begins with a 4 or even a 5. The greatest thing about the .375 is that it is probably the most versatile cartridge ever produced, but like other versatile cartridges such as the great 30/06, there are better options on the high end and the low end. Yes, the .375 is deadly on game from duikers to elephant, but there may be better choices for these extremes. Discussions about the .375 H&H is to Africa what the 30/30 is to America, even though both of these rounds continue to effectively harvest game, there always seems to be someone who claims they are no longer capable of doing what they have already done.

 

[JOODOWD]

So if i were planning a safari mainly for Cape Buffalo would it be foolhardy of me to show up with a 375 H&H, and expect a one shot kill with a proper heart or spine shot or would it most likely need the PH's follow up?

 

[Mike70560]

If you are bringing one rifle and hunting buf and plainsgame it would be an excellent choice. I would suggest a premium 300 grain bullet.

As some other posts stated it is all about shot placement and penetration.

Have a good conversation with your PH about backup shots and what you each expect. Make a good first shot and keep shooting (if possible) and there will be no need for a backup shot.

But a 470 Krieghoff is so cool just not as practical.

 

[JOODOWD]

if I were to bring only a .375 H&H should I scope it? From what I can gather from different threads the average shot on buffs is around 15 to 30 yards or at "sporting distances". It seems to me at those distances when you looked through a scope all that would be seen is a wall of black hair and mud. As far as plains game I'm at a total loss for average distances, hence the scope issue?

 

[TROPHY DESTINATIONS]

I just got a .375H&H and i mounted a 1-6 scope on it so that i can shoot and short and farther range. The ammo that i am useing and would recommend is Normas African PH, because it is a little stronger than normal 375 cartiges as it has 350grain. The 375 will be the rifle I will be useing for the rest of the time on african game, no mater what. I am however looking at a ,505 gibbs, ,600NE or .700NE as doubles, so that if anything happens I could always use a larger calibre.

 

[Shallom]

I think the topic has been pretty well covered - the .375 H&H is a very capable calibre with a very good track record on a range of game and is probably still the most famous calibre in Africa - it has a proven track record (if used properly).

It does however leave you wanting when that buff of a lifetime is angling and just about to enter a thicket where you are not sure about getting another shot at him or even seeing him again. Even with a bigger calibre, you DO NOT want to take risky shots, but from my exeprience, a little angle can be handled better by bigger calibres than .375 and from my experience, most dangerous game that have been wounded and lost, or wounded and caused distress, have been from not-so-great shooting from a .375... whereas with the .416 you tend to get away with a little nervous shooting.

I would recommend a .416 over a .375 for buffalo, but have nothing bad to say about the .375 provided the person using the gun knows what he is doing. Just my take on it.

 

[Gerhard]

Ryan,

A 375 H&H 300gr bullet is worth more when it goes into the boiler room than a 416 in the stomach.

The guys need to understand that its great to have a little extra horsepower under the hood. But you need to be able to shoot it accurately every time and any time.

I would suggest that the hunter practise as much as possible with the calibre he intend to hunt with, be it a 375 H&H or 505 Gibbs. If he can not handle recoil and shoot accurate wit the big calibres step down in calibre size.

What I am trying to say is hit what you aim at does not matter what calibre you use. And your animal will go down quick.

 

[Shallom]

Affirmative Gerhard - ANY calibre on ANY animal is worth more in the boiler room than in the gut. I could not agree more with being able to shoot well with whatever you use and hitting the target ibeing the only key to success... There is no better 'all-round' calibre than the .375 H&H for African Big Game. BUT for thick skinned animals, it does not have the 'knock-down' power found in the .4... calibres. All of the big-5 can be taken with a .375 H&H, without a doubt. But even if only for more effect and insurance, I would always reccomend a .4... calibre for the buffalo, rhino and elephant.

Elephants are frequently taken down with .30-06 especially on culling programs and it is very effective for the professionals who carry-out those operations and people who employ that calibre - but you realy need to KNOW what you are doing and there is very little room for error. I have personally taken a number of buffalo with a .338 and also used a .30-06 - but I would not advise anyone to try it for trophy hunting. There are risks! Indeed, hit what you are aiming at, but do concern yourself with the calibre too.

 

[Gerhard]

Ryan,

I know that the 303 Brit with 215gr solids was used very successfully in KNP for elephant culling operations.

My personal feeling is that the 375 H&H is a calibre that all hunters can still shoot accurate as the recoil is not that bad to influence bad shot placement.

The visiting hunter should not stress about stuff like stopping power and stuff like that. They PH will take care of any situation like that because that is what he is trained and paid to do.

But I am sure as you might well know 99% of all PH's will rather have the client kill the animal with one shot well placed bullets than waste valuable hunting time looking for wounded animals.

So at the end to answer the question.

Is the 375 H&H strong enough?

Yes it is.

 

[Mike70560]

This has been a good active informative thread. To answer the scope question, a quality 1.5 by 6 (or thereabout) would be fine.

One comment on the Norma PH; I tried some 450 grain Norma in my 416 Remington. The velocity was 2050 FPS at the muzzle. It even felt underpowered. I like the heavy bullet wiith the better sectional density but just felt it was undepowered. You can buy the bullets from Woodleigh and reload.

 

[Calhoun]

The 375 H&H has more than enough power for most aspects of any hunting situation! I agree for the Elephant, & Rhino a 4 or more would be better. I think to much is cracked up about velocity & down range energy, which is all guaged in gelatin, or wet newspaper. Real judging would be quite difficult as one has no idea from shot to shot on bone or hide etc. If a person could interview the animal you would probably find out 50 fps wouldn't matter as much as a well placed shot!
As far as the writers & stuff that say the 30/06 or 30/30 are outdated - all they are trying to do is sell guns & magazines! Practice, practice, and more practice is what's needed. As far as a scope I have a 2x10 on my 375 & I like it very much! As far a s a back up.... My african guide also carried a 375 H&H. He shoots it very well & I would be more than comfortable with him & his choice had the occassion arised!

 

[oscar1975]

I apologize for the translations, I use the google translator and sometimes make mistakes. I meant that the 375 is an ideal size for animals for the eland, and I think that even for the elephants, buffaloes etc, but when they are very quiet, however for the back gauge is a bit marginal power.

Oscar.

 

[oscar1975]

I also have a Ceska in the 375, calibre and it consider ideal single caliber provided be backed by PH. Ah! I want to buy a rifle in calibre 458 Lott, now that I have a good armero, a 338 win mag, a 375 H & H Magnum and the 458 Lott (if God wants).!

Greetings and forgive my English,

Oscar.

 

[Gerhard]

Oscar,

No problems with the English. We are all talking the same language here...

Hunting

 

[oscar1975]

Oscar,

No problems with the English. We are all talking the same language here...

Hunting

That is what I like about these forums, that the common language is that, on the hunt.

Oscar.