The 375HH may not be "ALL THAT" for African Plains Game

[BryceM]

If you want bang-flops, such incapacitation only comes from damage or shock to the CNS. IMO, this is most easily done with high-velocity rounds and bullets that can handle the speed. The .257 Weatherby is one of the kings in this arena. The 6.5x300 Wby, .300 RUM, and many others will be similar.

The 375 H&H is a different beast. It's terribly effective at manufacturing holes in important organs, but critters will sometimes go for a bit of a stroll before tipping over. You're not going to see the immediate effect of what the usual whitetail hunter sees when 270 softs cavitate the majority of a deer's innards.

 

[MacJenkins]

Matching bullet with your intended game is the game. If I was shooting whitetail with a 375 I would be running a 235 Raptor as fast as you can.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have tested several bullets in 375s on wild hogs in Alabama.

With good shoulder shots, every bullet killed very quickly.

I have used 235 and 300 grain TSX from Barnes, 300 grain Woodleigh Hydros, and 300 grain trophy bonded bear claws.

I saw no problems with 375s killing quickly with good shot placement.

My friend @JHT and I were testing bullets on trapped wild boars to make sure they would expand and kill quickly for his upcoming leopard hunt.

His lung shot leopard went maybe 150 yards with the 300 grain Bear claw.

So I think on animals less than 300 pounds, something like a 308 is ideal.

But for plains game from the little antelope to eland, nothing beats a 375.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Very good constructive comments. Well done. I have only had one case of poor shot placement with my 375 and in that case a Kudu was shot a bit too low with the first shot due to a mis-fire on the initial attempt (bad ammo) and a rushed follow up that led to a hit low in the brisket that also broke the front leg. After a long tracking job we finished it with a shoulder shot. That one was on me for sure. After running out of my Barnes ammo, I was using some commercial reloads some of which failed to go "bang". Murphy is a vindictive little Irish SOB.

I’ll say it again a little louder, if you think the .375 isn’t a good round for PG as you eluded to in your initial post, you’ve had more than one instance of poor shot placement. We all make bad shots but you now have 4 pages (I’m sure to be more) telling you it’s not the caliber, it’s not the bullet, it’s not the gun, it’s you; you’re the problem.

You’ve demonstrated you can punch paper and ring steel off a bench. That also shows your gun is accurate and capable, but that doesn’t equate to being a good shot on something living. When’s the last time you shot an African animal off a bench? They’re walking and moving, they’re not perfectly broadside, they’re not at common known distances, they have brush or grass between you and them, you’re likely excited and potentially breathing a lot heavier from the stalk. Get off the flat range, shoot off sticks, do some exercises to get your heart rate up and breathing heavy.

 

[pc3]

I've shot quite a few PG animals now with my .375HH. My last few trips the .375 is been taken along with my double .470 as a backup for buffalo and the primary PG rifle. The results have included many bang-flops, some that ran a small distance but still just a one shot kill, and a few that ran a bit more and required follow up shots.

The difference between the ban-flops and the others was shot placement. The bang-flops were well placed on the shoulder shots, the others were due to less than perfect placement. The old saying about hitting an animal poorly with a bigger caliber is less desirable than a perfectly placed smaller caliber applies still.

So I will continue to hunt PG confidently with my .375HH and expect great results when I do my part. I will say however if the shots start getting beyond 200 yards, a lighter smaller caliber with a faster bullet is sometimes a better choice.

I used a 300 WM with 212gr Hornady ELDX I shot Zebra, Hartebeast, Impala, Blesbok and a Kudu….my shots were on occasion a little high, I still had one shot kills.

My son the same with his .270 bar a mercy shot on a large wildebeest which didn’t need it, it had pull up nose in the ground that was a Speer 150gr hotcor.

I think the issue people are having with the .375 is that the TSX’s are a tad too hard for some plains game.

I like the .300 WM for plains game and I’d be confident to poke a 212 eldx into an Eland as well given a well presented shot.

In the next two or 3 years I’d like to try!

Try a slightly softer pill for the .375 on PG

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Try a slightly softer pill for the .375 on PG

If on a PG only hunt, that certainly makes sense, although I'd be moving to the 250gr version of the North Fork SS bonded cores which have proven themselves to me on PG.

But when carrying that rifle as a backup for DG, need to stick with the 300gr bullets. The point in my original post is that for me with the North Fork bullets, it never has been an issue on PG.

 

[colorado]

But a 375 Weatherby (essentially a 375 H&H Improved) kicks ass 300g A-Frame at 2800 fps

 

[Creigh]

But a 375 Weatherby (essentially a 375 H&H Improved) kicks ass 300g A-Frame at 2800 fps

Man that's flying. Never shot a Weatherby anything but the numbers tell me everything is running at its limit. Don't know if I'd like that so much.

 

[dogcat1]

I often use PH supplied guns in Africa. Most are .375 HH or .416 Rigby. I use whatever ammo they have. On a recent trip, I have 5 different brands and types of .375 bullets. Made no difference as everything dropped and died. I really do not see the need for any special bullets for PG. Virtually any bullet will work, provided it is placed in the front chest cavity or spine.
On DG, I have used 4 different bullets - TSX, Nosler Partition, A-Frame and TBBC. I have fired one solid. All worked fine.

I think we over think this....

 

[EXECUTIVE HUNT AFRICA]

If one wants to answer your question, I think one should look way further than the ability to kill a animal. If you are not hunting dangerous game, a .375 is in my opinion definitely not the best choice for the average hunter who only hunts plains game. Don’t take me wrong, for some hunters it’s the perfect solution, but I bought a rifle for clients to use when they don’t want to bring a rifle to Africa. I thought it through and the .375 h&h made perfect sense at that stage. With different bullets clients can use it for dangerous game and plains game. I have to admit, numerous times I was sorry to have had only that caliber rifle for clients, especially for a fist time hunter, an unfit or older client. A smaller rifle isn’t that heavy, less recoil, the ammunition is cheaper and in the end the whole experience is better! Any .30 cal is enough to hunt plains game and if you show your hunter where to put the shot, one shot is enough to kill any PG animal. .375 for a one gun hunt is only for experienced hunters who are comfortable with it and fit enough to carry it the whole day.

 

[HankBuck]

But a 375 Weatherby (essentially a 375 H&H Improved) kicks ass 300g A-Frame at 2800 fps

@colorado - why is the .375 Weatherby “essentially a .375 H&H Improved”? Is more recoil = improvement? How many 375 Weatherby are used in Africa each year vs. H&H?…. I’m being picky and I get your point but disagree Weatherby is better, just a bit faster, meaningless in actual killing results ie: hit vitals/Dead….Miss vitals/Wounded. Weatherby wins when it comes to ‘Magnum Eyebrows’!!

 

[colorado]

@colorado - why is the .375 Weatherby “essentially a .375 H&H Improved”? Is more recoil = improvement? How many 375 Weatherby are used in Africa each year vs. H&H?…. I’m being picky and I get your point but disagree Weatherby is better, just a bit faster, meaningless in actual killing results ie: hit vitals/Dead….Miss vitals/Wounded. Weatherby wins when it comes to ‘Magnum Eyebrows’!!

It's only better in that it shoots a bit flatter with handloads or Weatherby ammunition and can still shoot 375 H&H ammunition as well. For me it makes a 338 Win Mag irrelevant.

 

[HankBuck]

It's only better in that it shoots a bit flatter with handloads or Weatherby ammunition and can still shoot 375 H&H ammunition as well. For me it makes a 338 Win Mag irrelevant.

@colorado - gotta Agree with you on the .338 Winbag - that round was “born irrelevant”