Advice wanted on my 300WM and 375 H&H bullet choices

Noah Hutchens

Noah Hutchens

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Hello, I am going back for my 2nd safari next year and am going after a female buffalo among other plains game. I purchased a 375H&H and a new to me 300WM to take with me. I am a complete novice when it comes to bullet choices so I am looking for some advice on the ammunition I already have, I don’t reload so I am relying on factory ammunition. If none of the ammunition I have is suitable I can purchase some additional types of factory ammunition but I would prefer to use what I have if possible.

For the 375H&H I purchased two “vintage” boxes of ammunition from someone local for $2 a round, they seem to be in great condition, I also have some PPU sprn 300 grn bullets as well that I bought new. Obviously whichever of these will need to be able to handle the Buffalo and perhaps some plains game if I decide to not bring the 300WM but I doubt I won’t bring it. Will any of these be sufficient for the Buffalo?
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For the 300 win mag I have 4 different boxes of ammo. I am going to be targeting a Kudu, Nyala, wildebeest and possibly a giraffe for size reference. On the nosler boxes is the Partitions or Accubonds better? What’s the differences? Any advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!
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The PPU SP in .375 H&H magnum is a very soft bullet, not bonded, and doesn't pass through a springbok with a quartering shot ! Your others 375 H&H ammunitions are very old and were not known for being tough as well. For me, they are not reliable on buffalo at 100 %.

The price of ammunitions is nothing in comparison to the price of the safaris so try to get premium ammunitions loaded with high quality bullets like Trophy bonded Bear Claw, Swift-A-Fram, Barnes TSX...a buffalo remains a buffalo, even if it's a cow.

However, with your .300 Winchester magnum, you can stick with the Nosler Partition or the Accubond. They are excellent on plains game.
 
All will work but not as well as a Barnes TSX or A-Frame or Trophy Bonded Bearclaw.
 
Doug30-06 had exactly the same thoughts:

You can easily find 300 grain Barnes TSX on Midway.com. Your Nosler 300 WM will be fine for plains game.

.375 H&H - Barnes TSX 300 grain
.300 WM - Nosler 180 grain Partition or Accubond

Remember to buy enough ammo to get some practice, the old ammo will be good to shoot the new to you .375 for practice but also shoot at least a box of ammo that you plan to hunt with. Ammo is the smallest cost of your hunt.
 
UpNorthMI said:
Doug30-06 had exactly the same thoughts:

You can easily find 300 grain Barnes TSX on Midway.com. Your Nosler 300 WM will be fine for plains game.

.375 H&H - Barnes TSX 300 grain
.300 WM - Nosler 180 grain Partition or Accubond

Remember to buy enough ammo to get some practice, the old ammo will be good to shoot the new to you .375 for practice but also shoot at least a box of ammo that you plan to hunt with. Ammo is the smallest cost of your hunt.
Click to expand...
Is this example for the Barnes TSX suitable? https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1001947862?pid=736358

Would any of the 375 ammo be suitable for plains game if I don’t bring the 300WM or should I buy new ammunition for that purpose too? Or would the Barnes be suitable for both Buffalo and the plains game? Thanks!
 
You could use any of the 375 ammo you have for plains game.
 
Any of those you already have would be great for plains game, but site in with your premium buffalo ammunition first and then check how your other bullets impact. You may want to just use one bullet for everything
 
I think you got your answer already. Don’t take any of those 375 bullets hunting. Just use them for practice. You don’t want to be playing games with bullets on buffalo. For buffalo hunting 300 gr swift A frame, federal trophy bonded bear claw, or Barnes TSX are the standard.
For your 300 win I’d use the Nosler Accubonds. 2nd choice would be partitions. The Accubond has a plastic tip that won’t deform in the magazine. The lead tip on the partitions can deform under recoil.
 
Noah Hutchens said:
Is this example for the Barnes TSX suitable? https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1001947862?pid=736358

Would any of the 375 ammo be suitable for plains game if I don’t bring the 300WM or should I buy new ammunition for that purpose too? Or would the Barnes be suitable for both Buffalo and the plains game? Thanks!
Click to expand...
You might also check graf & sons to compare pricing. Pendleton ammo has swift A frames. Any ammo suitable on your buffalo is suitable for PG. Be careful of mixing ammo it could lead to an unsafe situation on your buffalo, but also not all ammo has the same point of impact. You could potentially use any of your ammo on PG though.

These are all 300 gr bullets from my 375. Note the top and bottom bullets are both trophy bonded bear claws from different federal lines. That’s what caused me to do this experiment because I incorrectly assumed the difference in point of impact would be minimal.
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For Buffalo - NONE of those work. Buy the Barnes. For the 300 Win Mag you Nosler Trophy Grade Partition is ideal.
 
Noah Hutchens said:
Is this example for the Barnes TSX suitable? https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1001947862?pid=736358

Would any of the 375 ammo be suitable for plains game if I don’t bring the 300WM or should I buy new ammunition for that purpose too? Or would the Barnes be suitable for both Buffalo and the plains game? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yes - This is the correct Barnes ammo that myself and others have recommended.

The Barnes 300 grain TSX ammo is also good for plains game too.

The old ammo you have is OK for plains game but there are different bullet weights, probably different points of impact. You need to practice with your rifle, 3 different boxes of 20 rounds each are not enough for serious use to leave enough spare rounds to take on your trip.

Personally I would buy at least 80 rounds of the new Barnes ammo, shoot 30-40 in your gun to be confident of the zero & bullet drop over distance, then take the balance on your trip.

300 WM with 180 grain loads is very effective for plains game and shoots a lot flatter!

Sometimes the KISS principle works - Keep it simple ! Good luck on your hunt.
 
You’ll use up all of that subpar 375 ammo for practice, plus more. It’s good for that. Then buy some Barnes and practice with it. Make sure your rifle likes it. If you are sweating ammo prices for dangerous game, you ain’t ready yet.
 
Use the following for Buffalo:

.375 H&H - SAFARI AMMO

Premium handcrafted .375 H&H Safari ammunition by Pendleton — precision‑loaded rounds with quality bullets for deep penetration and reliable big‑game hunting performance.
pendletonammunition.com pendletonammunition.com

Use the following for plains game:

.300 Winchester Mag

Pendleton Ammunition’s .300 Winchester Magnum — precision hand‑loaded big game ammo in 165 gr to 212 gr options (Nosler, Barnes, Hornady, Swift). Expertly crafted in Oregon, custom loads available.
pendletonammunition.com pendletonammunition.com

Lots of options but these would be my picks.

HH
 
I’ll add my 2C. The Kynoch ammunition is old, very old, and probably at this stage potentially unreliable. Fire it off at the range for practice. The PPU is far too soft a bullet for dangerous game.
Barnes TSX, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Woodleigh and others.
Have a great trip.
 
I agree with what has been shared here. The .375 H&H is fine for cape buffalo but only with premium bullets. That means Swift A-frames, Barnes TSX, or the TBBCs. I prefer the Barnes TSX and those aren’t usually too hard to find. For buffalo, IMO, you need to be able to put a bullet in a 6” paper plate at 50 yards every single time from the sticks. Mess that up, and someone can get hurt. Your very best protection is a well-placed first shot. Practice. Practice. Practice. Shooting from a bench doesn’t mean much. Shoot from sticks….… so you need enough ammo to be at that level. 60-80 rounds would be the minimum, with at least 40 on the plane with you to Africa.

I’d recommend the .375 for the giraffe. If you shoot it well, it’s a great choice for wildebeest too. For the .300, Accubonds or Partitions are fine, whichever your rifle shoots the best….. That said, TSX or TTSX ammo in .300 Win is something I’ve used extensively in Africa with excellent results. To me, the only downside to Barnes TSX or TTSX is more copper barrel fouling….. and every once in a while a particular rifle just won’t shoot them well.

Have fun! The bullets are the cheap part, but also the only part that actually touches your animals. Pick good ones.
 
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