20" 375 H&H

[ActionBob]

I'm no expert but it would seem rational to expect the opposite as the shorter barrel would potentially waste some of the powder burn/energy. So thinking more muzzle blast but less actual recoil. But the muzzle blast might be enough to make it seem worse. Although our 375 ruger with the muzzle brake has a real wallop of muzzle blast but is very comfortable and controllable to shoot if you keep your nose down and don't do anything to further direct that bast into your face.

I think that mannlicher would be fun, but not the most effective option. I could easily be tempted to buy one, but doubt I would take it as a primary hunting rifle. Seems like it might even need a mate in 308 or some other short caliber. In fact just for fun, instead of a 375, that would be cool in 9.3x62.... would have been a fun gun for eland in close with iron sights....

Darn it guys, now I may need a third gun safe....

 

[spike.t]

. In fact just for fun, instead of a 375, that would be cool in 9.3x62........

AB now you have just proved what great taste you have

 

[Bwanabob]

I am a big fan of short barrels and believe that the velocity loss is not as great as some would have us believe and that, what loss there is, is not that big a deal. In addition, the velocity loss, due to short barrel length, can sometimes be overcome with careful reloading with the right powder matched to the length of barrel. And when you run the actual velocity loss, as a result of using a shorter barrel, through a ballistics computer, and relate it to bullet drop out to normal, ethical hunting ranges, the difference is usually "three fifths, of five eighths, of bugger all"!

As an example, I recently acquired a Ruger Ultralite in .270 Winchester which has a 20" barrel. I really wanted an Ultralite in .308 but couldn't find one and the .270 was a good deal. I was very worried that the barrel length would be too short for the .270 cartridge and most gun publications will indicate that this is so. However, when a local reloading expert ran some options through the Quickloads Internal Ballistics predictor for me, he found a load with Reloader 17 that almost equals factory ballistics as quoted for 24" barrels, so I have ended up with a very light, compact and extremely handy .270 with virtually no loss of performance.

My three BRNO ZKK602s (.375 H&H, .404 Jeffery and .458 Lott) are all going to the 'doctor' to be trimmed to 22". The .458 was first and the results are excellent - very handy rifle and only marginally lower velocities. The truth is that I can still load the short barrelled .458 Lott to sensible pressure levels that still exceed the .458WM and more than equal my .450NE - what more could I possibly need? And a 22" .404 Jeffery can also be loaded to velocities well in excess of original .404 loads and we all know the reputation of the original .404s!

I would love to add that Zastava full-wood .375 to my gun collection and find out what the 20" barrel is really capable of.

 

[DOC-404]

Hi Doc-404, I am looking for a comb raising attachment like the one you have on your 375. Can you please tell me who makes this specific one and where you bought it?

Thanks!

Have a look here : http://www.karstenskydexcheekrest.com/
Cheers,
Doc.

 

[Rob404]

I want one

 

[flatwater bill]

There are only four variables in the calculation of recoil.......................bullet wt and bullet velocity, powder weight, and rifle weight. Therefore, recoil will not be affected by "barrel length alone". An 8.5 pound 375H&H produces about 40 ft lbs of free recoil when driving a 300 grain bullet at a little over 2500fps. regardless of barrel length. That is a lot of recoil by my standard.
FWIW ..I shot a Sako 20" 375 at the range, with 67 grains of 4064 and a 300grain round nose Hornady, it produced 2458 and 2466fps for two shots thru the Chrony......FWB

 

[matt85]

seems like im going to be the minority here and say I don't believe a short barreled 375 H&H is a very good idea. its true a short barrel doesn't seem to drastically change the power of a cartridge but the difference is more extreme then you would think. when it comes to heaving hitting guns (375 and up) a little velocity goes along way. just by losing 100 fps you can lose 300+ ft/lbs of muzzle energy which can be a much greater loss at longer ranges such at 100+ yards which while not common, do happen. a really good example is comparing the 450/400 NE 3" to the 416 Remington. both of these shoot a 400gr bullet but the 450/400 NE spits em out at 2050 while the Remington spits them out at 2300. 250 fps may not seems like a huge difference but the Remington generates 1000 ft/lb more energy then the 450/400 NE.

there is also muzzle blast to consider. I come from a background in black powder where ive used a Pennsylvania long rifle to hunt local deer. this long rifle has a 42" barrel which removes the blast far and away from the shooter making it very pleasant to shoot. when I moved to modern rifle hunting I switched to a Winchester M70 with a 22" barrel. my first shot on an animal out in the woods (without ear protection) was deafening and it taught me a lesson about barrel length and muzzle blast (and hearing protection with modern guns). a 375 H&H out of a 20" barrel will be deafening to say the least!

a final thing to consider is rifle balance and iron sight picture. a longer barrel adds weight to the muzzle end of the gun which adds stability for shooting off sticks. unlike most other DG cartridges the 375 H&H is plenty suitable for taking game longer ranges which require a steady rifle. my long rifle with its 42" barrel was the perfect rifle for shooting off sticks as the muzzle didn't tend to wonder. a longer barrel also usually means your have a wider sight radius which gives greater accuracy with iron sights (if you use iron sights).

just some food for thought.
-matt

 

[Pheroze]

muzzle blast is a big concern for me. I liked the short rifle because it will be quick handling. I have no real world experience that will allow me to judge how the trade off will work in this case so I greatly appreciate the input. I note the regular length version is 22" according to the website. So it is still a relatively short rifle. I will have to become comfortable with this caliber in any event and I don't want to handicap that process by choosing an inappropriate rifle in all the circumstance. Hence my hand wringing! Your collective patience is appreciated!

 

[matt85]

I just realized I missed a typo. in the third paragraph I meant to say "unlike most other DG cartridges the 375 H&H is plenty suitable for taking game at longer ranges which require a steady rifle."

-matt

 

[enysse]

I love my long barreled guns, they handle and balance well, but there is good reason all the PH's like their short barrel guns. The brush is thick in Africa and everything has thorns, a short barreled gun is a hell of lot easier to carry. And when you carry a lot and shoot very little, that comes into play.

 

[Bonefish2150]

I think it would be okay, the velocity loss would not be huge. It will make the gun easier carrying in the brush. I was constantly getting tangled in the Limpopo with my long barreled gun.

Hunting for Bongo, Forrest Elephant, Red Dwarf Buffalo in the Republic of the Congo a 20 or 21" barrel is ideal. In the Alaskan bush a short barrel could be a life saver.

 

[grand veneur]

It may be that 20" is enough, but you have to be able to set limits somewhere.

Who can afford the hunting in Congo quoted above, can also afford a weapon in a caliber more suitable for short barrels than the cartridge 375 H&H Magnum.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

A lot depends upon rifle fit & balance. But I personally prefer 24-25” barrel lengths on .375 Holland & Holland Magnum caliber rifles.

 

[PerH]

Here is my Blaser 93 20 inch . 308 and 22 inch .375 barrel and the laminated stock .

.375 sports a 6x Zeiss ZM , will look for a 1,5-6x later for it .

 

[Rule 303]

If it is not too short it would only just be long enough. Twice I have had a twit with a 16" barreled 375H&H on a bench next to me. The muzzle brake made it 18" long. Every time he fired -apart from the noise- my chrony gave false readings and I had a decent amount of unburnt powder strewn over my bench. If I was not wearing eye protection I would of had it in my eyes.

From memory he was using AR2206H, a relative fast powder for the 375.

 

[rnovi]

Nice necrothread!

My Montana 1999 sports a 20" barrel, weighs 8#, 8oz scoped and sends 300gr. partitions at 2500 fps with H4350.

 

[Forrest Halley]

My .375's all have factory length barrels on them because it's a velocity dependent cartridge. I guess you could powder blast the game to death.

 

[Velo Dog]

Yours Truly does not care for short barreled hunting rifles.
The more powerful the cartridge, the less I like them.
However, my 6.5x55 is a 20” mannlicher stocked little cutie.
It has a vintage Leupold 3x scope on it in Alaska Arms brand lever rings.

It abides in a friends vault, down in Soviet Occupied California.
When I hunt with him in various USA western states, for deer, feral oinkers, coyotes and soforth, it is what I use to great affect.
Also, it has racked up many ground squirrel and jack rabbit scalps to its credit.

I shoot 140 gr spitzers and 160 hr round nosers for certain conditions and it has served me extremely well.
If other folks like short barreled .375’s and similar ones, I say they should have it and likely they will enjoy same.
Big blasters with short barrels are not my thing but to each his own.

One man’s bread is another man’s poison.

 

[Dogone]

I had my CZ .375 barrel cut to 21.5 in. No particular reason for length, just looked right. Other than getting screwed by gunsmith for cutting and moving sight I am happy.

 

[fourfive8]

Short barrels with larger cartridges means more muzzle blast and more muzzle jump. So what's not to like about that?