Therack
AH enthusiast
I'm looking at buying one gun for some bigger African animals. Is the .375 enough for hippo, buffalo, croc and leopard? My buddy tells me I should be looking at a .416 for the additional knockdown power.
stopping charges etc is the PHs job - my job is to do all I can so he doesn't have to do his job!
Barnes bullets hard to beat.Hi.
We used a 375 h&h on a problem hippo a while back. The hunt was on land and he took a sholder shot, the 270gr barns solid broke both sholders whent through the hart and excited on the opposed side. I was amazed at the straight line Penetration of the 375 h&h. I am positive that you would get the same performance on any big game.
i hate when people say this! sorry for going off topic, but its rant time:
IT IS YOUR JOB TO STOP A CHARGE as you are the hunter and this is your hunt. a PH is there to advise you on shot placement/timing, help you pick a proper animal, and IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO YOUR JOB he can stop a charge at the last minute for you. any PH worth his pay will give you the proper chance to stop a charge (if possible) on your own before he steps in and stops it for you. a hunter should NEVER rely on others to protect him as self defense is and always will be his job.
ranting aside, the 375 H&H (or other similar 375 cartridges) is actually plenty capable of stopping a charge. a proper bullet (solid) in the right place (the brain) from just about any caliber will stop a charge (Bell proved this). while larger calibers might do a better job of turning a charge with body shots the 375 will and has worked for plenty of people.
-matt
Careful Rack, you're going down a dangerous path!!!
My rifles (all of them) are SAKO, I want to build a 416 so I got another SAKO for the action for the build. This can get real expensive real fast!! Now substitute Browning for SAKO and you're hooked!!!
Same reasons you mentioned, fit/trigger/safety.
I'm looking at buying one gun for some bigger African animals. Is the .375 enough for hippo, buffalo, croc and leopard? .