375 enough gun?

[Philip Glass]

I had the same dilemma last year. Only the addition of elephant made me decide to get a .416. The hunt you are on is custom made for a .375.
Regards,
Philip

 

[Therack]

Here is the final product after taking all of the good advice and putting the package together.
Browning A-Bolt II in .375. Williams open sights, Limbsaver recoil pad, Warne QD rings and bases, Leupold vx 6, 1-6x24 with illuminated reticle.
Thank you to all for the input and advice.

 

[Jfet]

 

[K-man]

Yeah! Another browning a-bolt fan!!! I have the same gun but with VX3 scope and no limbsaver (yet). Mine has been to Africa 3 x and last took my Kodiak brown bear. You can kill anything that walks or crawls with a good bullet in the right place. Mine is a tackdriver out to 250 yds, more with time and a great rest. Let us know what you get with it.

 

[Red Leg]

Fine rifle. I am certain it will do MOA accuracy with the loads it likes.

 

[Royal27]

Purdy....

 

[IvW]

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.

Looking at the animals you have listed-the minimum legal calibre you will be permitted to use, would be 375 H&H.

The chances of you hunting a Hippo bull on land is slim. You will probably hunt it in the water. This means good shot placement as you will need to hit it in the brain. The same goes for the croc-you will need to hit the brain which is not very big.
The leopard will also require a well placed shot while on bait.(For him you can use a bullet that expands a bit faster/ a softer bullet if you like).

The best option would probably be a 375 H&H in a rifle that fits you properly and that is fitted with a decent variable power scope(1-6 or 3-9), fitted on the rifle with QD mounts so that in case of a follow up needed, you can then pop the scope off and use the iron sights.

Practice and get confident with this rifle cartridge combination and with proper shot placement you can kill any African animal with your first shot. Make the first shot count.

Lastly I would personally recommend premium grade expanding bullets for brain shots on the hippo and croc. They penetrate more than enough and cause much more damage than monometal solids. So if you are slightly off on your shot they will shatter the scull and still kill them. If you miss the brain with a mono metal solid that may be the last time you see either.

If you do use solids use a monometal solid with a meplat(flat front) they out penetrate round nose solids and they also penetrate in a straight line.

 

[Philip Glass]

Very well done! That is a gun you can be proud of and use on so many different hunts. I especially like your taste in optics. I love the Leupld VX-6 and the Warne QD rings.
Regards,
Philip

 

[Edward Wright]

Read John "Pondoro" Taylor's book "African Rifles and Cartridges" it has a wealth of in the field information.

 

[Foxi]

but I have a 375 and my job is to place the shot precisely where it need to go; stopping charges etc is the PHs job - my job is to do all I can so he doesn't have to do his job!

Greyfox,
I agree totally with you.
WE are all -mostly- harmless touristhunters in Africa.Not more.
With no experience on charching DG in thick cover.Where should it come from ?
Its no expert's report for that, when I was hunting on DG once or twice in my life..
No guest has ever stopped a charching bull or leopard without his PH.
The egg is never better than the hen.
Foxi

 

[Shootist43]

View attachment 170156 Here is the final product after taking all of the good advice and putting the package together.
Browning A-Bolt II in .375. Williams open sights, Limbsaver recoil pad, Warne QD rings and bases, Leupold vx 6, 1-6x24 with illuminated reticle.
Thank you to all for the input and advice.

375 What??

 

[brettp]

I prefer .416, but for that list, .375 will be better for most people. The leopard, croc and hippo are all precision shots. Most people cannot hit a golf ball consistently at 75 yards with a 416 from a field position and that's the goal on hippo and croc brain shots. Also, nearly all 416 "soft" bullets will be designed for a first shot on buffalo and built too hard to reliably expand on leopard. Honestly, for that list, I'd probably be in 2 gun land and bring a 338 WM and a 416, but that's just me. I'd feel well heeled for all potential shots from leopard at last light to a hippo on land.

 

[Therack]

375 What??

375 H&H Magnum

 

[Foxi]

I just wanted to tell the story of this elephant that an friend (RiP) of mine shot.Kenya, 70ies,before the end., so to speak a historical photo
The hunter was carrying a 9,3x64 (yes I know......) didn't hit the brain.The PH gave the bull another one with the .458 Win Mag.Just missed the brain there too.The pressure of the 500gn bullet brought him down though and then another coup de grace - ending.
Use enough gun.

He told me it was a 90pounder and he sold the ivory to finance the costs.90pounder I don't quite believe.
But it is one of the last 50 elephants in the former dreamland of all Africa hunters.
Foxi

 

[Hunter-Habib]

If you're a client , then yes . Been using a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum on African safaris for dangerous game , since 1974 ( Back in the 1970s , the outfitters could only offer you either a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or a .458 Winchester Magnum for hunting the dangerous stuff . Barring one elephant and one Cape Buffalo , I've mostly gone for the old .375 ) . Have never been let down . Remember , it's where you place your first bullet that matters . And a .375 allows you to do that really well .

In the past , I used to like RWS 300 Gr TUG soft points and Remington 300 Gr round nose steel jacketed FMJ solids best for the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum .

Now , I recommend Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw 300 Gr soft points for most of your game . And Nosler Safari 300 Gr monometal brass solids for elephants .

That said , I'd really like to try getting my next bull elephant with a .505 Gibbs if possible . Just for kicks .

If you're a white hunter , you need to stop charging dangerous game ( often in thick bush ) . Totally different rifle requirements . For this job , I don't think you can do better than a big bolt gun in either .500 Jeffery or .505 Gibbs or .500 A Square ( I like the Gibbs due to pure nostalgia , but any will do well ) . For those who like doubles , a .500 Nitro Express is good . And use heavy for caliber bullets .

 

[Viral_SIGness]

No such thing as "knock down power". Don't get wrapped up in "ft/lbs", because it's meaningless for anything but internet arguments.