First time out with new .375 H&H

I will admit after shooting my 375 the first time the next morning I required a great deal of focus to reach into the cabinet to get a coffee cup.

I have greatly enjoyed my Winchester. It did a great job on my PG hunt in Namibia. Looking forward to bigger game in the future

Enjoy yours
 
I only shoot 2 sets of 3 rounds at a time. Usually something smaller in between 22 or 223. Never had a headache but have felt a bit of soreness in the shoulder.
 
I do use a lead sled for sight in up to and including the 416 rem mag.

I was not going to try the 505 on it right off.. And after shooting it off sticks (and knocking them over)... I went to off hand. It does breath a bit of fire and let you know you sent a sizable chunk of something downrange with authority. I'm honestly a bit scared to lock it down to tight...

The cool thing to me is that it's amazing how manageable it actually is. I think it is a learning curve and mental thing. And fit! The 505 with iron sights does not hit my cheek, I have it firmly planted on the cheek piece. And my shoulder is fine as well... I actually feel it in my back (which is pretty bad anyway)... I can feel it for a couple hours after 3 shots. I've hurt myself worse with an old pump 12 gauge when I was young and more careless (and a better shot?)

I think the 505 rocks me backwards and thus the strain on the back?
Unfortunately over here in the States, we are not weaned off mommy and put directly onto a 375 H & H like those African PH's like to make us think they are! We tend to think 30's are hard hitting until we discover Africa and medium to big bores!
 
Traded my Remington 870 Pump 12 gauge with some other stuff for the Zeiss scope I put on my 404. I would rather shoot the 375 and 404 than that 12 gauge. I have found that even when at the range on bags if I allow myself to move with the muzzle I feel the kick less. If I try to stay stone solid, they whack me pretty good.
 
There is a lot of speculation on forums that shooting off a lead sled must be hard on a rifle. I have had no issues, though as I stated I won't shoot a fine double off of it. I also use it strictly for sight-in or zero verification - not a lot of rounds on any given rifle. Finally, it is not like setting the rifle in concrete - more like having a really stout subordinate fire the thing. There is "give" in the sled and the lead. Anyway, I have been very happy with the utility of mine.
Interesting topic. In looking at the various Lead Sleds available, I'm thinking the simplest one that only holds one 25 lb. bag of shot might make the most sense. Would take out plenty of sting, yet still allow the sled/rifle to "give" a bit. No?
 
Iv'e shot my 375 off a Sled to try to sight it in, but even with a 25# weight it still jumped plenty so it had to be re-set after each Shot
 
I have a Winchester M 70 in .375 H&H as well. It's an awesome rifle and the quality for the money it can't be beat...although that's just my humble opinion. Enjoy.
 
Heres a pic Of my Sled.

P1000680.JPG
 
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Don't want to hijack the thread. But just a quick comment to Action Bob and anyone interested. For a standing bench at the range I use 3 of the home depot 5 gal buckets stacked together (more or less depending on the bench and your height) and a small camping pillow on top. Found that on the bigger recoiling rifles this give very good steady rest and the body's ability to roll with recoil.
 
Before I sight in.... I make sure to go Goose hunting the week prior, with my 12 ga, 3.5", BBB's...... After 100 rounds of that, the .375 ain't all bad.
 
I've got the same lead sled, I bought after firing over 20 full power loads with my 500 Jeffery from the bench in a T-shirt. Bad idea, but I was doing load development and I can be a bit (as my wife would say) stubborn. Left a bit of a bruise.



Now we use the lead sled for load development and sight in for our 375 Weatherby (son No. 2) and 416 Rem (son No 1)'s rifles as well as the 500 Jeffery. It barely moves with 25 lbs of weight with the 375 and 416 but it jumps off of the bench unless I put 35 lbs of weight on it with the 500 Jeffery.
 

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Hmmmm..... I'm not really sure how to respond to that..... Sarcasm, sympathy, etc???
 
PAST pad folks and make sure you're squared up to the butt pad. If you get leaned over a bit like you would when shooting prone, it's gonna hurt. If it's cool enough, a sweatshirt combined with the PAST pad and proper shooting form, the .375 will be a piece of cake.
 
Holy $#&% colorado!!!! If you did that without developing a flinch you are a better man than I am!!!! Wow....

And I am with Phil on the PAST pad. They are great and really make a big difference. I've gotten over trying to be a tough guy and use one on the bench if I'm going to be shooting more than a few rounds.
 
Ouch
 
I've got the same lead sled, I bought after firing over 20 full power loads with my 500 Jeffery from the bench in a T-shirt. Bad idea, but I was doing load development and I can be a bit (as my wife would say) stubborn. Left a bit of a bruise.

Now we use the lead sled for load development and sight in for our 375 Weatherby (son No. 2) and 416 Rem (son No 1)'s rifles as well as the 500 Jeffery. It barely moves with 25 lbs of weight with the 375 and 416 but it jumps off of the bench unless I put 35 lbs of weight on it with the 500 Jeffery.

"Give that man a... Bell's" And an ice pack...

 

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