The 375HH may not be "ALL THAT" for African Plains Game

[BryceM]

If you want bang-flops, such incapacitation only comes from damage or shock to the CNS. IMO, this is most easily done with high-velocity rounds and bullets that can handle the speed. The .257 Weatherby is one of the kings in this arena. The 6.5x300 Wby, .300 RUM, and many others will be similar.

The 375 H&H is a different beast. It's terribly effective at manufacturing holes in important organs, but critters will sometimes go for a bit of a stroll before tipping over. You're not going to see the immediate effect of what the usual whitetail hunter sees when 270 softs cavitate the majority of a deer's innards.

 

[MacJenkins]

Matching bullet with your intended game is the game. If I was shooting whitetail with a 375 I would be running a 235 Raptor as fast as you can.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have tested several bullets in 375s on wild hogs in Alabama.

With good shoulder shots, every bullet killed very quickly.

I have used 235 and 300 grain TSX from Barnes, 300 grain Woodleigh Hydros, and 300 grain trophy bonded bear claws.

I saw no problems with 375s killing quickly with good shot placement.

My friend @JHT and I were testing bullets on trapped wild boars to make sure they would expand and kill quickly for his upcoming leopard hunt.

His lung shot leopard went maybe 150 yards with the 300 grain Bear claw.

So I think on animals less than 300 pounds, something like a 308 is ideal.

But for plains game from the little antelope to eland, nothing beats a 375.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Very good constructive comments. Well done. I have only had one case of poor shot placement with my 375 and in that case a Kudu was shot a bit too low with the first shot due to a mis-fire on the initial attempt (bad ammo) and a rushed follow up that led to a hit low in the brisket that also broke the front leg. After a long tracking job we finished it with a shoulder shot. That one was on me for sure. After running out of my Barnes ammo, I was using some commercial reloads some of which failed to go "bang". Murphy is a vindictive little Irish SOB.

I’ll say it again a little louder, if you think the .375 isn’t a good round for PG as you eluded to in your initial post, you’ve had more than one instance of poor shot placement. We all make bad shots but you now have 4 pages (I’m sure to be more) telling you it’s not the caliber, it’s not the bullet, it’s not the gun, it’s you; you’re the problem.

You’ve demonstrated you can punch paper and ring steel off a bench. That also shows your gun is accurate and capable, but that doesn’t equate to being a good shot on something living. When’s the last time you shot an African animal off a bench? They’re walking and moving, they’re not perfectly broadside, they’re not at common known distances, they have brush or grass between you and them, you’re likely excited and potentially breathing a lot heavier from the stalk. Get off the flat range, shoot off sticks, do some exercises to get your heart rate up and breathing heavy.