THE KING

TOBY458

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There can only be one king. One leader. One ruler of them all.
He must be versatile. Must be able to handle all situations in a pinch. Must be able to do the work of a bigger man, and have the finesse to do a lesser man's job as well. He will often have to defend his title against newcomers, but his confidence will not allow him to bow to any man or any thing. He is the ruler of the roost, and has been since 1912. His thrown is secure. He will not be unseated anytime soon.

While my opening lines may seem of a human nature, what we are really discussing here is THE tool of the trade. THE rifle for most anything, anytime, anywhere in Africa, and much of the world. Not perfect for every endeavor, but quite capable for most, if not all things that need a healthy dose of lead.
All hail the KING! I present you, the 375 Holland and Holland Magnum.

Once upon a time there were real men. Real men that hunted large, dangerous game, in a land filled with Ebony and Ivory. Black death around every corner, with the constitution to make a puddle of flesh out of any puny human.

For years the playing field was surprisingly even. Men walked in fear for their lives in these wild lands. Fear of being trampled, gored, bitten or mauled, lurked in the minds of every man. Until one day.....a wonderful thing came into existence. Gunpowder was to be the great equalizer. For it would not only even the playing field between men themselves, it would also allow us our assent to the top of the food chain.

Black powder was the father, and smokeless was the son. A son that by all measures would change the world forever. Would allow men to create weapons capable of amazing range, power and penetration.

What was once known as small bore rifles had now become large bore, due to the advancement of full patch ammo, that was capable of penetrating the skull of a bull Elephant at any angle. With this development, the old 2 Bore and 4 Bore rifles were made obsolete.

Years passed, and men were still slaying the largest of beasts with 45 and 50 caliber rifles. Some double and some magazine fed. But there were times when a more all around approach was needed. A time when a man needed meat for the pot, yet had to wade by a host of unfriendly things to get there. The medium rifle was the answer.

Several attempts at perfection were attempted, until one day the KING was born. For that one day in 1912 was to be an event that would forever change the world of big game hunting. The KING could make quick work of a 300 yard Impala, and could fend off an angry Rhino on the way back to camp. And all of this was accomplished with the very questionable bullets of the time. Solids were the name of the game for large beasts, and soft nosed bullets handled the rest. Even in it's humble beginnings, the KING was praised.

More years passed, and hunting took a turn for the worse, while hunting equipment took the opposite turn. Modern gun powder became temperature insensitive. Soft nosed bullets became quite capable of penetration never known before. And like the smokless powder cartridges from the turn of the century eclipsed the black powder dragons of the past, modern ammo made the medium bores behave much like their big brothers had before. All the while, being capable of covering vast expanses of land to bag a distant Springbuck in Africa or Antelope in the USA. In a sense, at least for the visiting hunter, the KING became the yardstick that all others would aspire to. THE do it all, anytime, anywhere cartridge.

With 235 or 250 grain bullets, it can be made to behave much like a 300 Win Mag. A nearly perfect Elk or Kudu rifle.

Move on to 270 grain TSX or Swift bullets, and now you begin to enter the dual purpose aspect of the KING. While these lighter bullets may not be the perfect answer for larger dangerous game, they will offer comfort in Lion country, while tracking your Gemsbuck on the open plains of the Kalahari. They will offer good ranging capabilities, and enough muscle to kill a Cape Buffalo or Eland in a pinch.

Now we enter the true domain of the KING. After all....the 300 grain bullet is what made the KING..... The KING.
Swift A Frame, Barnes TSX, Northfork and a few others are built for speed AND penetration. Now we enter the realm of true buffalo performance. Now we are holding a rifle fully capable of tackling an enraged bull Hippo at spitting distance, or a heart shot on a 12,000 lb Elephant. A load that will penetrate the boss of the biggest bull Cape Buffalo, while only blasting a reasonably small hole in your Dik Dik on the way back to camp.

Moving on up to 340 to 380 Grain projectiles, we move the KING into 400 caliber territory. We abandon some of it's versatility in trade for raw power. Now we are truly holding a Danger Game Rifle. Not a one trick pony, but a much more specialized tool. A tool that will seldom need to be bested by a larger caliber arm.

Although there are better tools for many hunting jobs, there are few jobs that can't be handled by The KING.
A PH may need more power in certain situations. Certainly a stopping rifle needs to begin with a 4 and work up from there. But for pure versatility, and usefulness on animals large and small... the 375 H&H is still KING.

LONG LIVE THE KING.
 
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Ah , the .375 HH Magnum . My loyal Companion since 2006. Until 2006 , my only rifle was an old , but well maintained .22 Hi Power Savage Model 99 loaded with 71 grain Norma soft points. I laid low over a dozen deer with that rifle when we used to live in Maine using neck shots . Then , in 2006 , my Grandad gifted me his Pre War Winchester Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum ( Heavy Barrel ) . He used the gun in Kenya in 1968 to take his bull elephant with a Shoulder shot using 300 grain round nosed FMJ solids from Western Cartridge Co . When l got the gun , it was a pretty unremarkable sort of thing. The stock had split and was patched up with ( what l believe to be ) plus minus epoxy and stove bolts . The feed ramp needed to be smoothened to ensure soft nose ammunition being fed properly.
It fired 3 inch Groups at 100 yards. Nothing worth talking about. But for the next 13 years , it would help me hone my skills as a hunter : Dozens of White tail , 3 Grizzly Bears , 7 black bear , Elk , Caribou , Moose , Sambhar deer , 2 mountain lion , Feral Hogs , 4 Indian Nilgai , 2 Indian Boars and 3 Australian Water Buffalo fell to that gun . Due to my ineptness at Handloading , l used only Factory Ammo . Predominantly Nosler Partitions and Safari Solids ( Monolithic meplat brass Solids ) , but also Kynoch 300 grain full patch round nosed solids , Swift A frames ( expanding ) , Winchester Silvertips and even some Shitty Hornady DGS loads . I currently use Cutting Edge Monolithic meplat brass Solids loaded for me by one of my friends . Due to the gun's unspectacular grouping , l relied predominantly on Lung shots. Due to the wide Target on animals.
It was in 2019 , that upon getting prosperous , l was able to get myself a BRNO ZKK - 602 in .375 HH Magnum. This Poldi Steel Barrelled beauty ( pictures below ) holds 7 rounds in it ( 6 in the Magazine and 1 in the chamber ). The accuracy of the gun is Spectacular . Already , having taken down a few feral hogs with it , it will be my proud companion for my 2020 Cape Buffalo hunt in Botswana ( plains game too ).
Currently , l own 7 guns :
1) Winchester Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum
2) BRNO ZKK 602 in .375 HH Magnum
3) Custom ZKK- 602 in .350 Rigby Magnum
4) Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Winchester
5) BRNO over under full choke 12 gauge shotgun
6) BRNO over under 12 gauge shotgun ( initially full choke and now reamed out to Modified choke )
7) Browning Gold 10 gauge Semi Auto.
While all these guns are my proud possessions ( and l will add an 11.2 × 72 Schuler Model 34 and something in the .500 range some day ) , if l ever had to pick only two guns to hunt the world , l would pick my BRNO ZKK - 602 ( pictured) in .375 HH Magnum and my Modified Choke BRNO over under 12 gauge. I'd stock up on Cutting Edge Monolithic meplat brass Solids ( 300 grain ) , Swift A frames ( expanding ) , #6 shot , #1 shot , Number 4 Buckshot and Brenekke slugs.
PS : I don't consider it the king of calibers though . More like the Queen ;) The real king is the .404 Jeffery :D
 
Then there came a time where man embraced the King for his majestic ballistic wondrance. He designed great brutish projectiles with increased sectional densities for long arduous journeys through dense flesh and bone. Then man designed projectiles with sharp points and long bodies like the teeth of the great plains hunters. These could travel great distances slicing through the winds of the grasslands to impact triumphantly above the speed of sound for as far as the eye could see.

But, man is fickle and he searched for more powerful kings. He grew the bore of his rifle larger and larger as his coin purse became smaller and smaller. He foolishly relegated the King to women and camp staff. Other men laughed at him as they knew the King was all they needed and their treasuries remained vast to enjoy the King and become well versed in his epic majesty.

Brno would develop a seven round rifle to further expand the realm the King. A prophet would be born, Delgado, and he would tote the lucky seven round rifle around the world and extol its greatness to vast audiences.

One day Jozef Sechsei came along and gave the King his greatest tribute to date: the magazine fed bolt action double rifle. Now if he would just make it affordable, the King would reign forever over the land and all would be happy!
 
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Then there came a time where man embraced the King for his majestic ballistic wondrance. He designed great brutish projectiles with increased sectional densities for long arduous journeys through dense flesh and bone. Then man designed projectiles with sharp points and long bodies like the teeth of the great plains hunters. These could travel great distances slicing through the winds of the grasslands to impact triumphantly above the speed of sound for as far as the eye could see.

But, man is fickle and he searched for more powerful kings foolishly. He grew the bore of his rifle larger and larger as his coin purse became smaller and smaller. He foolishly relegated the King to women and camp staff. Other men laughed at him as they knew the King was all they needed and their treasuries remained vast to enjoy the King and become well versed in his epic majesty.

Brno would develop a seven round rifle to further expand the realm the King. A prophet would be born, Delgado, and he would tote the lucky seven round rifle around the world and extol its greatness to vast audiences.

One day Jozef Sechsei came along and gave the King his greatest tribute to date: the magazine fed bolt action double rifle. Now if he would just make it affordable, the King would reign forever over the land and all would be happy!
I'm curious. Of ALL the things in the world worth lying about , you think a 40 year old guy would lie about his gun holding ONE extra round ?
This video shows that clearly I'm not the only one who's BRNO ZKK - 602 holds 7 rounds .
Occasionally 7 Shot Brno's do appear for sale online . It has something to do with the Magazine floor plate being inletted into the stock.
 
Hoss, just curious, You've mentioned several times that your "gramp's" 375 H&H could only hold a 3 inch group at a hundred yards. I thought those old storied Winchesters shot much better than that.
 
The rifle should shoot much better than that. It sounds like it would be worth a bit of investigative work.
 
Good thread Toby
 
Hoss, just curious, You've mentioned several times that your "gramp's" 375 H&H could only hold a 3 inch group at a hundred yards. I thought those old storied Winchesters shot much better than that.
Shootist43 , it was only after coming here that lt came to my knowledge that the WINCHESTER MODEL 70 does better than 3 inch groups :( Worn rifling perhaps ? Maybe it's time to get a rebarrelling ? :D
 
The rifle should shoot much better than that. It sounds like it would be worth a bit of investigative work.
Well... I know what I'm doing doing this weekend :D And a good timing too. I have been using my new guns so much lately , l haven't really been very attentive to the old Winchester :( Definitely deserves some range time.
 
Every King is usurped by the following King,
hence the 416Rigby...

Does all the previous King could, but only better...

:A Banana::A Stirring:
Since the 416 Rigby came out in 1910, the KING actually dethroned the OLD King 416. Then.....many years later, the OLD King was brought even further into obsolescence by a newcomer. The 416 Remington Mag was born. :A Stirring::A Stars:
 
Since the 416 Rigby came out in 1910, the KING actually dethroned the OLD King 416. Then.....many years later, the OLD King was brought even further into obsolescence by a newcomer. The 416 Remington Mag was born. :A Stirring::A Stars:
To be fair , Toby , the .375 HH Magnum had an unfair advantage that boosted it's popularity. It was a NON - PROPRIETARY CARTRIDGE. When Kynoch discontinued all the British Calibers in 1963 ( effectively killing all the other British Calibers in ONE Blow ) , it was only the .375 HH Magnum which remained , as Western Cartridge Co ( ancestor of Winchester Ammunition ) kept manufacturing Ammunition for it . It was only 30 something years later that other companies revived the British Cartridges of Fame. This era is what made the .375 HH Magnum popular .
When my Grandad went on his Kenya Safari in '68 , he recalls that .375s were universal . Bullet failures in .458 Win Mags were already becoming frequent at the time. The only big game calibres available were the .375 HH Magnum , .458 Winchester Magnum and OLD stocks of Kynoch .470 NE Ammunition . White hunters never used the .458 , but rather the .470 NE Double. Their light gun and gun to lend to clients was the .375 HH Magnum ( mostly Model 70 rifles ). Among client hunters , the .458 Win Mag was initially popular , but after bullet failures , many started using the White Hunter's .375 HH Magnum , instead of their .458 Win Mags. Many bought their own .375 HH Magnum model 70 rifles to bring to the Safari.
Also , the fact that in 1937 , WINCHESTER chose to introduce the Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum , certainly helped. The world's first off the rack rifle , which was chambered in a British caliber.
It is my humble view that whatever the .375 HH Magnum can do , the .404 Jeffery can do better ;)
 
To be fair , Toby , the .375 HH Magnum had an unfair advantage that boosted it's popularity. It was a NON - PROPRIETARY CARTRIDGE. When Kynoch discontinued all the British Calibers in 1963 ( effectively killing all the other British Calibers in ONE Blow ) , it was only the .375 HH Magnum which remained , as Western Cartridge Co ( ancestor of Winchester Ammunition ) kept manufacturing Ammunition for it . It was only 30 something years later that other companies revived the British Cartridges of Fame. This era is what made the .375 HH Magnum popular .
When my Grandad went on his Kenya Safari in '68 , he recalls that .375s were universal . Bullet failures in .458 Win Mags were already becoming frequent at the time. The only big game calibres available were the .375 HH Magnum , .458 Winchester Magnum and OLD stocks of Kynoch .470 NE Ammunition . White hunters never used the .458 , but rather the .470 NE Double. Their light gun and gun to lend to clients was the .375 HH Magnum ( mostly Model 70 rifles ). Among client hunters , the .458 Win Mag was initially popular , but after bullet failures , many started using the White Hunter's .375 HH Magnum , instead of their .458 Win Mags. Many bought their own .375 HH Magnum model 70 rifles to bring to the Safari.
Also , the fact that in 1937 , WINCHESTER chose to introduce the Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum , certainly helped. The world's first off the rack rifle , which was chambered in a British caliber.
It is my humble view that whatever the .375 HH Magnum can do , the .404 Jeffery can do better ;)
I would love to give the 404 a go at some point. Just very hard to find a decent rifle in that caliber. Also, bullet selection and factory ammo leaves a little to be desired.
The 404 would definitely be my pick over the 375 for larger DG, but for a do it all rifle, I can't find much fault in the 375. The 404 would not shoot as flat, and would recoil more. Also gun weight would most likely be much heavier. Both of those attributes would not be conducive to Plains game hunting, so chances are you'd end up having your 30/06 in your hands when the Buffalo showed up.
 
Yes, the 404 Jeffery and the 416 RM excel in some areas but fall short in range. They can't reach out like the KING therefore they aren't true all around rifles. Others will come and go but the KING will remain supreme with the others playing second fiddle..
 
I would love to give the 404 a go at some point. Just very hard to find a decent rifle in that caliber. Also, bullet selection and factory ammo leaves a little to be desired.
The 404 would definitely be my pick over the 375 for larger DG, but for a do it all rifle, I can't find much fault in the 375. The 404 would not shoot as flat, and would recoil more. Also gun weight would most likely be much heavier. Both of those attributes would not be conducive to Plains game hunting, so chances are you'd end up having your 30/06 in your hands when the Buffalo showed up.
You raise valid points. :)
Try Heym Express rifles in .404 Jeffery. Good rifles :)
For ammo , l would recommend Norma :)
 
Since the 416 Rigby came out in 1910, the KING actually dethroned the OLD King 416. Then.....many years later, the OLD King was brought even further into obsolescence by a newcomer. The 416 Remington Mag was born. :A Stirring::A Stars:
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Let’s not put the RemMag in the same discussion... that’s just rude :coffee::whistle:
 

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