.375 hh

[35 Whelen]

375 caliber is a great mid bore caliber but I derive a wee bit more personal satisfaction by adding the spice of a wildcat. Three that I have tried in 375 caliber using the same basic case are the 375 Scoville, the 375 Whelen Ackley and the 375 Whelen. Of the three as a preference based on feeding characteristics not ballistics I have settled on the standard 375 Whelen. Perhaps not quite as energetic as a magnum non the less eminently lethal on big game. When loaded with a 375gn LFN of my design loaded to just barely shy of 2300 fps the load has proven itself a smashing (literally) success. A broad side shoulder hit at about 75 yards with the generous meplate of this long 375 caliber torpedo had the effect of completely knocking both antlers off a respectable bull caribou. Sounds like BS but gospel truth!
I also tried for a bit a 375 H&H improved in the form of the 375 JRS and it was a long range moose swatter to be sure but I just do not favor the additional weight of the magnum rifles usually having a more robust barrel contour than non magnum calibers.
Currently I have two rifles in 375 Whelen one for each type of hunting I might do with them. One is on a pre war Husqvarna with Euro style 27" barrel and scoped for relatively open country and the other on a1903 Springfield with 18" barreled carbine with receiver sight for close in timber hunting. Both rifles have coned breaching and controlled round feed so are quite dependable in feeding and extraction.
These are the enjoyable preferences of but one man but I felt might add a wee bit of spice to this discussion.

I like your post. I have the 35 Whelen and like it very much. I have read a fair amount on the 400 Whelen and it is very interesting to me. I think the 375 Whelen is a very good one too. Col. Whelen first started to work with what he called the 38 Whelen but the bullets were discontinued and there was not any good supply of 375 bullets at that time, so we got the 35 and the 400. As Michael Petrov said if there had ben a good supply of 375 bullets in the '20's we may not have the 35 or 400.

 

[WildRose]

I have a SAUER 202 in 375 H&H and my wife and I used it on just about every sized game in Africa. Our 300Win Mag was making a mess out of some of the smaller plains game so we switch to using 375 with solids even on little dikers and it just punched a nice single hole with little damage to hides. The SAUER 202 (fitted with a muzzle break) our PH and trackers could not believe how my wife could shoot it so easily and accurately and with such little recoil that they actually went and checked the barrel stamp because they couldn't believe it. It's an incredible combination that you can hunt anything in the world with as its the smallest calibre to hunt any of the Big 7 in Africa (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Hippo, Crock).

And I didn't use light loads as I reload and I could not find any variation in accuracy between loads through this gun (or the 300 and 7mm that I have in SAUER 202 as well), it was sub MOA accurate with everything we ran through it, so I loaded to max charge 300 grain bullets.

So versatile you can't go wrong!

Loaded properly you are certainly right, it's never too much or too little gun.

 

[LDHunter]

I picked up a used 375 H&H a few years ago and have been immensely happy with it. It's one of those inherently accurate cartridges like the 308 and the recoil although certainly a bit on the stout side is manageable for most experienced shooters or hunters.

Mine is a Remington 700AWR and I mean the old Alaskan Wilderness Rifle not the new knockoff American Wilderness Rifle. Straight out of the custom shop these rifles are slicked up and smoothed out and it sports a McMillan "Kevlar" stock which only has some Kevlar fibers in it but they're still great stocks.

Controlled Round Feed is ancient history and today's modern and improved actions are all completely reliable with a few exceptions. Several gun writers have agreed with this statement over the last 20 years or so. A perfect example is after 50 years of hunting with centerfire rifles I've never had an extraction problem or failure to feed with any centerfire rifle and I hunt mostly with Remington 700's and Model Sevens.

The only modification I made to this rifle was to add a removable muzzle brake and while it was at the gunsmith I had him bead blast the crappy Teflon finish off of it and I'm totally happy with it.

This rifle along with my Model Seven in 350 Remington Magnum round out my dangerous game battery.

An elk or oryx hunt next year will hopefully give them both some field time because they're both a bit over the top for our scrawny Florida deer... LOL

Anyway... You can't go wrong with a 375H&H if you don't mind the recoil and if you intend to use it for anything bigger than a whitetail or mulie. If you're looking for longer range than 500yds then a 338 Lapua might be a better choice but a 338 Winnie would suffice.

Just one man's opinion...

 

[WildRose]

Controlled Round Feed is ancient history and today's modern and improved actions are all completely reliable with a few exceptions. Several gun writers have agreed with this statement over the last 20 years or so. A perfect example is after 50 years of hunting with centerfire rifles I've never had an extraction problem or failure to feed with any centerfire rifle and I hunt mostly with Remington 700's and Model Sevens.

...

Gotta correct you here. The push feed action will never give the reliability and positive extraction under any circumstances that a CRF with a claw extractor gives.

The difference may never show, or it may only show the one time your life is on the line.

You just don't have the surface area with other extractors that the big ole ugly claw extractor gives you.

The CRF will also feed reliably from any angle or position where push feeds are dependent on gravity. With the latter if you are at an odd angle left or right you can find yourself jammed at the very worst possible moment.

I own quite a few of both, mostly Remington 700's and Winchester Model 70's or customs built off of each and there definitely is an advantage to the CRF particularly when your life is on the line so when it comes to large/dangerous game I will always take the CRF over the push feed.

 

[JMack]

Not that I want to spend thousands but I did see a nice fierce edge in .375 hh that really caught my eye. I'd have to save for a while to get that one but it's relatively light, factory muzzle brake, CRF according to fierce, claw extractor, 1:10 twist.....I think that would be one sweet rig. Also found a nice Sako 85 in stainless with a really nice wood stock, again I'd have to save up to get this one. Montana Rifle Co is a really nice rig too. The older Winchesters are nice as are the CZ, although a tad on the heavy side for the CZ.

Overall though, sounds to me like I really wouldn't be limiting myself with a time honored good ole .375 h&h when looking to hunt medium to large game 500 yards and within. With the hunts that I have booked out for the next few years I think it sounds like a great choice in cartridges, not that I NEED it.

This thread really got some traction, wow. I appreciate all the great information, this has been a great discussion even though it's not technically long range.

 

[WildRose]

Not that I want to spend thousands but I did see a nice fierce edge in .375 hh that really caught my eye. I'd have to save for a while to get that one but it's relatively light, factory muzzle brake, CRF according to fierce, claw extractor, 1:10 twist.....I think that would be one sweet rig. Also found a nice Sako 85 in stainless with a really nice wood stock, again I'd have to save up to get this one. Montana Rifle Co is a really nice rig too. The older Winchesters are nice as are the CZ, although a tad on the heavy side for the CZ.

Overall though, sounds to me like I really wouldn't be limiting myself with a time honored good ole .375 h&h when looking to hunt medium to large game 500 yards and within. With the hunts that I have booked out for the next few years I think it sounds like a great choice in cartridges, not that I NEED it.

This thread really got some traction, wow. I appreciate all the great information, this has been a great discussion even though it's not technically long range.

If you check around on Armslist, Gunbroker, maybe some of the other retail outlets you can find the remake of the Model 70 Alaskan Stainless/laminate in .375 H&H.

I was really torn between getting that and the Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger when I finally settled on the Ruger.

2 years later I added a custom model 70 with a 26" fluted barrel with the traditional barrel ring and Iron's as well as the QD Leupod Scope mounts.

Now I want to build another one with a 28"bbl just to see how far I can stretch it out.

 

[JMack]

If you check around on Armslist, Gunbroker, maybe some of the other retail outlets you can find the remake of the Model 70 Alaskan Stainless/laminate in .375 H&H.

I was really torn between getting that and the Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger when I finally settled on the Ruger.

2 years later I added a custom model 70 with a 26" fluted barrel with the traditional barrel ring and Iron's as well as the QD Leupod Scope mounts.

Now I want to build another one with a 28"bbl just to see how far I can stretch it out.

I'll check around for the Model 70 Stainless. I agree on the qd scope mounts, one thing often overlooked is the fact that if a scope fails on a hunt you're screwed without qd mounts and BUIS.

 

[WildRose]

I'll check around for the Model 70 Stainless. I agree on the qd scope mounts, one thing often overlooked is the fact that if a scope fails on a hunt you're screwed without qd mounts and BUIS.

I'm trying right now to find a stainless M70 in 300 Rum for my last .375 Project and will do the same with it but with the longer barrel. Every time I pull the trigger on that Benchmark I just want another one. HA!

 

[JMack]

I'm trying right now to find a stainless M70 in 300 Rum for my last .375 Project and will do the same with it but with the longer barrel. Every time I pull the trigger on that Benchmark I just want another one. HA!

Any idea on what the Kimber Talkeetna is like?

 

[WildRose]

Any idea on what the Kimber Talkeetna is like?

I've handled a couple of them in stores but not shot one. My overall impression of them is that the fit and finish tend to be excellent on the Kimbers but the field performance that I've seen from them isn't inline with the price.

I'd take the model 70 over it any day.

If CZ would just bite the bullet and start making the 550 with the single set trigger in stainless I'd have a cabinet full of them as well.

I'm hard on guns, when I throw one in the truck it's usually going to be there for 4-6 months and I won't bother cleaning or oiling it until I'm done for the season so for me it's stainless or nothing.

 

[memtb]

Any idea on what the Kimber Talkeetna is like?

As much as I love the Win. model 70, IMO, they are too heavy for a hunting, carry rifle. Unless the shooter is recoil sensitive, a .375 H&H, scoped, loaded, and slung.....should "not" exceed 9 pounds. With a good fitting stock, and a good recoil pad...a 9 pound H&H is a "pussycat"! But....that's just my opinion!

If you could find a SS Model 70, you could either turn the barrel down and reattach the sights, or go with a new, #4 contour (which is what I did in '89)! Either way.....it's a little pricey!

Having both a factory weight Model 70 and my semi-custom 9 pound AI....I'll take the lighter weight any time! memtb

 

[JMack]

I've handled a couple of them in stores but not shot one. My overall impression of them is that the fit and finish tend to be excellent on the Kimbers but the field performance that I've seen from them isn't inline with the price.

I'd take the model 70 over it any day.

If CZ would just bite the bullet and start making the 550 with the single set trigger in stainless I'd have a cabinet full of them as well.

I'm hard on guns, when I throw one in the truck it's usually going to be there for 4-6 months and I won't bother cleaning or oiling it until I'm done for the season so for me it's stainless or nothing.

Agreed on the 550. If it were stainless and a decent synthetic stock I'd have a few.

 

[WildRose]

As much as I love the Win. model 70, IMO, they are too heavy for a hunting, carry rifle. Unless the shooter is recoil sensitive, a .375 H&H, scoped, loaded, and slung.....should "not" exceed 9 pounds. With a good fitting stock, and a good recoil pad...a 9 pound H&H is a "pussycat"! But....that's just my opinion! memtb

Mine comes in around 8lbs without the scope and i have the 3-18x50 VX6 on it. It has a McMillan light composite stock on it and it's still no problem to shoot even without a brake. I was hell bent on adding one but I just don't want to change a thing.

Even being old and crippled up I don't have a problem packing it all day.

I first got it in just before Mario and the kids came up last year and fired it for the first time right after they arrived. In all honesty I was expecting much more recoil out of it than it has.

If you're ever out my way, you're welcome to give it a ride.

 

[merbeau]

I was on the same fence. I have a 338 and that is a fantastic round. Not sure of your ultimate intention but one drawback for the 338 is the 375 is the minimal round that can be used on African safari hunts. The 375 is certainly capable of taking anything on the North American continent. I opted for the 375 Ruger configured in Ruger's African safari model with a 26 inch barrel. The rifle comes with iron sights and its own scope mounts. The stock is nice looking and the the bolt is a claw action style preferred by many hunters. The action is a regular long action and not the magnum as needed in some of the longer cartridges. Brass, bullets (cast and jacketed) are available. I have had good success with Barnes TTSX bullets. And the price is reasonable. You can argue whether the Ruger will survive the test of time and is there any advantage/disadvantage over the more conventional 375 H&H. I am not trying make an argument either way. The recoil is pretty stout. I have a limb saver pad that really helps. I have mounted a 1x-6x32 on the rifle. Other type of scopes may have some trouble with the iron sight interfering with mounting.