375HH mag or 375 ultramag?

[sambo3006]

If your friend can get access to rifles in those two calibers, I would suggest a trip to the range to shoot from field positions. I have not fired the 375 RUM but I have a 375 H&H and the recoil is not bad at all from field positions. I would not want to shoot some of the Remington SPS stainless 375 RUM's I have seen as they are indeed light weight. Either round should make dead critters as far as you can make a good shot. I have some 300 gr Partitions for mine just in case I ever get to hunt anything big.

 

[sportmuaythai]

I'm a new member, so if I make a wrong statement, I apologize. 375H&H is a fantastic cartridge, but unless you're a guide, it is not required for North American hunt. In Africa, law requires that you use .375 caliber or larger for the big 5, and needed for hippo. If you're hunting brown bear in Alaska and are nonresident, I believe that you need a registered guide. His license will be at stake, and he will not allow you to get into risky situation When you have an experienced guide to back you up, you will be calm and focus with the shooting. I've never found bears difficult to knock down quickly with the first shot. Just my experience, I think that elk can be tougher to kill. I think that 300 win mag and up would be entirely adequate for bear in Alaska and Yukon.

Now for Africa. The PH will most likely get you within 200 yards for the big 5, may be 300 yards for cape buff. Again, 375H&H will be suffucient at these ranges. 375 UltraMag is not required. In fact, I would choose 416 Rem over .375 Ultra Mag. Again, this is just my opinion.

 

[mike hall]

I have the 375 Ultra Mag and can tell you this caliber will shoot! I have been handloading 235 grain barnes triple shock bullets in it and they shoot right at about an inch group at 100 yards. I have not had the opportunity to shoot anything larger than a deer with it but it performed flawlessly. Before anyone jumps on the overkill bandwagon. I was elk hunting and the deer happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. The ballistics for the 235 grain bullet are impressive out of this gun. The loads I am currently shooting are right at about 3200 FPS. I am 2.5 inches high at 100 yard and just a touch low at 300. I do honestly believe that this gun with this bullet could easily be shot out to 400 maybe even 500 yards. I do not know if Berger makes the hunting VLD for this caliber but I am sure it would work great as well.

 

[3006savage]

I have fired the 375 ultra and the recoil was punishing in the model 700 rifle. I would not recommend it in a sub 10 LBS rifle. If you do not reload and want more power than the 375 H&H offer try the Hornady Heavy Mags. More power than needed for anything in NA for sure.

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_se...&category_id=184421b65ba89f0c526e98d076712153

The heavy mags deliver the same KE approx 75 yards further downrange than standard 375 H&H ammo.

 

[mike hall]

I would agree with 3006Savage on the recoil being heavy, but any 375 has heavy recoil. I do own the 700 in the xcr with the sims vibration recoil pad and I do not think it is severe. I guess I wouls say that if you're recoil sensitive neither the 375 H & H or the 375 Ultramag are your cup of tea.

 

[LAR135]

I'm a new member, so if I make a wrong statement, I apologize. 375H&H is a fantastic cartridge, but unless you're a guide, it is not required for North American hunt. In Africa, law requires that you use .375 caliber or larger for the big 5, and needed for hippo. If you're hunting brown bear in Alaska and are nonresident, I believe that you need a registered guide. His license will be at stake, and he will not allow you to get into risky situation When you have an experienced guide to back you up, you will be calm and focus with the shooting. I've never found bears difficult to knock down quickly with the first shot. Just my experience, I think that elk can be tougher to kill. I think that 300 win mag and up would be entirely adequate for bear in Alaska and Yukon.

Now for Africa. The PH will most likely get you within 200 yards for the big 5, may be 300 yards for cape buff. Again, 375H&H will be suffucient at these ranges. 375 UltraMag is not required. In fact, I would choose 416 Rem over .375 Ultra Mag. Again, this is just my opinion.

I'm also new here...but even though I'm gonna disagree a little with you. Regardless of what a guide was carrying I wouldn't hunt the big bears with the 300 win mag. I'd at least step up to the 338 and probably the 375 H&H. I'd rather be overgunned a little on a big bear and I'm certainly not depending on someone else to stop something big and ticked off that I couldn't handle. Just my .02

 

[Booney]

Ive got a 375 ultra xcr and I would sale it for $500 if that helps you make up your mind.

 

[EastHunter]

Thank Booney but the purshace is not for "right now". My friend and i didnt have acces to the 375(either kind) but we like clasique so the hh one will be our choose. Y stick with the 338win for my hunt sins the shoot are more likly to be closse.

 

[buffybr]

I've had both, a .375 H&H and a .375 Ultra mag. The ultra mag is like the H&H on steroids. I sold the H&H and the .375 Ultra mag is one of my favorite rifles.

I've taken my .375 ultra mag to Africa twice, taking 18 animals from Steinbok to Cape Buffalo. Most were one shot kills at ranges from 30 yds to 348 yds. The first trip I was shooting 300 gr Barnes TSX bullets at 2840 fps. The second trip I shot 270 gr TSX bullets at 3043 fps (that's 5553 ft-lbs of energy!). Both bullets shoot 3-shot sub moa groups. That's accurate enough and enough energy for any bear or moose on the planet.

My .375 ultra mag is a model 700 Remington that out of the box was very unpleasant to shoot. I restocked it in a laminated stock (that fits me!) and is pillar and glass bedded, has a Limbsaver recoil pad, and a mechanical recoil reducer in the stock. I also have a KDF muzzle brake on the barrel. 95+ Grains of powder is LOUD with or without a muzzle brake. Unloaded and without a sling my .375 ultra mag weighs 9 1/2 lbs. It's now comfortable to shoot, even from a prone position.

Someone mentioned the availability of ammo. .375 H&H ammo has been around a long time and is more widely available than ammo for the ultra mag. You will also pay a premimum price for .375 ultra mag ammo. If you handload, you can taylor the ammo to your rifle, and the ultra mag ammo will only cost about 5 cents more for each round than handloaded .375 H&H ammo.

If I ever hunt Cape Buffalo again or Asian Water Buffalo or Brown bear, my rifle of choice will be my .375 Ultra mag with 270 gr Barnes TSX bullets.

 

[sportmuaythai]

I've had both, a .375 H&H and a .375 Ultra mag. The ultra mag is like the H&H on steroids. I sold the H&H and the .375 Ultra mag is one of my favorite rifles.

I've taken my .375 ultra mag to Africa twice, taking 18 animals from Steinbok to Cape Buffalo. I was shooting 300 gr Barnes TSX bullets at 2840 fps. The second trip I shot 270 gr TSX bullets at 3043 fps (that's 5553 ft-lbs of energy!). Both bullets shoot 3-shot sub moa groups. That's accurate enough and enough energy for any bear or moose on the planet.

My .375 ultra mag is a model 700 Remington that out of the box was very unpleasant to shoot. I restocked it in a laminated stock (that fits me!) and is pillar and glass bedded, has a Limbsaver recoil pad, and a mechanical recoil reducer in the stock. I also have a KDF muzzle brake on the barrel. 95+ Grains of powder is LOUD with or without a muzzle brake. Unloaded and without a sling my .375 ultra mag weighs 9 1/2 lbs. It's now comfortable to shoot, even from a prone position.

If I ever hunt Brown bear, my rifle of choice will be my .375 Ultra mag with 270 gr Barnes TSX bullets.

Sorry for digging up an old thread and getting off topic. Dear buffybr, I envy you for having such a fine shooting rifle. But unless you'll be hunting Brown bear over a pile of moose kill, pls forget about your heavy cannon. A heavy rifle is a hindrance on true brown bear hunt in Alaska. Imagine the hip boots and several streams you need to cross, thick alders and willows, heavy clothings and raingear that would bog you down in sweat no matter how well they breathe. Day pack with binocs ammunition, grubs etc, and you can see what I'm tryiong to get at.
PS Post edited deleting nonsense details. My apology

 

[EastHunter]

Better go light and précise than hevy and exausting.

 

[buffybr]

Sportmuaythai, thanks for your advise and your bear story, but I have never felt burdened by the extra two pounds of my 9 1/2-10 pound rifles.

Four of my primary hunting rifles are in this weight class: my .375 RUM (9 3/4 lbs loaded w/ sling) which I have used on two hunts in Africa for spot and stalk hunts on 18 animals from Steinbok to Buffalo.

My .30 Gibbs (10 lbs loaded w/ sling) which I used for over 35 years on DIY (and mostly by myself) hunts taking 30 elk, two Alaskan Caribou, about a dozen each Pronghorn Antelope and Mule or Whitetail deer, and a Mountain Goat that was a solo hunt in mid November in Montana's Lee Metcalf Wilderness that was at 8-10,000 feet elevation with 1-2 feet of snow and at -15*F, and for two Shiras Moose (one of these was also a solo hunt several miles into the Metcalf Wilderness).

My .257 AI (9 3/4 lbs loaded w/ sling) that I carried on many Montana Bighorn Sheep hunts, including 4 solo hunts that were successful on Rams; a solo backpack hunt in Montana's Absoroka Beartooth Wilderness Area where I killed a 6-pt Bull Elk; a backpack hunt in Canada's Mackenzie Mountains where I took a Dall ram and a Mountain Caribou; and another 15-20 each Pronghorn Antelope and Mule or Whitetail deer. Many of the Deer and Antelope hunts were solo hunts where I walked up to 20 miles per day.

My .300 Wby Vanguard (10 lbs loaded w/ sling) that I just finished building this past winter that will be by new Elk and African Plains Game rifle.

My other big game rifle is a stainless/synthetic stocked 7mm Rem Mag (9 1/4 lbs loaded w/ sling) that I have taken to Africa twice for PG from Mountain Reedbuck to Kudu, to Canada for two BG Caribou and a Musk ox, and it is my foul weather rifle here at home that I've killed Elk and Pronghorns with.

I guess my point here is that if you get in good physical shape before you go on a hunt (I'm 63 yrs old, walk several miles a day, and lift weights 3 days a week), remove some of the excess stuff from your day pack (I see many guys on the outdoor TV channels that are either way overweight or carry huge daypacks), an extra pound or two in rifle weight will not make that much difference hunting.

 

[Victor65]

375 RUM - H&H can't compete. Energy and velocity - H&H - no competition. RUM, newer, better, save your life one day. Your comfort zone will be your demise. Take that seriously. gun)

 

[mrultramag]

I have a 375 rum in the first model 700XCR. Its a VERY light rifle for this cartridge. But a Holland style muzzle brake solved my issue and now its nice to shoot; (even off the bench) its One of my most accurate rifles. Lays 260 accubonds one over the next at 100 yds. 3050 fps Muzzle velocity measured at 15 ft. I've killed a couple bull elk with it and love the effect it has. Is it more than needed? sure! but one of my favorite hunting rifles now because of its light weight and accuracy. This is an OLD thread but I think the OP would be served well with either 375 depending on personal tastes.