Plains Game With A .375 ...Recommended ? If so 250 Grain or 300?

[hoytcanon]

I'm not a fan of TSX bullets, I would go with 260 grain AB's or Partitions for PG.

 

[t-rags]

I’ve done several 1 gun safari with just a 375 H&H. I took all these at 200-330 yards with 250 gr TTSX and a 5x Leupold. 300 gr would work equally well. I took a jackal that afternoon too. I have a 100, 200, 300 yard range and know where my rifles shoot at those distances. I’m not a Leupold CDS fan but it could really have some value on a 375 H&H for longer shots.
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Would you give a picture of your set-up or description of rifle and glass? Thanks. Beautiful warthogs!

 

[Puddle]

I did a plains game hunt a long while back taking 2 rifles just for fun - a .30-06 using 180 grain A-Frames and a .375 H&H using 270 grain A-Frames.

Same basic actions - M70 CRF, stocked the same, same safety & trigger pull weight, and the same glass in Talley steel bases and rings. Both rifles zeroed to same POA - POI. The idea was to switch rifles each morning and see what the day offers.

Longest shot was 200 yards with my butt planted in the dirt at a very nice warthog using the H&H. Everything else taken was from distances averaging a little over 125 yards.

 

[BeeMaa]

When I showed up with 300 grain Swift A-Frames and a 375H&H my PH was ecstatic. Used that combo to take 9 PG animals. From eland to blesbok, nothing went far.

The only thing I’d do differently is take about 10 solids (CEB’s or Woodleigh Hydros) to load at the PH’s direction or to be used on the T10.

Most PH’s will keep shots to 100 yards or less but there are times and hunting areas where that’s not possible. 200-250 yard shots are in range using a 300 grain bullet. Make sure you have a dope sheet on your stock and be sure to practice at those ranges as well.

 

[Andrew62]

I shot a springbuck with my .375H&H, 300 grain bullet, out at 300 yards, I think it was more like the poor animal had a heart attack and fell over dead than any good shooting I may say I did! lol These days I take my .308 with 168 grain and do plains game hunting with that.

 

[fourfive8]

Why is it that anytime I hear “reach out and touch something” there is going to be some reference to a need for long range sniping instead of hunting? Also why the erroneous assumption for using a lighter, faster, more frangible bullet is somehow best for smaller PG? Both assumptions are wrong and counterproductive, IMO- upside down thinking. A 300 gr tough, accurate bullet at 2450 fps works well on all PG from duiker to eland. The TSX is an accurate and proven bullet. Go ahead and follow the poor advice of shooting small PG with something like a 260 gr Partition as fast as you can load it…. report back the results

 

[hoytcanon]

Why is it that anytime I hear “reach out and touch something” there is going to be some reference to a need for long range sniping instead of hunting? Also why the erroneous assumption for using a lighter, faster, more frangible bullet is somehow best for smaller PG? Both assumptions are wrong and counterproductive, IMO- upside down thinking. A 300 gr tough, accurate bullet at 2450 fps works well on all PG from duiker to eland. The TSX is an accurate and proven bullet. Go ahead and follow the poor advice of shooting small PG with something like a 260 gr Partition as fast as you can load it…. report back the results

Everyone is entitled to an opinion... I have one... I will take a Partition in almost every circumstance over a Barnes TSX/TTSX etc... shorter blood trails, faster recovery. To each their own.

 

[BeeMaa]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion... I have one... I will take a Partition in almost every circumstance over a Barnes TSX/TTSX etc... shorter blood trails, faster recovery. To each their own.

I would encourage you to ask your PH what he would recommend for a bullet without telling him what you prefer. I'd be very surprised if any PH would recommend the NP for a mixed bag PG hunt.

Shoot a 260 grain NP at a small PG animal and you are correct, tracking will be extremely easy. However you will be shoveling the carcass of the animal into the bakkie in pieces and paying for your taxidermist to sew it back together. I very much agree with @fourfive8 on this.

300 grain (and up) premium expanding bullets like the bonded Swift A-Frame, Norma Oryx & Federal TBBC along with mono-metal Barnes TSX will serve you best for most PG. Plus if the dugga boy of a lifetime shows up you are well prepared.

For the Tiny 10 (animals ranging from 10 to 50 lbs) a 300 grain solid (CEB or Woodleigh Hydro) will put a .375" hole on each side and the animal will be done very quickly with minimal hide damage.

 

[schwerpunkt88]

Barnes 235 grain TSX. Trajectory similar to the 30-06 with less recoil than shooting the 300 grain bullets.

 

[hoytcanon]

I would encourage you to ask your PH what he would recommend for a bullet without telling him what you prefer. I'd be very surprised if any PH would recommend the NP for a mixed bag PG hunt.

Shoot a 260 grain NP at a small PG animal and you are correct, tracking will be extremely easy. However you will be shoveling the carcass of the animal into the bakkie in pieces and paying for your taxidermist to sew it back together. I very much agree with @fourfive8 on this.

300 grain (and up) premium expanding bullets like the bonded Swift A-Frame, Norma Oryx & Federal TBBC along with mono-metal Barnes TSX will serve you best for most PG. Plus if the dugga boy of a lifetime shows up you are well prepared.

For the Tiny 10 (animals ranging from 10 to 50 lbs) a 300 grain solid (CEB or Woodleigh Hydro) will put a .375" hole on each side and the animal will be done very quickly with minimal hide damage.

I have guided for moose, grizzlies, big black bear for more than four decades off and on... and seen all sorts of bullets used from all sorts of guns, the LEAST spectacular and the longest trails have come from Barnes bullets... even on hits that should have been more effective than they proved to be... no thanks. Everyone can chose what they wish, but I am not using Barnes nor recommending them for most hunting scenarios. Partitions and A-Frames always perform as they should, 250 - 350 grains at good speed will kill pretty much anything. JMO, you do you.

 

[Tra3]

I have guided for moose, grizzlies, big black bear for more than four decades off and on... and seen all sorts of bullets used from all sorts of guns, the LEAST spectacular and the longest trails have come from Barnes bullets... even on hits that should have been more effective than they proved to be... no thanks. Everyone can chose what they wish, but I am not using Barnes nor recommending them for most hunting scenarios. Partitions and A-Frames always perform as they should, 250 - 350 grains at good speed will kill pretty much anything. JMO, you do you.

This has not been my experience. I’m a Barnes fan. Especially in the .375. My suggestion would be a 300 gr. for everything.
I suppose most anything out of a .375 will work well for Pg.
Just don’t shoot the tiny 10 with fast and small bullets.

 

[hoytcanon]

This has not been my experience. I’m a Barnes fan. Especially in the .375. My suggestion would be a 300 gr. for everything.
I suppose most anything out of a .375 will work well for Pg.
Just don’t shoot the tiny 10 with fast and small bullets.

I agree that a fast, frangible bullet at speed is not a good idea for small game... standard cup and cores can be messy when the impact speed is high, however they work great at lower speed. A few years ago I set up in a spot for WT where they normally passed through @ 300 yards, so I carried my 6.5 Rem Mag with 140 NBT's, so of course the buck walked up to me at 20 feet, that one shot created an absolute mess... high speed and soft bullets don't go together.

 

[Philip Glass]

Wondering if the .375 has enough to reach out and touch some plains game or should I pack a more long distance rifle?

It will depend on your Hunting area. For most of Southern Africa it will be fine. Practice at longer distances and know where your gun hits. I am shooting 270g Barnes TSX and it has proven to be a very versatile bullet.

 

[Wiley64]

I did a pg with my 375 last year with 300 grain Barnes tsx. Shot 5 animals, it has a ton of knockdown power, and even dropped a sable in its tracks. Only thing I’ll change is adding 200 yard zero vs 100

 

[mark-hunter]

Wondering if the .375 has enough to reach out and touch some plains game or should I pack a more long distance rifle?

I made my first safari on PG (Black wildebeest, oryx, warthog, red hartebeest, kudu) with 375 HH, and then again my third safari with 375 HH (eland, waterbuck, steenbock),
All with 300 grains bullets. Distances up to 200 meters

To put it in perspective, 375 HH has similar trajectory as 30-06. And much much more energy.
So, in order to reach a bit further I would go with 375 HH light bullet carefully chosen for high BC, to stretch the trajectory to reasonable maximum.

I shoot usually up to 200 meters in plains game hunt, and for eventual longer distances I would zero at 200, and compensate for the drop at further ranges.

I never shot at game at more then 200 meters, but for planned specific and expected conditions, I might consider shooting up to 300 meters, with proper zeroing and training. That would be my definition of long range hunt.

 

[Huntsmans Bane]

7 of the 8 plains game I took "liked" the 300 TSX from my 375H&H. That's their opinion and I'm sticking by it. The other, cow eland, like the 180 TTSX in my -06 but that's another story!

 

[JT300]

I am hardly qualified to chime in but my new 375 has only used 300gr TSX. One hog here so far but I had my PH tell me today to keep shooting and bring the same thing.

 

[Trogon]

Blooded my new to me Winchester Model 70 this evening with a 296 lb field dressed Nilgai, using the Barnes 300 grain TSX factory load. Shot was 260 yards, through the shoulder, ran about 100 yards. Alot of firsts, first game taken with this rifle, first with 375 H&H Magnum and first with a copper bullet.