Recommended Ammo for .375 H&H?

[RLP]

Looking for advice. I will be going on my first African plains game hunt in June of 2025. I plan on using a 375 H&H for the bigger / thicker skinned animals (not cape buffalo). The platform will be a Ruger #1 w/ 3x9 Leopold.

What does the experienced hunters recommend? Thank you in advance.

 

[375Fox]

In a perfect world you’d use federal or swift ammo in 300 gr trophy bonded bear claw or swift A frame but none are available. The best available factory loaded option is 300 gr Barnes TSX. Hornady DGX would work fine too. Just make sure any bullet choice you make is a 300 gr bonded bullet or all copper. Don’t use the generic 300 gr soft point. They are not bonded and may not hold up to heavy bone.

 

[AimSmall]

Plains game, but thicker skin?

Eland, Kudu, Gemsbuk,,,? No dangerous game?

With a 375, any quality bullet 250gr+.

Barnes, Swift A-frame, North Fork, CEB, DGX bonded, Partition.

Probably steer clear of cup-and-core, not because they might not work, but because those listed will work.

Good bullets only cost a dollar more.

Best of luck! Have fun!

 

[Ridge Runner]

I use:
300gr Barnes TSX,
300gr Hornady DGX (eland, gemsbok, leechwe, warthog) and DGS (For buff, hippo, baboon, mongoose)
???gr Woodleigh, I don't remember right off what the grain weight is 300+gr, 300gr, 270gr or 250gr.

These 3 above have the same POI without making any scope adjustments.

My rifle doesn't shoot the 300gr North Forks as well as I would like it to using IMR4064. When the 375H&H becomes a priority hunting rifle I'll spend more time working on the recipe for the North Forks. For same POI paired with above requires scope adjustment.

 

[Tra3]

+1 on barnes 300gr. They also don’t seem to open up on the tiny 10, so you wouldn’t have to swap to a solid.
They will exit medium sized PG and about any angle, so be sure of what is behind.

 

[mdwest]

I use 300gr Barnes TSX exclusively in my 375HH… doesn’t matter if I’m after duiker or buff… they all get the same medicine…

That said, if you’re after PG only… ANY 375 round will work…

I used 260gr nosler partitions on my first pg hunt… they dropped everything from waterbuck to wildebeest to impala, etc with zero problems..

I’ve seen everything from rem Corelokt to S&B soft points to PPU soft points and a host of premiums used across a wide spectrum of PG and have never heard anyone speak of a performance problem…

 

[UpNorthMI]

If it was me and the goal is only plains game, I would come down from the 300 gn and consider a slightly lighter bullet of 250 - 275 gn. As others have suggested a quality bonded bullet is a good choice.

 

[Ryan]

What I read is at worst heavier plains game like an eland, which honestly can be taken with a good 30 caliber round.

The 375 is the heavyweight of medium bores. At that point, go with a spire point bullet to give you a little better ballistics for those 100-200 yard shots. If you hand load, a 260 gr Nosler Partition or Accubond or a 270 gr. Barnes LRX would pile drive any plains game. While I'm all for monometal or bonded bullets, In all honesty with that caliber and hunting plains game even basic cup and core bullets would do well, like the 270 gr. Remington Core-Lokt ammo.

 

[Bowandarrowman]

I have used the Barnes 300gr TSX in RSA, nothing walked away or needed a second shot.

 

[Challer]

First, good on you for sticking with the 375 for PG. this will have long term benefits. I prefer and stick to only AFrame and CEB. Check the custom loaders, they may have what you cannot get.

That said the TSX will do whatever want on PG as well

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Just shoot everything with a 300 gr Swift A Frame.

If you can't find any, then a Hornady DGX bonded are readily available and nicely priced.

.375 H&H Mag Ammo rifle dgx

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Or the Barnes TSX

.375 H&H Mag Ammo rifle 300 grains tsx

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[mark-hunter]

Did anybody use RWS 375 H&H ammunition? Especially European colleagues?
Is it worth taking to Africa? (plains game, buffalo?)

 

[grand veneur]

Never from RWS, but from Hirtenberger with 272gr ABC bullets. I used it to shoot a buffalo, marginal load for that purpose, and a few antelopes.

 

[Mountaineer]

My PH’s rental guns come with Federal 270 grain soft points for plains game. They must work well.

 

[Luvthunt]

Used the 260 Nosler Part. for all up to Buff. Most animals DRT. Great cat bullet!

 

[PARA45]

I used Barnes Vortex 300 grs ammo in 2022, and shot everything from Warthog, Bushbuck, cow Buffalo, Kudu, B Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Nyala, and a Lioness. Oh, and my longest shot was to the Nyala and it was a bit over 300 yds. No issues. If you could find something lighter and they shoot well out of your rifle, then go with them, but the 300 will give you what you need. Oh, and you'll learned how versatile the 375 H&H truly is.

 

[mark-hunter]

Hirtenberger with 272gr ABC bullets

Interesting. This was a bullet constructed and patented by Slovenian engineer France Avcin (in former yugoslavia) Patent sold to Hirtenberg. Now, phased out, no longer produced.
This bullet is still very much popular with older hunters who struggle to buy when available here and there from old stocks and private sellers..
Bullet was tested in then Yugoslav government run hunting areas, and thousands of game was killed, well proven in the field. Official caliber of forestry department then was 7x64., and bullet was mainly used in that caliber, although later available in other calibers as well.
it was predecessor of modern tsx bullet, openining in 4 petals, and very effective.

ABC means "Avcin Bullet Cartridge":.
Interesting person, worht noting.
France Avcin (1910 - 1984), studied electrical engineering in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Made PhD in engineering in 1938. joined paritsans in WW2. 1946 became associate professor and in 1957 full time professor at university.

In 1960 at international conference of weights and measueres in Paris, proposed that unit for magnetic flux density was named Tesla (after famous inventor Nikola tesla, born in Croatia, then Yugoslavia), and proposal was accepted. This indicates influence he already gained by 1960 in international scientific community.

He invented solution for technical treatment of cancer, lens for use in elctronic microscope, he invented electronic speedometer for measuring the trajectory of ballistic missiles. etc

And he was a mind to invent ABC bullet, that we talk about.
Interestingly, then ex-Yugoslavia was not interested to produce his bullet, so he sold the patent to Austrian Hirtenberg. Later they imported hirtenbegr ABC ammunition for govt forestry departments

Of course, he was a passionate hunter, thus his interest in constructing a better bullet.

 

[Labman]

I use the Barnes 270 Gr. TSX in my 375 H&H. It's my do everything load. Will handle anything from a Duiker to a Cape Buffalo. Less recoil than the 300 gr. bullet and shoots tiny groups in my rifle.

 

[Andrew62]

Other than solids, any ammo will work on plains game. While I am used to shooting 300 grain ammo, if you find some 250-260-270, buy what works best in your rifle and go hunting!

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi mark-hunter,

Thank you for your ABC Hirtenberger bullets history!
By the way, this could explains the similarity, external, with the actual Slovenian FOX Bullets. I have the monometalic 220 grs 9,3 FOX bullet. The top one in the picture.

CF