300 or 375?

[huntinlabs]

What's better for north American game? I have a hell of a deal on a 375 h&h browning. But part of me believes when I leave Alaska a 300 is a better gun? So for whitetail mule dear and elk what is better a 300 or a 375 and why?

 

[ActionBob]

All the Browning 375's I have seen have been to light for the caliber. Recoil would likely get your attention.

Other than that, you can get a 375 H&H to mimic 30-06 ballistics so it can work

 

[huntinlabs]

All the Browning 375's I have seen have been to light for the caliber. Recoil would likely get your attention.

Other than that, you can get a 375 H&H to mimic 30-06 ballistics so it can work

I would have to use store bought because reloading equipment is heavy and I am restricted on weight everytime I move.

 

[MS Hitman]

Pick up the bigger stick. My Browning A-Bolt stainless stalker is no problem to shoot.

 

[Rock375]

For strictly North American Game, a 300 gets my vote. Now if your ever going to Africa then a 375 I have more then one of both and the 300 reaches out better and will handle everything North American has to offer. The only game animal in North American were I’d rather have a 375 is Brown Bear. I have friends however who have used there 300’s on Brown Bear with no problems. There guides though were carrying 375’s for backup

 

[Shootist43]

This is a personal choice question. Although I own two 375 H&Hs, a 404 Jeffery and a 416 Rigby I doubt that I would ever use them on game in the lower 48 states. There might be a possible use for them if I planned to hunt Bear in the Northwest but since that is not a strong probability for me I'd look to the 300 Win Mag as being the more "practical" of those two options. Personally I'd opt for a 35 Whelen for overall use.

 

[cls]

I am assuming you are talking the 300 H&H, for anything other than brown bear in North America the 300 H&H is definitely the ticket.

 

[mdwest]

If youre taking Alaska off the table, and are specifically asking about whitetail, mule deer, and elk... I'd go with the 300 (Im assuming youre talking about a win mag?)...

Ammo is going to be far less expensive, easier to find, and you'll have a much wider variety to chose from..

Youre going to get a flatter shot at greater distances if youre considering hunting any/all of those animals in the Western US where shots can easily exceed 250 yards (if youre inclined to take those shots)..

And a 300 is going to be lighter.. and a hell of a lot easier to tote up and down the hills and all over the rugged terrain of the Western US..

There is nothing in the lower 48 that a 300 WM wont do the trick on easily except maybe a griz.. which wasnt mentioned in your question.. and even in the event that you decide to chase griz.. more than a few have been taken by a 300WM...

Dont get me wrong... I love my 375... its currently one of my favorite rifles..

But it wont be coming out of the safe this year (or any foreseeable year in the future) for whitetail, mule deer, or elk.. I've got a 7mm Mag and a 308 that I find to be MUCH better options for those particular critters..

 

[Luvthunt]

I dunno—with the 375 you could use the 235 gr at 2900fps [re 15] or the 250 gr at 2800fps. Guess I might use the 375 just because I can.

 

[ActionBob]

I would have to use store bought because reloading equipment is heavy and I am restricted on weight everytime I move.

You can certainly use factory ammo. If you order on line you can find loads with bullets as light at 235 Grains. But for easy to find stuff I would just go with 270 grain for North America and 300 grain for Africa.

All good advice on the 300 as well. and if not hunting DG, that might be the better choice... although I get the feeling you "want" to pick up this deal on the 375 So if that is what you want, just go for it

 

[Kycrawler]

If you don't reload. And aren't planning Africa or big bears 30-06. Ammo is half the cost of 300 win and 1/4 the cost of 375 factory fodder . 30-06 will work for anything in North America at less cost and recoil so you can practice more

 

[Red Leg]

For the stated purpose, definitely not a .375.

 

[Art Lambart II]

Your gut is giving you good advice on the 300 WM in the lower 48, however if you get a 35 Whelen you'll be covered for the lower 48, Alaska and all of the PG in Africa.

 

[Bhfs300]

I went out and shot this morning took my Ruger #1 in 300 WM.

And my 375 Ruger for another thread.

It fits here also I found some Hornady 375 Ruger in 270 grain. I also do not load my own shells. My goal is to make it to SA again and get a Cape Buffalo but think I will use the 375 for elk here in Colorado in the future.

Calm day shot at the 200-300 range. Got the 300 and my 375 fine tuned at 200 then shot 5 shots at 300 yards.
Both are sighted in at 200 yards since I found the Ruger 375 in 270 grain
Went down to get the targets and couldn’t believe the shots. I had a dot at 8 inches high for the 375 and with the 5 power scope cross hairs covering the dot I shot two to finish off the box from the other day. They ended up one inch low and one and a half high and an inch to the left.
The three shots with the Ruger #1 using my Nikon scope at 14.5 power was easier with the BDC option. The small drawing on the target shows where I was holding for the three shots will need to move that point higher in the circle a little in the future.

I would say that you could use either rifle in the lower 48 as long as you were keeping shots around 300 yards or less.

 

[jduckhunter]

I like my 375 and I like my 300 but when I'm really undecided on witch one to use that's when I love my 338 WM

 

[Ridgewalker]

308, 30-06, 300WM all work fine on antelope, any deer, black bear, elk, hogs, moose and probably, though I haven’t taken one, lower 48 grizzly.
There are excellent factory loads reasonably priced for all. With Handloads in my experience, the 30-06 is the best from suppressed, learner loads to 200gr dark timbered moose and elk loads. They all work in Africa up to and including kudu, Wildebeest and tough old zebra. Eland you should have a bigger gun I think, although if that’s all I had, I’d go for it with a good premium bullet.
JMO from a few years experience.

 

[huntinlabs]

308, 30-06, 300WM all work fine on antelope, any deer, black bear, elk, hogs, moose and probably, though I haven’t taken one, lower 48 grizzly.
There are excellent factory loads reasonably priced for all. With Handloads in my experience, the 30-06 is the best from suppressed, learner loads to 200gr dark timbered moose and elk loads. They all work in Africa up to and including kudu, Wildebeest and tough old zebra. Eland you should have a bigger gun I think, although if that’s all I had, I’d go for it with a good premium bullet.
JMO from a few years experience.

I have killed moose and caribou with my .308. This is more of a want than need but if I do get something I want it to be practical. I don't have the want, space, or funds for a safe queen. lol

 

[Firebird]

A marvelously compelling question with no solid answer! I just got back from a safari with my .300 and love it but now I’m thinking of buying a .375 to take next time for some of the really “bigs.”
This fall I will hunt antelope with 7mm-08, whitetail deer with a .30-06 and mule deer with my 7mm stw. All perfectly suited to their craft, time tested and true. So if I’m in your shoes I would go .300 or smaller, but in my shoes, I’m gonna but a .375!

 

[buffybr]

What's better for north American game? I have a hell of a deal on a 375 h&h browning. But part of me believes when I leave Alaska a 300 is a better gun? So for whitetail mule dear and elk what is better a 300 or a 375 and why?

I have both. Whitetail and Mule deer are not that hard to kill. Since the late 70s, my favorite deer rifle is my .257 Ackley. It is flat shooting, plenty of energy, and low recoil.

In 1970 I was stationed at Ft Sill, OK. I spent a lot of time at the rifle range. One evening, two guys at the bench next to me were sighting in a .375 H&H one of them borrowed for his elk hunt that he had drawn in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge near there. At that time I had only killed one elk, a 5x5 bull in my home state of Colorado, and I thought that they were way over gunned. Now, 35 elk and 2 moose later, I haven't changed my mind.

Before I built my .257 Ackley, I shot my deer and elk every year with my .30-06. In 1978 I had my .30-06 rechambered to .30 Gibbs -- just because I really liked the shape of the case. It also closely duplicated .300 Win ballistics. For the next 20 some years that rifle easily kept my freezers full of elk and moose meat. I now consider my .300 Weatherby my perfect elk rifle.

In 2005 I built my .375 RUM for a Zimbabwe Cape Buffalo hunt. I built the stock to fit me, had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it and installed a recoil reducer in its stock. It is not uncomfortable to shoot, even from prone. I used that rifle on 2 African hunts shooting various animals from Steenbok to Buffalo. The only North American animal that I have even thought of using that rifle on is a coastal Alaskan brown bear. IMO that much power is not needed for any animal in the lower 48.

On a side note, before I built my .375RUM, I traded my .375 H&H for a Rem 541T .22 LR.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Since you have a 308 Win and are currently living in brown bear/grizzly country and you are going back to Africa soon, id suggest the 375 H&H.
Use it on a big bear before your transfer and maybe even a bison on Kodiak Island. Take it to Africa and get your buddy to put you in front of a cape buffalo and eland.
Perfect situation IMO!