.375 H&H Do Critics Exist?

[Longwalker]

I don't want this to seem flippant, but why not buy a spare spring and change it each year or two rather than not load the magazine full? Springs are cheap and easy to replace in my experience.

 

[siml]

@Longwalker , like the way you think, but out in the sticks not always that easy. You very seldom need more than 3 shots.

 

[Longwalker]

Living where I do, in a small town of 500 people in a rural area, I can relate to your lack of easy to get rifle parts. And I agree, 3 shots is usually more than enough.

 

[enysse]

To me it comes down to shot placement. Yes, power is good, but precision placement is final. The 375 H&H with solids is plenty, especially for a client.

 

[CAustin]

Enysse your dead on! Shot placement with all the mentioned rifles is the key!

 

[Ado]

I love my 375 H&H... No not much criticism about this cartridge in 100+ years...

Ado

 

[petrusg]

Is the perfect all round caliber - if you could only purchase one rifle, a 375H&H would have to be the one.

 

[siml]

Adriaan, spot on..

 

[enysse]

I also like that Simon says he uses a heavy 375 H&H, probably borrowing it to clients. A heavy 375 H&H is very manageable to shoot. Mine is heavy too, I don't carry mine miles and miles...I have other guns for that purpose. I would use my .416 Rem in Win Model 70.

 

[William W.]

When you want to buy your CZ, check out Grab-A-Gun for a great price. You will pay a transfer fee, but no sales tax. Rub your bolt havily with J-B bore cleaner, cyle it numerous times, clean it off with spray carb cleaner, spray Kroil, put it back in tje rifle to pick up the worst of the residue, clean the gun well, then use a grinding wheel with a polushing pad and the finest rouge to polish out the wear marks, piut it back in the gun, cylcle, clean the crap off the bolt and repolish. Do the re-polishing abot 3 times watching out not to catch the Mauser part on the pad. You will have an action as smooth as a Remington with no gunsmithing costs. See my post on cutting the sight hood so that you can retain your fine iron sights that come with the rifle.

 

[flatwater bill]

Rifleman..........once you own the gun, it is a little late for a critique, but here are a few negative points for the old warhorse:
1. The cartridge is long...2.85 inches long. It requires a long action. Yet it produces the same or less energy than several competing standard length action cartridges (2.5 inches)
2. The long tapered case was designed with a belt for a reason. Headspace. The most accurate cartridges in generally headspace neatly and tightly on a sharp shoulder. The little sloped shoulder of the 375 makes this difficult
3. The long tapered case grows. When reloading hot loads, frequent case trimming is needed. I dont like doing this.
4. Recoil is about twice that of an '06. About 40 ft lbs. Many people can't shoot it well. Maybe it is more than they need for plains game. Maybe it's less than they want when charged at close range by, say, a management Black Rhino.
5. for the first 30 years that I owned a 375, there were not too many bullets available for it. That has improved a lot lately.
6. With the above in mind, I would be happy to take the CZ 550 off of your hands for a few bucks so your purchase isn't a total loss.

FWIW, Sako makes several versions of their Model 85 in this caliber for a reasonable cost. They are worth a look.............I especially like "The Grizzly".............FWB

 

[larry4831]

There is a better caliber than the .375 h&h for pretty much every application I can think of. If I could only have one rifle though that would be it. I stopped a buffalo, brain shot a hippo, dropped a grysbok, and even took a klippie with a Texas heart shot and almost no damage to the chest (solids aren't just for DG ya know!)

You just can't beat it for versatility and from the biggest to the smallest.

two classics, the 375 H&H and the 45 colt

 

[Von S.]

The 375 H&H is possibly the most user friendly heavy medium bore rounds in the world.

It has been an extremely popular round for many a large tough animal with part of the reason being that just about everyone makes a rifle chambered in it. It may possibly be the most universal cartridge for PG and for dangerous cats in Africa and great bears and large game on the planet, but in my estimation falls short in power for elephants, rhino, capes and 700 pound plus bears at closer ranges. For those I consider the 458 WM as the very minimum and rounds with even more power as being preferable...for me anyway.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

two classics, the 375 H&H and the 45 colt

I agree with you larry 4831.

 

[HWL]

I just bought a Mannlicher-Schoenauer in 9,3x64..... what did I do wrong?



HWL

 

[Von S.]

I just bought a Mannlicher-Schoenauer in 9,3x64..... what did I do wrong?



HWL

Oh my,

You've done nothing wrong. I have a few rifles in that round and it is a dandy.

 

[geoff rath]

If I were to criticize it, the only thing I'd say is that it isn't a stopper rifle for DG. We can talk about bullet placement and bullet selection all day long in regards to this and I won't argue against any of that. But in the end while I have no direct experience but certainly can read, it is not the optimal choice when something that wants to kill you is closing fast and you intend on preventing contact.

But I love love love my .375 and only plan on parting from it when I make my final departure. It will get handed down to one of my boys and if they decide to sell it, I will rise from the grave and haunt them the rest of their days!

Alternative calibers going up for DG would be a .404 Jeffery or any of the .416's or .458's. The .458's will get your shoulder's attention as will a limited to potential .416 Rigby.

Alternative calibers going down for PG would be the the 9.3's, .338 and .300's. My personal favorite in the strictly PG caliber would the .300WM. If paired with a .375H&H, I'm pretty much set for any and everything in Africa.

But lots to choose from which makes it fun, so enjoy the research and the rifle that you choose! While I love to discuss calibers and the pros/cons of each, we tend to put way too much importance on this and not enough on bullet selection and placement.

So eloquently put, @PHOENIX PHIL. Versatile, capable. Bullet weights from 230 to 350 grains. More than adequate for just 'bout anything.

 

[Hank2211]

The 375 H&H is possibly the most user friendly heavy medium bore rounds in the world.

It has been an extremely popular round for many a large tough animal with part of the reason being that just about everyone makes a rifle chambered in it. It may possibly be the most universal cartridge for PG and for dangerous cats in Africa and great bears and large game on the planet, but in my estimation falls short in power for elephants, rhino, capes and 700 pound plus bears at closer ranges. For those I consider the 458 WM as the very minimum and rounds with even more power as being preferable...for me anyway.

I agree with you. I have used a .375 extensively in Africa and have been satisfied with its performance in every case, with one exception, and that was elephant.

I am aware that it is possible to successfully shoot elephant with a .275, as Bell did, but the question is not what is possible under the best of circumstances, but what's generally adequate. And I think that most of us would find a noticeable improvement in performance by stepping up to something like a .404/.416.

 

[Von S.]

Hank,

Yes! Agreement.

I have found over the years that most people go armed for what they will probably get, instead of what they might get.

Case in point was a bear that was running straight at me and two friends being chased by two guys .one with a 7mm08 and the other with a 30-30. I stopped all that running around nonsense with one shot from my 458WM with one of my 350 grain bullets cooked up past 2500.

He died on the run and face planted. He did have two bullets in his butt. When stretched out his dead was on the tailgate of my friends truck.

Do I like the 375? I most certainly do, but like you I understand limitations.

Best of luck.

 

[geoff rath]

I just bought a Mannlicher-Schoenauer in 9,3x64..... what did I do wrong?



HWL

... and I have just had a custom 9.3X64 "built". Anything wrong with that? Absolutely nothing; but then I have a 416 Rigby coming....

Oh my,

You've done nothing wrong. I have a few rifles in that round and it is a d