375 H&H for everything

[1ObsessedHunter]

One could always go with quick detach mounts and have two scopes for one gun. I want to do this for my 375. I already have quick detach Warne rings on mine because I want to be able to remove the scope and use the sights, if necessary. If I knew I would be hunting plains game for a few days I'd just switch scopes. Talley and Warne are probably the top two and both return to zero.

 

[cavtrooper94]

I actually like your scope chose. I think a 1x4 will get about all you can get out of a 375. I have a 1x3 weaver on my 375 ruger. Never liked looking through a high powered scope and just seeing hair.

Ya I've done a lot of shooting with a 4x ACOG out to 600 meters. The idea of running two scopes also sounds good too.

 

[B9.3]

If I was going on a one rifle PG hunt in Africa I would take my Winchester Model 70 Safari Grade 375 Ruger with Zeiss Victory Diavari 2.5-10 x42 #4 in Warne Quick Detach. Loaded with 270gr North Fork SS loaded to 2800 fps with RL 17 with complete confidence.
I would even be happy to take my CZ550 American 9.3x62, Zeiss Victory Diavari 2.5-10 #4 in Warne Quick Detach. Loaded with the magnificent North Fork SS 250gr in Lapua cases loaded easily to 2700fps with RL 17. I would hunt the world with either of these.

 

[EDD]

I only use 300 gr in my 375 H&H. I bought the rifle simply because it is rated as the best all rounder out there for the last 100 years or so and that I will be using it on PG before upgrading to DG. I usually hunt in the northern parts of South Africa where the bush is thick and long shots are seldom taken but I hunted in the Kalahari this year and took a Gemsbuck at close to 200 meters with no problems! I'm not saying you must try hitting a springbuck at 300+ meters, but should you decide on one caliber on one bullet weight a lot of time on the range is necessary at different distances to learn the bullet drop. I use a Leupold 3x9x40 and feel it is sufficient for any situation for the type of hunting I'm doing now.

 

[B9.3]

The 300gr TSX is not a real good idea in the 375 H&H. Even Barnes admit the 270gr TSX works better & is prefered. In 300gr their is nothing better than the North Fork or
A-Frame.

 

[Shakey]

The 300gr TSX is not a real good idea in the 375 H&H. Even Barnes admit the 270gr TSX works better & is prefered. In 300gr their is nothing better than the North Fork or
A-Frame.

That would be a matter of opinion, and nothing more. The 300 grain TSX is an outstanding bullet and the one I shoot from my .375 H&H - from bears in AK (griz at 157 yds, black at 220 yds) to buffalo, wildebeest, impala, gemsbok and zebra.

Add a Z6 scope (several now offer 6 times magnification) and never look back

 

[Red Leg]

The 300gr TSX is not a real good idea in the 375 H&H. Even Barnes admit the 270gr TSX works better & is prefered. In 300gr their is nothing better than the North Fork or
A-Frame.

Really!?! That will be news to a whole lot of fairly experienced hunters who, along with me, believe the 300gr .375 TSX is one of the truly great rounds on this or any other planet.

 

[B9.3]

Hi Shakey. No offence friend. I will never question succes. In TSX I just happen to prefer 270gr in 375 H&H. Randy Barnes said the same. I personally have had 300gr not open properly. That bullet definately performs better out of my 375 Dakota (Win M70 Safari Express) These days I only use North Forks for serious hunting & A-Frames are my next choice. I definately agree with your choice of scope. I love my Z6. I have a new Zeiss HT on my CZ 550 9.3x62. This scope blows my hat & sox off. It is my intention to put these on all my hunters as I can afford. That's always a battle. As for the 375. I am thrilled to own them. Mine are all Winchester Model 70 Safari Express. 375 Dakota, 375 Ruger & 375 H&H. My very favorite is the Dakota. That is the perfect case. In the long action, no bullet I use intrudes into the powder space. I really hate that. I get full case capacity & that does ballistically make a difference. These preferences are of course my personal opinion. Happy & safe hunting. Beau.

 

[Shakey]

Hi Shakey. No offence friend. I will never question succes. In TSX I just happen to prefer 270gr in 375 H&H. Randy Barnes said the same. I personally have had 300gr not open properly. That bullet definately performs better out of my 375 Dakota (Win M70 Safari Express) These days I only use North Forks for serious hunting & A-Frames are my next choice. I definately agree with your choice of scope. I love my Z6. I have a new Zeiss HT on my CZ 550 9.3x62. This scope blows my hat & sox off. It is my intention to put these on all my hunters as I can afford. That's always a battle. As for the 375. I am thrilled to own them. Mine are all Winchester Model 70 Safari Express. 375 Dakota, 375 Ruger & 375 H&H. My very favorite is the Dakota. That is the perfect case. In the long action, no bullet I use intrudes into the powder space. I really hate that. I get full case capacity & that does ballistically make a difference. These preferences are of course my personal opinion. Happy & safe hunting. Beau.

None taken and none meant. Glad to hear the confidence in North Fork. I had JJ Perodeau convert a Heym 88B Safari from 458 Win Mag to 450 3-1/4" NE and re-regulate it for 450 grain North Fork FPS at 2150 fps. I just got it back Wednesday, and the proof target looks incredible (composite barrel group of approximately 1 inch at 50 yards). Unfortunately I don't load so I'm waiting on Champlins to load and ship the rest of the components I sent them. Someday I guess I should learn to reload so I'm not so dependent on someone else .... Hope it shoots as well for me as it did for JJ.

 

[B9.3]

Hi mate. That sure is a big banger. I've not owned nor shot anything like that. It should be a lot of gun both ends & surely more than adequate for anything on Planet Earth.
You will be very impressed & satisfied with the performance of North Forks. I have now got incredible confidence in them. I personally believe that they are the best expanding bullet that I have used. I went looking for a replacement for the Partition Gold when it went off the market. That was a great bullet. I am also very fond of Swift A-Frames.
I use a lot of Woodleighs on Deer & Wild Boar. They are made pretty close to where I live in Australia. I get a lot of enjoyment out of reloading & the advantage for me is that I can use the components I prefer. Like North Forks in my calibers of choice. Lapua cases in my 30.06 & 9.3x62. Norma in my Weatherby's & RL17 in my 9.3x62 & 375 Ruger.
That is a great powder for those two. There is probably no real need to handload anymore other than saving a few bucks. Factory Ammo is so good now with way more choices than I had down here back in the early 70s when I started handloading. Factory Ammo sure is expensive tho'. For my Weatherby's & the Dakota I have to hand load. The cost of that Ammo is outrageous & unafordable down here.
Well all the best with your new rifle. I read up on it before I typed this. It conjures up images of a real foot safari thro Africa hunting all manner of big game. At 63, these are things I still dream off. Take care of your trigger finger & all the very best mate. Beau Prideaux. Australia.

 

[Stocky]

For my first trip to Africa I took only a custom M70 Super Grade 375 H&H loaded with 75 gr of N150 and Nosler 260 Partitions for 2800 fps. Scope for this plains game trek was a Leupold 4.5-14x40 VX-3. I chose this set up because the 375 in a Win 70 seemed very romantic to me for my first African safari, with the 260's it shot plenty flat and I wanted to get the lay of the land before I started bringing multiple firearms to heavily regulated destinations.

It worked out perfectly on 11 trophy animals ranging in size from springbok to eland, plus one very unlucky jackal. Dropped a sable in his tracks at 300 and change.

My PH called the it the hammer of Thor, while one landowner commented that I was pretty good with my "canon." (He watched the shot on the sable.) Apparently they were used to Americans showing up with smaller calibers.

It's worth noting that the 260 Nosler offered complete penetration on everything broadside. I only managed to recover two, expanded in typical partition fashion, and those were from quartering on shots on the kudu and a black wildebeest.

I don't think I ever cranked the scope to 14, 8 to 10 was plenty even on the longer shots. However I found the lower setting little handicap on a successful snapshot at a 52 inch kudu under 20 yards. A 1-4x would have been a bit wanting for the open plains in my opinion, when one is looking for a few inches difference in horn in a herd added power is more than welcome.

I think I'll bolt the new 2-12 VX-6 on it before the next trip if I can get comfortable with the increased scope height due to the 30mm tube for quick shooting. I've been hunting with low mounted 1 inch scopes for so long that tends to be a problem. If that turns out to be the case to a 2.5-8 VX-3 could get the nod.

That been said I'm building a 280 Ackley for plains purposes going forward, I plan to put the 4.5-14 on it. I figure that and the 375 will be a perfect African battery for buff, lion and plains. Sound reasoning?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

For my first trip to Africa I took only a custom M70 Super Grade 375 H&H loaded with 75 gr of N150 and Nosler 260 Partitions for 2800 fps. Scope for this plains game trek was a Leupold 4.5-14x40 VX-3. I chose this set up because the 375 in a Win 70 seemed very romantic to me for my first African safari, with the 260's it shot plenty flat and I wanted to get the lay of the land before I started bringing multiple firearms to heavily regulated destinations.

It worked out perfectly on 11 trophy animals ranging in size from springbok to eland, plus one very unlucky jackal. Dropped a sable in his tracks at 300 and change.

My PH called the it the hammer of Thor, while one landowner commented that I was pretty good with my "canon." (He watched the shot on the sable.) Apparently they were used to Americans showing up with smaller calibers.

It's worth noting that the 260 Nosler offered complete penetration on everything broadside. I only managed to recover two, expanded in typical partition fashion, and those were from quartering on shots on the kudu and a black wildebeest.

I don't think I ever cranked the scope to 14, 8 to 10 was plenty even on the longer shots. However I found the lower setting little handicap on a successful snapshot at a 52 inch kudu under 20 yards. A 1-4x would have been a bit wanting for the open plains in my opinion, when one is looking for a few inches difference in horn in a herd added power is more than welcome.

I think I'll bolt the new 2-12 VX-6 on it before the next trip if I can get comfortable with the increased scope height due to the 30mm tube for quick shooting. I've been hunting with low mounted 1 inch scopes for so long that tends to be a problem. If that turns out to be the case to a 2.5-8 VX-3 could get the nod.

That been said I'm building a 280 Ackley for plains purposes going forward, I plan to put the 4.5-14 on it. I figure that and the 375 will be a perfect African battery for buff, lion and plains. Sound reasoning?

Very hard to argue with the .375 after you've used it. Your story is fairly similar to mine from my recent safari. I took both a .300WM and a .375H&H for myself. I don't think it's a bad idea to have a backup rifle, but if you only want to carry one, the .375 is hard to beat.

I shot 250gr North Fork bonded core soft points at 2850fps. The decidedly larger "thump" sound and the animals reaction to being hit was most impressive. There's a reason this caliber has received all of the accolades it has.

 

[garyleach]

I had the same results, 375 with Barnes 300 gr, 2 trips and shot everything from Impala to cape buff and as long as the bullet was in the right place, i didnt need a follow up shot, even with the buff (put that insurance shot into as the PH said its the dead ones that get you...). And funny thing the PH called the 375 the hammer as well, i am sold on the 375 caliber and Barnes bullets.

 

[bassasdaindia]

either the 338wm or 375 will do fine , he could use 250g for the 338 and 300g for the 375

 

[timbear]

A lot of great advice has been given already. The only other thing I would consider is a Schmidt & Bender 1.5-6x scope. Yes, I know, it's about them price of a good rifle, but it leaves nothing to be desired. Close shooting at 1.5x is no problem, and with the unbelievably clear optics 6x is enough for long shots - and in low light it outshines pretty much everything else.

 

[siutis]

Outstanding selection of power and range

 

[bassasdaindia]

It is possible, however it depends greatly on the area and terrain you are hunting in .

 

[sheephunterab]

A 1-8 scope would be better suited if it's to be used for everything...easy shoot out to 250-300 yards that way.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My set-up and experience (not much) is last year 375 H&H using 300 TSX on Cape buffalo, bushpig, bushbuck and Hornady 300 solids on duiker with 1-6x Leupold VX-6.
Just completed hunt using 250 TTSX at 2,827fps on sable, Eland, Black Wildebeest, warthog, crocodile and caracal (took low frontal shot so only hit stomach) with Leupold VX-6 2-12x. Only bullet found was on the Eland with a quartering frontal shot.
I do believe there are better bullets than the 300 TSX such as Swift A-frame and NorthFork, but it worked for me.

 

[Doug375]

Take that .375 and go huntin'. It's an excellent choice for everything except Elephant and maybe Rhino on the top end and isn't too much for anything with the exception of the tiniest stuff. The 300 gr TSX is a killing machine. I'm taking my .375 to Namibia in one week. I've packed .235 gr TSX hand loads and.300 grain factor Federals just in case. Good luck to you.