375 H&H or 458 Lott

[Dan458]

What do you want to use it for?
I have both and use the Lott more. As you say, if you’re shooting light skinned animals you’d reach for the .30 cal. If you’re hunting thick skinned game then you want the Lott.
Where the 375 shines is if you want one gun for both but that’s a compromise.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

For your application the .300 WM you already have is a better fit than either the .375 or the Lott.

I have shot buffalo with my .375 H&H and .458 Lott. For getting a buffalo’s attention there’s nothing quite like a 500 gr bullet at 2,300 fps. If you’re not after buffalo, elephant or the like, it is definitely overkill. There is nothing in NA that would justify a Lott over a .375. I have absolutely hammered brown bear with my 375. They are relatively easy to kill as compared to a buff.

I love the No 1, I have two. It is not a well designed stock for recoil management. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you buy a No 1 in .375.

Yeah I had a 450/400 NE 3” before in a number 1 and it was alright recoil was stout probably similar

 

[Luvthunt]

375hh will do all you need.

 

[uplander01]

This debate is why 40’s are so popular, best of both worlds imo.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

If you can afford to have both, then why not keep them both? If not, the 375HH is far and away the better choice over the Lott for everything short of the largest of DG animals. I would only choose the Lott if I was thinking Ele hunt. For buffalo, the 375HH is statistically the better one shot stopper. This is not my opinion. It is from African PH data posted here on the AH site covering over 60 Cape Buffalo bulls killed with medium caliber like the 9.3mm and 375HH, vs large caliber like the 404 Jeff, 416 Rig, vs very heavy caliber such as 450, 470NE, 500NE, 458wm, 458 Lott, 460 Wby, etc. The 375 resulted in one shot kills 80% of the time where the others were closer to 60 and 50% respectively IIRC. Why? Enough velocity for effective expansion of heavy for caliber bullets. Light enough recoil that statistically more shooters shot it well. Light enough recoil that optical sights will work without cutting your eye or nose so not limited to iron or red dot sights as many of the big heavies are. And most important, when engaging DG at extended ranges the flatter shooting 375 is more likely to be on tgt where often the rainbow trajectory of the big boys results in high or low hits. It is not that the big guns do not shoot well, it is that they require a higher degree of skill and self control to shoot well, IMO. If you limit shots to inside 50y, this is not an issue. Too many times the less experienced hunter who brought his 470NE dbl rifle for DG is faced with a good shot at 80-90y on the buff of a lifetime after hunting hard for 4-5 days and is tempted to take that shot when he should have gotten closer first. Where the a scoped 375 is well able to make that shot. The pic below is a 2-shot group with my 375 from 400y with Barnes factory ammo using the 300g TSX shot from a bench (not sticks). I only shot two shots because the light copper color pock marks were not visible in my 6x scope. I knew it hit the plate but could not see the hits so I stopped. The group measured about 1.5" (0.375moa). A 3rd shot most certainly would have opened up some.

While I have shot my 375HH with exceptional precision out to 400y with only a 6x scope, I would limit it to 300y from sticks. And about 80-100y on DG (Cape Buff)

Plus it has the range to reach out further for deer or PG animals. Both are over kill for deer, elk, etc. I killed an 8pt buck white tail last year with my 375 just for grins but honestly at 308/30-06/300wm/270w are all better for deer. I am not a fan of the #1. If you want a 375 why not pay a good gunsmith to re-barrel your CZ?

If you want to have both, I have two 375HH rifles. The 2nd one is a Belgian made FN Browning Hi-Power Safari Grade. It is a veteran of Africa and a very good shooter with 300g Barnes TSX ammo. Not really looking to sell it but might consider such if it is a good fit. This rifle was an Alaskan big game veteran used for big bears, Moose, Carribou and other such. The bore is near perfect as is the bluing. The stock is good with no salt wood. It was made in 1969 but looks new. It is the one on the left.

 

[Franco]

I have a 375 H&H and a 458 Lott - both Heym Express bolt rifles, as well as 450/400NE and 500NE Heym Doubles. Honestly, I bought the 458 Lott as a backup rifle to justify the fact I simply wanted to say I owned one and show up with it in camp - Heyms are nice rifles and seem to be appreciated by both hunters and PH's.

As for shooting it; the 458 Lott kicks like a mule, if I were to try to describe it in one sentence - I would say: "You pull the trigger on a 458 Lott because you have to - not because you want to".

I just returned from a cull hunt in Australia, a variety of species with averages of 20 per day. My rifles of choice were my 450/400 Double and 375 H&H. Multiple animals were often the case with ranges varying from 25 to 300 yds.

Since your question concerned the 375, I will simply speak to that. My 375 is fitted with a Swarovski Z8i 2x16 scope, has a 200yd zero, and I shoot custom loaded ammo. Typical shots would be in the 100 to 300yd range, often firing 4 shots at as many animals. I would not have wanted to attempt that with my 458.

As with any rifle, ultimately the choice is yours; you will find no shortage of critics or supporters whatever your decision. Pick the one you shoot the best.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

.375 H&H

 

[Boris11]

.375 is a great caliber.....probably the most versatile hunting round on the planet.....and will kill anything big enough to die.

i have a ruger No.1 in .375 and love it.....im also in the process of getting a Winchester M70 Safari express in .375 as well.

but from what ive seen, the CZ550, Winchester M70 and Ruger No.1 are the most popular .375 production guns out right now.


as for Recoil, its really not that bad......its actually similar to shooting a 3" deer slug.........but where the slug feels like a punch to the shoulder......the .375 feels like a hard push. i find its actually quite pleasant to shoot.

 

[runningman]

It is hard to compare these two cartridges because of the difference in trajectories and energy's.
The 375 H&H shoots a lot flatter than the 458 Lott but the Lott has 1200 to 1300 ft/lbs more energy.
Also the 270 or 300 grain bullets in the 375 have a lot less recoil than the 500 to 550 grain bullets
of the Lott.
There are however, more powerful cartridges that will shoot flatter than ether and have more energy
if one is up to it. It’s all comes down to Your choice.

 

[Doug3006]

There’s no reason to subject yourself to the recoil of the Lott for anything besides Elephant. The 375 will work wonders on just about everything else. I own both, but I use my 375s far more than the Lott.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

Ultimately I have the opportunity to trade my cz550 458 for a Ruger NO1 in 375 H&H, i think the 375 would be more versatile for me but it would really just remain as a big thumper the same as the Lott and I like bolt guns much more kinda a conundrum

 

[WoodencrossIII]

If you can afford to have both, then why not keep them both? If not, the 375HH is far and away the better choice over the Lott for everything short of the largest of DG animals. I would only choose the Lott if I was thinking Ele hunt. For buffalo, the 375HH is statistically the better one shot stopper. This is not my opinion. It is from African PH data posted here on the AH site covering over 60 Cape Buffalo bulls killed with medium caliber like the 9.3mm and 375HH, vs large caliber like the 404 Jeff, 416 Rig, vs very heavy caliber such as 450, 470NE, 500NE, 458wm, 458 Lott, 460 Wby, etc. The 375 resulted in one shot kills 80% of the time where the others were closer to 60 and 50% respectively IIRC. Why? Enough velocity for effective expansion of heavy for caliber bullets. Light enough recoil that statistically more shooters shot it well. Light enough recoil that optical sights will work without cutting your eye or nose so not limited to iron or red dot sights as many of the big heavies are. And most important, when engaging DG at extended ranges the flatter shooting 375 is more likely to be on tgt where often the rainbow trajectory of the big boys results in high or low hits. It is not that the big guns do not shoot well, it is that they require a higher degree of skill and self control to shoot well, IMO. If you limit shots to inside 50y, this is not an issue. Too many times the less experienced hunter who brought his 470NE dbl rifle for DG is faced with a good shot at 80-90y on the buff of a lifetime after hunting hard for 4-5 days and is tempted to take that shot when he should have gotten closer first. Where the a scoped 375 is well able to make that shot. The pic below is a 2-shot group with my 375 from 400y with Barnes factory ammo using the 300g TSX shot from a bench (not sticks). I only shot two shots because the light copper color pock marks were not visible in my 6x scope. I knew it hit the plate but could not see the hits so I stopped. The group measured about 1.5" (0.375moa). A 3rd shot most certainly would have opened up some.

While I have shot my 375HH with exceptional precision out to 400y with only a 6x scope, I would limit it to 300y from sticks. And about 80-100y on DG (Cape Buff)

View attachment 647113


Plus it has the range to reach out further for deer or PG animals. Both are over kill for deer, elk, etc. I killed an 8pt buck white tail last year with my 375 just for grins but honestly at 308/30-06/300wm/270w are all better for deer. I am not a fan of the #1. If you want a 375 why not pay a good gunsmith to re-barrel your CZ?

If you want to have both, I have two 375HH rifles. The 2nd one is a Belgian made FN Browning Hi-Power Safari Grade. It is a veteran of Africa and a very good shooter with 300g Barnes TSX ammo. Not really looking to sell it but might consider such if it is a good fit. This rifle was an Alaskan big game veteran used for big bears, Moose, Carribou and other such. The bore is near perfect as is the bluing. The stock is good with no salt wood. It was made in 1969 but looks new. It is the one on the left.
View attachment 647109

This was interesting and that’s pretty awesome accuracy for the 375. I know that really a 375 would probably be better suited to me, just thinking it over, thanks for the reply

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Greetings Gentlemen

I have a question for anyone who can answer. I currently have a CZ550 Safari Magnum it’s chambered in 45 Lott. I am wondering if I’d be bettering myself by getting a Ruger number 1 in 375 H&H? My style of hunting is probably more suited for a more distant shooting rifle than a 458, but I had an itch and got the gun I’ve fired it a few times, but I’m wondering if I’d gain myself anything by trading? The ruger is priced fairly and I know the CZ rifles have gone up. I’ve posted it on here probably at too high of a price tag. Just curious if the 375 gains me much over the Lott?

Thanks I want all input you got considering I hunt whitetails currently but have hunted and killed elk, I probably would grab my 300 win mag or something like it but the 375 having more range than the Lott is more where I’m thinking.

What do you want to hunt, and where are you going? Those two questions hold your answer.
Also, are you going to take your .300 Win Mag? Buffalo and elephants don't usually get shot out past 100 yards. So the Lott is good, but the .375 is more versatile for a one gun safari.
I took a .300 and a .458 on my last trip. Shot everything I wanted with those two rifles, but I always travel with two guns.

 

[ldmay375]

If you are a hand loader, you can certainly broaden the versatility of the 458 Lott for North American use.

 

[WAB]

Ultimately I have the opportunity to trade my cz550 458 for a Ruger NO1 in 375 H&H, i think the 375 would be more versatile for me but it would really just remain as a big thumper the same as the Lott and I like bolt guns much more kinda a conundrum

If you’re not a No 1 fan do not buy that .375. A bolt gun is a much better choice in a .375. Unless you want to invest in a custom stock, you are going to be surprised at the level of felt recoil in a No 1 chambered for .375.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

Yeah I’m not a number 1 fan honestly and after some research I’ve found the 458 can be loaded to do a lot.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

I’m really thinking to keep the rifle and be satisfied as is. Sometimes the itch to get a new toy arises and utilizing the value in one toy to get other toys is how it is done, I’ve contemplated in trading the cz but have leaned more to keeping it. It is unique to me that it’s the biggest rifle I have

 

[WAB]

I’m really thinking to keep the rifle and be satisfied as is. Sometimes the itch to get a new toy arises and utilizing the value in one toy to get other toys is how it is done, I’ve contemplated in trading the cz but have leaned more to keeping it. It is unique to me that it’s the biggest rifle I have

You would live to regret parting with a CZ in .375.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

You would live to regret parting with a CZ in .375.

The CZ I have is a 458 Lott

 

[Northern Shooter]

375HH is the more versatile of the two but everyone should own at least one thumper that punches above the 375s and 416s.

Maybe consider swapping the Lott for a 458 WinMag or 470NE for similar performance without the recoil penalty.