I’ve Got An Idea!

[meigsbucks]

I like the concept. My version would have you buy a good .375 and fire three shots with it every at least once a month. When the time comes for your hunt, you’ll be familiar with your rifle.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Since I need more lop anyway, I’ve put slip on Limbsavers over the factory pads on my heavier recoiling rifles and they GREATLY reduce felt recoil. On a light .375 rifle like a Mossberg, I would think something similar would be a must? If not, have a brake installed for sighting in and practice and take it off while hunting. I don’t like brakes and don’t own any, but I also don’t own any light rifles in large calibers.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I had my grandson at the range shooting a 20 gauge slug gun. I asked him if the recoil bothered him. He said "Only if you think about it". Seemed like a good answer.

 

[Randy F]

I’m not concerned with recoil, I’ve put a few rounds through by buddy’s .458 Lott every now and then and it was manageable enough. But I do prefer a little heavier gun anyway so I’m leaning toward the M70 .375 H&H Mag or maybe the Ruger but I don’t reload, at least not yet.

Is factory ammo more readily available for one over the other?

I think I remember reading somewhere here that there was a difference in availability.

 

[CBH Australia]

Either you were listening in on the conversation I had with my wife just last night or this is a cool coincidence.
We'll go with the latter.

I shoot 180 gr though my .30-06 as my go to for most everything. We were discussing the cancellation of this year's trip and consequently possibly bumping up to something more when the time comes. So that was exactly what we were discussing...picking up a .375 and start working with it. Thanks for bolstering the idea. She still thinks I'm nuts but maybe not because of this one now.

Great idea, then you can add a Cape Buffalo to that delayed trip.

@Philip Glass I reckon we all have ideas. Some I keep to myself, my wife does not support all of my ideas. I have lots of good ideas! They usually cost money.

Back to your post, do we upsize our current deer rifle?
I’m not a trophy hunter just a gun nut who hunts. Food, pest management and the lifestyle.
I guess my hunting rifle has been a .308 and has taken a decent Fallow Stag.
I reckon the Yanks would fully endorse a .30-06. I own a .375H&H for fun and future dreams of a Buff Hunt. It puts big holes in small pigs for practice

I am currently obsessed with a .280ai build. I guess that is an upgrade of my 7mm-08 that I feel is a very capable cartridge.

The 7mm-08 is a 20” and used from the car a lot
The .280ai will probably be a 26”, maybe a tad shorter. I plan to use a heavier projectile and see a difference in the 2 seven mil’s. I hope the .280ai will be a fairly capable hunting rifle , or deer rifle for Australia and well maybe plans game if I return to Africa.

 

[CBH Australia]

I’m not concerned with recoil, I’ve put a few rounds through by buddy’s .458 Lott every now and then and it was manageable enough. But I do prefer a little heavier gun anyway so I’m leaning toward the M70 .375 H&H Mag or maybe the Ruger but I don’t reload, at least not yet.

Is factory ammo more readily available for one over the other?

I think I remember reading somewhere here that there was a difference in availability.

The .375H&H seems easy enough to get hold of but it’s not in every small store, at least not in Australia.

The .458 Lott can fire .458wm ammo for .458wm performance.

I almost rechambered my .458 to be. Lott but sold it to pay for a .375H&H, I could not justify both and I thought the .375 was maybe more versatile and user friendly. Also I think it’s a bit of a classic

 

[Randy F]

Great idea, then you can add a Cape Buffalo to that delayed trip.

@Philip Glass I reckon we all have ideas. Some I keep to myself, my wife does not support all of my ideas. I have lots of good ideas! They usually cost money.

Back to your post, do we upsize our current deer rifle?
I’m not a trophy hunter just a gun nut who hunts. Food, pest management and the lifestyle.
I guess my hunting rifle has been a .308 and has taken a decent Fallow Stag.
I reckon the Yanks would fully endorse a .30-06. I own a .375H&H for fun and future dreams of a Buff Hunt. It puts big holes in small pigs for practice

I am currently obsessed with a .280ai build. I guess that is an upgrade of my 7mm-08 that I feel is a very capable cartridge.

The 7mm-08 is a 20” and used from the car a lot
The .280ai will probably be a 26”, maybe a tad shorter. I plan to use a heavier projectile and see a difference in the 2 seven mil’s. I hope the .280ai will be a fairly capable hunting rifle , or deer rifle for Australia and well maybe plans game if I return to Africa.

Lol. Yeah that’s my thought process. Thankfully my bride is more of a “whatever you think” kinda gal. Although, like you, “whatever I think” generally comes with a cost...either monetarily or injury. I’m sure she’ll have simply “He Thought” engraved on my tombstone.
Anyway, to your question, I’m not looking to upsize my deer rifle. I’m one of the Yanks sporting a .30-06.
So I’m going for some thing big enough over there to do the job but still be reasonable here as I keep checking off the bucket list. Even though a heavy 06 load will do for most everything here, it wouldn’t be major overkill for bear, moose, etc.

The only thing I’m afraid of is getting the itch going bigger and badder.
If that happens I’ll have to sell a couple grandkids.
That would likely change my bride’s easy going demeanor.

 

[CBH Australia]

Bear, now there is something worth selling the kids for. A nice bearskin rug. I would want that trophy
See I would not want to take my CZ550 in the snow, I would maybe Cerakote it and use a composite stock, or take my .300wm stainless laminate, or
“I have an idea”
I could buy another rifle.

 

[Randy F]

Bear, now there is something worth selling the kids for. A nice bearskin rug. I would want that trophy
See I would not want to take my CZ550 in the snow, I would maybe Cerakote it and use a composite stock, or take my .300wm stainless laminate, or
“I have an idea”
I could buy another rifle.

Stop that! You stop that right now!!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Bear, now there is something worth selling the kids for. A nice bearskin rug. I would want that trophy
See I would not want to take my CZ550 in the snow, I would maybe Cerakote it and use a composite stock, or take my .300wm stainless laminate, or
“I have an idea”
I could buy another rifle.

You can use your CZ in the snow. Most of the guys I hunt with here in a Colorado have blued/wood stocked guns. I do too. Just put a piece of tape or condom over the barrel to keep the snow out while hunting and wipe the gun off with Rem oil after the days hunt. No rust and no issues!
P.S.: DO NOT put the rifle in a heated camper or tent overnight or you WILL get condensation and it will rust. Leave it in a locked, cold vehicle or outside under a tarp overnight. Been there, done that!

 

[BeeMaa]

In the past 5 years, my wife has gone from a 22lr to 375H&H.
At her own pace and with several steps along the way.

Her first rifle was a 270WIN, which she promptly outgrew in less than a year.
Next was the 300WM that she is now very comfortable with.
She's now shooting full power 375H&H practice loads from sticks.
Not a lot of shooting, but still doing about 4-6 rounds a range session.

When she steps back down to shoot the 300WM, she laughs out loud.
Says the 300WM feels like a 22lr now.
And is thinking about Buffalo for 2023.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

My 375 hurts more than my 30-06. The 375 is heavy and has a decelerator, the 30-06 is light and has aluminum butt plate.(Pre 64 featherweight). But with either one it take about 20 rounds for me to get tired of it.

 

[Surgeon1]

BUILT A 375H&H IMP SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND HAVE TAKEN A COUPLE BIG MOOSE AND 2 NICE
COSTAL BROWNS! BUILD IS A MACHINED DOWN BLUEPRINTED R700 WITH A BROWN PRECISION KEVLAR STOCK, A #3 FLUTED BARREL AT 22" AND A KDF BREAK WITH A 2-8 LEUPOLD!
WEIGHT WITH NYLON SLING AND 3 ROUNDS IN THE GUN7#1OZ!
DOES IT RECOIL???
WITHOUT A BREAK IT (AS MY DAD SAID) "IT WILL KNOCK YOUR DICK IN THE DIRT AND STEP ON IT"
WITH THE BREAK AND THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER SHOT IS 300GR AT 2800+fps IT'S JUST UNPLEASANT
TO SHOOT......AFTER 600 RDS OVER 35 YEARS IT MAKES EITHER OF MY 12# 470NE ALMOST PLEASANT!

 

[CBH Australia]

My 375 hurts more than my 30-06. The 375 is heavy and has a decelerator, the 30-06 is light and has aluminum butt plate.(Pre 64 featherweight). But with either one it take about 20 rounds for me to get tired of it.

Doesn’t matter if it’s just hunting.

You can use your CZ in the snow. Most of the guys I hunt with here in a Colorado have blued/wood stocked guns. I do too. Just put a piece of tape or condom over the barrel to keep the snow out while hunting and wipe the gun off with Rem oil after the days hunt. No rust and no issues!
P.S.: DO NOT put the rifle in a heated camper or tent overnight or you WILL get condensation and it will rust. Leave it in a locked, cold vehicle or outside under a tarp overnight. Been there, done that!

Use a condom and hunt more, take note young fellas there could be some good advice in that.

I had heard of the using electrical tape on the end.

Thanks for the tip on keeping the rifle at outside temps due to humidity. That hasn’t been an issue with my dry climate but I’ve read the pros and cons of synthetic stocks but that has never come up.
I like the idea of a Blued Walnut rifle on an African hunt (for the photos) I would not be opposed to carrying something synthetic in Alaska. The cold may be my biggest problem

 

[CoElkHunter]

My 375 hurts more than my 30-06. The 375 is heavy and has a decelerator, the 30-06 is light and has aluminum butt plate.(Pre 64 featherweight). But with either one it take about 20 rounds for me to get tired of it.

Wyatt,
Put a Pachmyer Decelerator or Limbsaver recoil pad on your .375 and you will find the recoil is much more tolerable. For years I only had the factory pad on my Browning A Bolt .338 WM. I bought a slip on Decelerator for it for sighting in from the bench, and I’ve since left it on while hunting. I have Limbsavers on my heavier recoiling rifles. No need to punish one’s self!
CEH

 

[CoElkHunter]

Doesn’t matter if it’s just hunting.


Use a condom and hunt more, take note young fellas there could be some good advice in that.

I had heard of the using electrical tape on the end.

Thanks for the tip on keeping the rifle at outside temps due to humidity. That hasn’t been an issue with my dry climate but I’ve read the pros and cons of synthetic stocks but that has never come up.
I like the idea of a Blued Walnut rifle on an African hunt (for the photos) I would not be opposed to carrying something synthetic in Alaska. The cold may be my biggest problem

Yeah, the condoms could be used for double duty? Ha! Ha! But when your hunting in high wind and snow (blizzard), the tape over the barrel will end up in OZ! I don’t EVER plan on hunting in a blizzard, but S*** happens! Example: two weeks ago, we are hunting in sixty degree weather in the morning and a “mini” blizzard comes in about noon with 60mph winds and snow. Dead (and live) trees falling down all around us! We hunkered down behind some live evergreens to wait it out. A LARGE tree fell behind us about 50 feet. But, although we could’ve been killed by a falling tree, the condom stayed on my rifle barrel! Ha! Ha! Ha! Live life to the fullest!

 

[C.W. Richter]

or Better semi-customs built on the Win or Mauser actions...Even Bansner has a newer CRF action. Granite Mtn. CZ/BRNO Safari-gone over by a gunsmith...Absolutely NO recoil reducers are needed on a properly designed .375. It's the entry level DG gun fit for PG. As I tell people, a .30-06 shooting the same velocity, using twice the bullet weight, in a heavier gun shooting just as pleasantly...My 1st was a 13 lb. rig using a thin Silver's pad-perfectly fine to shoot!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Doesn’t matter if it’s just hunting.


Use a condom and hunt more, take note young fellas there could be some good advice in that.

I had heard of the using electrical tape on the end.

Thanks for the tip on keeping the rifle at outside temps due to humidity. That hasn’t been an issue with my dry climate but I’ve read the pros and cons of synthetic stocks but that has never come up.
I like the idea of a Blued Walnut rifle on an African hunt (for the photos) I would not be opposed to carrying something synthetic in Alaska. The cold may be my biggest problem

No, the constant rain in Alaska in September would be your biggest problem. A stainless/synthetic rifle would probably be best there. Although, my father in law and his buddies hunted there with blued/synthetic stocked rifles? My hunting buddy took my blued/wood A Bolt to Newfoundland in constant rain for six days and it came out none the worse for wear? You just have to take care of them.

 

[Philip Glass]

I’m not concerned with recoil, I’ve put a few rounds through by buddy’s .458 Lott every now and then and it was manageable enough. But I do prefer a little heavier gun anyway so I’m leaning toward the M70 .375 H&H Mag or maybe the Ruger but I don’t reload, at least not yet.

Is factory ammo more readily available for one over the other?

I think I remember reading somewhere here that there was a difference in availability.

Used to be a limited selection of .375 Ruger but now it is widely available in many different loads. One must decide between nostalgia and performance.

 

[Philip Glass]

In the past 5 years, my wife has gone from a 22lr to 375H&H.
At her own pace and with several steps along the way.

Her first rifle was a 270WIN, which she promptly outgrew in less than a year.
Next was the 300WM that she is now very comfortable with.
She's now shooting full power 375H&H practice loads from sticks.
Not a lot of shooting, but still doing about 4-6 rounds a range session.

When she steps back down to shoot the 300WM, she laughs out loud.
Says the 300WM feels like a 22lr now.
And is thinking about Buffalo for 2023.

Thanks for this excellent example. This is what I’m talking about!