The next best calibre?

[Rosch]

Solid advice here. Should be posted outside every gun shop around the world.

This man's gone mad. Someone help him! Surely he refers to a Ruger in .375 H&H...so maybe he's just on the edge.

@forest Halley
I'm not mad, are You ??
The one who needs help, seems to be You! But wait, I will help You! To make me clear:
No, I don't refer to a RUGER in 375H&H, I really do mean the 375 Ruger, best for me in a original Mauser action. You know I like it easy !!
And I'm also not close to any edge. What about some facts or is it just Your dusty dream, owing once a 375 H&H, which You have examined so many times in books about african guns, to make the guys at the shooting range a bit jelous ?

But, may be, the differnce is, that I allready hunted a lot in africa with those guns. There the practical parts make the decision, if it's going to be the dreamliner or the real stuff, you really can rely on?
Go and dream further, stuff Your dream cartridge with unnessesary long shells in rough CZ made pseudo Mauser actions with f...bad triggers and horrible stocks? Or better, go and buy today a Ruger in 375H&H and You will be suprised about the chequesize You have to sign? Anyway, did You ever repeat that cartridge after cartridge trough a Ruger action ? How long is the way, to get that damned long cartridge into the chamber ?
Next to that, those over 100 year old cartridges were designed with other basics as we have today. Especially with that little magnum ring around the bottom of the shell, which produces more problems, You would ever need in real hunting situations, being in africa or not? If a hunt needs the 375 caliber, it allways needs trustfull and usefull equipment too. The long H&H shell isn't parctical.

Stories about guns and cartridges are the best in the evenings in camp, sitting with a cold beer around the fire, which tickles out the mood, to tell the most unbelievable stories, most about hunters, who didn't do the thinking, before getting on the track of small or big game.
I'm wondering, what Pondoro would say about the 375H&H, if he would have also the 375 Ruger, 376 Steyr, 375 Weatherby, 9,3x64 or 375 Dakota available?

 

[shotgungibbs]

I vote for the .338 Winchester Mag. I shoot 210 grain Nosler Partitions in mine only. It hits with authority, and shoots flat.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

300 win mag would be my vote - hard to beat the performance short/mid/long range - just pick a good bullet and done.
Then all you need is a 404J and you’re set

@Berettaco
Easy to beat the 300 for short, medium and long range.
Get a 35 WHELEN. Beats it hands down all round..
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Probably 35 Whelen. I've got a NIB Sako III action just begging to be built into a rifle. Might even go with a Mannlicher style stock.

I've got a 9.3x62mm CZ550FS, but I've always been intrigued by the 35 Whelen.

@Thedoveshooter
Hurry up and get the Whelen built you won't be disappointed.
You only need 2 powders. CFE223 for bullets 200 to 275gn and 2209/H4350 for the 310s. Energy can be raised from the anaemic factory loads to over 4,000 fpe with all projectiles.
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

I’m going to play devil’s advocate and put the 340 Weatherby or 338 Lapua out there as they are not @CoElkHunter ’s anemic 338WM or the so-so 300 WM.

Well, you could also include a .338RUM and .338-.378 Weatherby on that list. How much free recoil is the most "fun"? LOL

 

[CoElkHunter]

.300 Pegasus…

Or .338 Centaur.

 

[Forrest Halley]

@forest Halley
I'm not mad, are You ??
The one who needs help, seems to be You! But wait, I will help You!

I thought you might be mad when you used the phrase "sell all your guns". Other than that you're not any crazier than the rest of us.

 

[steve white]

That is also my very first thought, when I read this australian thread starter.
Put one of these 375's (375 H&H, 375 Ruger, 376 Steyr, a.s.o) into Your locker and You can go anywhere and hunt anything in the whole world including Jurassic Park.
I personally would go today for the 375 Ruger, because it hasn't got the Magnum ring (like all H&H shells) and it closes in the chamber on the shoulder instead. Great start for easy reloading with highest chance for precision!!
So let's visualise this one for a minute, my humble advise is and Your fiiiiiirst step should be:
Sell all Your other guns and get a wellmade, good fitting 375 Ruger (why not buying a used Ruger gun anyway?) for all Your outdoor action and reload, shoot, hunt and have fun. After some time You will handle Your gun , if when never ever used anything else. So it's finally one real good gun, one real good mounting and one real good optics. Now You are the king of the jungle.

Drop them all with one good shot ! No matter where, no matter how, no matter what. Aaah, I like it easy !
Sure, recoil will kiss You in the start, but that's part of the deal, You take the punch, the buck the bullet. Better than the other way around. With the time and practice, You'll get used to it for sure.
(You have a wife ? It's about the same !!)
Not convinced yet ? Then look here: All sorts and weights of bullets are plentyfull available, lot's of powders will do, tools and brass are cheap and no problem to get hold of. Damned, I should go sell guns ..... ) !

Funny how everyone seems to overlook the Steyr--esp since Kevin Robertson loads the 375 H&H to lower speeds which is the same thing as loading the 375 steyr up a bit...

 

[steve white]

For PG I´d recommend a caliber which accelerates a 200grs bullet to a minimum of 2750 fps.
Use more gun is never a mistake.

You´re traveling around half of the world, why trying to save money with a small bore rifle?

The upper limit for PG are the various calibers in .375", using a hard bullet (e.g. A-Frame, Partition, Accubond or TTSX) with a high B.c. in 250-270 grs offers a flat trajectory.

Anything in between, e.g. 8x68S, .338 Win Mag or 9,3x62 / 9,3x64 is a good choice for PG.

9.3x64 is Hell on wheels, that's for sure--can't understand how it gets overlooked for the 9.3x62 except the '62 appears to be "just enough"

 

[Rare Breed]

Hi All,

Currently in my safe I have .222, .243, .270 and 30-30.

Here in Australia I do all my deer hunting with the .270 and finding it does the job but….

Not including big bore for dangerous game, what would be the next best calibre to get to “fill the gap” if I say wanted to shoot heavier bullets and do a PG hunt?

Cheers,
Shifty

375 H&H. With the right bullet you can take anything on this earth

 

[Rosch]

9.3x64 is Hell on wheels, that's for sure--can't understand how it gets overlooked for the 9.3x62 except the '62 appears to be "just enough"

If the 9,3x64 would have the bullet selection available like the 375, there would be much more demand for sure. This cartridge is truly hell, well designed and highly effective. The kick from it is also royal class. Donˋt buy this gun from the shelf. It must weight some good kilos and the stock has to be well designed.
The 62 version is also enough gun for most hunting, but suffers the same problems with 9,3mm bullets.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Funny how everyone seems to overlook the Steyr--esp since Kevin Robertson loads the 375 H&H to lower speeds which is the same thing as loading the 375 steyr up a bit...

@steve white
You would have more chance of finding a unicorn farting rainbows than finding 376 steer ammon in Australia.

 

[Berettaco]

Don’t have any 35 cal rifles - I’m holding out for the 35 BNE

 

[igotit]

.300 Win Mag is the caliber.
As you said, your .308 will do everything, the .300 Win Mag will just do everything better!

 

[wolfhunter]

lots of shooters like 200 gr. in the 300win. mag. I go for 210 in the 338 calibers plus you can go up in weight with the same rifile

 

[wolfhunter]

35 whelen same deal 200 to 250gr

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Don’t have any 35 cal rifles - I’m holding out for the 35 BNE

@Berettaco
Don't hold your breath mate it ain't going to happen. Jest settle for a plain vanilla Whelen and load it properly.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

35 whelen same deal 200 to 250gr

@wolfhunter
Try from 180gn to 310gn and that's just in rifle bullets

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hi All,

Currently in my safe I have .222, .243, .270 and 30-30.

Here in Australia I do all my deer hunting with the .270 and finding it does the job but….

Not including big bore for dangerous game, what would be the next best calibre to get to “fill the gap” if I say wanted to shoot heavier bullets and do a PG hunt?

Cheers,
Shifty

I hunted in Zimbabwe last month (August 2922). This time I took my .300 Win Mag, and used it for nyala, waterbuck, and bushbuck. Everything died where it was standing or within 20 yards. At the request of the property manager I also shot a female impala at about 300 yards for camp meat. I was loaded with 200 grain Nosler AccuBonds at about 2900 fps. In North America I have used the same rig to take two mule deer, a black bear and a bull moose. I have never recovered a single bullet as everything was a complete pass through. I didn't take an eland or giraffe, but if I had wanted to I wouldn't have been undergunned. I had taken kudu and zebra before so I didn't shoot either on.this trip, but they would not have been a problem.

So put me down for the .300 Win Mag!

Doug

 

[Doug Hamilton]

@Shifty
It's no use asking me mate as I will say the 35 Whelen. Everything I shot in Namibia was one and done. In Australia I use it on Everything from mice to scrub bulls (next years hunt). It shoots flat, hits hard and is as good as a 338 and better than the 300 WM. There's no flies on a 225gn Woodleigh or accubond doing 2,800fps plus with a healthy dose of 2208.
Bob

But Bob, I thought you were going to use your .243 for your scrub bull hunt!

Okay, I'm just pulling your leg.

Cheers mate!

Doug