375 H&H for deer!

[revchopp]

Hello everyone,
   I have a Remington model 700 Safari rifle chambered in 375 H&H that I have no practical use for. Of course being a rifle nut, "use" doesn't really matter.  I absolutely love shooting it at the range, but I am just itching to try it out on the local deer population.  I have bought some Speer 235 grain soft points and was thinking about buying some Hornady 220 and 225 grain soft points.  I know that the 220 is made for the 375 Win. but I was thinking that it may just be the ticket for our small bodied south MS deer.  Does anyone else use a 375 H&H for deer size game?  If so, do you have any experience with the mentioned bullets?  Handloading data?

[Con]

revchopp,
I've got a Rem700 Safari Classic that just loves a 220gr flat nose infront of 41gr AR2205 (H4227). Duplicates the 375Win and drops medium game (under 100kg) effectively out to 150m. Also shoots to same point of aim as my full-power 300gr loads at 100m. I also chase Sambar with this rifle (elk-sized) using a 300gr load but havent had a chance to fire in anger yet. Good luck and take the rifle hunting for goodness sake!
Cheers...
Con

[Robert]

I have heard over and over again from 375 lovers.....the ONE GUN for EVERYTHING.  You can work up some real nice low velocity 'Thumper' loads with heavy bullets....I personally use a 35 Whelen...I am leaning away from fast loads for heavier medium loads for deer and Elk.  Less meat damage and more 'Knock-down Power'.

[Steel killer]

Rev try the failsafes or nosler accubonds, they are tough bullets that should not shed too much of there energy on small 100lb deer (unless
you hit major bone). They are doing about 2650 about the  same as a 308. I had a 44 mag marlin that did a lot more damage on deer with speer 225 gr half jackets a 2000 fps than my 444 marlin did with 265 gr hornadys @ 2200 fps.
I have seen deer shot with 150 gr 308 loads and 220 gr 308 loads.
the 150's always caused more damage due to higher fps and lighter bullet make up. The problem with loading down is you loose so much B.C. if you get a far shot it will be much harder playing the wind, and the range.

I just got my 375 and have not had a chance to use it on game, I hope to use it to bag a cow elk this fall and on plains game next year.

Steel killer

[unspellable]

Range is the question here.  You get the best long range performance with a bullet around 270 grains.  Heavier and you loose velocity, lighter and you loose ballistic coefficient.  At ranges inside 150 yards it wouldn't make much difference.  Inside 150 yards I'd be tempted by the lighter bullets just for reduced recoil.

For full velocity loads you want the right bullet, open too fast and you spoil meat, open too slow and you don't have a real stopper.

The 375 H&H will outperform the various "improved" 375's with reduced loads.  For woods deer inside 100 yards I'd be tempted to duplicate the 375 Winchester using the same bullets.

[jackfish]

I have a 375 H&H load using the 225 grain Hornady Spire Point which is good for deer and black bear.

375 H&H Magnum
.375" 225 grain Hornady Spire Point seated to 3.58" and crimped with a Lee Factory Crimp die
Remington brass
CCI 250 primer
64 grains H4895 START
70 grains H4895 HUNTING
74.8 grains H4895 MAXIMUM

[oso45-70]

Revchopp,
I do about the same as Jackfish and have real good luck, You can do the same with other powders too, Main thing is to play with your loads to make sure you are getting the performance out of the bullets you try. I like to take a sack and fill it with wet dirt and have a back stop to catch the bullets to see how they have performed. If you get it just right you
won't have near the meat loss that the smaller calibers has. Good luck Sir and stay safe............Joe...................

[Camp Cook]

I have used my Sako hunter 375 H&H on deer for years, that is until I sold it to a friend that needed it more than me. To keep things simple I only used one load in this rifle which was a 300gr Nosler Partition @ about 2500fps. Everything that I have shot with this load went down very quickly. The greatest advantage was that it did not matter what angle I had to shoot there was very little if any meat damage.
Cam

[Rmouleart]

Jackfish I notice you like those Hornady Spire points, I also have had very good results using them in my 300 Savage,243 Win, 30/06, 308 win...
they are very affordable and shoot really well, I have tried both FB&BT
in Hornadys spire points, they both achieved great accuracy, tight grouping, using all the cal's mentioned. A good all around bullet for deer/elk/bear...Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

[DelGue]

R C

Years ago when I only had a couple of rifles, I was going elk hunting in Northern Colorado (not far from where I lived).  I was practicing with my main elk rifle when the crosshair (a Redfield Scope) broke.... Couldn't get it fixed in time for the season, so I took my second rifle, a Ruger #1 H in .375 H.H.... "A real pig to carry!"


I used Hornady (still do) 'interlocks', 270 gr. bullet, don't remember the powder charge, but it would of been close to max.

I didn't get an elk that year, but did take a mule deer with that gun and cartridge.  The deer was on full alert when I hit it with the .375.  High heart/lung shot, broadside.  The bullet passed through (no duh), the deer flopped over on its side, legs kicked, once.  It was dead.  The heart was 'exploded', looked like the liver.

And as Elmer Keith always said, "you could eat right up to the hole!"

It made me a believer of the .375 that day, I currently own and use 3 different, encluding that Ruger #1

[swifty]

Check out the Hornady manual under 375 H&H mag for reduced loads.
I shoot the hornady 220 grain at about 2300 feet per second. Its a great load for deer and doesn't kick too hard.
Also, I cast a lyman bullet #375459 no harder than wheel weights and shoot on top of 14 grains of Red dot at 1600 feet per second. It shoot great and is a pleasure to shoot.

[vhunter]

I have an encore 375 H&H and I plan on using the hornady 220 gr fn bullets for deer and would like to try the hornady 225 as well. I am going to the range this week to work up some loads and to see how they shoot! I have read on other boards the the accubond 260 gr bullets really perform well in the 375 H&H but I have no load data for that bullet. Good luck!! I luv the 375!!!!!!!!