.375 H&H -elk and recoil.

[jim huntington]

        My Brother-inlaw has a left hand Rem. bolt action in .375H&H that he wants to sell me for a real reasonable price.I am also left handed and I am seriously considering it. My question would be! Would this round be too much gun for elk?How accurate would it be for long shots? And Whats the recoil like as compaired to a 12guage slug gun, of which I am use to.I wont be doing alot of Elk hunting, but hope to go a couple of times within the next five years.The type of elk hunting will be long shots over open prarie. I was planning on getting a new or used Savage in .300 W mag. or something simler.The price of the Rem. would be the same if not cheaper for me to get . I know the ammo is exspensive for the .375H&H! Thats a concideration. I guess I would like opinions from  you .375H&H owners who also use this round for elk.I been elk hunting three times before, mostly in the mountain country with small parks and dark timber. I was using a 7mm mag. at the time. seen elk but nothing I could shoot.I have since sold the 7mm mag. otherwise I  wouldnt be considering this.The next elk hunting would be on private ranch where long shots over open ground would be the norm.
                                                    Jim;

[Redhawk1]

Yea it may be a little big for Elk, but that's OK.  The recoil depending on the weight of the gun can be like a 3 inch slug in a slug gun.  If you get a good deal, get it. JMHO. 

[Grumulkin]

I used a 375 H&H Mag. on several African animals including blue wildebeest and zebra.  All were 1 shot kills.  The smallest animals I shot with it were a couple of warthogs.  One might think that a big gun would leave a big hole and do a lot of meat damage but that isn't so.  The big heavy bullets stay together well with good penetration, leave a good hole and don't ruin a lot of meat.

As far as recoil is concerned, I think my Mossberg 500 shooting 1 oz. slugs and my .50 caliber muzzel loader have more felt recoil.  I suspect a 300 Win. Mag. recoil would be very competitive with the 375 H&H Mag.

It's true, shooting ranges for the 375 H&H Mag. due to trajectory will be less than that of a 300 Win. Mag. but 300 yard shots with an accurate gun and a good rest shouldn't be much of a problem.

[jim huntington]

          Thanks fellas!You made my decision alot easier. I will be going to Arkansas the first part of May to help my brother in-law  move some stuff to his recently aquired summer place here in N

[quickdtoo]

Here's a recoil table that will give you an idea of what to expect with some comparisons.

Tim

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

EDIT: and a shotgun table...

http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_recoil_table.htm

[jim huntington]

           Sorry about that! I hit the wrong button. Here in New York. While I am down there I will get a chance to check the gun out.Who knows, I just might be bringing it back with me when we make the move. I have been checking the balistic charts of the 375H&H and have been comparing it to other rounds. So have a good idea what the capabillities are of the 375.Back in 1990 I went to Alaska on a moose/caribou/fishing trip with same brother in-law. before the trip I was checking around the different gun shops,looking for a rifle in .308. Well this one locol dealer told me the .308 was too lite for Alaska hunting and said he had a rifle in back that would be just what I needed.You should of seen my face when he comes walking out and hands me a .416 rigby. I asked him if a tree comes with it to put the rifle but against it when I touched er off.He says it was not a kick but more of a shuv, yeh!! right into the next county! Heck he was even going to let me barrow it. I kindly thanked him for the offer, but decided to keep looking.Ended up taking a .308-Winchester 88 instead and bagged a nice bull caribou with it. Who would of thought after all those years I would be contemplating on getting one of the big bores.

[Cottonwood]

If McCoy's "FIELD ARMOR" protected 9 yr old Fern Rivers[url] when she used her daddy's .375 H&H Mag in 2006 when she shot her trophy Brown Bear, it will protect even your shoulder.

[Charcoal]

+1 on the .375 H&H.I used my Sako Finnbear 375 when I hunted elk several times in western Montana.If you don't find the recoil of 12 guage buck/slug too bad then a properly stocked .375 H&H isn't all that bad.I didn't find it to be too much gun.

[Boxhead]

I have taken two elk with the 375 H&H loaded rather mildly with the 260 gr Partition at 2700 fps. The rifle I used was a Remington Mountain KS that weighed 7 1/2 # scoped and slung. It was a fine elk combo in my view but we have since parted ways. Generally 375's are heavy and a bit much than I would like while chasing elk where I do.

[jim huntington]

          I agree with you Boxhead! The .375H&H would be too cumbersome where I  have hunted elk before also. But I have an opportunity to go hunt on a ranch in the next year or two, were the shooting would be long shots over open prarie.The Rancher is a firm beleaver in the magnums and looks down on anyone showing up with a non magnum. Wouldnt you know I had just sold my 7mm mag. this last summer, before i new of this ranch hunt deal.That was a nice shooting gun and would have fit the bill.Now my Brother in-law is dangling this .375H&H carrot in front of my face for a heck of a deal. My brother in-law and I are both left handed and the gun is a left handed bolt. How convienant! Well I will be going to Arkansas in May to help my Brother & Sister in-law move some stuff from there to their new summer home here in N.Y. and will get a chance to check the rifle out. Since none of you guys have tried to talk me out of it. I will probubly be bringing it back home with me.Ya didnt have to twist my arm too much. If I ever go back to the mountains again elk hunting, im going to take my .308 single shot for that. Its lite to carry and accurate.When I get back from Ark. Iwill fill you in on how I made out.

[jro45]

 Sounds like a good deal. The recoil isn't to bad.

[jim huntington]

       I have another question for ya! Will a standard reloading press handle the .375H&H dies, or would you have to get one thats made  special for the longer cartridges?

[Boxhead]

I use the RCBS Reloader Special that I bought 30 years ago to load the 375 and 416 Rigby as well.

[quickdtoo]

I reload for the .375H&H on a Lee Cast Turret press, it works fine.

Tim

[jim huntington]

              Thanks for the info! I will no doubt have to resort to reloading the .375 in order to shoot it for I have noticed the price of factory ammo is right up there.I am also thinking of going with the .260 to .270 gr. bullets for elk. After reading some of the other posts, these look like the ones to go with.

[Questor]

Jim Huntington:

My centerfire rifle is a 375 H&H Remington 700. It is an excellent cartridge with excellent bullets available. The only problem you might have is rifle weight. Mine is the 9 pound safari gun. Recoil is not bad at all, and the comparison to a 3" slug is a fair one. With scope and ammo, my gun weighs a little more than 10 pounds. That is about a pound to a pound and a  half heavier than a .338.

If you are going to carry the gun a lot, maybe you will want a lighter gun. Personally I don't find my rifle to be uncomfortable to carry with a good sling.

I have allowed others to try my gun and they all said the recoil was surprisingly lighter than they expected it to be.

If the gun you are considering is the lighter 7.5 pound model, I would pass on it. I think the recoil would be excessive then.  By excessive, I mean that it would discourage me from doing adequate practice. Before buying my gun, I read the advice of people who knew about them and the advice was that a 375 should weight about 10 pounds to keep the recoil tolerable.  I think that was good advice.

[Ratltrap]

Have only hunted bear and moose with my H&H, but I'd say for what you want to do it would work well. I prefer 300 grain bullets but the 260 Partition works - and certainly produces less recoil. My 375 is a bit over 9 lbs scoped and to me the recoil is more comfortable than my 7.5 lb 870.

[jim huntington]

     Well hi ya fellas!
                         Im back from Arkansas and I just bought the .375H&H from my Brother in-law. It is a Sayco with laminated stock and a Leupold 1x5 compact scope on it. It is also a left hander. It is a beautiful gun and fits like a glove. My Brother in-law gave me a deal I couldnt refuse. I hope to get some ammo for it soon and see how she shoots. It was love at first sight when I got to hold it for the first time. I want to thank you guys for all your imput. It helped me make the decsion alot easier. Will try to keep you up to date on how it shoots and handles.

[jim huntington]

Well I finally got to shoot my Sako .375H&H yesterday and I like it. I sighted it in at 100yrds. and it only took me 5 rounds to hit the bull's eye. Shot it off hand afterwords and found the recoil no different than my 12 ga. slug gun. I was shooting 270 gr. Remington express soft points. I will go to 3" high at 100 yrds. when I reload with good quality 260gr. to 270gr. spitzer bullets.I have been looking at reloading with those Game king bullets.Anyone have any luck loading with these bullets?would they work on elk and moose?I will reload with these bullets for practice and opt for one of the better bullets available.But if the game kings will perform on the elk or moose I wouldnt hesitate to use them.I see there is a 235gr. bullet available. What would this bullet be good for?Would this bullet work at long ranges?

[Dictator]

I agree that if it is a lower weight model, I would go for it. I have a Sauer 202 375 that weighs 7.5 lbs and recoil is hardly more noticeable that my 9.5 lb Ruger 77 300 Win mag. After 30+ years and many calibers from 308 to the 600's, I think the 375 H&H the absolute best hunting round available due to ammo availability, trajectory, effectiveness, flawless feeding and ease of reloading just to name a few attributes. If I knew then what I know now, I would get a lightweight Sauer 202 with their interchangeable barrel system in 375 H&H and possibly a 3006 or 300 wm barrel as backup, a 2.5x8 Leupold scope in QD rings and hunt anywhere in the world well without having a battery of other guns. Save the money and spend it on hunting. I use the Hornady 225gr & 270gr bullets for low cost practice and lighter game like deer & pigs and they work great. I now shoot and hunt with my 375 and the 300 sets in the rack most of the time.

[jim huntington]

          I am not sure what my Sako .375 H&H weighs in at with scope, but it feels like around 8lbs. It is comfortable to carry and I think I could manage its heft during an all day hunt, especially with a good quality sling on the rifle.Hey! so far im a happy camper. Now if I can just swing a elk or moose hunt in a couple years?

[crow_feather]

Try the 235 gr bullets with IMR 4064 powder.  It will shoot 2" high at 100 and 7" low at 300 with 2,054 ft lbs at 300 yards.  They also shoot to same point of impact at 100 yds as 270 grain loads with 70.0 grains of RL15 moving out of my short barreled sako 375 at 2600 fps.

[jim huntington]

Thanks Crow Feather!
                             I am getting ready to order bullets for reloading my .375H&H and was wondering about the 235 gr. bullets. The 270 gr. bullets worked well and was real comfortable to shoot at sighting in time.Would the 235 gr.er. in a good quality bullet work as well as the 270 gr. on elk and moose. or should I stay with the 270 gr.?

[crow_feather]

I use the 235 for deer.  Speer is the only maker of 235's that I know of.  I myself would prefer the knock down power of the 270.  You got it - us it.  Of course, I also hunt in grizz country.

C F

[quickdtoo]

Barnes makes a 235gr TSX, Woodleigh makes a 235gr Protected Point.

Tim

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/productview?saleitemid=536854&t=11082005

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/productview?saleitemid=484064&t=11082005

[crow_feather]

Thank you sir

It is interesting that the 270 grain Triple shock is $5.00 less than the 235 grain.

[quickdtoo]

It's on sale, they probably have lots of em, there's only one box of the 235gr, probably not as popular.

Tim

[jim huntington]

Thanks for the replies!
                              After reading them I have decided to stick with the 270gr. bullet. I am going to reload with Speer GameKings and see how they do. Later I will switch to one of the better bullets when I go for elk or moose.

[DC]

I had a Remmington Custom Shop 375 H&H that was not very heavy.  I put a muzzle brake on it and it tamed down to a 270 Win. recoil level.  Yep, it was way loud...always have hearing protection even while hunting.  It was a really fun gun to shoot and very comfortable after the brake was on. 
You are going to love the rifle and cartridge....don't let anyone tell you it is too much gun.
Dana

[DC]

I have a 7# Browning with a after market custom muzzle brake that makes the recoil like that of a 270....don't leave home without one.