just got a 375 jdj

[A-ALLOY]

Thought about it all summer.Called Ed,s tc,s (all ways a good thing) and ordered a factory t/c stainless barrel in 375 jdj, I have a 1.5 to 5 Leupold on it , looks sweet! I have scored some formed brass and have 100 new ones to form. I have a caribou tag to fill and hope to put the 375 to good use. What are some of you guy,s favorite bullets and powers. Thinking this will do for a lighter "mountain rifle" and accepting the trade offs that come with such a nice little package.I do like buying and trading with Ed has been quick and fair, called ssk nice lady took the standard info and I had dies in no time. Makes geting a new barrel a blast. Has anyone used one on black bear or elk and what are the ranges you are shooting at I,d like to hear .
  

                                                                                            Thanks.
                                                              
                                                                                              

[sweetwyominghome]

The 270 grain Hornady spire point is a favorite for tougher game like elk and bear and will serve the purpose just fine.

If you will be hunting over bait for bear, I'd actually prefer the 220 grain Hornady flat point. Keep the velocity to around 2300 fps at the muzzle, and this mild load will put a bear down on the spot.

[stoutstuff]

You using a Contender or Encore frame?

[Brian T]

the 260 nosler accubond is the best bullet to use

[A-ALLOY]

Sorry I  haven't replied lately I,m putting on a new roof. I,m using a contender action, was into the hand guns but the carbine is so handy.I found some 270 gr. Hornady spire points and H322
was able to run up close to the max. no bad signs I,m just cautious. Necking down the 444 was no problem but had a few shoulders buckle a little when seating and crimping the bullets. I,v been pretty busy with the roof but i,m still thinking this rifle will work out for me. Thanks for everybodys help and info. on this project. I,ll have to see if I can find some of those 260 gr noslers around here. I,ll keep everybody posted.

[Ladobe]

I've had four SSK 375JDJ Contender pistola barrels since the mid-late 70's and did a lot of hunting with them on everything from varmints to moose and bear.   Have had a bunch of other JDJ's and Bower wildcats too, but the 375JDJ was always my favorite handcannon and I've shot many, many thousands of rounds in them.   My favorite bullet for the tougher game species at loger ranges was the Speer Grand Slam 385 gr. SP, but I shot way more than my fair share of the Hornady 270 gr. SP's too for mule deer & elk, and both 220 and 190 gr. pills on varmints.   The cheaper 270 Hornady's are an acceptable compromise for almost any hunting you'd do on this continent IMHO and are capable of amazingly long one shot kills with good placement.   Caribou don't take much to kill, so you won't need a heavy load from the 375JDJ for them.

With the 375JDJ, reliable killing range is entirely a product of the ability of the one yanking the trigger.   It will certainly kill big game (even from a pistol length barrel) cleanly many hundreds of yards with a good load and good placement.

Have fun with the 375JDJ (kinda wish I hadn't sold my last 375 a couple of years ago).   They are very fun to shoot.

[stoutstuff]

I've been thinking of the 375 JDJ for use on Mule Deer and Elk in Colorado on my contender carbine set up. Would be interested in how you feel the recoil is on yours.  Any tips you can pass on from your experience is appreciated. What is a realistic range for that round?
Thanks!

[nomosendero]

I've had four SSK 375JDJ Contender pistola barrels since the mid-late 70's and did a lot of hunting with them on everything from varmints to moose and bear.   Have had a bunch of other JDJ's and Bower wildcats too, but the 375JDJ was always my favorite handcannon and I've shot many, many thousands of rounds in them.   My favorite bullet for the tougher game species at loger ranges was the Speer Grand Slam 385 gr. SP, but I shot way more than my fair share of the Hornady 270 gr. SP's too for mule deer & elk, and both 220 and 190 gr. pills on varmints.   The cheaper 270 Hornady's are an acceptable compromise for almost any hunting you'd do on this continent IMHO and are capable of amazingly long one shot kills with good placement.   Caribou don't take much to kill, so you won't need a heavy load from the 375JDJ for them.

With the 375JDJ, reliable killing range is entirely a product of the ability of the one yanking the trigger.   It will certainly kill big game (even from a pistol length barrel) cleanly many hundreds of yards with a good load and good placement.

Have fun with the 375JDJ (kinda wish I hadn't sold my last 375 a couple of years ago).   They are very fun to shoot.

Thanks for the informative post. It is good to see an informed view as opposed to opinion by someone who doesn't even shoot the round. I have a Contender handgun & am interested in the round. I have a 14" 223 for Varmits & a 30-30 AI for Deer/Antelope & I believe the 375JDJ would give me a very complete battery for anywhere & I may get a 45-70 for fun.

Have you tried the 260 Accubond?

Again, thanks for the info.

[Ladobe]

Have you tried the 260 Accubond?

Again, thanks for the info.

nomosendero...
Sorry, no.   I did try a lot of bullets when working up loads before settling on certain ones, but never that one.   I'm one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" kind of guys.   Never had anything but good performance and clean kills with the bullets I used, so saw no need to try others once I had loads I was confident in for each class of hunting.

tadjstout...
IMO, recoil is usually stated as being much worse than it really is with the 375JDJ.   It is actually very manageable for most people, especially if shooting firearms that correctly fit the shooter and following good "weld" practices.

[Ladobe]

I've been thinking of the 375 JDJ for use on Mule Deer and Elk in Colorado on my contender carbine set up. .................... What is a realistic range for that round?
Thanks!

Sorry, missed this part of your question.   

As I said above, the shooters ability (and especially confidence in shot placement) with a good load determines what the REAL effective range of any shooting iron is in that shooters hands IMO.   A long time shooting friend of mine (who is a long time handcannon shooter like me) took a bull elk with his 338JDJ pistol shooting prone over his back pack well past 500 yards a few years ago.   It wasn't a clean kill because of shot placement on the first shot and took two (if I remember right he connected on the 1st and 4th or 5th shot).   My longest 375JDJ pistol elk was right near 400 yards, standing broadside, not aware I was there and me shooting from a very solid field rest.   He dropped like a rock because I knew the exact balistics of my load (from lots of practice at all ranges) and managed good shot placement on him.    FWIW, I've shot the 1000 yard fun matches here with my 15" 6.5 Super Bower Contender pistola, and the biggest effective range limiting factor with any handcannon is the optics available for them.   With the heavy recoil using rifle scopes is not an option and 10X-12X is barely enough for even large animals at long ranges IMO.   Optics is why I have never put all 10 shots into the 10" bull at the fun matches (the 6.5SB is capable of doing it).   

Since you are thinking of a carbine setup and will not be limited by the optics the 375JDJ will cleanly kill farther than you'll probably ever shoot it at game.   Just develop a precise load and practice often year-round at all ranges you might encounter until you know the ballistics at each and have the confidence.   Practice range estimation in all terrains too unless you carry a laser rangefinder when out hunting.   At the longer ranges a 50 yard error can mean a miss (or worse a poor hit) even on a large animal.   Use a good field rest and you'll take mule deer or elk no problem at surprising ranges.

From long experience, but still just IMO - YMMV.

[A-ALLOY]

Just got back. didnt get my bou but brought back a little black bear to can up. Off hand at about 40 yards across the back of the shoulders through the lungs down it went. Spent a good week in the Kenai mountains looking for bou and sheep saw goats, two wolves, a few sheep and a handfull of black bears. Saw some bou but it just didnt work out can,t beat week in the hills no matter what.The 375 was a joy to carrie and shoot. thanks to every one hare who answered my questions earler about this set up I realy like it . Thanks to ed and ssk.

                                                                          Bear chops for everyone