How big is too big in terms of caliber for hunting big game in Canada.

1899 said:
The .375 may be too big if you have a flinching problem - unless you can deal with it and still shoot accurately. I agree with the comments of the .375 not being too big. The way I see it is that you need to consider the environment and your own ability more than the chambering. If you are hunting for sheep in the mountains, where shots can be long, then a .458 chambered in an appropriate weight rifle is too big. If you sit in a blind and the shots will be relatively close, then it is not too big.

Much of hunting has to do with enjoying yourself and just having a good time. If carrying/hunting/shooting a medium or large bore rifle is fun, then do it!

Practice with the .375 in field positions - sitting, kneeling and with a shooting stick. The felt recoil will be less, and you will be able to better judge whether you have the ability to make the shot count.
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great response
 
Glad to hear your .375 is working out for you. It isn't the scary shoulder bruiser that some make it out to be.
 
Y'know, glad to hear that you and your new rifle are working out. Now at the range, try this. Learn to shoot from a standing, kneeling and prone position. The bench is important to know where the rifle is shooting, in terms of it being sighted in.

The next thing is that you now have to learn how to shoot it, similar to hunting. Buy some of those life size and lifelike targets of deer or elk. Set your gun down, do about 10 or 15 pushups. Pick up the gun, load it, take aim...just like in the bush. Your heart rate will be up, your breathing a bit heavy....and shoot the target...it will feel very similar to shooting at a real animal for the first time. I never forgot this lesson when it was told taught to me by my father, whom had a retired sniper teach him.

From that point, you will now have to learn to control your breathing, how to properly stand or kneel and squeezing versus pulling trigger.
 
RemingtonMarlin said:
Actually with the No. 1 375H&H, my shots are much better now.
I enjoyed shooting the 375 very much. With 50+rounds shot sitting at the bench, no problem at all.
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Glad to hear it worked out. There is a tendency, sometimes, on hunting sites for some to feel the need to bang on someone for using a cartridge that is out of the mainstream, like a 375H&H. This usually followed by the proclamation that one is being macho or "compensating" if you buy and shoot a cartrige larger than their revered 243 or 7mm08, or 270, or you fill in the sensible mild recoiling cartridge here.

And then there is the recoil thing. Recoil is experienced individually. I know a man who weighs about 135 pounds soaking wet, but that guy shoots a 458wm like most people shoot a 308. I also know a guy who is built like an NFL lineman, he can also shoot about anything. And some folks cannot shoot larger cartridges comfortably. This is not a shortcoming, it simply is.

Sometimes people shoot and hunt with a broad spectrum of cartridges because they can and they find it interesting.

The bottom line is, shoot what you like and shoot it well. It is a free country and if the cartridge you have chosen is legal to hunt with then fill your boots.
 
I would not found no use for my CZ 416 Rigby, can shoot it accurately without flinch but way overkill for anything in Noth america, maybe as an insurance for grizzly or polar bear... JP.
 
RemingtonMarlin said:
Some people told me that the 375H&H is just overpowered and NOT practical for any games smaller than a elephant:p.
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How many of those people actually own or even have shot a 375Magnum?

Buy your 375 and have fun with it. Load lighter bullets for deer and know it's as good as any for moose.

.
 
my go to gun for hunting is my 378 weatherby it just shoots so flat and hits like a rail gun i have smaller guns ,339,3006,6.5x55 but this one always gets the node because i know it so well
 
SuperCub said:
How many of those people actually own or even have shot a 375Magnum?

Buy your 375 and have fun with it. Load lighter bullets for deer and know it's as good as any for moose.

.
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:agree: It is an oustanding caliber with many load choices and factory rounds available. Enjoy it!!

Also to comment on the recoil/gun weight/ carry weight comments: My .243 yote gun weighs right at 12lbs. and my .375 9-9 1/2lbs. When I walk a bunch I throw them in the Gunrunner back pack and keep on keepin' on. If there is a will there is a way.:D
 
"many experts online" will say the best caliber is what they shoot......
30-06 will be fine for anygame in canada. whatever you want to shoot the game with and feel most comfortable with is the best caliber... but wouldnt get into lighter grains that moves 4000fps+ to blow meat up.. with right bullet that can mushroom well and down the animal without ruining the meat is a good caliber for me. I personally shoot 30-378 weatherby mag with barnes 180grain bt for elk, moose.
for smaller games i stick with 30-06 only because shell cost are cheaper lol
 
I took 2 6 pt. whitetails this year with my Zastava z98 in 375 h&h. Both with 260 grain accubonds. It worked well, both fell like they had been dropped out of an airplane.

One was shot just a little in front of the "ideal" shot placement in the boiler room, so it went through some of the front shoulder meat, but there was no significant meat damage (no more than a 308 with similar quality bullets). I recovered that bulled from an oak tree on the other side of the deer, it went in to the tree about 4-5 inches, sideways. It was perfectly mushroomed, and it had lost about 20% of its weight.

The other deer was running through the bush, and stopped dead when I expected him to continue, so he was shot through the neck. Clearly no significant meat damage, neck was broken. Bullet was not recovered.

What I did notice though is that although it is alot more gun than a .30-06, there was no significant on game difference when talking about whitetail deer. I've got a Browning FN Safari in .30-06 and for some reason it just knocks deer over when loaded with 180 gr. partitions. I've never had a deer run after being hit with that combo. So I guess what I am saying is that when something kills game, it kills game. It can't be any more dead than dead.

Is the .375 too much for most NA game? Well that depends on how you define it. Is it somehow less ethical to use more gun than is necessary? I doubt many will make that argument. Is it more than is necessary by a large measure? Probably, but that might make it inefficient, that doesn't meant it is "too much." Is it so big an scary you will separate your shoulder/detach your retinas/rattle your teeth out? That depends on the shooter, I don't find it to be unplesant to shoot, but after a box off the bench my shoulder might be a bit tender. Still, this doesn't make it too big for NA game, if it is so big it is injuring you, it is too big for you in general, not the game you are shooting.

Also, as is always said on these threads, make sure you use bullets of good construction (which I've found most .375 bullets to be anyways.. not too many varmint grade balistic tips made for the .375). My deer both had minimal damage, no blood shot etc, but another guy at our camp shot an 8 pt with a .300 sav, right in the wheelhouse, hit a rib, and the whole entry side was bloodshot and bruised up, and we lost a bit of meat off that deer. He was using some old dominion 160 grains. It was real surprising.
 
ihave many big boars 450 3 1\4 inch nitro express being largest smokeless 72cal side by side black powder and love huntin and shooting all of them but my 375 hh is by far my fav i shoot everything from yotes to bear with it love it
 
How big is too big?
Like many have said,
Any caliber that the shooter cannot accurately shoot and/or any gun the hunter cannot transport (carry) in their style of hunting.
Gun design/fit, weight, load, barrel, size/experience of shooter, etc. all play into this.
Some new shooters start small and work up, most of the time this works.
Some start big and stay big, a few learn. A few don't...
This is one reason why we get to buy lotsa guns:)
 
nothing wrong with the .375 or the 35 whelen or the 45-70 ,if your hunting moose or bear in close quarters, depends on the distance you plan on doin an ethical kill, i wouldn't recomend it in eastern canada,where there is cuttings and bogs 1000 or 2000 yds long, not sure it would do the job. personnaly i don't think those heavy calibers are very efficient pass 200 yds or so just my five cents!!! have a good one!
 
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