.375 H&H magnum recoil?

philthygeezer

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I've heard that rifles in this caliber kick about as much as a 12 gauge slug gun. Is this true, or does the rifle have to weigh 11 pounds first?
 
It depends on the weight of the shotgun/rifle and the design/fit of the stock. I've found the .375 H&H fine to shoot.
 
a shotgun shooting 3" magnums.......sound about right to me.

A 12 gauge with 2 3/4 shells is pretty tame in comparison.
 
Similar to the 338 Win with a little more push (not snap).

The last 100fps seems to create most of the recoil....Milder loads are quite tame and perhaps even advisable.

You will love it.
 
I don't find the recoil of the 375 H&H to be near as bad as a 12ga slug gun. A few years back I shot about 25 slugs from the bench and my shoulder turned rainbow colours within a couple of days. Later, the first time I shot my Browning 375 H&H I was thinking it would be worse, something like the 577 T-Rex video, and I was all hyped up expecting to be punished. It was stiff, like a real rifle, but not near as bad as the 12 ga with slugs, and not a lot different in the field than say a 300 Win Mag. The talk about a big "push" as opposed to a snap makes no sense from a scientific point of view, but I have to admit that when compared to my 300 RUM, the words push and snap do come to mind.

The recoil tables don't lie, but most shotguns are designed to shoot birds and the stock design does not lend itself well to slugs, so the way the recoil is translated to your shoulder is poor.

IMO, anyone who can handle a 30/06 can learn to shoot a 375 H&H without a flinch.
 
Kick??? Do 375's kick?? My daughter doesn't think so, as she has been shooting cannons off the bench since she was 10 - she's now 17 but still only 4'10" and shoots everything up to and including a 458wm!

Double up on the ear protection, have a good crisp trigger, proper pad such as a decelerator or limbsaver, make sure the rifle isn't too big or too small for you, and focus on the target and trigger squeeze. You won't even notice the recoil, and you definately won't develop a flinch.
 
I patterned a 3.5" Heavy Shot turkey load out of my Benelli Nova and I never want to do it again. Instant headache. Someone here coined the phrase "a snot-bubbling experience" and I haven't been able to come up with a better one. I would certainly hope it is nothing like that, because I also wouldn't mind owning a .375HH.
 
Any rifle that doesn't fit you is going to hurt you, even in a modest caliber. A rifle that fits won't hurt you, even in a much larger caliber.

I've had a 8 1/2 pound .338 that numbed my face and blurred my vision; right now I have one that's been lightened to a scant 7 pounds and I can shoot it all day. I've had a .308 Win. that was painful, but I presently have two .375 H&Hs that are completely comfortable.

I works for accuracy as well....I've had two beautiful Browning Superposeds that I couldn't hit the inside of a barn with, but I could hit anything I could see with a rusty 12 gauge Cooey single shot!

It's stock fit, not chambering, that makes all the difference.
 
I wouldn't worry about recoil from the .375 H&H. Like other members have said that if you can shoot the 30-06 you should be able to learn to shoot the 375. Recoil isn't that viscous at all. I do believe that it is more of a push than a snappy recoil. When you start getting into hot 300gr load is when it get's a little heavier in recoil. My Rem 700XCR weighed 8.5lbs with the Leupold 2.5-8 scope on it and found it very easy to shoot. Stock design and a good recoil pad plays a big part in felt recoil as well. My Ruger .338 had more felt recoil than my .375- I thought. The board members here won't steer you wrong with false info in regards to you questions. There is lots of experience here on CGN. I would personally not hesitate to buy another .375 H&H as they are a great round and not as "recoil scary" as you think. Good luck.

Scott
 
It is ALL about the fit. I see too many fellows starting their youngsters on rifles and shotguns that are far to large for them - it looks like they are holding a 8 foot 2x4! - and the poor youngster starts to flinch and wince and be scared. It is all they can do to hold on, never mind shoot well.

I have a 450 Ackley that kicked the crud out of me (and I have shot many bigger bores in my time), until I fitted the stock to fit me like it should, and voila - like magic, it was just another big rifle.

I find 3.5 inch Heavy Shots in my Nova to be such that I dont know if I fired a 3 inch or a 3.5 inch -- again, that gun fits me perfectly out of the box. My shorter friend hates the Nova line as it hurts him every time and he has a harder time reaching the pump. The Remingtons fit him better, but I still tell him to trim the stock a bit and he would be happier..

Fit is key. Weight is as well of course - but to a lesser degree.
 
The .375 H&H has heavy recoil, but not brutal recoil. My 110lb wife shoots my Ruger RSM .375 H&H without issue. It's comparable to a 12 gauge 3", yes, but slightly less snappy. Mild loads are very, very tame and very, very powerful (think recoil down to mid range .300 Win Mag). Stuff over 300grs and high velocity is pretty serious. Some full house hot and heavy loads I fired a half dozen of out of my RSM left me with popped blood vessels in the skin of my shoulder, leaving me mottled for a good week and a half. I didn't find the loads at all painful, they just got your attention, it's not a caliber to be afraid of for sure. The heavy loads in my rifle are very accurate, and leave an "impression" on both the muzzle and butt ends, and I'm a sturdy fellow...

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The talk about a big "push" as opposed to a snap makes no sense from a scientific point of view, but I have to admit that when compared to my 300 RUM, the words push and snap do come to mind.

The push vs. snap comes from the rearward velocity of the gun combined with the amount of energy delivered to the shooter's shoulder. A push is slow and a snap is fast. I had a Tikka T3 Lite in 300WM that I would describe as 'vicious' because the recoil was so snappy (fast). By comparison, I find my .375 Ruger to be more manageable because it's more of a heavy push.
 
If you look at the Chuck Hawks recoil tables, he talks about recoil in energy and speed. Felt recoil is a combination of both. How fast that energy hits you is going to have a major effect on what you feel.

Stock design and rifle weight simply affects it more (one way or the other).

I shoot a BLR in 450 Marlin and 300 WSM and off the bench they are painful. However, I shoot a Marlin GG in 450M or any of my other 300 WSM's and they are fine off the bench. The BLR's simply are not designed for anything but standing.
 
I posted this on another thread a couple days ago...

Here are the results of a test done by "Experimental Services Inc from Akron, Ohio they performed a series of static, dynamic and pulse tests on seven pads from 4 different manufacturers in an effort to sort thru the conflicting claims of superiority in recoil pads.

Of the models tested the 3 highest rated pads were all Kick-Eez Pads".

Energy Absorbed by Recoil Pads

Decelerator = 32%
HiViz XCoil = 40%
Limbsaver 10542 = 44%
Limbsaver 10002 = 46%
Kick-Eez 301-8 Dual Action = 88%
" 301-10 Standard = 94%
" 301-10 Dual Action = 98%

If any of you are wondering how I can shoot heavy recoiling rifles as fast as I can these recoil pads have a lot to do with it, ok ok I also shoot a lot but I can shoot a lot because I'm not hurting myself.
 
I posted this on another thread a couple days ago...

Here are the results of a test done by "Experimental Services Inc from Akron, Ohio they performed a series of static, dynamic and pulse tests on seven pads from 4 different manufacturers in an effort to sort thru the conflicting claims of superiority in recoil pads.

Of the models tested the 3 highest rated pads were all Kick-Eez Pads".

Energy Absorbed by Recoil Pads

Decelerator = 32%
HiViz XCoil = 40%
Limbsaver 10542 = 44%
Limbsaver 10002 = 46%
Kick-Eez 301-8 Dual Action = 88%
" 301-10 Standard = 94%
" 301-10 Dual Action = 98%

If any of you are wondering how I can shoot heavy recoiling rifles as fast as I can these recoil pads have a lot to do with it, ok ok I also shoot a lot but I can shoot a lot because I'm not hurting myself.

Got a link?

Thanks for this information, everyone.
 
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