- Location
- AB foothills
prosper said:
Tell that to the animal that has just been shot with a 375 H&H with a 20" barrel. 100fps is squat
375 H&H recoil and why shortening barrel is good or bad
- Thread starter geologist
- Start date
Tell that to the animal that has just been shot with a 375 H&H with a 20" barrel. 100fps is squat
prosper said:
so 4" of barrel length may not be huge, but it is certainly not insignificant, in both terms. You'll lose some speed, but you'll gain some good things by way of rifle goodness. NEw term.
like Crazed Davie said, no critter is gonna know the difference when being hit by a 37 caliber bullet, and inside the 375s moderate effective range, the loss of velocity doesnt add up to too much of a hindrance.
If I was to have a 375 H&H, I'd want it with a 22-23" tube, but thats my personal preference, and I dont hunt in thick timber that much.
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
The thing about 375 actions is that they can be quite long. Add to that a thick 24"+ bbl and you get a fairly long and heavy rifle. I think cutting it back can be a good idea, certainly a rifle that feels good in the hand is worth a lot more than 100fps.
My 9.3 has a 22" bbl and 13" LOP. It is alot more "handy" than my 375 with 24" bbl and long LOP. Given the coice between the two I would prefer the 9.3for in your face type hunting.
My 9.3 has a 22" bbl and 13" LOP. It is alot more "handy" than my 375 with 24" bbl and long LOP. Given the coice between the two I would prefer the 9.3for in your face type hunting.
prosper said:
The first time i read this sort of post on a hunting and shooting forum was about 1995 or 1996.
It's still as silly now as it was then.
If someone feels that an extra 100fps is more important than a shorter, handier barrel, then leave it long and vice versa.
The animals will not know the difference between a 25" and a 21" barrel, and I bet most shooters that use a scope wont' knwo the difference, either, until you get out past 300 yards.
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Clearly for the intended uses of this rifle 2500 vs 2600 ft/s means boom all. (Pardon the pun). The biggest difference would be to the shooter with a little more drama and muzzle flip with a short barrel That's the beauty of mid and big bores, they don't loose much in short barrels...
That's the beauty of mid and big bores, they don't loose much in short barrels...
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I considered the option of the barrel band sling swivel as this has the advantage of carrying the muzzle lower when the rifle is slung. Because I prefer to shoot with the sling on the longer shots, I opted instead to position the swivel on the radius of the forend tip.
That stupid danged hood has a backwards slant rearward it.It hooks on every danged twig,I hate it and will change it on mine.Awfully awkward in the thick stuff.One of the only things I do not like on my 550 375.Whoever designed that should get a swift kick in the a$$!!!.
- Location
- AB foothills
sunray said:
I guess you missed the part about what Geologist wants to use this rifle for. In my opinion it will be a great heavy bush gun. I had actually thought of doing this same thing to a 550 just a short while back and probably still will.
What continent do you live on? I live and hunt in the mountains of western Canada, very rough country I might add. What better place for a big calibre short rifle.
sunray said:
you're full of $hit. put down the books and get in the bush, you'll find that in heavy cover, a fast handling rifle of large caliber is very comforting when large bears share the area. You probably dont have much of those in Ontario now, do ya?
the loss of 100 feet per second will be far from the mind of the grizz, when a 300 gr. A-Frame smashes him in the face at 15 feet. So much for going 'easy' on him @ 2475 fps
- Location
- AB foothills
todbartell said:the loss of 100 feet per second will be far from the mind of the grizz, when a 300 gr. A-Frame smashes him in the face at 15 feet. So much for going 'easy' on him @ 2475 fps
Good example of what this rifle would be great for
sunray said:
Spoken by a man who has certainly never used one.
I have owned two twenty-inch 375 H&H rifles, and know several other guides and one game warden who pack the same thing.
Both mine were chronographed before and after the barrels were bobbed off.
Both shot five rounds each from the same box of factory ammo, 300 gr Win Silvertips.
Both lost less than fifty fps going from 24 to 20 inches.
Both were noisier, to be sure.
Both were MUCH handier in the puckerbrush.
The last thing you need when hunting down a wounded bear, or cranky old bull moose is a 26" barrel.
Just so you know, big calibers lose less velocity than small calibers when barrels are shortened. The reason, of course, is that expansion ratios are diectly proportional to the square of the bore diameter.
Ted
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Why not? said:The last thing you need when hunting down a wounded bear, or cranky old bull moose is a 26" barrel.
Or a neutered .375 bolt action
Think pump shotty, 20" or less bbl and a mag full of slugs
Is this devolving into a bear defence thread already??? I didn't think that was the intent of the original post...
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Claven2 said:Or a neutered .375 bolt action
Think pump shotty, 20" or less bbl and a mag full of slugs
Is this devolving into a bear defence thread already??? I didn't think that was the intent of the original post...
If a 20" shotgun is good, how can a 20" .375, be bad? Any good rifleman can flatten big game out to 300 yards with a short .375, try that with a shotgun. On average a shotgun slug can be expected penetrates about 12" in game, where as a good soft point from a short .375 will penetrate about 30".
As for this discussion degenerating into yet another bear defence thread, for some of us those threads are very pertinent. Geologist has posted some of the best bear related advice seen here, indicating that he has some real life experience in that regard. It also means that anytime he is outdoors he must consider the possibility of an encounter, and that has quite a bearing on which firearm he chooses to pack around.
Boomer said:
Boomer, what is that anti-knuckle-buster-thingie behind the triggerguard made out of ? got close-up pics ?
I have a 375 HH that runs 8-3/4 lb loaded, scoped and slung, and with the long swept pistol grip, it gets my middle finger when shooting fast and you tend to crowd the grip.
I also agree about the barrel band swivel, I like the option of using a tight shooting sling, so I just moved the forward stud as far forward as possible
If this rifle was to be used in Africa on a guided big game hunt then I would not have chopped the 25" barrel. The .375 H&H is the minimum rifle for African big game. If things go wrong, you will have the PH backing you up with the BIG double.
For hunting and working in BC and Northern Canada, a chopped, CRF bolt action .375 H&H with factory 300 grain ammo is more than adequate for extremely short range to long range shooting on ALL North American animals up to polar bears. At the same time I will have a much more useable, very reliable rifle from a handling standpoint. After all, a working rifle is handled, stored and carried a lot more than it is fired. Portability is important to me as it will be in choppers, bush planes, ATV's, snow machines etc.
For hunting and working in BC and Northern Canada, a chopped, CRF bolt action .375 H&H with factory 300 grain ammo is more than adequate for extremely short range to long range shooting on ALL North American animals up to polar bears. At the same time I will have a much more useable, very reliable rifle from a handling standpoint. After all, a working rifle is handled, stored and carried a lot more than it is fired. Portability is important to me as it will be in choppers, bush planes, ATV's, snow machines etc.
Claven2 said:Or a neutered .375 bolt action
Think pump shotty, 20" or less bbl and a mag full of slugs
Is this devolving into a bear defence thread already??? I didn't think that was the intent of the original post...
I would WAY rather have a 375 H&H in my hands, than *any* shotgun/slug combination, if a bear needed to be stopped quick.
