.375 H&H Recoil

If you can shoot the 300 WM, the 375 should be no problem. The 375 is more of a firm push, some 300's are more snap & slap. Be carefull if shooting off the bench though. Don't lean into it like you would a 223, sit straight up and let your body roll with it. Now if you want slap, snap and one helluva push, try a 378 Weatherby. What fun!!
My personal medium bore is a 350 rem mag on a Ruger 77MKII, barrel at 19", but with a meaty contour to it. Mucho fun!
 
Heavy recoil starts at .416 and up
The H&H is comparable to a 3" magnum 12ga from a 26-30" barrel. I experienced far worse recoil from smaller calibers in lightweight rifles. The Ruger #3 in .45/70 comes to mind....brutal!
 
My Sako full stock Manlicher is heavy with the Leupold 6X. I used Ken Waters Pet Loads to get a three shot dime size group of 300gr Hornady at 100M. Recoil is a heavy push and not sharp with 76 gr of 760. It is about 69Ft/lb compared to a 12 gauge at 10 to 12 Ft/lb. I have a female friend that has shot just about every African big game with the same rifle and scope combination. She weighs in at 100 Lbs wet! The stock on our rifles is so hight, that the bolt nearly touches the stock. The principle behind A-Square big African rifles is similar: inline stock with much weight.

Regards,
Henry;)
 
It's subjective. I find it not bad, but friends refuse to shoot it that are seasoned shooters. Depends on the load too, 270's are very reasonable, HEAVY 300gr handloads get viscious (80+ grs H4350). My 300gr buffalo load outruns the .375 Ruger 300gr loads by a long shot, and slaps and smacks you rather sharply. It's a very different level of power than the 270's. Not fun to shoot more than a mag of.

Overall though, my 115lb wife shoots my .375, and if she can, anyone can.
 
I had the Ruger No.1 Tropical and it wasn't nearly as bad as my dad's 300 weatherby. I also think the shape of the stock is a big factor in whether it kicks straight back or upwards. BTW my dad used to shoot it and he weighed about 110 soaking wet with a roll of quarters in his pocket.
 
Words of advise......... try before buying.

It is a fact that a percentage of gun owners are not able to handle the 375 H&H caliber.

My main moose hunting rifle is a 300 WM and find it relatively comfortable to shoot. On the other hand, I bought a Sako in 375 H&H that I could not shoot comfortably and it affected my shooting.

Being a strong believer of the 375 H&H for moose hunting, I recently decided to buy a barrel in 375 H&H for my TC Encore Pro Hunter and shooting it a couple of months ago was relatively comfortable so this fall, my moose hunting caliber will be a 375 H&H.

One should remember that it is usually not the level of the recoil but your pain threshold that will be the number one factor. If you feel pain when shooting a firearm, you can expect the average shooter to react to it and it will affect his shooting.

Duke1
 
I had a Ruger Number 1 in .375 H&H and I enjoyed it. I ended up trading it for a Ruger Number 1 in .338 WM and then had it rechambered and rebored to the awesome .358 Norma Magnum.
 
Slooshark1 said:
I had a Ruger Number 1 in .375 H&H and I enjoyed it. I ended up trading it for a Ruger Number 1 in .338 WM and then had it rechambered and rebored to the awesome .358 Norma Magnum.
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The 375 H&H is definitely a beast, but for comparison sake, let's look at the grand-daddy's of big bore power:
.375 H&H, 300 Gr X 4262 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.375 Ultra Mag, 300 Gr X 5073 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.378 Wby. Mag, 270 Gr X 6062 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.416 Rigby, 400 Gr X 4990 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.416 Rem. Mag, 400 Gr X 5115 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.458 Win. Mag, 500 Gr X 4850 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.460 Wby. Mag, 500 Gr X 7504 ft/lbs of muzzle energy !!

My head and upper body aches just thinking about those monsters!
 
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I think it depends a lot on the rifle. I had a custom Sako 375 Weatherby with a 22" barrel and muzzle brake. Hot handload 300 gr. Nosler partitions were no problem. You just wouldn't want to be around me when it went BANG. cou:
 
Worst kicking gun I ever had was a Ruger in 375HH. That thing was brutal and can still remember the headache. Still have 4 loaded cartridges from the 1st box of shells I bough for that gun, I sold it before I used them all. Every time I think about getting another 375HH I just look at those 4 left over cartridges.

I currently shoot a 338wm in a T3. It kicks too but it is atleast manageable. My latest gun is a 45/70 and kick so far has been fine.
 
The Kurgan said:
The 375 H&H is definitely a beast, but for comparison sake, let's look at the grand-daddy's of big bore power:
.375 H&H, 300 Gr X 4262 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.375 Ultra Mag, 300 Gr X 5073 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.378 Wby. Mag, 270 Gr X 6062 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.416 Rigby, 400 Gr X 4990 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.416 Rem. Mag, 400 Gr X 5115 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.458 Win. Mag, 500 Gr X 4850 ft/lbs of muzzle energy
.460 Wby. Mag, 500 Gr X 7504 ft/lbs of muzzle energy !!

My head and upper body aches just thinking about those monsters!
Click to expand...

Well I've shot 4 on that list. My Rigby was loaded to 6000ft/lbs, not the 4990 you show. The 460 has a wicked reputation but isn't all that bad. Just work your way up to it.
 
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