.375 H&H Recoil

NorthernPF

NorthernPF

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Is the recoil from a .375 really THAT bad. I currently shoot a Remington 700 XCR in 300WM. I recently decided that I wanted to buy a Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in 375 H&H. Now some guys I talk to claim that the rifle is way to powerfull and that I'll never be able to handle that much gun. I realise that it will kick more but I've heard its more of a shove than a sharp kick I get from my 300.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks again
 
My 375 ruger is tolerable with 300 gr factory loads, in a short little ruger Alaskan. I had a full length ruger in 338 win mag, and i would call that comperable. Slightly stiffer than your 300 with hot and heavy loads.
 
I am 5" 11" tall and weigh about 165, and I have shot a custom built 375 H&H for many years and have never found the recoil excessive. The rifle weight has a lot to do with recoil. Mine weighs about 7.5 lbs with a scope.
A good recoil pad such as a Limbsaver makes a huge difference as well. I shot many a moose while living in South River Ont. with a 375...it works
Most of my moose hunting was north of Sudbury near Gowganda...and I am sure you know the area..good luck
 
.330 Dakota said:
I am 5" 11" tall and weigh about 165, and I have shot a custom built 375 H&H for many years and have never found the recoil excessive. The rifle weight has a lot to do with recoil. Mine weighs about 7.5 lbs with a scope.
A good recoil pad such as a Limbsaver makes a huge difference as well. I shot many a moose while living in South River Ont. with a 375...it works
Most of my moose hunting was north of Sudbury near Gowganda...and I am sure you know the area..good luck
Click to expand...

I also thought that the weight of the rifle played a crucial part. The rifle alone with no scope weighs in at 9lbs and comes with a Pachmyer decelerator pad.
 
i shot a friends 375 H&H not sure what the bullet grain was but the rifle was a thompson center pro hunter and u definetly feel the recoil but i wouldnt say it was unbearable im 5'10" and 155 pounds. oh and shot it off the bench and standing. never taken more than 1 or 2 shots at a time though
 
My 10lb BRNO 602 / 1 1/2-6x is a sweetheart. Use it mostly prone/bipod with full pressure 270gr. handloads. It's only bitten me once, @ -25c, slipped underneath too much clothing. Rings an 8" gong at 400 with regularly. Most teens and petite women do well with it at our winter swamp shoots. For a couple of shots or so.
300 mags ?, don't like 'em, too sharp and nasty for me, can't hit s**t way out there.
 
I own a 375 ruger and an H&H they kick... well... they shove... first shot out of my ruggie wich is a custom built beast with a 24"pachnor barrel cracked my back nicely for me... haven't neede the chiroprctor since... they are both great shooters and would not get rid of either of them
 
Not that bad had a Sako standard hunter for years shot everything from Antelope --to--Elk start off reloading some 235gr speers then work up in bullet weight. with 235's you won't notice too much difference over your 300.
 
Check the stock for length of pull and if it fits great. If not modify with a recoil pad to set length and start shooting. I have found that with practice and stock fit my .375's are both great shooters.

Remember though you will need to put in some range time as they aren't like shooting a .223.

As you can see from some of the responses the .375 in any variation is a damn good caliber.

Enjoy the power!
 
NorthernPF said:
I also thought that the weight of the rifle played a crucial part. The rifle alone with no scope weighs in at 9lbs and comes with a Pachmyer decelerator pad.
Click to expand...

Is it a Bruno, or an old Browning Safari? sounds too heavy. I will soak up some recoil in a lighter gun rather than soak up the extra weight all day long
 
Side by side at the range my 7600 35 Whelen carbine loaded with 250gr bullets seem to kick more than my Model 70 in 375 H&H shooting 270gr TSX. I would say the recoil is comparable to a 12ga with slugs. Not a sharp recoil, but as people say more of a shove. My 375 Ruger I had seem to have a sharper recoil than my H&H IMO. Just buy one you'll love it.:D
 
If you can shoot a .300 magnum effectively, you won't have any problem making the transition to the .375 H&H. In fact I bet it puts a big smile on your face. One reason why African PHs love to see clients arrive wit .375 H&H rifles is that they are shootable by hunters who are infrequent shooters.
 
Describing recoil is a pretty subjective thing, everybody's different. My hunting buddy has a .375 in a 700 Remington with a synthetic stock, not sure what model, but it is light. A little over eight pounds scoped, I think. He shoots a .300 Weatherby and a .300 win mag as well and isn't recoil sensitive. He says the .375 doesn't bother him in the field but if he fires more than 8 or 9 rounds off a bench at a sitting he gets a headache. He said after he saw a 270 grain bullet travel the full length of a moose he was sold on the .375, recoil or not.
 
375 H&H recoil

The .375 H&H does recoil, but it is tolerable. A heavier rifle helps, but stock design is an important factor. A stock that has a lot of drop to the butt tends to make the perceived recoil much worse, because the force comes back at an angle to the bore, and the muzzle rises more. A straighter stock will allow the recoil force to come back at a lesser angle, and the muzzle will rise less.

Shooting position also is a factor. Off the bench, the recoil seems much more than if you are shooting off-hand. Longer barrels help a bit, because the powder has more time to burn in the bore, and not give a big muzzle blast. If you reload, going to a faster burning powder will alleviate this, and be easier on your shoulder with approximately the same velocities.

In the recoil calculation formula, the factor for powder is 1.5. That is, a 10 grain increase is one and one half times the factor that a 10 grain bullet weight increase would cause. If you load 70 grains of a faster burning powder into the .375 H&H, instead of 80 grains of a slower burning powder, then the recoil will be much lesser than substituting other components.

You should find that .375s tend to be very accurate rifles. If you can handle the .300 Magnum, you should have no trouble with a properly fitted .375 H&H.
 
I recently picked up a 602 from someone on here and I was concerned about recoil. Unfounded - in fact, it's entertaining. I went through a box of 300 grainers yesterday. I've been more sore shooting fewer rounds from smaller calibers.
 
I went from a 270 to a H&H. I got some factory 300's and went to the range. The first shot suprised me alot. No recoil. I shot again wondering were all this bone crushing power went. After 20 rounds I was smiling from ear to ear. I wished I had bought more than 20 rounds. I shot that gun alot.
In the new winchester safari it will be a pussycat. You may even get the bigbore bug.
 
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