Answer to the age old question...

[1899]

What is the best cartridge for all around use? A fantastic article from Gun Digest aims to explain which cartridge is King, and does a good job of it too:

Why the .375 H&H Magnum is King of Cartridges

The title really does say it all. I've had a couple in the past and I think there is an itch that needs scratching.

http://www.gundigest.com/ammunition-reviews-articles/375-hh-magnum-king-cartridges


I know Why Not? and Ardent have hunted a fair bit with this chambering - in fact Ted convinced me to get a rifle so chambered. That was before he became Godfather to the 9.3x62.

Who else has some good H&H hunting stories and pictures to share?

 

[brybenn]

I don't mean to piss anyone off and I'm the first to admit the 375 hh is an amazing cartridge. However its like the jack off all trades but king of nothing to me. Which isn't a bad thing. For a one rifle guy its a great choice but when broken down by game type there are often always better choices. I've never hunted Africa but it's on my list of things to do. I've read John pondoro Taylors book several times and from my own experiences I like having the perfect tool for the job. I admit it doesn't always happen and there are very few situations where a 375 hh won't work

 

[mrgoat]

Here I thought you were going to ask "what came first, the chicken or the egg". On the evolutionary scale of cartridges it seems many can claim there roots go back to the 375 H&H. Personally I have one because of it's moderate recoil, and being sort of a nostalgic fella I like the older cartridges.

 

[1899]

Here I thought you were going to ask "what came first, the chicken or the egg". On the evolutionary scale of cartridges it seems many can claim there roots go back to the 375 H&H. Personally I have one because of it's moderate recoil, and being sort of a nostalgic fella I like the older cartridges.

Gotta agree with this...

 

[c-fbmi]

BB..........I think your post illustrates exactly why the H&H is called the King of Cartridges. The fact that it isn't relegated to specifically one niche, and works so well over such a broad range of game. This characteristic of all medium bores is really what endears them to us. It doesn't destroy meat for the meat hunter, it kills very effectively on all thin skinned species game up to and including Cape Buffalo and with appropriate marksmanship and bullets has proven effective on pachyderms.
In all reality it is the 30-06 of medium bores, with reasonably flat trajectories, making shots to 350 mtrs and beyond practical (just like the '06), along with the energy and penetration to take on the nastiest of thin skinned critters on the planet at arms length. Like you said at the beginning, and has been said of the 30-06 many times, it just serves most applications so well, and has been doing so for well over 100 years, again just like the 30-06...........
I have shot everything from duiker to hippos with my 375 H&H and can find no flaw in it's performance on any game that has been on the receiving end of a bullet from my 375 H&H.

1899..........How many 375 "harvest" photos would you like, I have dozens.....just posted most of them on the "Medium Bore" thread.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

BB..........I think your post illustrates exactly why the H&H is called the King of Cartridges. The fact that it isn't relegated to specifically one niche, and works so well over such a broad range of game. This characteristic of all medium bores is really what endears them to us. It doesn't destroy meat for the meat hunter, it kills very effectively on all thin skinned species game up to and including Cape Buffalo and with appropriate marksmanship and bullets has proven effective on pachyderms.
In all reality it is the 30-06 of medium bores, with reasonably flat trajectories, making shots to 350 mtrs and beyond practical (just like the '06), along with the energy and penetration to take on the nastiest of thin skinned critters on the planet at arms length. Like you said at the beginning, and has been said of the 30-06 many times, it just serves most applications so well, and has been doing so for well over 100 years, again just like the 30-06...........
I have shot everything from duiker to hippos with my 375 H&H and can find no flaw in it's performance on any game that has been on the receiving end of a bullet from my 375 H&H.

1899..........How many 375 "harvest" photos would you like, I have dozens.....just posted most of them on the "Medium Bore" thread.

Good assessment and well put, taking into consideration your in-depth knowledge of firearms, especially when coupled with your field experience.

 

[1899]

c-fbmi - I'll take a boo at the pictures, but the duiker to hippo as small to big is a pretty good visual of the broad range of capability. Do you do your own special loads for Africa or do you stick with the classic 300gr at ~2500fps?

 

[Johnn Peterson]

Here I thought you were going to ask "what came first, the chicken or the egg". On the evolutionary scale of cartridges it seems many can claim there roots go back to the 375 H&H. Personally I have one because of it's moderate recoil, and being sort of a nostalgic fella I like the older cartridges.

Same here . In addition however, another 'issue' I have is a number of calibres I have available are a little off of the beaten path of popularity' so to speak ie:
- 219 DW
- 7x61 S&H
- 348 WCF
- 358 NM
- 375 CT

 

[c-fbmi]

1899........I have a load worked up using 270 gn TSX bullets at 2925 fps that I have used for virtually all my hunting with the 375. Prior I had a gross of 270 gn W-W power points that I shot some game with (with excellent performance) but since they have been discontinued for years, I tried some 270 gn Swift A-frames when they ran out, but again I couldn't find a reliable source continuously. When our LGS in Whitehorse started stocking Barnes regularly I tried the 270 TSX and it shot very well, so I have been using them ever since.
I have pretty much run the gamut of critters size wise with the 375, duiker, puku, mtn reedbuck, leopard, lion, 2 zebras, 2 giraffes, croc, bongo, and a couple hippos. In NA I have taken a few black bears a caribou, a wolf and a moose with the 375. Haven't hunted my 375 much in NA, I'm pretty comfortable with my 300 or 340 here.

 

[Papaclaude]

I shot 1 moose with a Ruger No. 1 in 375, 270 gr. Rem CoreLokt. It was a small-mid-sized buck (42" rack). it was facing me, and I got it in the chest, through the strnum. The bullet went all the way to the back end (luckily didn't destroy any meat or rip the guts open). It was a bang-flop. But then, moose don't take a lot of firepower to drop.