First Gun, Need Advice

P

Pseudo

Regular
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Yukon
Hello everyone.

New to the Forum and to firearms in general. I just past my PAL course and am now in the processes of deciding what gun to get. The most common game that I will be hunting will be moose. My old man will be giving me a .375H&H which is a great gun but I think id like to look into a slightly smaller Caliber. I would like to hear your opinion, I'm Interested in 308 and 300 win mag. My fathers main hunting gun is a 30-06 but i like to be different so im not overly interested in that round. I'd love to hear everyone's opinion.

Thanks
 
First lets ask what experience you have in shooting rifle, what calibers have you shot. Can you shoot a 375 H&H with out flinching. If so then I would take the 375 H&H. Then for deer I would pick up a 25-06.
 
Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Where will you be hunting? Open terrain, in timber/thick swamps? How much shooting experience do you have? Have you fired the .375 before? How did you find it? Do you reload? I would consider all of these things before making a suggestion.

The .375 H&H is a fantastic moose round and if it were me, I'd just use that.
 
I have never Fired the .375 and I do not have much experience shooting. I use to fire my fathers 30-06 when I was younger at targets. I fully intend on taking the .375 as it's a gift and I would not disrespect my father by refusing it. I have also fired .22 and a 12gauge and 10gauge. That is the extent of my experience. Once I have decided on a rifle, i fully intend on taking it to the range to get comfortable with it along with the 375. I will be hunting in the mountains/ valleys/ dense bush. I live in the Yukon for those of you who are familiar with the terrain.
 
Well it seems from your post that you want another rifle. I think the .375 is just about perfect for where you are. My friend's son just shot his first moose this past fall - they also live in the Yukon. The boy is 12 and used a .375-.350 Rem Mag with 260 gr Nosler Accubonds. A mild load in your H&H would give you an easy 2500 fps and plenty of go, with quite mild recoil. Try shooting from shooting sticks - it makes the rifle much easier to handle.

Now then, for suggestions that are "different", yet very effective. I assume you would like a bolt action. In that case consider one of the following: .358 Winchester, .35 Whelen and 9.3x62 - all of them make great moose rounds. If you would like a lever action then it would be hard to beat a Browning BLR in .358 Winchester. For a single shot, consider the Ruger 1-S in either .35 Whelen or 9.3x74R.

If you want to go lighter, as in smaller, then a 7x57 is a nice compliment to your .375, but it is hard to imagine when your would reach for that in the Yukon. Perhaps on a sheep hunt. Or, if you are stuck on the .308" caliber, a .300 H&H would also be nice beside your .375 - so many choices! This is how we end up with a safe full of rifles. :)

You never mentioned whether you reload.
 
9.3x62 <----------------------
9.3x57 <----------------------These 4 calibres are Good choices for moose hunting.
8MM Mauser <----------------------
6.5x55 <------------------------

I would prefer the 8x57 since less people use them and can buy good ammo for them.
You can buy these type of rifles for 150- 450 range at tradexxcanada, they have good deals.

http://www.shop.tradeexcanada.com/
 
Do I Reload. Not sure how to answer that question... I believe the .375 is 4 cartridge integral mag. I'm sorry I am a newbie as it states under the name :p . I would like a bolt action, I don't care to much if it has an integral mag or a removable... I would like to stay a way from single shot.... I dont know if that answers the question
 
"Reloading" is another term for "handloading". That means making your own ammunition. I assume you do not handload. It is a fun part of hunting, well for me it is. You can choose your bullets, powder, brass and primers, and then taylor the ammunition to your rifle via testing and adjustment of the components.

At any rate, the fact that you are stuck with, for now anyways, factory ammunition, means that you need to consider availability at your local shop. The folks I know in the Yukon all load their own ammo, but perhaps one of them will chime in on availability for "odd-balls" such as the ones listed above.

I know you mentioned an apathy for the .30-06, but it is a great cartridge and readily available everywhere. The .308 is pretty much the same as the .30-06; the .300 Win Mag is similar too, except that it adds some range. Not much practical difference out to 300 yards. The .338 Win Mag is excellent, but very similar to your .375 - The biggest problem you have, as I see it, is the .375 is just about perfect. Why bother trying to fix what ain't broke? Anything lesser will be just that - less.
 
.300 win mag would be good, lots of power so you could make a long shot if you got the chance and lots of choices for ammo from cheap stuff to top of the line and it's available anywhere.
 
Great, Thank you for your advice. This gives me a lot to think about. Reloading sounds like something I would like to learn. 1899, Thanks again, Good advice. You are right about the .375, It sounds like the perfect gun for here, I'm just mildly concerned about the recoil and I also would like a smaller rifle In the event I decide to go for smaller game. I only know one other person that uses a 375.
 
No "newbie" should get a .375 H&H for a first rifle.

My advice is any of .30-06, .308, .280, 7mm-08, .270, 6.5 x55 or .260 in any rifle you like. They are all quite capable of taking moose with proper bullets. They are all fun to shoot for practice. The most important thing a newbie needs is lots of practice. A .375 H&H is not likely to be enjoyable for 20 to 40 rounds of practice at the range. There is a world of difference between firing a .375 once or twice from your hind legs at a stump, and actually settling down behind it to try to shoot four or five good groups.
 
Bolt action rimfire. You need lots and lots of trigger time to focus on sighting, trigger squeeze, holding the rifle correctly, stance, steadying your aim, mastering the different shooting positions, breathing and heart rate management, reading wind, etc. I recommend at least 1,000 rounds. That'll cost you about $60 or so for .22LR. If .375 H&H, a little more.
 
Pseudo said:
Great, Thank you for your advice. This gives me a lot to think about. Reloading sounds like something I would like to learn. 1899, Thanks again, Good advice. You are right about the .375, It sounds like the perfect gun for here, I'm just mildly concerned about the recoil and I also would like a smaller rifle In the event I decide to go for smaller game. I only know one other person that uses a 375.
Click to expand...

Thousands of us use .375 H&H's in Canada, it's actually an extremely common hunting chambering in the north. It has been the only cartridge I've used for the last three seasons on around a dozen head of game from 40lbs to 2,000lbs and it excels on all. The .375's recoil isn't bad either, more than a standard magnum for sure, but nothing that will hurt you and completely manageable.

That said, I think you're approaching your choice with the right mindset, and if you want to go smaller, go smaller. Your .375 is however the perfect moose rifle, and is something that with a little practice you'll shoot as well as any chambering. I truly believe most shooters who are sensitive to recoil above the standard cartridges, say up to .30-06, started too small and took the 'work up' approach. You've already shot 10 and 12 gauge and .375 I find no different than stout 12 gauge loads in a light shotgun, a bit more push but same shock. The first real gun I did a lot of shooting with was a lightweight 12 gauge with 3" shells on our farm, and .375 was a piece of cake first time I went to it.
 
Well my thoughts are if you want something a bit smaller and for hunting then get a .270. It'll do fine on everything except bison - which you should use the 375 H&H on. Great round for longer distance shooting on sheep and goats as well. The 300 win mag is popular but in reality it's a necked down .375 H&H casing. Since you're getting a .375 H&H already I would just avoid this chambering and go with something lighter.

The 308 is also a good round for pretty much all the above reasons as well. Heavier bullet so a bit more trajectory to them. .270 is cheaper to shoot factory ammo with.

If you want to hunt small game like grouse just get a .22lr. You'll end up with one anyway as they are cheap to shoot and just one of those things that every gun owner has.

If you want a gun to pack in the bush during the summers for bear then get a 45-70 lever action or a shotgun (mossy 500 or remmy 870) and some brenneke slugs from Hougans. If they have the brennekes in stock get a bunch as they go fast in the summer months.

As for brand on other rifles, just pick one in your price range that feels good in your hands.

Also as a side note, lots of people up here use the 375 H&H. I'm one of them. ;)
 
You're getting the .375, so what do you need another big magnum for?

You want something smaller to shoot, so I'd say get a .270win.

You know the basics of shooting, but you need something to hone your skills and develop excellent form, and then you'll be able to use the 375 well.

Get the .270 to shoot deer or varmints, and mostly to shoot at the range. Get really good with it. Then you'll be more ready to shoot the 375 and not have bad habits. Bad habits will be accentuated and amplified if you jump right into a big magnum right off the hop.

I don't think a 300 win mag is a good rifle to hone your skills on either. I don't think you can very easily get excellent shooting skills when you start right out with a 300 magnum. The bad shooting habits will not be worked out properly.
 
Huntin' Gun said:
You're getting the .375, so what do you need another big magnum for?

You want something smaller to shoot, so I'd say get a .270win.

You know the basics of shooting, but you need something to hone your skills and develop excellent form, and then you'll be able to use the 375 well.

Get the .270 to shoot deer or varmints, and mostly to shoot at the range. Get really good with it. Then you'll be more ready to shoot the 375 and not have bad habits. Bad habits will be accentuated and amplified if you jump right into a big magnum right off the hop.

I don't think a 300 win mag is a good rifle to hone your skills on either. I don't think you can very easily get excellent shooting skills when you start right out with a 300 magnum. The bad shooting habits will not be worked out properly.
Click to expand...
i agree, but i would try to get the exact same rifle as the 375 in a cartridge with similar trajectory. say a 308win?
 
Wow, This is great. I wasn't expecting so many replies! You have all given me a lot to think on. For the most part, It sounds like the 375 will be fine and do everything I need it to do. I think That getting a 22lr to practice my accuracy might be my next step. Any suggestions :p . Ruger 10/22 seems to be the go to 22 for most people i have spoken to. Again, Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply.
 
I just did some quick calculations to show you one of the advantages of reloading. Some folks think the .375 has too much recoil - and in fact you alluded to a worry about it too. Here is how you can adjust loads to help you practice.

A 235gr Speer Hot-Core at 2500 fps will give about 23lbs of recoil with a 9lb rifle (scope included). The rifle will move back at 12.88 feet per second. A 250gr Swift A-Frame at 2500 fps will give 24.8lbs of recoil and move back at 13.33 feet per second in the same rifle. A 265gr cast lead bullet at 1900 fps will give 14.5 lbs of recoil and move back at 10.21 fps.

You could easily shoot moose with the 235gr Speer or the 250gr Swift.

Now, look at an 8lb .300 Win Mag and 180gr bullets moving along at 3100fps. Your recoil is 28.4 ft-lbs and velocity is 15.4 feet per second. A .30-06 with 180gr bullets at 2700 fps gives 20.9 ft-lbs and 12.96 feet per second.

You see, the 235gr .375 H&H load in that example should feel - all things being equal - similar to a 180gr .30-06 load. The 250gr load would also be quite similar.

Important factors are - make sure the rifle fits you properly (the length of pull is the main dimension you need to consider) and have a nice recoil pad fitted to the rifle. Some good options are Limbsavers and Pachmayer's Decelerator or F990.

What rifle is the .375?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom