The .375 H&H is too much gun for white tail hunting.

rral22 said:
Well, we're up to 60 posts discussing/trying to disprove it's not awkward. I tend to think that is proof it actually is.
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I'd say more people are trying to prove it's awkward...for those that have hunted extensively with the 375 it's clearly not. Personally I use one bullet in mine for everything from whitetail to giraffe.
 
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Hotwheels81 said:
Less destructive is good... I can hardly imagine what would happen if I hit the shoulder on this deer...
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probably not much ... some folks seem to think that a .375H&H on deer has the same result as executing a Sepoy mutineer by 'blowing from a gun' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_from_a_gun) ... oddly enough it doesn't. I have hit a small spike in the spine at 70 meters (possibly less) with a 235 gr spitzer and a 1" piece of spine was missing ... cleanly like a surgeons scalpel (that's it - that's all)... in actual fact the 375H&H is a very forgiving round and as long as you hit your target in an accepted killing "zone" it will do everything it needs to... not with velocity but weight and an optimal frontal area. IMO it is the LEAST gimmicky round available to the hunter ... and the accuracy of most box stock .375 H&H is remarkable given that you know that a little bit of flinch probably crept in when you fired for a group, "just because its big".

Actually accuracy can be pretty exceptional once you develop the right mind control to overcome the (unfounded) rumors of massive recoil. Learn to load it for the game you hunt and enjoy it -- it really doesnt get any better for most North American big game .... and I wont argue that there arent rounds that can do as well on deer (I have no issue with the 243W either) BUT there arent really any that will deliver "Better" results.
 
jjohnwm said:
My apologies if I misunderstood your post. To me, it "clearly and to the point" stated that the H&H was "too much gun for whitetail hunting" and asked for alternate ideas. I thought you were asking for other cartridge choices.

I think that describing a cartridge using phrases such as "best all around" and other similar terms leads many people to assume that it is perfect for everything. Obviously, nothing can be perfect for all purposes, and describing the H&H as a do-it-all cartridge simply means that it can be used effectively for any type of hunting. Of course it is going to be marginal or merely adequate for the largest game, and more powerful than necessary for the smallest, but it will hit hard enough for the elephants and still shoot flat enough for the antelope.

If the damage to which you were referring wasn't bloodshot meat, then how bad was it? I use 300gr bullets for everything in the .375, and even the softest, cheapest slugs don't cause damage that I consider excessive. We are shooting at these critters with the intention of killing them by poking holes in them with bullets. I just don't think it's essential that those holes and the damage they create absolutely must be the bare minimum that will kill the animal. The entire idea smacks of the silly debate that was so popular years ago in the gun rags, where many writers insisted that a bullet that exited an animal was "overkill", because it didn't expend all its energy inside the body.
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The entry wound was 2" in diameter and the exit was 4" or a bit better.


I live and work in an area known for large aggressive bears, I hunt beaver to moose, after a close call with an injured elk this fall I am wanting to replace my small hunting rifle with something more substantial for self preservation... As an "all around" cartridge I require the H&H to handle large and small animals from ranges of 15' to 300+ yards and dig deep into heavy bodied critters but pass thru clean on the smaller ones, I'm thinking the TSX's should fit the bill... I am not interested in carrying several diffrent loads with me, it must all be done with one.
 
I shot a 110 lb whitetail doe with a BRNO 602 375 HH and it was one of my cleanest kills - 300gr TTSX. It didn't take a single step and the heart was neatly cut into 2 pieces. Very little damage to the surrounding meat. After that, I took it on a guided, cow moose hunt. The guide was rather insistent on his "shoot until it's down" rule, so that cow had 3 holes in it by the time I was done. What I thought would be cringe-worthy turned out to be not such a big deal. My biggest complaint - so heavy, and not how you might think. Of course, lugging it around for hours on end made me wish for something lighter, but it was shooting off-hand that really tested me: aim...wait...wait...wait - ok getting shaky now - wait...take a break...etc.
 
For the amount of time it was in my possession, it certainly produced (by my standards, anyway).
 
Try a Hornady 250 gr gmx seemed to hold up well in my 375 RUM should do the same on an h&h and they are a bit cheaper then the tsx.
 
There no such thing as "too much gun," only "more than necessary." The H&H falls in the latter group with respect to it's use on deer.
 
Indeed, and for reasons I've yet to understand, North America is addicted to the bare minimum cartridge wise, if a .23 is the legal minimum it will be developed and used (no reference to Doug he's in his own category, he shoots up to .577 and is just exploring every avenue). Go abroad and .375 is viewed as a more versatile .30-06, heck my 110lb wife shoots my .375 H&H, no drama, come to North America and its pitched as a beast, excessive in recoil and power. If you want to own just one rifle to hunt the world, the .375 H&H is it. Even if you never leave Canada, that same rule means you are very well prepared all the way up to Wood Bison and Grizzly. And hey, if you can shoot it as well as a 7x57, why not use it if you don't mind the rifle weight, it's certainly not handicapping you in any way. I plan to hunt Roe and Red Deer in Scotland, and the .375 will go for that too as I just know it too well, no point changing gears when the .375 is my most familiar rifle, and if you don't mind the recoil why downsize. If you like it, go for it, being over-gunned is a much easier argument to defend than using the minimum, to extrapolate on Dogleg's point. There really isn't a down side if the shooter is capable of using it and a sturdy bullet is used.
 
I once had someone tell me that shooting a .375 was crazy because the recoil was likely to break your shoulder...lol The myths surrounding the 375 are extensive and ridiculous. You are correct Ardent...it is the .30-06 of Africa.
 
Thanks to Hoytcanon and Ardent for succinctly stating the truth. The simple fact of the matter is this:

Ardent said:
Go abroad and .375 is viewed as a more versatile .30-06....If you want to own just one rifle to hunt the world, the .375 H&H is it.
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Any time one of the gun rags does a survey of experienced hunters...not experienced hunters of only deer, but well-rounded hunters with experience on game of all sizes...the .375 is usually recommended as the do-it-all cartridge more often than all others combined. Regardless of how many folks chime in with stories of how their grandfathers killed 96 moose with a .22Hornet (never mind how many were wounded and lost) or how Bell slew elephants with a 7x57 (utilizing talent and skill that were developed to an almost supernatural level by experience far beyond what any hunter today can ever hope to duplicate), the .375 is indeed "it".
 
Ardent said:
Indeed, and for reasons I've yet to understand, North America is addicted to the bare minimum cartridge wise, if a .23 is the legal minimum it will be developed and used (no reference to Doug he's in his own category, he shoots up to .577 and is just exploring every avenue). Go abroad and .375 is viewed as a more versatile .30-06, heck my 110lb wife shoots my .375 H&H, no drama, come to North America and its pitched as a beast, excessive in recoil and power. If you want to own just one rifle to hunt the world, the .375 H&H is it. Even if you never leave Canada, that same rule means you are very well prepared all the way up to Wood Bison and Grizzly. And hey, if you can shoot it as well as a 7x57, why not use it if you don't mind the rifle weight, it's certainly not handicapping you in any way. I plan to hunt Roe and Red Deer in Scotland, and the .375 will go for that too as I just know it too well, no point changing gears when the .375 is my most familiar rifle, and if you don't mind the recoil why downsize. If you like it, go for it, being over-gunned is a much easier argument to defend than using the minimum, to extrapolate on Dogleg's point. There really isn't a down side if the shooter is capable of using it and a sturdy bullet is used.
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Angus: checks on with local police as some wont let you in with a 375.

local guys there need a special permission for a such big caliber and a lot of explanation. there are some estates that wont let you use it too.

Europe and especially UK is different than us on firearms and calibers ...
 
Youre right - it's not too much.

I have shot two whitetail deer with the 375 H&H - 260 gr Partitions at about 2800 fps. It resulted in two dead deer with not a lot of meat damage, certainly a lot less than with a 25-06 using 115 gr bullets at 3100 fps+.
 
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