.375 H&H Magnum (Value? / How Punishing Is It?)

[Legionnaire]

I favor the .375 Ruger over the H&H but that's just personal preference. I like the .375 Ruger. I've found some comparatively mild shooting loads using 235 grain Speer Hot-Cors over Varget that would be more than enough for deer. The .375s (either Ruger or H&H) are very versatile to a hand loader. If you like the H&H, buy it.

 

[tark]

It WILL give you a New meaning to PAIN !!.

Your T-Rex is for sissies. Real men shoot 4 bore rifles with 2000 gr bullets pushed by 385 gr of 1F and having 300 ft lbs of recoil that breaks collar bones when you don't hold them correctly.

 

[John Dunbar]

What would Elmer Keith say??

 

[tark]

What would Elmer Keith say??

Elmer loved the big bore thumpers. His favorite dangerous game rifle (at least for the pachyderms) was a .577 3" nitro express. I have had the pleasure (discomfort?) of firing a .577 Army / Navy that was made by Holland and Holland. ( If you knew where and what to look for, you could determine who made the gun.)

It hurt, but not nearly as much as that 4 bore. At least you could fire it without having to take a step backward. The 4 bore forced you to take a step backward or be knocked over.

 

[dredd]

I really appreciate everyone's comments.
They are very helpful.

Nobody mentioned it kicked worse than a shotty running 3 1/2" Magnums.
Those just plain hurt in my opinion.

It sounds like I can spend so time behind the trigger and not walk funny afterwards.

It sure seems like a good price and hard to pass up.
Nobody said "No No No!!!!" that is a horrible price.

So..... I should have the rifle Friday evening.

I have Dies and Bullets ordered.
I'll start out with the Hornady 270/gr
I have Powder & Primers.

I'll post up in the Reloading Forum to see if there is a favorite between H4895 and Varget.
Those are the only Powders I have that Hornady is listing.

Thank You To All !!!

 

[MEHavey]

In rough order of best performance/pressure/fill%/burn balance (for a 270gr bullet).

Alliant Reloder-17 *T
Alliant Reloder-16 *C *T
Ramshot Hunter
Hodgdon H414
Winchester 760
Hodgdon CFE223 *C
Vihtavuori N550 *C*T
Hodgdon LVR
Hodgdon Hybrid 100V
Ramshot Big Game
IMR 4895
Alliant Reloder TS 15.5 *C *T
Vihtavuori N160 *C
Alliant Reloder-15 *C
IMR 3031
IMR 4320
Winchester 6,5 StaBall *T*C
Hodgdon H380
Hodgdon H4895
ADI AR 2206H
Winchester Supreme 780
Accurate 4064
Hodgdon H4350 *T
IMR 4350
ADI AR 2208
Hodgdon VARGET *T
Vihtavuori N540 *C
IMR 4064
Vihtavuori N150 *C
IMR 4451 Enduron *C*T
IMR 4007 SSC
Vihtavuori N135 *C
Vihtavuori N140 *C
IMR 4166 Enduron *C*T
Accurate 2700
Vihtavuori N133 *C

 

[Legionnaire]

Not surprised by @MEHavey's list. Varget does well with lighter bullets. I'd start your quest with H4895.

 

[Robert]

For what it's worth, I load my 375 H&H with 4895 and have no complaints.

 

[LoonWulf]

I used imr4895 for my initial loads in my 375 Ruger with good success. I did switch to RL-17 eventually, but the 4895s make form pleasant shooting.

 

[hk940]

If I were not left hand and left eye dominant, I would have a much larger variety of bolt action rifles. A .375 H&H would certainly be among them. Currently, I have a .375 Ruger Guide Gun instead.

I say, buy it, shoot it, enjoy it (even the shoulder bruising).

I too, am left handed and did have a LH Sako .375 H&H back in the mid 90's ( I think I paid about 650.00 at the time). I did sell it off and got a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H.
I took it to Colorado for an elk hunt. I think I bought the last two boxes of .375 H&H from a local bait shop down the street, I think I paid around around $18.00 a box

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ll second any IMR4350 or clone!
I use RL15 with the Hornady 225 or Speer 235’s. 4350’s or RL17 for 270’s -300’s.

If you get it, pics are mandatory!

 

[Weflyfast]

I agree with everyone here....more of a big boom and push than a crack- I have a light weight 300 Win Mag that is more abusive to shoot- Tons of horsepower if you need it- and you can tone it down with handloads- I have taken moose, bear and white tails with mine and it performance absolutely wonderful- gook luck with the new gun!

 

[NuclearMeltdown]

Not surprised by @MEHavey's list. Varget does well with lighter bullets. I'd start your quest with H4895.

For what it's worth, I load my 375 H&H with 4895 and have no complaints.

I used imr4895 for my initial loads in my 375 Ruger with good success. I did switch to RL-17 eventually, but the 4895s make form pleasant shooting.

https://imrpowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/h4895-reduced-rifle-loads.pdf

H4895 with Hodgdon's "60% rule" makes the .375 much more manageable with the Speer 235 grain soft points. These bullets are lighter than what you see in most factory loads and recoil a bit less.

 

[stringnut]

I have shot two. The first was with 270 grain bullets and loaded with max loads. Was not comfortable to shoot for me. I was shooting a lot of 30/06 at the time and it seemed way worse imho. Perhaps I have lace on my panties.

The second was one a young man had inherited from his grandfather. He loaded 235 grain Speers at 2500 fps. What a difference. Really was more of a shove and in a 10 lb model 70 was no worse than my 30/06.