Do you shoot/own a .375 H&H or other Big Bore?

[FP1201]

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering if and how many people still shoot these African Big Game calibers?
I've stumbled on and bought a lot of Brass and Bullets that from the packaging were made in the 50's through the 70's...
Other than Special Orders, I know of no one producing Rifles in .375, .458WM, or other Belted Magnums...Weatherby makes Rifles in their Mark V but typically those are in Wetherby Calibers, or little hot-rod cartridges.
While 45/70 is a "Big Bore" I'm not counting it in the mix, same with other Lever Action cartridges.

 

[Jcp123]

I don’t, but I ran into a lot of belted brass where I was in Texas, particularly .375 H+H and .300 win mag. Range brass is fun to look at. Brass for fat magnums, long magnums, even 54r is very distinctive and really stands out.

Hard to tell why. East Texas isn’t wealthy (read: not a place which favors affording African big game hunters), but then again there’s some oil and gas wealth here which is typically under the radar. Could also be just someone who likes overkill for an elk hunt or something. I tend to think the latter because there’s a fair number of non-belted magnums around as well (.300 wsm comes to mind). Biggest prey in East Texas is feral hogs or very rarely, black bear, neither of which require something that hot.

 

[RedBreast21]

Growing up and a teenager, a wealthy friend of mine father had the entire line of Weatherby. Shot them all. I almost dropped the .460.

 

[FP1201]

Growing up and a teenager, a wealthy friend of mine father had the entire line of Weatherby. Shot them all. I almost dropped the .460.

Got to shoot one in my early 20's....ONCE was enough.

 

[spat]

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering if and how many people still shoot these African Big Game calibers?
I've stumbled on and bought a lot of Brass and Bullets that from the packaging were made in the 50's through the 70's...
Other than Special Orders, I know of no one producing Rifles in .375, .458WM, or other Belted Magnums...Weatherby makes Rifles in their Mark V but typically those are in Wetherby Calibers, or little hot-rod cartridges.
While 45/70 is a "Big Bore" I'm not counting it in the mix, same with other Lever Action cartridges.

Does .50BMG count ?

Not exactly a game cartridge, but definitely big bore.

 

[That_FNG]

Cant speak for much other than the 458 Winchester magnum. Had a chance to shoot a friends safari rifle and M1 garand in that caliber. Was not pleasant to say the least and they recoiled hard enough to make 3” magnum 12 gauge slugs feel like a 22LR. Unless you are a hand loader and plan on shooting large dangerous game, it’s not something I would recommend.

 

[FP1201]

Does .50BMG count ?

Not exactly a game cartridge, but definitely big bore.

I dare say there are more 1/2" rounds being tossed around these days than the 3/8" ones....I've got everything to whet Ma Duce's appetite except the launcher to send them out of.

 

[FP1201]

Cant speak for much other than the 458 Winchester magnum. Had a chance to shoot a friends safari rifle and M1 garand in that caliber. Was not pleasant to say the least and they recoiled hard enough to make 3” magnum 12 gauge slugs feel like a 22LR. Unless you are a hand loader and plan on shooting large dangerous game, it’s not something I would recommend.

I remember reading about someone that was chambering Garands in big calibers such as .300 Win Mag and the ,458 but never saw one...I built one in .35 Whelen once, worked well enough but it required a "Holbrook Device" (op rod catch modified to not release the en-bloc) and you could only load five rounds in the enbloc because they were too fat to clear the cartridge guides built into the receiver....Neat conversions are 6.5x55 and .270 Win.

 

[penrod72]

375 Ruger?

 

[FRANKIE]

I do. Run a custom shop Remington 700 in .375 h&h. Has a factory ported barrel. I love it kicking the shit out of me. Even when shooting the Prvi Partizan stuff still cost me more than .50 bmg.
But worth every dime.

 

[That_FNG]

I remember reading about someone that was chambering Garands in big calibers such as .300 Win Mag and the ,458 but never saw one...I built one in .35 Whelen once, worked well enough but it required a "Holbrook Device" (op rod catch modified to not release the en-bloc) and you could only load five rounds in the enbloc because they were too fat to clear the cartridge guides built into the receiver....Neat conversions are 6.5x55 and .270 Win.

They were made back in the early 2000’s by a company called McCann or Mcmann enterprises. Enbloc clip held 5 rounds instead of 8 if I remember right. Production stopped when the owner or head gunsmith died. It never ran quite right so my buddy sold his about 15years ago.

 

[spat]

I remember reading about someone that was chambering Garands in big calibers such as .300 Win Mag and the ,458 but never saw one...I built one in .35 Whelen once, worked well enough but it required a "Holbrook Device" (op rod catch modified to not release the en-bloc) and you could only load five rounds in the enbloc because they were too fat to clear the cartridge guides built into the receiver....Neat conversions are 6.5x55 and .270 Win.

 

[FRANKIE]

View attachment 243769

Holy shit.
seeing is believing
can I get mine converted ?
The only thing I’d miss is the ping!

 

[FP1201]

View attachment 243769

"It's highly recommended the Shooter wear a mouth guard while firing." and of course, because fuck you!
Yea, I'd like to have one.

 

[FP1201]

375 Ruger?

I have a set of Dies for that caliber...there was one in the Shop that I had been eyeballing, but someone else jumped first...

 

[FP1201]

I do. Run a custom shop Remington 700 in .375 h&h. Has a factory ported barrel. I love it kicking the shit out of me. Even when shooting the Prvi Partizan stuff still cost me more than .50 bmg.
But worth every dime.

I bought one of the last Weatherby Vanguards they made in H&H, and it's funny at Range Day with friends shooting .223 to hand them a cartridge big enough to encapsulate the whole round...of course I let them shoot it.
Seems there are always NOS boxes of Bullets around that went unsold for decades (sort of the question of this post)...I bought several boxes of Barns X Bullets from a closed Shop for a fraction of what they cost, let alone retail for, and so far they've been very accurate.

 

[Jmac00]

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering if and how many people still shoot these African Big Game calibers?
I've stumbled on and bought a lot of Brass and Bullets that from the packaging were made in the 50's through the 70's...
Other than Special Orders, I know of no one producing Rifles in .375, .458WM, or other Belted Magnums...Weatherby makes Rifles in their Mark V but typically those are in Wetherby Calibers, or little hot-rod cartridges.
While 45/70 is a "Big Bore" I'm not counting it in the mix, same with other Lever Action cartridges.

oh well, I'm out....LOL I LOVE my 45-70

 

[FP1201]

I bought one of the last Weatherby Vanguards they made in H&H, and it's funny at Range Day with friends shooting .223 to hand them a cartridge big enough to encapsulate the whole round...of course I let them shoot it.
Seems there are always NOS boxes of Bullets around that went unsold for decades (sort of the question of this post)...I bought several boxes of Barns X Bullets from a closed Shop for a fraction of what they cost, let alone retail for, and so far they've been very accurate.

oh well, I'm out....LOL I LOVE my 45-70

...yea, I like it as well, and three in the Safe proves it!
I don't think the 45/70 is going to die any time soon, but I fear an end to the big belted magnums.
on a slight tangent: I never understood why 7mm Remington Magnum is always a lot less expensive and easier to obtain than .300 Winchester Magnum when they are such closely related cartridges.

 

[FRANKIE]

I bought one of the last Weatherby Vanguards they made in H&H, and it's funny at Range Day with friends shooting .223 to hand them a cartridge big enough to encapsulate the whole round...of course I let them shoot it.
Seems there are always NOS boxes of Bullets around that went unsold for decades (sort of the question of this post)...I bought several boxes of Barns X Bullets from a closed Shop for a fraction of what they cost, let alone retail for, and so far they've been very accurate.

You reload yourself?
Just wondering if you ever used spitzer bullets on the .375

 

[FP1201]

You reload yourself?
Just wondering if you ever used spitzer bullets on the .375

I reload eveything I shoot except rimfire...I have loaded and shot "pointed" bullets, but to get a true Spitzer design from that diameter it would have to be very long and heavy...there are three popular weights: 225, 270, and 300 grains, and I think the 270's are about optimal, Barn's Bullets recommends going lighter than what you normally use as they don't loose weight, wich is fine, but I want 300gr Solids to smack a Water Buffalo.
Comparing trajectories it appears the .375 runs just about the same course as 30'06.

 

[FRANKIE]

I reload eveything I shoot except rimfire...I have loaded and shot "pointed" bullets, but to get a true Spitzer design from that diameter it would have to be very long and heavy...there are three popular weights: 225, 270, and 300 grains, and I think the 270's are about optimal, Barn's Bullets recommends going lighter than what you normally use as they don't loose weight, wich is fine, but I want 300gr Solids to smack a Water Buffalo.
Comparing trajectories it appears the .375 runs just about the same course as 30'06.

How many grains of powder do you load those bad boys?

 

[Zerex]

I Own a Rem 798, in 375 H&H, have owned others....offhand, the recoil is not much more than a 30-06..... according to my friends. 270 gr loads..........2500 fps or so

I also own a Whitworth Mauser in 416 Rem Magnum, and a Rem 700 custom shop 458 Win mag re chambered to 458 Lott.
416 is like a stout 375 in recoil..350 gr bullets.........416 is like a light 12 g with high brass slugs.

458 depends upon loads.......... a 6 lb 45-70 guide gun recoils very hard...the 11 lb 458 is much softer...I shoot 2000fps, not 2700 fps............buffalo were killed by 500 gr 45-70 loads, at 900-1300 fps.

35 whelen is a great round... I have a Ruger 77 in that caliber...

A 458 Garand...................wow!! I can see extractor and ejector problems had to be solved, as well as gas.

I own a 45-60 1876 Uberti replica, and a sharps 45-70...........more than enough gun.

Bell took many elephantes in Africa with a 7mm Mauser/275 Rigby,as did Tiger killer, Jim Corbett.

 

[dsdmmat]

Technically a big bore anything has to start with .4 or greater. I have had a 300 Remington Ultra Magnum. My Brother in law gave it to me with the Ammo he bought. After taking a look at the cartridge and feeling the light weight of the rifle he decided I needed it more than him. I shot three rounds through it before I decided I really didn’t need a 6 pound rifle that generated 54 pounds of recoil. I like my retinas attached.

 

[FP1201]

I Own a Rem 798, in 375 H&H, have owned others....offhand, the recoil is not much more than a 30-06..... according to my friends. 270 gr loads..........2500 fps or so

I also own a Whitworth Mauser in 416 Rem Magnum, and a Rem 700 custom shop 458 Win mag re chambered to 458 Lott.
416 is like a stout 375 in recoil..350 gr bullets.........416 is like a light 12 g with high brass slugs.

458 depends upon loads.......... a 6 lb 45-70 guide gun recoils very hard...the 11 lb 458 is much softer...I shoot 2000fps, not 2700 fps............buffalo were killed by 500 gr 45-70 loads, at 900-1300 fps.

35 whelen is a great round... I have a Ruger 77 in that caliber...

A 458 Garand...................wow!! I can see extractor and ejector problems had to be solved, as well as gas.

I own a 45-60 1876 Uberti replica, and a sharps 45-70...........more than enough gun.

Bell took many elephantes in Africa with a 7mm Mauser/275 Rigby,as did Tiger killer, Jim Corbett.

For 45/70's I have a CT made 1895CB with the octagon barrel and it holds 9 rounds of whoop-ass, and yes, recoil is pronounce.
A Ruger No. 1 that's really not any easier on the shoulder than the Marlin, and an Italian Sharps repro with a 34" pipe...can't even see as far as it'll shoot.

 

[FP1201]

Technically a big bore anything has to start with .4 or greater. I have had a 300 Remington Ultra Magnum. My Brother in law gave it to me with the Ammo he bought. After taking a look at the cartridge and feeling the light weight of the rifle he decided I needed it more than him. I shot three rounds through it before I decided I really didn’t need a 6 pound rifle that generated 54 pounds of recoil. I like my retinas attached.

I have a Sendero in .300 RUM and it's not that bad to shoot, but ain't no fun to carry all day...
Twice I have bought Remington 700BDL's in .338 RUM (which is ballistically a wisp faster than Lapua according to published data) and both Rifles came with 17 rounds of ammo and three fired cases...I shot three or so and figured out why...Beautiful rifles, high-gloss furniture, tasteful engraving, but ho-lee-fuk did they kick, and I am NOT recoil shy (at least not at first, or way back then)

 

[FP1201]

I Own a Rem 798, in 375 H&H, have owned others....offhand, the recoil is not much more than a 30-06..... according to my friends. 270 gr loads..........2500 fps or so

I also own a Whitworth Mauser in 416 Rem Magnum, and a Rem 700 custom shop 458 Win mag re chambered to 458 Lott.
416 is like a stout 375 in recoil..350 gr bullets.........416 is like a light 12 g with high brass slugs.

458 depends upon loads.......... a 6 lb 45-70 guide gun recoils very hard...the 11 lb 458 is much softer...I shoot 2000fps, not 2700 fps............buffalo were killed by 500 gr 45-70 loads, at 900-1300 fps.

35 whelen is a great round... I have a Ruger 77 in that caliber...

A 458 Garand...................wow!! I can see extractor and ejector problems had to be solved, as well as gas.

I own a 45-60 1876 Uberti replica, and a sharps 45-70...........more than enough gun.

Bell took many elephants in Africa with a 7mm Mauser/275 Rigby,as did Tiger killer, Jim Corbett.

I thought "Kilimanjaro Bell" was credited with using a 6.5 Manichean-Schonaur for Elephants? Word has it a lot of pachyderms were dropped with Cordite propelled .303 Brit. rounds...the Safari and Big Game Hunting Books of the 40's ~ 60's were fascinating.

 

[dsdmmat]

I have a Sendero in .300 RUM and it's not that bad to shoot, but ain't no fun to carry all day...
Twice I have bought Remington 700BDL's in .338 RUM (which is ballistically a wisp faster than Lapua according to published data) and both Rifles came with 17 rounds of ammo and three fired cases...I shot three or so and figured out why...Beautiful rifles, high-gloss furniture, tasteful engraving, but ho-lee-fuk did they kick, and I am NOT recoil shy (at least not at first, or way back then)

Yeah if my rifles are going to generate a lot of recoil I prefer them to weigh a lot. Light rifles with big booming cartridges are not a whole lot of fun. I have a 35 Remington in a Marlin 336 cs as a kid I made the mistake of sighting it in with a Tshirt on.
I do have a 270 WSM that I have not shot yet. Got it when my brother in law died. Other than those the 30-06 is the biggest cartridge I shoot. My REM 700 bench gun weighs 17 pounds and my M1 Garands are 11 pounds.

I do have a Dan Wesson 445 super mag which is plenty of revolver if I feel like I need more testosterone for range day.

 

[FP1201]

I do like the Super Mag...at one time I was running 320 cast/checked bullets over 32gr, of AA1680 and it was plenty.
Due to health concerns, this year I'm planning on using a KImber M84 in .308 which is a really light rifle, had to polish the bore and flex-hone the Chamber, then develop a load: 130gr, X-Bullets over 44.0gr. of Vita-Vouri N135 falls at an inch at 100yds...not exactly stellar accuracy, but it's sufficient for a very light rifle with a thin barrel, besides if I can't make a single clean shot at a thin-skinned Deer then I shouldn't shoot at all.

 

[FRANKIE]

Technically a big bore anything has to start with .4 or greater. I have had a 300 Remington Ultra Magnum. My Brother in law gave it to me with the Ammo he bought. After taking a look at the cartridge and feeling the light weight of the rifle he decided I needed it more than him. I shot three rounds through it before I decided I really didn’t need a 6 pound rifle that generated 54 pounds of recoil. I like my retinas attached.

Funny you mentioned the technically of the term big bore. Wanted to issue a disclaimer on my behalf for my post #10 about my .375 h&h. But after reading up on it I found the views on this vary. Some say it starts at .40 some say .45. None for .375
However I went back on issuing my “disclaimer”
When I settled on the term “medium big bore” to describe the most versatile safari cartridge the .375 h&h magnum. Not that any of this matters, but it does fall into the “clip” vs “magazine” category (in my opinion) and that can really get on one’s nerves.

 

[FP1201]

By Classic definitions, the .375 H&H was considered the minimum for African "Big Five" but now they utilize power factor formulas...I have a .376 Steyr whose case is not physically as large, but operates under higher pressures, giving it close to the same velocity. (think .308 v. 30'06)
I think the key lies in how big a hole and how deep it goes...I wonder how a high quality bullet from either a .338 Lapua/RUM would perform versus the same weight in a .375?