COTW - .375 H&H Magnum

[AJ]

The big .375 Holland & Holland Magnum is the second original belted magnum cartridge. It is based on a case that is 2.85” long and has an overall cartridge length of 3.6". All of the belted magnums today have spawned from this cartridges case. The .375 H&H was introduced in 1912 by the gun company Holland and Holland of London. Holland and Holland called the cartridge the .375 Belted Rimless Nitro-Express. Its more popular name is the .375 H&H Magnum.

Western Cartridge Company first loaded it in the United States, back in 1926. Because of the extra length of the cartridge, the standard length action will not work with this cartridge. Until Winchester introduced the Model 70 in 1936, Griffin & Howe made the only custom rifles capable of the extra long cartridge. These rifles were based on a magnum 98 Mauser action.

Today, all of the major American gun manufacturers (Winchester, Remington, Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, Dakota, etc.) produce rifles chambered for the .375 H&H Magnum. This further makes the .375 one of the world's ultimate calibers.

In competent hands, and with the right bullet, it is capable of taking any game animal on earth, including thick-skinned dangerous game like elephants, cape buffalo, and rhino. In some countries, the .375 H&H is the smallest cartridge that is legal for use hunting dangerous game.

Factory loaded ammunition is available worldwide, wherever big and dangerous game hunting is popular. In North America even though Remington, Winchester, and Federal, all load this cartridge, it is only moderately available. While ammunition may not be stocked in the sporting goods department of a rural hardware store, or an urban department store, it should be available from any big or moderate sized gun shop. Many ammunition manufacturers load the "premium" bullets so that factory ammunition shooters can use the same bullets that are popular with handloaders.

The .375 H&H is not only popular for huge and dangerous critters, it trajectory is flat enough to make it useful for large plains game. Factory loads launch the popular 270-grain spitzer bullet, at 2,690 fps with 4,337 ft. lbs of muzzle energy. When this load is sighted in to hit 2” high at 100 yards, it will be dead on at 200 yards, 3 ½” low at 250 yards and be 8 ¾” low at 300 yards. This load has a similar trajectory as the 180-grain bullet fired from a .30-06. Remaining energy at 200 yards is 3158 ft. lbs, and it still has over 2600 ft-lbs of energy at 300 yards.

Nosler has introduced a new 260-grain Accu Bond bullet in .375” that has a ballistic coefficient of .473. This bullet can be driven just over 2700 fps. This load offers flat trajectory and lots of energy. With the point of impact being 2” high at 100 yards, the bullet will be ½” high at 200 yards, 2.5” low at 250 yards, and 7.1” low at 300 yards. This load will still have 1 ½ tons of energy at 300 yards. The 300-grain bullet can be pushed 2600 fps with over 4500 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. This bullet is what made the .375 H&H very popular with thick skinned, dangerous game.

While some feel it is well beyond overkill for most use in North America, the .375 H&H is probably the most versatile cartridges in the world. This cartridge can reliably harvest any game that walks this earth.

[iron buck]

I have a Browning Stainless Stalker in 375HH. This rifle will follow me up to Alaska for a bear hunt some day, and to Africa for a Cape buffalo hunt. I have used it in the past to take deer here in PA. While it may be bigger than necessary, it does the job while damaging very little meat. Contrary to what many people think, using such a large round on small animals does not "blow them apart". Someday I would like to get a M70 Express rifle in this caliber. The 375 is very mild in the recoil department (When compared to other dangerous game rounds) and is used as a back up rifle by many professional hunters. It is a very versatile round. If I could have (2) rifles for the rest of my life this would be one of them. The other would be a 30-06. Combined I could confortably hunt any game animal I desired.

[size="1"][ 06-21-2003, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: iron buck ][/size]

[archerjg]

That is an impressive cartridge.

Archerjg

[RangerClay]

I am getting a .375 barrel for my Encore. This was neat to learn.

Ranger

[Colorado Bob]

The 375 H & H-------screams Africa ! I've got one----with a Leupold 1x4 Varx II & quick relaese mounts---------Just waiting to go after "Black Death".