.375 H&H vs .338 WM

[MtnMike2]

At the range the other day, I ran into a guy who organizes and leads safaris in Africa. He and his son were zeroing in a nice Kimber rifle in .300 WM and they let me shoot it. They planned to use it for plains game. We talked a little about rifles used in Africa; for instance, he said that the .308 is more popular than the .30-06 and easier to get ammo for. He told me something I had also heard from a guy at work and dismissed it: that the .375 H&H, even though it has stouter recoil, has less felt recoil than the .338 Mag due to straighter comb and the shoulder of the case (and maybe heavier rifle?). :confused:

Does anyone know if there is any truth in this? He told me that if I was considering a rifle for Africa, that I would love the .375 H&H.

Mike

[skeet]

To be really honest I have both calibers and can tell you that is a bunch of Bullsh**. The 375 H&H definitely has more recoil and the light bullet for it is 235 gr while the light for the 338 is 200. Heavy in both is 300 I think and that 375 just pounds ya. Just thinking about that last night. I found over a 100 once fired 375 H&H cases I'm gonna sell as well as a bunch of 35 Whelen cases too. The 338 is more pleasant for me to shoot. The nicest of 'em all is the 35 Whelen. BTW both of my rifles are pre 64 Winchesters and the 375 is the heavy bbl'd one. The Whelen I have is a Dale Goens made 1909 Argentine Mauser action. Shoots sweet but is a little heavy for carrying. The most unpleasant gun I have is an old German Weatherby in 300 Weatherby Mag. Not that it recoils so much but the muzzle blast and recoil together are just nasty. The Mk V I just bought in 257 Weatherby is a really neat caliber. Sucker shoots too. Mule deers and Antelopes better watch out fer that un.

Now I gotta say one other thing though..if ya is shootin a cape buffalo er somethin with a nasty disposition...bet ya won't even feel that ol 375 go off.:D:D

[Larryjk]

MtnMike2, I have a .375 H&H that weighs 10 1/4 lbs. that is a pussycat to shoot; a lot of fun. It is definitly a safari vehicle rifle due to the weight (w/ Leupold 1 3/4 to 5 scope and sling). I have a .35 Whelen in a Springfield custom (don't know the weight) that is also a lot of fun to shoot. Last spring made a 9.3 X 65mm on a Modified Ruger 77 that weighs 9 1/4 lbs. and has "noticable" recoil. The weight was a goal to make it easier to carry, and it is a fine rifle. Have a .338 Win Mag that has been my go to elk rifle for over 20 years. Hits you fairly hard off the bench, but have not felt it when shooting elk.
Have a factory Rem 700 in 8mm Rem Mag that packs easy, but lets you know when you shoot off the bench. For definite recoil enjoyment, we shoot a .338 RUM. That sucker has recoil. To shorten a long story; the weight has a great deal to do with the recoil. Remember, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

[PJgunner]

For a one gun safari, I believe I would go with the .375 H&H. For a two gun safari the big one would be the .416 Rigby aand the "light" rifle the .300 Win. mag. with 200 gr. Nosler Partitions loaded to 2900 FPS. (That's aleady my go to elk load.) The .375 would be loaded with a 300 gr. soft up the spout with the rest of the magazine filled with solids if the game as something big and nasty. The .416 would have a soft for the first shot with solids ready to go in a butt cuff. Both my .375 and .416 are single shots at this point in time and I feel they are perfectly adequate, even for the big and nasty.
Paul B.

[Larryjk]

PJgunner, Can't disagree with your choices. Another candidate for the 40 and over bore is the 404 Jeffrey. It is not as popular as the 416 Rigby because of the stories written by Robert Ruark. Actually, I read that in Africa the 404 was more prevalent because the game departments bought them for their anti-poaching corps. They run about the same for velocity and bullet weight. Solids in both are now reliable.

[MtnMike2]

Pretty cool Skeet and Larryjk shoot 35 Whelens. I shoot a 350 RM which has the same ballistics. I've only had it for about 2 years but it's now my main elk rifle. I don't feel much more recoil than a 30-06. I had debated on the .338 mag and the .300 WM for elk. IMO the .300s are great for long distance elk rifles and the .338 WM is definitely a great elk rifle with a little bit better ballistics than the .350 RM. But after reading about the mild recoil, etc. I settled on the 350. I'm very happy with it. I feel I can take anything in NA with it with the possible exception of the really big bears (brown/polar). I was discussing the .350 with the Africa guy when he brought up the .375 H&H. If I ever get over there, I would likely be hunting only plains game and would love to take the .350, but I'd have to be able to ship ammo or carry it with me.

And if I ever get a bigger rifle for Africa or the really big bears, it would likely be the .375. And I would want a heavy one as you all suggested. :)

Mike

[Larryjk]

MtnMike2, I don't shoot the 35 Whelen very much. I would love to: just not enough animals to shoot legally. I had a customized 30-06 Springfield from years back. In 2000 I said I would use it to make a 35 Whelen if I drew a tag. I got the tag and called Brownells to order a barrel the same day. I barreled it up and decided I needed to refinish the stock and reblued the rest since it had a new barrel and refinished stock. Took the nice moose (aboout 41 1/2" spread) with three shots to keep him out of the beaver ponds. Have only used it since then to shoot a few vicious prairie dogs. A fun rifle.