.375H&H Barrel length… what say you?

[deewayne2003]

I’ve got a BRNO .375 with the factory 25” barrel, plan is to have it cerakoted, synthetic stock & 3 position safety as an all weather rifle.

Question being, for you guys that have had several different barrel lengths of .375’s; what’s your preference on barrel length?

 

[USMA84DAB]

One vote for 20".

 

[KJE81]

I ordered my new custom rifle with 26 inches barrel.

 

[Tiger2001]

23" always seemed ideal to me. Doesn't detract from the 375 ballistics and yet doesn't feel like you're out in the field holding a telephone pole either.

 

[Muskox]

One vote for 20".

I just bought a 2nd hand 375 H&H Blaser barrel. I am thinking about cutting it to 20 for a can.

 

[Pondoro]

Stay with the 25" barrel..I have a Brno 602 with the original barrel...never felt it being to long..even in dense bush..

 

[30.06king]

24 inches.
I think my Blaser R93 barrel is 25 + inches but gives no more MV than my M70 with a 24 inch barrel. That's with Barnes TSX 300 gns.

 

[Scott CWO]

I’ve got a BRNO .375 with the factory 25” barrel, plan is to have it cerakoted, synthetic stock & 3 position safety as an all weather rifle.

Question being, for you guys that have had several different barrel lengths of .375’s; what’s your preference on barrel length?

I have 22” and 24.” I wouldn’t go any shorter than 22” and would probably just leave it alone.

 

[HankBuck]

I’ve got a BRNO .375 with the factory 25” barrel, plan is to have it cerakoted, synthetic stock & 3 position safety as an all weather rifle.

Question being, for you guys that have had several different barrel lengths of .375’s; what’s your preference on barrel length?

@deewayne2003 - my custom H&H is 24” but any 22” to 24” would be fine for me….I don’t see a problem with your 25” and don’t know of a reason to change it.
I also see No reason to ever put a suppressor on it - the “look” of any can on a classic African hunting rifle makes me cringe .

 

[Andrew62]

I’ve got a BRNO .375 with the factory 25” barrel, plan is to have it cerakoted, synthetic stock & 3 position safety as an all weather rifle.

Question being, for you guys that have had several different barrel lengths of .375’s; what’s your preference on barrel length?

I had both of my .375H&H’s barrels cut to 20”. I use mine for buffalo and elephant, I prefer the shorter barrel as I am not shooting 300 yards at a springbok. I don’t know there is a right or wrong answer. For me my shots won’t be over 100 yards so the shorter barrel makes sense, for me!

 

[ActionBob]

I have a Ruger Guide Gun in 375 Ruger and the extra muzzle blast is noticeable vs. the various other 375's we have. I agree with the responses of no less than 22" to leave it alone. Especially if it has a front sight, you will devalue the rifle if you cut it. Having said that if you do cut it, may as well have the crown recessed.

Seems a sun to even put that action in a synthetic stock much less cutting the barrel

 

[Muskox]

Yep, cutting mine to 20. Damned the torpedos full speed ahead.

 

[Luvthunt]

22” for me Just feels right

 

[Hunter-Habib]

The BRNO ZKK602 (chambered in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum) is my favorite big game rifle of all time. Heartiest congratulations. During the 1970s & 1980s, almost every white hunter in Africa (especially Rhodesia/Zimbabwe) had a pair of BRNO ZKK602s at the Safari camp (one in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and one in .458 Winchester Magnum). We used to call them the "Work horse of Africa".

If I may offer one small suggestion- When I first used a BRNO ZKK602 in on my Kenyan Safari in 1974, I initially felt (just like many of you younger sportsmen) that the barrel was too long. In practice however, I have never found this to be a handicap. Even when hunting a Cape buffalo on foot through the dense thicket of Rift Valley, all while carrying the rifle myself for hours (I never trust gunbearers to remain loyal & stand their ground when things might get ugly in the bush).

My recommendation to you would be to first try the rifle out with the original factory length 25” barrel, for a while. If it still feels unwieldly in your hands, then you shorten it. These rifles are no longer made and those original Czech Poldi steel barrels were extremely accurate.

 

[TTundra]

22" would be my choice. I cut a Encore 375 barrel to 20" once and it was a fun little project. Anything over the 22-23" length just feels like a musket now.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Depends on where you are hunting. The Big Bears shots can be longer. If in thick brush 22-23”

My .416 Taylor with a 21” barrel was a joy to carry in the Zambezi Valley.

 

[deewayne2003]

Gentleman,

All very valid points, as to why I would put a BRNO in a synthetic stock, this particular rifle has one of those ugly “hog back” stocks made out of wood that is just slightly better quality than forklift pallet.

I don’t know where the silencer comment comes from, but I agree this rifle will never have a can on it.

As for ruining the value by shortening the barrel, the value was already degraded when someone decided that the factory scope mounting option wasn’t good enough and had it drilled and tapped.

But the rifle is sound and accurate, so I’m thinking I’ll have the barrel cut to 22-23” with NECG front sight and recessed crown, fill the bolt knob, AHR 3 position safety, AHR trigger, black cerakote, synthetic stock & Alaska Arms QD rings.

My thinking is I would have rock solid .375 that could handle Africa and also be an all weather rifle should I ever book that Alaska brown bear hunt I’ve always wanted.

Leaving my “Africa battery” at…

.375 as described above
.404J - BRNO 602: Dennis Olson has in progress
.470 DR Sabatti that Ken Owen worked over

 

[Wiley64]

Cut it

 

[Bush Buck]

I like 22"-23" and 24" doesn't bother me enough to cut. I find 25" barrels annoying - I realize this is personal.
I'd get the new stock first if possible. You might be influenced by the rifle balance or length of the forend relative to the barrel.

 

[pilar]

I’m ignorant on barrel length, only ones I have shot are 23 + inches
I hear that the 20 inch guns are much louder, and it might take some time to get acquainted with the short sight plane with open sights ?