My new .375 H&H setup

[shuter]

Hello Shuter,

You have selected a perfect rifle/caliber/scope for Africa (the same for parts of Canada and Alaska as well - due to the occasional grumpy bear.)

I know I am the odd man out (very odd some will say).
But, my favorite load in the .375 H&H (also my favorite hunting cartridge) is the 300 grain round nose at 2400 Feet Per Second.

Hornady and Woodleigh are excellent bullets for this load.
Likewise, I have shot a few critters with the 300 grain Nosler Partition (it's a semi-spitzer) at 2400 fps and would happily do so again.

The accuracy has been excellent and recoil is reduced enough below factory ballistics (about 150 fps difference) to be noticeable.
The many and varying sized animals I have shot with this combination have tipped over very soon after being struck by it.
In some cases, they have dropped to the shot, and of course stayed there.

I will however say that the above projectiles are not my recommendation for cape buffalo.
Rather I would recommend the 300 grain Swift A-Frame for buffaloes.
And, although I have only one buffalo scalp to my credit, I will guess that 2400 fps is plenty for them with this incredibly reliable bullet.

Always consult your PH on all equipment, especially the above ones mentioned.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

Thanks for the advice, Velo Dog! Interesting perspective for sure. Looking forward to shooting it and to seeing how the recoil is with the 270 grain Hornady Superformance loads I have.

 

[Royal27]

Thanks for the advice, Velo Dog! Interesting perspective for sure. Looking forward to shooting it and to seeing how the recoil is with the 270 grain Hornady Superformance loads I have.

Velo Dog is ALWAYS interesting!!!

Not to mention an incredible wealth of knowledge. He has forgotten more than I will ever know.

 

[Velo Dog]

Velo Dog is ALWAYS interesting!!!

Not to mention an incredible wealth of knowledge. He has forgotten more than I will ever know.

Thanks for that Royal27,

But some folks will say "an incredible wealth of BS", especially those who believe that "If it's old, it cannot possibly be as good as the latest whiz-bang new products", right along with their kindred spirit types who believe it's always best to strive for the ultra highest velocity possible for everything, no matter what.

Oh well, as Mark Twain once said, "Differences of opinion are what make horse races".
Needless to say, many here including myself enjoy your wit and wisdom very much, as indicated by all the "likes" we pepper you with.

If you ever find yourself in Anchorage, please look me up,
Velo Dog.

 

[bassasdaindia]

welcome , great rifles the M70's

 

[shuter]

Disclaimer: Work up to these loads from 4 grains below what I listed to ensure they're safe in your rifle.

All loads use Remington brass with Federal 215M primers. COAL set to SAAMI length except for the A-Frame load. A-Frames were set to crimp in the cannelure which makes them shorter than SAAMI. All loads are crimped.

250gr North Fork Bonded Core: 72.8gr of H4895, good for approximately 2830fps
300gr North Fork Bonded Core: 76gr of IMR4350, good for approximately 2550fps

300gr Swift A-Frame: 78gr of IMR43250, good for approximately 2550 fps again

250gr Barnes TTSX: got great accuracy and about 2900fps with H4895
300gr Barnes TSX: got great accuracy using IMR4350

If you notice H4895 for the lighter bullets and IMR4350 for the heavies. Varget also works well in my rifle for the 250's, just not quite as well as the H4895. For the Barnes bullets, I don't have the weight of powder in my notes. The Barnes bullets are very accurate too, but they have a habit of dropping copper quickly in my barrel. Once it gets about 10 rounds give or take through the barrel, accuracy drops off quickly.

Again work up to these loads, paying close attention for pressure signs.

Phil, isn't RL15 generally thought to be one of the better powders for the .375? Have you done any work with it?

Thanks

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

RL15 is in fact one of the powders that work well with the .375. It is very similar to Varget in burn rate. However I live in Phoenix, where I'll shoot in anywhere from the 40's in winter to 100 degrees in early summer. RL15 has proven to be temperature sensitive and thus a bit of a challenge to nail down a load that holds accuracy over temp. I wish it wasn't the case. I developed a couple of great loads with it and bought a bunch of it. Then the temp changed and so did the required load to hold the groups.

I've found IMR4350 to be bit sensitive too, but primarily only as it gets hot out. So I'll use it up to about 90 degrees and then it starts to open up just a bit. Not badly, but somewhat

The Hodgdon powders however from my experience show the least sensitivity to temperature and so it's what I prefer to work with.

 

[shuter]

RL15 is in fact one of the powders that work well with the .375. It is very similar to Varget in burn rate. However I live in Phoenix, where I'll shoot in anywhere from the 40's in winter to 100 degrees in early summer. RL15 has proven to be temperature sensitive and thus a bit of a challenge to nail down a load that holds accuracy over temp. I wish it wasn't the case. I developed a couple of great loads with it and bought a bunch of it. Then the temp changed and so did the required load to hold the groups.

I've found IMR4350 to be bit sensitive too, but primarily only as it gets hot out. So I'll use it up to about 90 degrees and then it starts to open up just a bit. Not badly, but somewhat

The Hodgdon powders however from my experience show the least sensitivity to temperature and so it's what I prefer to work with.

Good stuff, Phil. Thanks!