Optimum weight for a .375 H&H

[mdwest]

Title says it all.. what is the optimum weight for a .375 H&H?

I don't plan on toting mine up the side of a mountain.. and am not worried about it being "too heavy" to carry.. so much as I am about trying to push back the recoil a bit and get it manageable to the point that my wife might be comfortable shooting it.. without packing so much weight onto it that it becomes unwieldy or difficult for her to shoot..

Currently mine is sitting just under 8 lbs without an optic.. (Winchester 70 stainless/synthetic Alaskan).. and can be a little tough on the shoulder (tough enough that she isn't even willing to give it a try)..

 

[Royal27]

Might try a recoil reduced or lead in the stock. A pound should do it. I think the cz 550 weighs 9.5 before scope and it is a total pussycat.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Perhaps @Christina Nyczepir can share her experience on this subject?

 

[Mekaniks]

Since you not worried about pack weight, I would have a gunsmith install a pound or two of mercury recoil reducer in the stock. I have shot one of the model 70 like you have, and I thought the recoil was significant as well considering it's a 375.

 

[bassasdaindia]

I am of the opinion that the Winchester M70 (wood) in 375 h&h is the least recoiling of my 375's , I find them extremely heavy and better weighted in the 416 Rem offering .

 

[wesheltonj]

9 to 10 pounds, total package.

 

[Red Leg]

Agree with Wesheltonj. Rifle/ammo/scope - 9 - 9.5 The .375 is typically carried a lot, and fired a lot less frequently. My mauser is 9 fully loaded and my R8 9.5. Both are easy to carry and no issue at all off the sticks.

 

[IronCowboy]

9.5lbs before optics. You won't notice carrying half a pound extra in a safari rifle in the same way you might in a solo mountain rifle, but you WILL notice it at the practice range. I work up from there in weight as power/recoil goes up for larger and more powerful cartridges.

 

[Odinsraven]

10 pounds in the field both mine weight that and indeed my 8mm remington reminds me of proper recoil management ......as it kicks hard ...

However some lead or a mercury recoil reducer should work however remember the balance of the rifle which is equally important ....does it actually fit you perhaps a stock adjusment is all you need

 

[matt85]

9 - 10 pounds is ideal for a total weight.

-matt

 

[mdwest]

Thanks for the info/recommendations.

Ill be mounting an optic on it soon. With rings and bases that should add a little less than an additional pound to it and get it somewhere around 8 1/2 lbs +/-... Ive already got a 1 lb mercury recoil reducer sitting in the safe not being used (pulled it out of a shorty .45-70 not too long ago).. I think Ill have it installed.. that should get me in the general vicinity of 9 1/2... Ill give it another whirl.. and see where to go from there..

thanks again..

 

[AB2506]

Currently mine is sitting just under 8 lbs without an optic.. (Winchester 70 stainless/synthetic Alaskan).. and can be a little tough on the shoulder (tough enough that she isn't even willing to give it a try)..

Is a stainless synthetic Alaskan a current model?

 

[mdwest]

I don't think so...

I bought this one used off of a buddy... I'm not sure how long he had it before he sold it to me.. I never asked..

when he put it up for sale for $650 and told me he had put less than a box through it since he bought it, and never bothered to even mount an optic.. that it had just been sitting in his safe unused, collecting dust, and he thought it was time to let it go, etc..etc.....

I literally told him "Ill buy it!" sight unseen... and never asked about its history..

 

[Christina Nyczepir]

Perhaps @Christina Nyczepir can share her experience on this subject?

Total weight of my CZ .375 H&H is around 10 1/2 lbs. That includes all the accessories of recoil reducer, scope and sling. I carried her the entire hunt and search of the first buff hunt I went on in 2014. My Tracker carried it for me the majority of the time we were out in the bush on my buff hunt in May. Though I am small, I love the rifle. I really don't have anything negative to say. Yes, she's heavy, and I can only hold the rifle off hand but for so long. And I definitely feel recoil when I practice at the range with her. However, I never felt recoil when I shot my buff. I shoot initially off sticks, then take my back-up shots offhand, and do just fine.

With all that said, I work out a great deal, six days a week. And have a Personal Trainer. I also love to run, though I've had to cut it back to max five milers. The day I can't work out.....you might as well put me in the grave. As I always say, you gotta love pain.

 

[mdwest]

thanks @Christina Nyczepir ! great information.

 

[dchamp]

My Model 70 Safari in .375H&H weighs accommodate. even topped with a 3-9x40 Vari X-R. I like it well enough but I'm not your wife. If the rifle doesn't fit her reasonably well and she has to twist and stretch herself to shoot then she's not going to like the recoil of a 375 regardless the weight. But if it does then try staring her off with either reduced loads or loads with lighter bullets.

Another option is to restock your rifle. I did this with my 8MM Rem Mag years ago and it was the best thing I did. I purchased a Hogue stock with a full length machine bedding block. It really tamed the recoil on that rifle. I have used it here elk hunting in the Rockies and PG in Africa. Your grip won't slip and it is very comfortable to shoot. If you decide to try this then I would call Hogue and see if they could accommodate you with LOP to fit your need. Also make sure you get it for the magnum barrel.

Maybe a better option for her would be to let her get her own rifle fitted for her in maybe something like a 9.3x62.

 

[PaulT]

I have fired 10.5lb .375's that "kicked" (felt recoil) more than some 8.5lb rifles chambered in the same cartridge.

Some fiberglass stocked lightweight synthetic models were far more comfortable than comparative wood stocked models.

The most comfortable .375 I've ever owned was a wood stocked Remington Mountain model which weighed just on 8.5lbs scoped and loaded.

Weight only goes so far in moderating recoil and some of that recoil may already be in excess, contributed by poor stock fit.
Going to visit with a knowledgeable stock-maker who can take proper measurements will give you a formulae for your required stock dimensions.

 

[Rule 303]

7.5lb is ok if the stock is a forgiving synthetic. My Rem 700 SPS is 2lb lighter than my CZ550 and felt recoil is considerably less. Also the fit can affect felt recoil more so than the weight.

Just a word of Warning fellas. Mercury recoil reducers, don't use them if you intend to fly. Use a different sort. Mercury dissolves aluminium, the stuff planes are made from and it is illegal to place onboard an aircraft without special permission. Yes the chances of a reducer leaking is stuff all but mercury is still a dangerous goods as fare as airlines go. The chance of the reducer being discovered is increasing with most checked baggage being XRay.

It does not take much. I have seen the damage the mercury from a thermometer caused. Grounded a 737 sixed craft, heavens knows the cost to repair. One rib and 3 longerons had to be replaced.

 

[rookhawk]

I think the old adage was that a 375HH magazine rifle should be around 8lbs and therefore a 9lb gun with an optic.

I have a classic British mauser with a dangerous game scope at that weight and it handles and carries beautifully. The fit is excellent and therefore that plus the weight makes it an extremely mild recoiling rifle. Much more enjoyable to shoot than most 300WM rifles I've come across. The balance and muzzle lift is managed well because it has the very traditional 25" barrel.

I think that you'd have to keep that barrel length in mind from a hunter's perspective because it makes it comfortable, ballistically optimal and the longer barrel reduces recoil jump. When you hear about 7lb or 7.5lb 375s that are usually cropped guns. If you're a PH for a living you don't want to snag on stuff so you chop the barrel down to 21". You don't care about long range ballistics because you're a PH. You care that it weighs less because you carry it 150 days a year.

In conclusion: Save the light 375s with short barrels to the PHs that want them for a different application (saving lives by stopping charges) than we do as client hunters.

 

[BobT]

I just weighed my Whitworth Express .375 and it weighs 9lbs, 9oz. topped with a Leupold VX3i in Leupold QD mounts. The rifle handles well and recoil is very manageable.