An old hunter's opinion on the 375

**Ds J** · 06-09-2016, 20:17

I just got this from my brother. He asked an old hunter's opinion on the 375 H&H. Said hunter used to earn his pocket money by hunting elephant. You can do the math as to when that was.

Jou vraag na die .375 kaliber is heeltemal billik. Ek het meeste van my goed met die Engelse weergawe - Cogswell en Harrison --- aangeval. Dis n lekker kaliber. Maar soos alle gewere wat mens vir meer as een doel wil gebruik, moet mens goed nadink. Die 375 met sy 300 gr koeel is ideaal vir olifante (kopskote) en as mens se skootplasing reg is, buffels. Maar wanneer n buffel storm is die 375 geneig om deur die buffel te vlieg en hom nie van pas af te skiet nie. Dan is sy dryfkrag eintlik 'n nadeel .... Ek en 'n maat van my het 'n slag met.375 n buffel probeer stuit - sonder sukses. Ons "back-up" staan toe rustig met sy dubbel 577 en se : Kerels julle moet sy diff breek ! Dit was nie so maklik nie ! Maar ons eerste skoot was nie reg nie !! Maar daarby is daar min wat bly staan vir 'n .375.

Maar aan die ander kant het Oom Peet Alberts van SWA wat in Angola so , kleine 1 000 olifante geskiet het gese : "Vir n olifant gebruik n mens n Portugese 6 x 58 want jy wil dryfkrag he om sy brein by te kom. Maar vir 'n buffel moet jy 'n swaar geweer gebruik want hy is vol nonsens en dan het mens 'n 7x57 nodig."

So gesien is die antwoord: skootplasing en as mens lekker skiet met 'n 375 en die geweer ken, is dit n bul van 'n kaliber. Ek het later jare net gewonder of dit reg is om met n .375 vroeg oggend 'n rooibok te skiet .... soveel lawaai so vroeg in die more klink mos na grootpraat ! Toe kry ek vir my 'n 270 en daarvandaan net kop- en nekskote geskiet .... maar nie weer op die groot spore geloop nie !

Op die ou einde is diue kailiber nie so belangrik as mens e vermoe om n netjiese skoot te skiet.

Daarom is die antwoord op jou vraag : die 375 - kaliber is tot baie goed in staat en dit is regtig 'n kaliber waarmee mens alles kan skiet .... maar dan moet mens by die groot goed net telskote skiet. Ek het baie lekker met my 375 gejag.

**Proudprado** · 06-09-2016, 20:36

Dankie. Nice share.

**Gert Odendaal** · 06-09-2016, 21:47

Miskien het die ou jagter ook bedoel, "die .375 H&H Magnum is `n doodskiet geweer, nie `n "charge stopper" in die "Jesse " bosse nie, daarvoor het jy die groot kalibers nodig met nog steeds goeie skoot plasing...

**Crafty** · 06-09-2016, 21:53

Ek beplan 'n buffel koei oor 3 jaar van nou. Ek het net 375.
Hoop maar hy skiet reguit.

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**Von Gruff** · 07-09-2016, 02:52

Be nice to read the old fellers musings in english if an easy translations is available

**sa-shooter** · 07-09-2016, 07:09

Originally Posted by Von Gruff

Be nice to read the old fellers musings in english if an easy translations is available

Translation to the best of my ability.-- Your question on the .375 cal is very reasonable. I used a Cogswell and Harrison most of the time. It's a nice calibre. But like any rifle that one wants to use for more than one purpose, one needs to put some thought into it. The .375 with its 300gn bullet is ideal for Elephant (headshots) and if your shot placement is correct, Buffalo too. But when one is stormed by a Buffalo, the .375 is prone to flying straight through the buffalo without stopping it. That's when the momentum is actually a draw back. A friend and I once tried to stop a Buffalo, without success. Our backup shooter calmly stood there with a double .577 and said "Guys, you need to break its diff". It wasn't that easy! Our first shot wasn't right! That being said, there are few things that will keep standing after being shot with a .375. But on the other side, uncle Peet Alberta from SWA, who took 1000 elephant in Angola, said "for Elephant one should use a Portuguese 6x58 because you need the penetration to reach the brain. But for buffalo you need a heavy rifle because they are stubborn, then you need a 7x57". So if you shoot well with a 375, know the rifle and shot placement is good, the 375 is a bull of a calibre. Years later I wondered if it was right shooting a Rooibok early in the morning with a 375. So much noise so early in the morning is obnoxious. I then got myself a .270 and only took head and neck shots. But never stalked the large game again (the translator assumes this is why the person meant). At the end of the day being a good shot is more important than calibre choice. So the answer to the question is- The 375 is a very capable calibre that can be used to shoot any animal, but shot placement is key with big game. I enjoyed hunting with my .375.

**Ds J** · 07-09-2016, 07:19

Thanks - you beat me to it.

**Messor** · 07-09-2016, 08:41

So, the small issue of a 375 flying straight though a buffalo because of too much momentum?

**Maroelas** · 07-09-2016, 09:03

Originally Posted by Messor

So, the small issue of a 375 flying straight though a buffalo because of too much momentum?

This bothered me as well. But I wonder...with the smaller caliber and using a solid will the bullet not encounter less resistance due to smaller frontal area? Thus slowing down less than a larger caliber. This is purely a musing from my side.

One other thing I think we need to consider, it seems this was hunting in the oooooold days. So let's say around 1950's and 1960's. What was the bullet technology of the time? I have no idea. Was there round nosed bullets? Or was it all spitzer shaped etc. Messor I know your knowledge about modern bullets is vast, what about older bullets? Can you shed any light?

**Messor** · 07-09-2016, 09:45

Originally Posted by Maroelas

This bothered me as well. But I wonder...with the smaller caliber and using a solid will the bullet not encounter less resistance due to smaller frontal area? Thus slowing down less than a larger caliber. This is purely a musing from my side.

One other thing I think we need to consider, it seems this was hunting in the oooooold days. So let's say around 1950's and 1960's. What was the bullet technology of the time? I have no idea. Was there round nosed bullets? Or was it all spitzer shaped etc. Messor I know your knowledge about modern bullets is vast, what about older bullets? Can you shed any light?

Just start reading the magnum magazine, they have nothing new to write about so every second article is about something done "back then".

Anyways, pretty sure the bullet in question is a round nose solid.
But then, that have NOTHING to do with the opinion of the writer.

I remember an article Gregor Woods wrote.

And the gist of the matter was that everybody have their favorite big game caliber, even all the pro's back then shot hundreds of big game, but then mostly none of the choices they stuck with had anything to do with caliber.

Mostly people who worked in parks got issued rifles, and those that bought them used whatever they bought, both parties basically stuck to what they used, because they believed in that. Mostly that belief had nothing to do with caliber, but everybody tried to make it so, which in turn led to numerous big game rifle purchases based on nothing.

If people had soft point failures, caliber.
If the solids of the day bent and tumbled, caliber.
So if someone used a specific caliber for the first time and everything else failed except the caliber, the blame was put on the caliber of course and that negative comments quickly found it's way into magazines.

Gregor eluded to the fact that almost all of the good hunters back then, who believed in a specific caliber, would have had similar results with most of the other calibers also.

I mean you probably know of the troubled start of the 458win, nothing to do with caliber, everything to do with ammo.

The gist of the matter is in modern times we really do discuss the merits of the technology, back then it was just a lot of old wives tales. Many a caliber got it's reputation not from it's criteria but solely on the skill of the hunter.

Sadly you still see this reasoning today.

But then, my opinion on the subject at hand, if the 375 is such a good big game caliber, why does the people backing the 375 shooters up carry bigger guns? Simple, the 375 is not a charge stopper, never have and never will be. And if it's just a weapon you use for good shots, it ain't no big game caliber.