Let’s discuss the 375H&H. Without emotion

I have used a 375 twice. Now it may not be a true big bore, but owners often feel that it is. Let’s leave sentimental reasons and emotions out of this, I would like to hear, from a local hunters point of view , what does this caliber do for you? Most locals will never hunt dangerous game. Most wont need to stop a wounded buff. Eland are not hunted every year. So why would you use it over your trusty 30-06 or 308 for general Hunting? Do you like the bigger Bullet? Do you imagine yourself as a DG hunter? Help me understand.

No thinking person would choose a .375 over a 3006/308 for general hunting.

PH"ing full time for a number of years i came to develope a respect for this caliber after carrying it every day for a number of years. Maybe a not so well known fact or possibly an irrelevant fact in its role as a DG gun,is the superb accuracy,good velocity and surprising flat trajectory possible with this caliber with 220-270gr bullets. The fact that it is devastatingly effective on all plains game out to any distance and from any angle imaginable made it super effective when having to shoot wounded animals which is a fact of life in this profession.
Another reason to carry one would possibly be when hunting normal game in an area where DG exists.

The disadvantages however outweigh any perceived advantage when it comes to hunting normal game and while there is a place under the sun for this caliber it is not for general hunting.

I have shot it but not hunted with it. My reason for using it would be purely the better chance of bringing back the meat. It shoots a larger, heavier bullet with a lot more thump than my 308.

Downsides are recoil and cost.

Jack of all trades, master of none?

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Originally Posted by Ds J

I have shot it but not hunted with it. My reason for using it would be purely the better chance of bringing back the meat. It shoots a larger, heavier bullet with a lot more thump than my 308.

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With modern bullet advancements there is no way you need anything bigger than a 308 for hunting.
A monolithic in a 308 will penetrate reliably in our biggest antelope, the eland.

64 is right, you don't need it for normal hunting, period.

But then, we don't hunt because we need to.
Hence we also don't buy rifles because we need to.
A bit of deduction further leads only to one place, we buy what we want to.

As long as you can shoot the thing, I have seen many people who buy a 375 because they need to buy confidence, it doesn't work that way.

Not an "every day" hunting rifle, but definately versatile. I used mine for hunting everything for a few years, then got tired of the weight and cost of ammo. Now it's a safe queen and I use a 30-06.

My 375 is my go to gun.
I own 24 rifles and if I go hunting bushveld terrain, my 375 goes along.

Recoil isn’t much of a factor, and if you reload also. I shoot Norma Oryx 300gr Bullets at 2470f/ps and it just works.

I can’t explain it ... maybe because I’ve been hunting over 20years with a 375 H&H but it just brings back the meat.

And yes, there is emotion involved, if I had to go on a hunt with out her ... it would feel like cheating.

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Originally Posted by Shigawagga

Not an "every day" hunting rifle, but definately versatile. I used mine for hunting everything for a few years, then got tired of the weight and cost of ammo. Now it's a safe queen and I use a 30-06.

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And yet, my best friend has made his 30 06 into a safe queen and only hunts with the 375.
He's taken everything from Impala to Wildebeest with it and says that he likes that it's flat shooting and is versatile enough for him with Rhino solid shank 270gr.
I feel that the recoil on his Sako 375H&H with wood stock to be more pleasant than his Remington model 700 Bdl 30 06 with a synthetic stock

It's more of a dull this compared to a sharp kick from the 06