.338 Win Mag Recoil vs. 375 H&H

Michibay

Folks...I have been thinking of getting a .375H&H. I have been told by a couple of people that they kick LESS than a .338. I have three .338's...and they DO kick! But I have never shot a .375. I have heard that the .375 is more of a "push" than a kick...but I have also read that the 375 really does wallop the shoulder. So I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has shot both and can give me their opinion. THANKS!!!

nononsense

Michibay,

I agree with the school of 'push' as opposed to 'whallop'. Too many folks get confused by the term Magnum and the fact that the bullet is .375" in diameter. Stories from hunting in Africa distort the reality of the controllability of rifle chambered for this cartridge. This cartridge is not only accurate but can be used as an all-around rifle, when loaded correctly, for any game in North America. The only downside to using a .375 H&H is that it might be construed as "overkill", being more than necessary for some game such as Coues deer or antelope.

Whallop can also be mitigated by appropriate stock design and fitting, the addition of a good pad and correct hold.

Borrow a rifle and go shoot it. It's exciting!

Best.

ADDED:

I forgot to put these figures in. The red number is the recoil energy.

.375 H&H Mag. (270 at 2690) 9.0 36.1 16.1

.338 Win. Mag. (250 at 2700) 9.0 33.1 15.4

.375 Ultra Mag (300 at 2800) 8.75 53.2 n/a

.378 Wby. Mag. (300 at 2900) 10.25 71.1 n/a

Tailgunner1954

MichiBay
If you want to experance a 375H&H, let me know, you can shoot either one of the 2 I own (CZ-550Mag and P-17 sporter).
I'm near E-Tawas.

mrbruce

Recoil in a 375 H&H that is set up the right way is no big deal.

Put one in a poorly designed stock and it will kick the snot out of you.
No different than a 338 set up wrong.................

They will usually put any weight bullet is about the same spot, and they are more than accurate enough to do groundhogs at 200 yards consistently.....

Better to much than not enough !

Ray B

Contrary to gun writers propaganda, there really is very little difference between the 338 and 375 in terms of recoil. The difference comes in the construction of the rifle. If the two rifles had the same barrel length and weight, and similar stock design and fit; and the cartridges had about the same weight bullets (338 250 gr, 375 270 gr) loaded to same pressures with similar powders, I don't know anyone that can tell which one is which, based strictly on recoil. This is based among other things on the use of a 338 Alaskan, 338 Super Grade, 375 H&H M70 (and a 375 RUM M70 just for comparison).

I think the main reason people whine about the 338 is that they build them on a rifle designed more for carrying comfort, weighing 7-8 lbs,about right for a 270, then are surprised when it kicks more than a 270. It isn't roclet science.

temblor

Ray B has it right. I shoot both but the 338 feels just as bad in the lighter rifle, but is more pleasant to carry. If you shot the 375 with 270 - 300 grain bullets in an 8lb rifle it would not be pleasant to shoot................[8D]

Michibay

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions on the recoil of a .338 vs a .375 Mag. Especially to Tail Gunner who lives about three hours away who invited me over to shoot one of his .375's.

No question...the .375 is a real classic...and my collection is without one...so maybe I will make the plunge!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
David

snowtigger

The .375's I have shot weren't unpleasant to shoot. I thought they kicked less than shoved. The .300 win mag kicks harder.
However, a fellow I know has a Parker-Ballard in .375 H&H that weighs slightly over 5, yes, five lbs. It has been shot 4 times; two by the guy who bought it new, and two by my friend.
I shoot a .458 Win mag (10 1/2 lbs), and I ain't gonna shoot that thing.

Snellstrom

My .375 weighs 7 pounds 4 oz. before I add the scope, and it kicks a bit. I bought a wood stock for it awhile back and can't wait to make the transition out of synthetic! It kicks substantially more than my Supergrade .338 but like I said when the wood stock goes on the .375 I think it will tame it immensely. Both my .338 and .375 are incredibly accurate for med/large bores, get a .375 everyone needs one. No one ever here's about that Cape buffalo problem in my neighborhood anymore!

Michibay

Thanks again everyone for your comments on my 338 vs 375 question. I have read many articles for many years...and have talked with a fair number of "users" of both. The recoil stats on "paper" show the 375 kicks harder...and it seems that one can find folks on either side of the fence as to which one has greater "felt" recoil. It seems that either one will kick the hell out of you if your rifle is less than 7 1/2 lbs. As far as performance goes...I think either one is all one needs for ANYTHING in North America.

The 375 does have something going for it however...I think it's that sense of "owning a classic"...that has endured for over 75 years!

Thanks again!!!