In the past, I have written of the love affair that the American hunters have with the 7mm Magnums, but now we are going to touch the hearts of the African Big Game Hunters and all those that go there.

The 375-H&H is toted by most folks in the know, as "the most wonderful caliber" ever invented, and is about as "friendly" to reload of any caliber I know of.

Magnum Primers should be used as standard "SOP", and my favorite powders are IMR 4064, Rel 19 and AA 2700 wutg 300 gr bullets while I prefer Varget with 270 bullets. Even when you include Deer, Antelope, and smaller African Plains game, the 375 H&H does it all, and it will do a job on the North America's larger game like most shooters will not believe.

It is also quite popular in Alaska where many guides carry it as a back-up rifle when hunting Big Bears. One of the very best "Bear" bullets is the Winchester Fail Safe of the Barnes TSX. Somehow, those Fail Safes and Barnes TSX bullets seem to penetrate a bear's thick coat better than lead core bullets do. The first thing I hear is that the 375 H&H will "blow" our other North American animals apart. Bah Humbug. The 375 H&H will kill them, that is for sure, but it will do less damage to the meat than the preverbial 243 Winchester. Why? It is all in the bullet construction and impact velocity of the bullet. The 375 H&H bullets are built "Ford" tough, and do not have the terrific hydraulic shock of the high velocity calibers. The bullets being tough as they are, will just nicely mushroom, and then exit the animal leaving a fine blood trail. Most game will only run a few yards, and then just lay down and die.

I would not hesitate to take the 375 H&H as my only caliber on any trip. I've taken smaller game like Duikers, Impala and Deer with it, and killed them just as dead as Cape Buffalo, and all with either 300 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claws or 300 gr. Hornady RN.

If you seek a flatter shooting bullet, try loading the 270 gr. Pointed Hornady or Barnes TSX with 71 gr. of Hodgdon Varget powder. Their book shows 2701 fps, and they are right on, and my M70 did just a hair more than that.

Swift makes 250 gr. and 300 gr. A-Frame bullets for the 375 H&H, and that 250 gr. should be a great flat shooter for North American game and most of Africa's Plains Game, while the 300 gr will do anything a 300 gr. soft point could be asked to do.

Nosler is now making a 260 gr. Partition and a 260 gr. Accu-Bond bullet. If one loads the 260 gr. Nosler to about 2700 fps, sighted in 2.2 high at 100 yards, puts it dead on at 200 yards, with only 9.6 low at 300 yards. At 300 yards it still has 2106 ft lbs of energy. That rivals the great 210 gr. Nosler out of the 338 Win Mag, as it has 2178 ft lbs at 300 yards and has only 1.5" less drop.

If you want to really get a Big Whitetail Deer's attention, hit him with the 270 gr. Hornady RN. It is a fantastic 100 to 150 yards bullet and is just soft enough to open up nicely on Big Deer or Plains game, and some African PH's love it for Leopard too.

Speaking of 270 gr. Hornady Bullets, I have found that their 270 gr. RN is much softer than their 270 gr. Spire Point. Many reloaders just say they are going to use 270 gr. Hornady bullets, they must be specific as to which one and WHY. Remington and Federal both load their factory ammo with the 270 gr. Hornady RN. They will perform very well as paper, as all Hornady bullets do, but one must remember not to tackle anything too big with them. Penetration will be lacking as compared to the 270 gr. Spire Point. The Spire Point is the bullet Hornady is loading in their 375 H&H Heavy Magnum ammo at a whopping 2870 fps. With a 200 yard zero, it is only 8.3" low at 300 yards, and still has 2802 ft lb of energy.

Federal Cartridge Company loads several wonderful 375 H&H loads. They range from a 250 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw to a High Energy 300 gr Bear Claw and 300 gr Nosler Partitions. They also load a Classic line of ammo in which they load the 270 gr. Hornady RN as well as load one of my favorite bullets, the 300 gr. Hornady RN.

The latest news is that Hornady now produces the 300 RN in their new Inter-Bond design. This really puts it in the class with all premium bullets. There are some great Solids available in the 375 H&H too. Trophy Bonded Sledge Hammers and Barnes Banded Super Solids are my favorites.

Federal Cartridge loads the 300 gr Sledge Hammer in their factory ammo. With these quality solids, it is said that the 375 H&H will "out-penetrate" the 416 abd 458 calibers. It may penetrate "deeper", but as good as the 375 H&H is, it is "not" a Remington or Rigby. Those who have used both say there is a marked difference in how game reacts to being hit with a 300 gr. bullet vs. hitting them with a 400 gr. bullet going the same speed. It is called mass X (times) velocity squared.

Just remember what I have said many times before:

NOTHING BEATS BULLET PLACEMENT.

Have fun with your 375 H&H, as you are in great company with hunters going way back to the old Ivory hunters of the early 1900's.

Terry may be contacted anytime at tblauwkamp@superior-sales.com or call him days at 616-896-6500.