Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 375 H&H vs 416 Rem

Both have there place for sure but obviously the .416 is a much better choice if having to be used as a stopper. As long as recoil isn’t a major issue the .416 gets my vote as a do all. I took my .416 Rigby to Zambia last October and used it from impala to buff. There is no such thing as too much gun.

Guy,

Glad you're still enjoying the No. 1 .375!

Probably have told you this before, but the one buffalo I shot with it was a big Botswana bull at around 65-70 yards, and the bullet the 300-grain Fail Safe at 2650 fps. It exited, leaving a hole the size of my fist--and we also found one "petal" on the edge of the hole.

Also used that rifle on "plains game" from impala to kudu on the same safari, though with 300-grain Nosler Partitions, which also worked just fine. Also used it on my first cull hunt in South Africa a year earlier, partly to "field" other bullets. But our group could also take "trophy" animals if we paid the standard fee--and took my biggest gemsbok bull, in both horn and body size. It was a very lucky rifle (I believe in them!) and it seems to have worked the same way for you.

Best,
John

Seems to me this is maybe more of a question about the shopper (buyer) than it is about a cartridge or rifle.

Historic/nostalgia oriented? 9.3x62 Mauser, .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, maybe .404 Jeffery...

Modern and/or efficiency oriented? .375 Ruger, .416 Ruger, maybe .416 Remington...

And then there's recoil tolerance and carrying issues. Light rifle for carrying, not so great for recoil... and vice versa.

And then there's the rifle itself. Some may be attracted to an historic (or even modern) M70, but there are boatloads of actions out there with varying pros and cons.

Elk and black bears don't really need all that much, although they can make a good excuse to shop on heavier rifles.

For a "what others would choose" answer, especially for non-horse elk hunts (as we did), I'd go with a lightweight rifle chambered for .264 or above. Or even .25, maybe. That probably doesn't help, though... and what I actually carried at the time was a .338 or a .348... which probably also doesn't help much...

-Chris

Have a couple of hunting friends that go Buff hunting in Africa a couple of times, every year. They started with 375s and switched to the 416s after the first trip, been using the 416s evr since. So I asked or PH in RSA what he thought about the two cartridges in comparison. He said if you can hold your fire or crawl up, to get close enough, then place the shot exactly, the 375 is effective enough.
Later over a cold libation, I asked if he meant to stick the muzzle in their ear, he said, exactly.

If you want to try that on a big Buff, I will watch.

This thread has become a contest, or perhaps a comparison, over which of the two is "better" for African DG, which I don't think was the original intention by the OP. Limited to African DG, perhaps the .416 IS technically the better choice, but for the rest of the world for a one-rifle safari? I seriously doubt it! If I were going to Alaska for a big brownie or moose, if I already had a .375 H&H I wouldn't go out and buy a .416 Whatever for more assurance.... If I wanted to use a .416 out of curiosity, and didn't care about the wasted $$$, sure, why not? But for better results? That's nonsense! Perhaps for a guide who may need to do some nasty followups, I'd not disagree, but surely the .375 H&H under all circumstances has established a stirling reputation in Alaska as well as the rest of the world. Dead is dead!

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Always good to hear one PH's opinion--which in my experience, and those of the several PH's I've hunted with is BS.

Several of the PHs I've hunted with think the .375 is plenty--and with chest shots, not "ear" shots. There's also a long list of PH's who've spent their entire career using the .375 as their back-up rifle for buffalo, and long before today's list of "premium" bullets.

But whatever you (or he) wants to believe....

Just watched Jim Shockey's Shock Therapy show. He and another fellow who worked for Jim said they didn't like the .375 H&H for big dangerous game like buffalo. You could see and hear the disgust coming from them when talking about this cartridge. This is the direct opposite of what people like Boddington and Mule Deer and others have said. It is interesting how people's experiences are different.

To each his own!

I'm in the same situation of O/P Mallard re "need for either 375 or 416 as 'not'. Also here, a closet 'Bambi hugger'. But I've owned both a eighties era Sako 375 in full stock @ 20" Barrel and a Win 70 416 Classic about '94 vintage. Both rifles unpleasant recoil though the hearing protectors definitely go to the Sako. I don't handload but for decades I did pay attention to ammo availability and cost. Nowadays ammo is an "investment" and last time I checked the .375 was a bit less expensive and considerably more available. Can't say, Pandemic era plus, but in all the info/details I don't see much mention of either factor which is significant for many folks with these heavy chamberings. In a world today of high & unpredictably higher inflation, the kind of range/plinking time I used to do, 10 rounds downrange at $200-$400+ dollars, a deterrence and to extent possible a single 'buck a round dollar advantage, something to which I'd pay attention. Add that in my heyday collecting/shooting era, reloading dies & supplies for scores of different chamberings also wasn't worth while!
Just my take as strongly paying attention to fellow member here, perhaps not paying close attention to ballistics, etc.
Just my take!
Best!
John

I’m a pretty dim bulb, but I have no idea what point you are making.

When watching TV personalities dump on the 'ol H&H I'm thinking "cool, that means more 300 grain A-Frames for me..."

Sort of like what the ‘bs’ one reads such as: “What are the ten best cartridges for deer hunting?” — “Opinions are like arse-holes. Everyone has got one.”
I won’t agree with most on what’s the ten best cartridges for deer hunting. Certainly not if I’m discussing these cartridges with someone who hunts in the swamps or the thick woods or possibly with the hunters that only hunt the mountains.

I’d like to have a 416 Remington, I’d probably put a suppressor on it. But truth be told, I’d mostly just shoot hard cast bullets in it.
I have a 375 Whelen AI and a 375 H&H AI so I guess a 375 H&H fits in between those two. My future holds less need for the 416 than the 375. Truth be told every year the need for a 375 is less, but the want might be permanent.
If I were protecting clients who were hunting elephants my pick might likely be in favor of a 416..

“Opinions are like arse-holes, everyone has one!”

Also, they may likely have a reason for their opinion.

One thing I have noticed since hunting/magazines have declined in numbers and circulation, and videos/TV show/YouTube have increased is that there's more schidt-stirring. Now, magazines used to run some SS articles, to get more "eyes on the page" (as the term used to be back then), but SS stuff tends to have quicker results these days.

Though not always, depending on who watches the stuff.....

Yes, but Shockey has done a lot of hunting and has received high praise from people on this site. I love my .375 for it accuracy alone since I have yet to shoot anything with it.

One plainsgame hunting trip I decided to have some fun and brought 2 rifles, both launching A-Frames. One a .30-06 and the other the H&H. I think it was 180 grain vs. 270 grain IIRC...

Since both were the same basic action with the same trigger pull and safety and scope setup I would simply switch off between them each day. Pretty hard to screw up taking the wrong ammo between an '06 and the H&H. After 10 days or so it turns out I shot all the big stuff with the '06 and all the small stuff with the H&H. Just luck of the draw each day...

Something that I failed to mention earlier …..I use the H&H or a variation thereof for all of my hunting in NA. I believe that the .375 H&H will make a better “all around” than the .416! JMO memtb

What was the quote from our esteemed resident PH Mr. JJ Hack..........................The 375 is the most effective cartridge for the investment in recoil you will find. or something close to that. YMMV

How is the 375 H&H a better all round than the 416 Remington?

Lets start with a 210 gr X at 3000 fps, that shoots as flat as a 180 06'.

I’ll speak in generals here…..H&H develops recoil that most anyone (unless they have physical issues) can easily handle, the .375’s are also slightly heavier helping mitigate felt recoil, ammunition is a bit more available and a bit less expensive, and the H&H seems (at least to me) to be a bit more practical for everyday use on small (Whitetails, Pronghorns, ect.) game up to and through dangerous big game, and lastly…..the 375 H&H shoots slightly flatter than the .416 REM with a 350 grain bullet.

You can go lighter than 350 grains with the 416 and increase velocity whereby flattening the trajectory……but, that can be always done with the H&H as well! 🤔😉 memtb