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

I really have no need for a medium/big bore but just want one just to have it. Only real use outside of fun at the range would be elk and black bears.

I’m leaning towards either a 375 H&H or 416 Remington but open to other thoughts. Mainly just looking to see what others would choose and why.

In my opinion with mono metal bullets a 416 Remington with 350 grain bullets is as flat as the 375 with 270s and hits harder. The 416 all day over a 375

My vote goes for the 375 H&H. It is a true classic and goes back to 1912. You can use it on deer sized game with no issues. I have taken a lot of game in Africa with it and have also used it in the USA for mule deer, elk and black bear. I have also shot a few rabbits and spruce grouse with a solid for the pot. In my opinion everybody should own at least one 375 H&H in their lifetime.

I have owned two and it does nothing the 9.3x62 does with less fuss and bother.

I have and use for hunting a 9.3x62mm, .375 H&H, and a .400 Jeffrey #1.

The 9.3 M77 is 8.5 lbs all up, the H&H M70 is 9.5 lbs all up, and the #1 is 10.5 lbs all up. At those weights they are all sweethearts to carry & shoot in the field.

I pretty much stick with 300 gr. bullets with the 9.3, 350 gr. bullets with the H&H, and (obviously) 400 gr. bullets with the #1. However, I've been known to bring 'em all on PD shoots and will adjust bullet weights accordingly. Amongst the 3 I've taken black bear, elk, Cape Buffalo, and a bunch of plains game.

I acquired them over a span of almost 25 years because they are interesting cartridges. The 9.3 was bought last, and if I had a do-over, and with the acquired hindsight, the practical side of me would cart around the 9.3. With that cartridge I'd just go forth and slay big game around the world without a whole lot of fuss.

Agreed. I have a CZ 550 American in 9.3 and love it. But the OP didn't ask about the 9.3.

My vote goes to the H&H as it’s a bit more versatile! If all shots will be of short to moderate ranges, or large dangerous game is on the menu …..the the .416 would be my choice!

With a competent gunsmith and a few hundred bucks, the H&H can be very easily converted to the AI or Weatherby versions and transform the H&H into a pretty darn good long range (well 700 to 800 yard) cartridge! Brass is usually available, the fire forming is as easy as pulling the trigger, and modern high BC bullets will make it pretty formidable at longer ranges ….And it still works great at short range! What’s not to like?

I’m presently running Barnes 250 grain TTSX’s in my AI @ 3130 mv, while giving me sub 2” 3 shot groups @ 300 yards! I will be building a load this summer with the Barnes 270 grain LRX….hoping for an accurate 3000+ mv! My only hunting rifle since February of 1990! 😉 memtb

I vote 416. Can load for plains game and dangerous game.

A friend of mine did a trip to Africa and used the 416Rigby on plains game. He didn't get the opportunity for dangerous game but had the loads and set-up for the same rifle to do so. I think the 375 may be the legal minimum but the 416 gives a bit more confidence. American big game is not quite the same thing though.

I'm shooting the 350 grain Speer at 2757 FPS and the 350 grain TSX at 2715 FPS. This is like a 270ngrain 385 H&H with a heavier larger diameter bullet.

Yeah, that's nothing to sneeze at. I forget exactly what my mate used for plains game but think it was similar. He's also got 450gn loads intended for the dangerous game.

I've clocked my 375H&H 270gn loads at about 2,850ft/sec out of a 26" barrel (CZ550), BTW.

80 grains of CFE223 Federal 215 primer and 270 TSX give me 2806 FPS from my 375 H&H

If you can handle the recoil of a 375, you can handle a 416. Other than Nostalgia, I can't see anything a 375 does better than a 416. 416 has the same trajectory and will create larger wound channels with the same penetration.

This is the precise reason I have a .375 H&H. I simply wanted a classic caliber even if other rifles I owned were adequate for the hunting I was intending to do. I like the energy that medium/big bore rifles deliver & I think they're versatile for a variety of game when many people only consider them for DG situations. In some of the locations I hunt, I would prefer to use "too much gun" than to do "too much tracking".


I would choose the .375 H&H again for one reason that many people would consider stupid: The .375 H&H is a classic that's more than adequate for anything I will ever encounter and the .416 Remington is too "new". I will confess to letting a certain amount of nostalgia drive my caliber selections. If the choices had been .375 H&H vs .416 Rigby, then that would have given me pause as I would have had to consider whether I wanted a companion to my .275 Rigby which I really like hunting with. But I would never try to convince anyone else that my choices are superior ones. I buy what makes me happy and reasonable people could point out legitimate flaws in my selection process.


But unrelated tangents are one of the bonus features of being on the 'Fire. I love my 9.3x74r!

Buy both.

This is not your first post. C'mon man! I am the thread drift which invariably infects every topic on the 'fire. Just starting early!

No answer can be fully justifiable unless a book is written on it, and even then there must be a bunch of qualifiers! And then, each one who responds has their own preferences and opinions, even those who have never owned either!

But based solely on the OP's suggested impulse for choosing one or the other, I'd suggest the .375 H&H because, in my opinion, it is more versatile and perhaps easier to get along with than a .416 Rem or Rigby in recoil, weight and bullet selection. If a .416 Ruger was included in this discussion, then I might relent due to the handiness of a 20" barrel in tight quarters.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Bob

Do you see the 416 Ruger having legs longterm in the marketplace? Right now the 416RM is practically like an 06 in terms of general acceptance and availability.

No way is a 375 H&H more versatile than a 416 Remington loaded with 350 TSX at 2715 FPS. That is a flat shooting hard hitter

I have both (M70's) and chose the 416 for a mixed bag hunt in Zimbabwe. I used the 350 gr TSX on game from a serval to buffalo shooting from 50 yards (serval) to 250 yards (kudu). My PH carried a 416 Rigby. Once he saw that I could shoot the rifle he was happy that I brought the 416.

So⁸me obvious observations. I've e owned a couple 416Taylors, 375 H&H's, and 9.3x62 and x74's.
They are all devastating on deer and ground hogs. The bigger the case and the heavier and faster the bullet, the harder they kiss. The better the stock fits, the more pleasant the kiss. All shoot cast bullets well and can be a lot of fun at the range. I found that over time, I tended to shoot lighter recoiling loads more than full house.
416's with heavy loads can give you the jingles after about 20 rounds.
When you're looking, one will catch your eye and feel good in your hand, take it home. If you're not happy with it, send it down the road. There are lots of used guns out there and they are making new ones. The anticipation and search can be almost as much fun as buying.
Bfly