Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .375 H&H vs RUM? African Battery

Headed over in August for a Cape Buffalo hunt with some PG mixed in as the opportunity arises. I'm headed to the Dande Concession with CM Safaris. I currently own a CZ 550 in .375 H&H which shoots well with the 270gr TSX's at about 2700fps. I also have access to a 375 RUM in Rem 700 XCR that I can buy or take with me. It has a brake on it and a recoil reducer. I have not shot it yet. I can handle my CZ fine. Should I swap? I can probably push the 270 gr TSX at around 2950-3000 fps with the RUM right? Push Feed vs CRF.

Also, should I take the H&H as a one gun battery and load lighter bullets for PG or should I just shoot everything with the 270 TSX's?

Should I take a 2nd gun for PG?

Thanks guys
Lee

Take the H&H for everything and use the same load. A backup gun is not a bad idea.

Your PH will absolutely love that muzzle brake!!!

Or not!

Take the 375H&H and never look back. It will serve you fine for buff and for PG as well.

I would bring some solids for second and subsequent shots on buff and for possible little guys like grysbok or klipspringer, so you do minimal damage to their skins.

I have hunted with CMS on a couple of occasions, though never in Dande North, which is their new concession. First rate outfit, straight shooters. Who is going to be PH?

JPK

Buzz. I will not hunt with him everyday but will some. Not sure who I will hunt with otherwise.

The brake is removable which is what I thought I'd do when I got there.
Lee

God gave PHs fingers to stick in his ears!

The 375 H&H is my choice..but either will work.

Ebby - I have never hunted in Africa but shoot a 375 H&H. My question is, in real terms, does the flatter trajectory of the RUM offer an advantage in the terrain you will hunt? I compared the 300 gr. Swift A-Frame load on the Remington Website. The RUM gives you 238 fps more speed and 2.1 inches flatter trajectory at 300 yards, given a 200 yard zero. Any other reasons to make a change? My first thought is always to hunt with a gun you know and shoot well. If going with a new gun, I would step up a little to one of the 416's, which I understand hit considerably harder than a 375.

H&H. Take the 270 Triple Shocks. I took them and 300 grain Banded Solids last month. They shot to the same POI at 25 yards. I don't think you need the extra range of the RUM, the area is pretty thick. The area is hilly, so be prepared for it. Also, if you like to fish you need to ask about tiger fishing on the Zambezi.

I like heavy bullets in any caliber when I am hunting buffalo. a 350 gr. 375 suits me fine, and a 450 gr. 40 caliber is nice..I liked the 320gr. in my long barrel 9.3x62 and 64...

If I was shooting a 375 with a monolithic I would still opt for the heaviest bullet, 300 grs.. That going away follow up shot will do you more good than anything else but you gotta in there as far as you can.

Just my personal preference, not saying anything else won't work.

Ebby,

On a free recoil slide I found lthe following with a 28" barrel .375-.416 Rem Mag. with no brake:
270 @ 2968 - 29 3/4"
300 @ 2858 - 35 11/16"

With brake:
270 @ 2885 - 17 3/8"
300 @ 2915 - 21 1/16"

Notice heavy bullets produce significantly more free recoil travel.

Also I did another test with three folks who have no idea what a brake is. My brother stood about ten feet to my right. I told him he better put his fingers in his ears, but he didn't. None osf them did. There is no way I shoot without hearing protection. Even when I hunt I use Action ears. My uncle was about twenty feet behind me and my old man was another thirty feet behind him. I told them,
"All I want to know is shot number one or shot number two louder."
There are a few over hanging trees and a garage right behind my dad. I took off the brake and fired. Then I reinstalled it and fired again.

ALL three made no bones about it. The shot without the brake was louder!

Like Ray implied, guns are loud. But with a brake you can get back on the game a lot faster.

There's a reason muzzle brakes aren't allowed in NRA highpower competition when we're all lined up next to each other.

I truly hate shooting next to someone with a muzzle brake on their rifle. Worse even than shooting next to somebody with a semi-auto, showering me with spent brass. Ugh.

A lot of our DG hunters use muzzle brakes and the PHs are aware of that and take proper precautions like string held ear plugs around the neck.

If it makes a hunter a better shot then I would prefer to stick ear plugs in my ears or fingers in my ears for that matter, than the alternative of tracking a wounded buffalo into the high grass vugas..

I think too much is made of muzzle brakes as any big bore will hurt your ears regardless of brake or no brake, and I have yet to meet the fabled PH who turned down a booking over a a muzzle brake, he would go broke pretty fast IMO...The best shots I have seen used muzzle brakes, I have kept records on that, ands its simply because they do not flinch or jump out of their pants..In truth many hunters go to Africa unprepared for what they are getting into and can't shoot the big boomers very well, but do well on the plainsgame with the lesser calibers..go figure!

Best alternative however is to use the muzzle brake at the bench and hunt without it, and in time as you use the muzzle brake and if you always shoot a few offhand shots without it at the end of each bench session, you will end up useing the brake less and less until you just adapt and quite using it all together, its a good way to overcome the fear of recoil and then you will cut it off and never look back..It has its place.

You also have the responsibility to know where everyone is in relation to the muzzle with or without a brake..The worst ear damage I have suffered is from a non braked rifle going off in my ear under a very stressfull buffalo charge, so be it the trade off was a good one.

Guns are loud, they damage your hearing, if you hunt a lot you will lose a certain amount of hearing and if you cannot accept this then golf should be your game. Even the most carefull will take a hit now and then and even if your anal about your hearing then you will not be a good hunter as you will have to put your hearing over all else in your hunt, I could never do that it appears, but I really like my quite world, less stress! .

Just another option to consider and draw your own conclusions.

go shoot a full magizine of both at a 50 yard target. back to back