Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Plains Game with .375 H&H

All,

I'm planning a trip to Namibia and want to take my 375. No dangerous game, but will likely take an eland.

Went after plains game Zim with a 30-06 ( and it was fine), but like the idea of something more decisive and since I don't have a 338 or 9.3x62, thinking about a load for my .375 that is less than the 270 or 300 grain.

Wondering if anyone else has done something similar and has a recommendation? I prefer TSX and A-frames.

And I know I can just shoot the 270 or 300 and be fine, just curious about other options with the .375.

Thanks

250 grain TSX or TTSX with RL-15.

7 of the 8 plains game I took "liked" the 300 TSX from my 375H&H. That's their opinion and I'm sticking by it.

The other, cow eland, like the 180 TTSX in my -06 but that's another story!

260 Accubond also works great with RL-15.

Yes it does John! I've only taken bears with it, no plains game, but that bullet has proven real accurate, and very deadly. It's a perfect match with RL-15 as well.

Guy

I used 300 grain Swift A Frames on plains game/hyena/baboon in Zimbabwe. The ph had me use a 300 grain Barnes solid on a grysbok. I would use the 375H&H again on plains game. I was using a Ruger RSM and a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x.

It may be hard to believe, but the TTSX 250 runs three shots about 1/2" at 100 yards for me. That would be minute of eyeball, if you need it.

Federal makes or made a 375 H&H ammo loaded with 260 grain Nosler Partition bullets.

With the exception of the little guys (klippy's, steenbok, etc) I've shot all of my plains game with a .375 H&H loaded with 300 gr. partitions.

Mike

Whether you handload or not, buy whatever is cheap that shoot reasonably well (2"ish at 100 yards and near same beyond) and go kill chit. Short of eland, my three boys and I swatted an azzload of African critters a few years ago with the 7x57, 8x57 and 358 Win. I would have zero issue with banging an eland with any of the three though I used a 9.3x62 in 2002 just because.

I used a .375 on a boatload of plains game. When hunting specifically for PG I used a Hornady 270 gr. Spire point and found it ideal. When hunting Big Game and shooting the incidental plains game, I used a 300 gr. Swift A-frame. It too performed excellently....and would probably be my choice for eland, though either would work.

I've killed about a dozen PG animals from eland to impala using the 375 H&H and 300gr Swifts.. I don't think it's needed, but I just couldn't see myself in Africa without a 375

Anything in the 375 will work. Eland run up to a ton so 270gr and up sure isn't overkill. The 250TTSX should be ideal for what you want if you can get them to shoot, they didn't work out for me.

This... It's a great open country recipe for the 375.

I've also liked it as an elk thumper in my extremely lightened FN-actioned 375 H&H, weighing 7.5 pounds with scope.

Jorge,

I haven't taken a .375 on every safari, but have used it as my only rifle, my light rifle AND my heavy rifle!

I was keen to try the 260 grain Accubonds in my 375 when I was developing loads, but I couldn't find any at the time. I found that 270 grain Barnes TSX's shot very well indeed with RL 15, so that's what I expect to take to Africa for plains game in June.

John, absolutely the perfect rifle, really. My best friend took his when he went with me and used it on buffalo at 25 yards to a kudu at close to 350, all with the 300gr Swift.

Thanks all, would use a 300 TSX or A-frame if Buffalo was on the menu, will check out the 250 TTSX and do some research on the accubond as well.

FWIW,
I took my .375 Ruger to Africa last year, and for the first time used the Barnes TTSX 250 gr. bullet. It was easy to get it to shoot accurately, ahead of H414 powder.

First head of game I shot with it was a bull Black Wildebeest, at a ranged 275 yards. He dropped in his tracks, from a lung hit, complete pass-thru. That was pretty typical performance, on game from Springbok up to Sable.
Recoil with the 250 gr. bullet is noticeably less than that from the 300 grainers IMO, trajectory is sufficiently flat to take longer shots with confidence, and bullet performance was excellent.

Sounds excellent!