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

Very hilarious!

Why isn't the 375 Ruger in the selection mix?

Can run the 375 Ruger on a standard "long" action for a shorter stroke. Don't need the longer "magnum" length action for the 375 H&H.

I would guess partly because the .375 H&H has been around so long it's easy to find brass and ammo. In fact just every dangerous-game PH I've known in Africa has a good supply of .375 H&H ammo, whether factory or handloads, left behind by clients.

Another factor might be that the .375 Ruger only gets about 100 fps more than the H&H. This is about as much velocity as the .375 Ruger loses in the first 45 yards with a typical 300-grain spitzer. It's difficult to see any difference in the field--and yes, I have seen the .375 Ruger in action.

Another factor is there are quite a few "standard long actions" that work fine with the .375 H&H, including the Remington 700.

My FN 375 H&H is a greatly lightened standard length action rifle, built by an old Reno gunsmith my dad knew many years ago. I knew of the rifle and blundered into it at a local auction ten years ago. Nobody knew that it was a 375, and it went cheap. It had no chambering designation. It had been used extensively as an elk rifle for years. I've put around 60 rounds through it. The old Kollmorgan Bear Cub 4X is still bright and clear.

As to the 375 vs 416, I killed buffalo with the 416 Rigby (same velocities as the 416 Rem) and with a 9,3X74R. Had I the funds to do it again I would take one of my 375 H&H rifles, this one pictured and a pre-war Mdl 70.

Even with the radical lightening and years of use it's still properly headspaced and slick chambering.

Photos of when I took it apart. I found this:

Cool old rifle. Looks like the mg box was lengthened entirely at the front end for the .375. My 8x68S is like that. Clean work.

Very nice rifle.

8X68S is a honking round! It's the long version of the 325 WSM.

Hadn't thought of it that way, but you are correct. 😃

I'm using brass I bought from Buffalo Arms that is reformed from 300 Ultra cases.

MD/JB, your points are certainly valid, and I agree with them. My reply was based more on the issue that it may be easier for the OP to find a 375 Ruger to fill his itch for some "shoulder jolt fun at the range" with a .375-.416 bang stick, and he was open to other thoughts. He wasn't planning on going to Africa (as per his post). I don't think an elk or black bear would notice much difference between a 375 Ruger, 375 H&H or 416 Rem. Does the 375 Ruger have the same history as the 375 H&H, no. Does the bullet come out the muzzle about the same from each? Yes. An itch can be scratched multiple ways.


OP's comment:
"...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."

It a been a while since we had a good ol’ 30-06 or 270 type thread!

In my opinion, which has no basis in experience, I’d pick the 416. Simply because if I’m going bigger than something based off an 06 case, I’d just as soon go .40 +. Not that I think one will do much of anything the other won’t given similar shot placement and projectiles.

Since Phil Shoemaker was brought up, what does his daughter use as a do all rifle? Pretty sure she uses it on everything from goats to moose, and of course bear.

Let's see here, long list, More versatile, can be loaded down for deer or smaller, big enough to crush anything on the planet, bigger bullet selection, easier to find brass, easier to find ammo, more popular, loaded in a larger variety of rifles, and on and on and on..........

None of your claims are valid. I have the 300 gr. Hammer bullet loaded to 3000 FPS, the 350 TSX loaded to 2715 FPS.
THE 375 H&H can only do 3000 FPS with a 250 grain bullet.

I have 400 gr. TSX bullets doing 2450 FPS.

The 375 is not more versatile and can not hit game as hard as the 416 Remington can

416 Remington cases can be fire formed from 375 H&H cases

Your saying the 416 is more popular, and easier to find ammo for than the 375? Ya, OK lol.

I didn't say that at all. I never committed on popularity in any shape or form

You said "None of my claims were valid", then you went off on how the 416 hits harder and so on. I have to hand it to you, you're loyal to the 416. Almost as much as I am to the .338, which by the way is better than both of them........

Having M70s chambered in both cartridges and having used both in the field, I'd have to agree that the .375 H&H is the more commonly available one. Definitely easier to find in Africa should you lose your ammo than the .416. My Dad's bag with his 375 ammo in it didn't arrive when he went to Africa and it was easy enough to locate enough ammo to hunt with. I took my .416 Rem as my heavy, which is what my PH used as well. I can't say my PH begged me, but he hinted strongly that he sure would like for me to leave him my reloads when I left, which I did. Reason being, it was tough for him to find ammo to feed his .416. I have a great affinity for my .416. I think I shoot it better than most other rifles, so I would always take it when in Africa. I'd love to take it to Alaska, but know what that environment would do to that beautiful rifle. So, when I head up north, I take my S/S .375 H&H for bears. I don't really consider the 416 to be a bruiser compared to the 375, but it does have slightly more recoil. But, as most everyone knows, it's more in how your rifle fits you as to whether the recoil will be a problem or not. With the M70 Safari Express, that stock seems to fit me just right and the recoil is not objectionable. At least not for up to 10 rounds in a range session. More than that and the recoil does start to affect me.

I've owned 375 H&H in CZ and Winchester M70. I've owned 375 Ruger in the Ruger hawkeye. I've owned 416 Rigby in CZ. I've owned 416 Remington in the Winchester M70. I've owned 458 Win Mag in the Winchester M70. I've owned 458 Lott in the CZ.

Guess which one I still have. 416 Rem in the Winchester M70.

I don't know why people think the 416 recoils so much more than the 375 H&H. To me the jump from 338 win mag to 375 H&H was a bigger jump in recoil than from 375 H&H to the 416's. When I first tried the 416s, My thought was, "wow this really doesn't kick much more than the 375." When I jumped to the 458 is when recoil actually got uncomfortable and was a big jump in recoil. Going from a 375 to 416 is like going from a 270 to 30-06 in recoil.

Both calibers are great calibers, but nothing penetrates like a 416. I have found my sweet load of 350gn TSX at 2650fps. It shoots as flat as a 308 and can be used from squirl to buffalo with this 1 load. I give the nod to the 416 as slightly better performance but the 375 is still damn good.

For the original poster, you picked a great starting caliber to get into big bores. The 375 H&H ammo is widely available and sometime the only available big bore caliber in many North American shops. For reloading, it is slightly cheaper to reload than the 416 and brass and bullets are easier to find.

Both, though i dont have a 416 Remington, but a 400 H&H, the 375 with 300gr AFrames and Partitions at 2680 and 300gr BBW#13 solids at 2700 and 400 H&H with 400gr AFrames and BBW#13 solids at 2400, both have their place, i used the 400 in Tanzania as my light rifle, plains game from Leopard to Zebra at 77 to 287 yards were easilly taken with one shot each, i will admit hits with the 375 would have been easier with less concern for 'exact' range calcs due to drops, cant think of a reason on that hunt that the 375 wouldn't have done just as well.

IMHO You cant go wrong with your choices.