Bwana's et al,

I'll be doing some load development over the winter for a sweet little Dakota 76 chambered in .375 H&H (pictured below) and would appreciate a little guidance.

I'm a fan of the Barnes bullets in my other rifles and I'm inclined to try out the 270 and 300 gr. TTSX's as my pet "do-it-all" load of choice for Africa. I would largely be using them on a mixed bag of plains game on up to buffalo.

All of which leads me to ask...What powder(s), and how much, would you all recommend as a baseline starting point for loading the 270 and 300 gr. TTSX's?

Thanks in advance,

Allen

VERY NICE, your timber is much like that on my Dakota .338WM, which is now in a fine Micky-"Hill Country" synthetic, but, spent the first 15 years I owned it in it's original wooden stock...and shoots so much better than I now can hold that it is kinda embarrassing!

Can't help with loads, as I have only loaded 285 Speer GS, 300 SGKs, 300 HBTs and, best by far for me, 300 NPs. I use H-4350 as I found a deal on 10 lbs of it, but, my highest velocities were with W-760 and I only load 300s.

I got an average of 2625-2650, max. Nossie book with this powder and VERY fine groups from three P-64 Mod. 70s, I had, my old Browning Safari and the Ruger MKII I bought in Oct. 1990. All shot well and "fast" with W-760, the above figures came from the 25" bbl. of my first P-64.

So, might be worth a try in your lovely rifle.

Hello,
R-15 at 71 grain and 300 grain TSX (not TTSX)gave me 2560 fps and good accuracy. 73 grains flattened primers.
Best,
jpj3

I'm assuming you have a Barnes load manual then. I'd consult that and start somewhere in the middle to upper charge wt's with a good powder like H4350 or RL15 and work up until you find a good accuracy node for YOUR rifle...No shortcuts here, as every rifle is different..If your rifle shoots as good as it looks, you'll have no problem finding a few sub moa loads for it...Good luck!!

Thanks all.

I have an older Barnes manual, but I tend to pull load data off their website since it is the most current. They reference VIT N540, H4895 and RL15 for the .375 H&H.

I'm not particularly fond of RL15 as I've tended to see alarmingly flattened primers right out of the gate at lower load densities with other rifles/cartridges. Not that I wouldn't try it if there was a consensus among .375 shooters.

Now, H4350 has been one of my go-to powders, particularly in 300WSM, and one I keep a fair amount of on hand. That's one I'll definitely have to give a closer look.

Thank again,

Allen

One load for you:


And for the TSX (courtesy of JJHACK)
270TSX 74gr RL-15 F210match primers WW brass
300gr Barnes solid: 74gr all to POI:

I used 75.0 gr Rl 15 and Federal mag primers under the 270gr Barnes triple shock. Great accuracy and performance on every animal I shot from Steinbok to Wildebeast. No pressure signs in my Interarms Mark X, but you might want to start at 73.0gr or so just to be safe. I hope you have a great trip.

Love the photo! (RL-15).

73 grains of R-15 with a 270 TSX cloverleaf's them in my CZ. 2600 fps, 3.580 OAL. I've got VIT 540 and 160, and I haven't even opened them due to the listed load.

Can't help with load data but I feel compelled to compliment on the beautiful rifle and a fantastic pic.

77 grains of H4350 with the 270-gr TSX in my then 375 shot the single smallest three-shot group I've ever shot-.38". Velocity was fairly mild at 2685 fps but it worked perfectly from impala to kudu to zebra. B [img:center]http://[/img]

All good stuff. Thank you!

I have absolutely no idea but that is one beautiful picture!

Can't provide you with additional info on this Jorge shared my load data.

I can however confirm that a 270tsx at 2800 plus is the most deadly and fantastic load you could hope for with easily manageable recoil.

This is the standard load in my loaner rifle which has taken several hundred plains game in Africa and a dozen brown bears in SE Alaska for foreign hunters needing a rifle here.

There is not much this combination can't do. And nothing I know of that does as well at everything.

I now have a 375 Ruger (long story) and am working with the 250-gr TTSX and the 260-gr Nosler Accubond, but I would take what JJH says to the bank.

As I intimated, I took nine plains game with ten shots with the 270-gr TSX. One of those wasn't necessary.

I feel compelled to give the photography credit where it's rightfully due.

This gem of a rifle once belonged to the late Bill Krenz, an all around great guy that I was lucky enough to befriend over on the Kifaru message board. Bill was the publisher/owner of Zebra Publishing (Inside Archery, Bowhunt America, etc.). He was a gentleman to the core and had a wonderful way of discussing all things relating to firearms, archery and hunting in general. He was a gifted writer and as you can plainly see, a heck of a photographer.

Bill had let me put a few rounds down the pipe while we were at the annual Kifaru Rondy/Shootfest in Colorado. I was immediately enamored and subsequently measured all the other 375's I came across against it and found them wanting for one reason or another. Mostly because it wasn't this one.

Sometime after he passed I inquired about what his family intended to do with his collection of firearms, and in particular this very fine Dakota, but his wife Sherry wasn't quite ready to let things go at that time.

Flash forward a year or so....

As luck would have it, I had reached a point of capitulation and juuuuust as I was about to pick up the phone on a Monday morning this last summer and buy a very close twin to this one that I'd seen at the SCI Convention in Reno, I got a call from one of his sons asking me if I wanted to buy this and some other guns in Bill's collection. A few seconds later the deal was done and my search was over.

Now I just need to get across the pond and put it to good use!

Regards,

Allen

Great story, Allen.

And, if that Dakota wasn't already special enough...

DF

RL 15 is my go to powder for everything from 235 to 350gr. Start at about 71 or 72gr and work up. You don't need to go crazy on velocity, anything above 2500fps will work fine.
Have a good safari!

Bushcraft,

If it is still available I would start with IMR4320.

It's nice to hear the name Bill Krenz again. He was indeed a fine fellow. While I can't say I knew him very well, we did correspond occasionally and he was most generous with his time and was a humble man. He was cut from a cloth that seems to be unavailable today.

Baxter

With my Mdl. 70 the 76 grain R15 load proved to be the maximum I could use with all bullets including "stickier" ones like the Kodiak.

You may be able to go higher with the 250 Sierras, TTSX and 260 Nosler but I wanted the same load and POI so kept all at 76gr. Versatility was more important than an extra 50fps.

Not only do all the 250s shoot approximately the same but the 270 and 300s are in the same group if a 1-1.5" group is acceptable. I will take minute of buffalo performance anytime over switching loads and settings and worrying about whats in the chamber.

HA, picking up some good load data for my 375 also, but because of this picture, I had to get the book by Teddy Roosevelt. Not looking for one of those fine guns yet

Bushcraft: I sent you a pM on this a couple of days ago. wondering if you got it.

Same here except 71.5gr. Cloverleafs.