Ohio has new regs allowing Pistol Cartridge Rifles (PCR) for deer hunting. Here's the list:



I'm particularly interested in the .375 Win. It seems like it could be made into a reasonable whitetail rig. Before I go looking for one, I'd like to hear what y'all had to say about it.

I'd rather a 444 or 45/70. Mo better bullets to play with for said cartridges and brass is MUCH easier to find.

I have a 375 H&H magnum that I download to duplicate 375 Win ballistics.
I use a 200 gr. SIERRA FN @2200fps and it is a hammer on deer.

As I recall, the 375 Winchester is basically just a 38-55 except with a 375 caliber bullet rather than a 378 caliber bullet. The 375 Winchester has a bit shorter case too than the old 38-55. I suppose they loaded it up a bit hotter too for modern rifles. It'll kill a deer.

Slightly off topic but you have to wonder who makes those lists up. A rifle in .41 Long Colt? .45 Smith & Wesson??? And who decided it was a good idea to hunt deer with a .38 Special? Just sayin'....

Yep, and I cannot recall seeing any pistols in 50/110 lately....

Of the bunch, the 375 Win probably will be the flattest shooting, but if you buy such a rifle then look hard for the ammo, brass, dies etc and STOCK UP. That one is headed for obsloesence, fast.

One in a pre safety XTR Angle eject model '94 or a Marlin XR336 would be an awfully pretty, fast handling honest 200 yard deerblaster. Either are easily scoped if the rules allow for a scope. That is the pair of rifles I would be looking for, but not many around.

I don't mind, and I will attempt an answer.

See way back Ohio started letting folks use pistol. They gave out a list of what was acceptable. I seem to remember some goofy ones on that list too.

So first there is an argument for rifles that fire that list of pistol cartridges, then another argument going the other way, i.e. "if you allow it in a pistol, then you should allow it in a rifle."

At least that's the way I see it. Some of them like the ones you mentioned are seriously goofy. I wonder if the guys who drafted the list didn't just go to their own gun safes.

I've a bolt rifle in 375 win. Shot a handful of deer with it with factory 200 grain ammo. Personally I really like the round, low recoil, certainly did the job on deer I asked of it. Components are tough to find though, and factory ammo is $$$$ when you can find it.

.375 Win is essentially a very much higher pressure version of the .38-55. The case is a fraction shorter, just the opposite of the relationship between most "special" and "magnum" revolver cartridges. The only reason I can think of is that perhaps it'd feed a little better with the existing bullets in the Winchester 94. That's a guess, though. I've made .375 Win cases from .38-55 but I do not load maximum loads in them.

.375 Win brass is hard to find. Hornady's 220 grain flat point behaves very well. It is hard to get a max load of RL7 in the case even with a drop tube but it shoots pretty well, around 1.5 MOA with iron sights in the '94 Big Bore I had.

I've got a few of them and I love the cartridge. This is the only one I shoot.

Just a note for your reference. If you do go ahead with the 375 Winchester, you should know that you can easily make 375 Winchester brass from 30-30 brass. Run 30-30 over the 375 sizing dieand shoot a 375 bullet in it as is. Simple ! Good luck!

Now...........to find.375 FP bullets.............

Hornady was making a really nice 220 grainer...


" temporarily suspended" on their website...damn!

Hawk would have the bullets, in a couple of different jacket thicknesses, if one can't find the Hornady flat points.

http://www.hawkbullets.com/Pricelist.htm

They also have .377 dia bullets, for the .38-55. There were Contender pistols chambered for the .375, and probably carbines, too. I could expect a Contender or Encore carbine barrel could be had from the custom makers, like Bullberry or MGM.

There's so much variety on that list I think it's more a matter of what gun you find, that suits you. All of them could work - other than I can't ever recall anyone doing a +P .41 Long Colt

375 jones

I happen to have 5 boxes of the 220 grain Hornady flat points and nothing to shoot them in anymore. Shipping anything gun related outbound is something of a challenge here.

444 Marlin or 45-70 and quit with all the fuss.

The 375 Win is a nice deer hammer and in a Marlin it will carry like a 30-30.The Marlin 444 and 45-70 are heavier in the barrel and if carried all day you would without doubt notice the difference.The 375 brass can be made from 30-30 or 38-55 but be aware the brass is 20% thinner than 375 brass.The 375 runs at much higher pressure if loaded to its potential.I have also used Winny brand 38-55 brass at full length and cast bullets in my Marlin with great results.Bullets are the tough component to find at the moment as the two most common suppliers have cut production to catch up on more common bullets.Hawk does make the bullets also.I use the Hornady 220 must often.I have many of the calibers the OP listed,but the 375 is a favorite.Not sure I would hunt with the 50-100 as it takes two men and a boy to carry it.

The 375 WIN in a 94 is nimble, powerful, and capable. Further, the Big Bore 94s were the best made since the pre-'64s.
Components are available if you search a bit. Barnes offers a traditional flat nose, Hawk is a perennial favorite, and Winchester offers factory ammo with the 200 grain bullet. In my humble experience that 200 grainer shoots flat and penetrates well-all you need for Deer. Lets' not forget Sierra, who offers a 200 grain that is also excellent.
I only know of Winchester offering brass, but it is not impossible to find if you have some patience and are willing to investigate leads.
Dies are available from Lee and RCBS, Lyman offers a pilot for case trimming, but most cases are below max length, even after several firings, so its not critical.
The 38-55 was the inspiration for the 375, but the cartridges are not interchangeable. I know there are some nutjobs who used 38-55 brass trimmed down to stuff in even more propellant, but these are the kind of guys who jump off cliffs without parachutes. You will get all the velocity you will ever need from standard 375 brass following guidelines in the Hodgdon, Alliant, and Barnes manuals.
Some years ago, John Taffin penned an article on some of his loads with the 375 for guns magazine. Its a worthwhile read, if you ignore the whining about recoil.
All in all, the 375 is so much better a woods cartridge than the 30-30 that it is notable, and I write this with a fondness for the ol' 30 WCF.
If you do decide to go with the 375, and if you have some tenacity to get the tools and components and intellectual material you need, you will end up with a rig that gets the job done, and its harder to say anything better than that.

Looks like my NIB Big Bore may be back on the market as the buyer couldn't find ammo and backed out. Like has been said, not hard to find if you look. Probably easier than 22LR!

For sale thread.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9443956/1

Here's a Marlin .375, an uncommon rifle:

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/marlin-firearms-375-375-win-r16677/#.VJuJDcMBM

Sierra still making the 200gr fp? I had better luck getting it to shoot than the Hornady.

The 200 grain Sierra is suspended for the moment....talking to Sierra CS they were not sure when they were going to resume - the were "hoping" for spring so maybe by next year at this time!?

PennDog

I wouldn't want anything but cast bullets if I had one. Seems like that's where it would shine too me.

Mike

I have just been through this for Iowa's reg's. Must be in a handgun configuration -- no shoulder stock -- with a minimum of 4" length but no limit on length. I am building a T/C Encore with an 18" barrel in 444 a Marlin.
I considered the 375 Win, the 357 Max, etc., but in the end the pragmatist in me took over as finding brass and appropriate bullets in those two is problematic at best. The 444 on the other hand has two bullet weights with pointy tips with the heavier, a 265-grain a Leverevolution bullet actually having a BC of .225. This is easily capable of select 250-yard shots.
Anyway, that's the direction I went.

I had one in a 94XTR and it was downright unpleasant to shoot. I shoot 375 H&H that is not as uncomfortable as that Winchester was. I sold it. Savage might be nice or a Marlin.

If you don't mind cast bullets, the Cast Performance gas checked bullets can be real tack drivers

I have a 375 JDJ which is differient from the 375 Win. The 375 JDJ is a 444 Marlin case necked down to 375. I am shooting a 225 Hornaday its mild to shoot and accurate. Shooting this out of a TC Contender so the gun is light and an easy carry.

Yup!

I've played the hard to find brass and bullet game even before the current the shortages and have absolutely no desire to handicap myself more than needed.

While I generally favor the 45-70, for a strictly deer rifle I think I'd lean towards the triple 4, especially with so many excellent 44 mag bullet choices and cast bullet choices.