many years ago I saw a nice detailed picture in an add in the back of the shotgun news for this model sako 375 H&H carbine that looked something similar like this,picture posted, but with far darker, almost black walnut wood in the stock,and I decided I (NEEDED IT) badly, the cost was much higher than reason, would suggest be spent, but once a 4x Leopold scope was installed, and it was sighted in, it served very well for many years as my second ELK rifle, loaded with 300 grain hornady bullets, over a stiff charge of WW760 powder (77 grains) and a federal 215 primer, its never failed to kill ELK VERY effectively.
this is probably not a cost effective combo , as the rifles expensive and you need to hand-load to afford the ammo,but its certainly very dependable, and kills ELK like THORS HAMMER in the thick timber at ranges under 200-250 yards, (most of the shots/KILLS Ive had were WELL UNDER THAT RANGE)so IVE always loved hunting with it in the dark timber or snowy days, and the carbines been used as the camp back up some years and its also killed several mule deer.
its 20" barrel makes it really handy in the conifers and aspens but limits the 300 grain bullets to about 2450fps but the ELK don,t seem to see the limitations that poses,Ive had a couple ELK looking at me in thick lodge pole timber and shots to the central chest, or shoulder as they spin to run, seem to do a good job, its just a pleasure to hunt with.
If I remember correctly one of the gun rag writers had a similar carbine in 30/06 sprg. (wooters maybe) and his worked really well also
Mike got invited on an ELK hunt in Montana, a a fiends ranch last year, he had been using a 308 win carbine for the last few years to hunt ELK in Colorado and he had done rather well in that all but one year he had located and shot a legal ELK. he had never expressed any complaints as to his rifles effectiveness. but last year he had sent his rifle out to get a new barrel and trigger installed, and as the date to leave got closer it became obvious that he was not likely to get the rifle back in time to hunt with.
I suggested he borrow one of my ELK rifles and he rather reluctantly selected my 375H&H sako, carbine,

I gave him several dozen cartridges and he sighted in the rifle (really just confirmed it hit where ID set it to hit 3.3" high at 100 yards) with the hornady 270 grain bullets and kept it in case his rifle didn,t show up.
well he took the trip with the sako and got a decent 4x4 elk on the last day of the hunt at a range of about 300 yards, he knew he was sighted dead on at 225 yards so he put the horizontal cross hair on the ELKS spine just behind the front leg and fired figuring the bullet would hit some place in the chest cavity, he was correct! it hit just a bit over the heart or about 9" lower than the cross hairs , but what he said amazed him was he both heard the bullet slap home and saw it kick up dirt beyond the bull, at first he thought he shot low, but the ELK just stood there, took a step and crumbled.

he said hes rarely seen an elk or deer not run once hit with his 308 win.
hes now trying to talk me into selling my 375 H&H carbine, so I guess hes seen and now recognizes the effect of the heavier calibers, I know he was impressed with the pass thru and internal damage

if you want a much lower recoil load..??
Ive used several,HAND LOADS, but NEVER FACTORY LOADS,I doubt youll go wrong with this
72 grains of WW760, 215 primer and 270 ,grain Speer boat tail
its NOT a hot load but its very accurate in my SAKO carbine, and several guys in my elk camp have borrowed that SAKO carbine and killed ELK and wanted to buy the carbine after seeing it did so well in the timber, shots out to about 300 yards have worked great, but I can,t say much further as every ones killed elk under that range.
keep in mind when your throwing a 270 grain bullet at about 2570fps its going to expand but frequently punch clear thru an elks chest
http://www.handloads.org/loaddata/d...;type=Rifle&Order=Powder&Source=

http://www.realguns.com/loads/375.htm

http://www.loaddata.com/members/sea...;header=.37%20Caliber%20Reloading%20Data

how many guys even change rifles for different conditions
the group of guys I hunt with has been very successful basically hunting drainage's as a team effort, one or two guys stationed in likely escape routes and one or two guys still hunting drainage's which effectively makes them move game around.
I know I change rifles depending on what ILL be doing! if IM likely to get longer range shots, sitting watching escape routes I generally use my 340 wby with its 3.5x10X scope and its bi-pod but that rifles far from ideal sneaking thru the aspen or dark timber so I generally swap to the 375 H&H sako above or to my 35 whelen slide action, like I said depends on the terrain and if I intend to be moving and jump shooting and still hunting where ranges tend to be under 150 yards or blocking escape routes, where i might be looking across a canyon at the far slope and need the ability to reach out to 300 yards or longer yardage.
both conditions basically require a different rifle to match conditions, and while I could and have used both types of rifles under less than what might be considered their ideal applications , I feel that each rifle has advantages best used under conditions it functions best at, the 340 is excellent when you can basically play sniper but its not as handy as the whelen slide action or sako carbine sneaking thru tight cover.

heres some actual pictures of the canyons I generally hunt

Outstanding!

I'm late in the game to the .375 H&H. Picked mine up used a couple of years ago. Ruger Number One. Great gun, accurate, easy to carry. Have only taken one bear with it so far. Used a 260 gr Nosler Accubond loaded to 2620 fps, sighted in at 200 yards. Bear was at 306 yards, held about 9" above where I wanted to hit, sent the bullet downrange. Could clearly hear the slap of the bullet, and the bear tumbled down. I was impressed.

I've carried it elk hunting since, but haven't yet taken a shot at elk with it. Looking forward to that day.

Managed to accumulate quite a supply of 260, 270 and 300 gr Noslers, as well as quite a few Hornady bullets in 270 & 300 grains, along with some others. Must have about 900 bullets for the .375 now. I've been very impressed with the accuracy and the surprisingly modest recoil.





Regards, Guy

Modest recoil?

Modest in comparison to what I was expecting perhaps. It really is more like a big push than the sharp whack I've gotten with smaller bore magnums. Heck, I even enjoy shooting it prone from the 300 yard line:

I have used the 375 H&H only one time on an cow elk assist, the load was the old 250 gn Barnes X runnin' 2900 fps from a Browning Belgium Medallion.

Hit her at around 80 yds on a hard quarter as she was rounding a point headed towards a helluva canyon, bullet entered last rib and exited right shoulder, thank God...DRT

Gunner

Of all of the cartridges I have used on elk the 375 if my favorite it just hammers them.

The only elk I've seen shot with a 375 was a cow, the hornady 270 took her at the last rib, quartering away at 219 yds, and exited the off side shoulder. She humped up stood there for a bit then walked off in the middle of the herd, went about 200 yds before she dropped. Not a drop of blood on the outside of the hide. Had she not of stayed in the clear , she may not of been recovered in thick timber as there was no blood trail.

I have shot 5 bull elk with a 375 260gr accubond @ 2850 fps. Only had one go 20 yards and that one was shoot behind the shoulder the rest where high shoulder shots and DRT, all had good exit wounds. No bullets where recovered.

The dude on the right is my pard and his bull fell to the .375..




Mine got the 7x57 treatment....

I forgot to say. Nice bear.

I have, had the 375 Wby on them as well. Heckola, I even had the same Sako full stocked 375 for a short while.

My biggest witch with most 375's is that they're heavier than I prefer to carry.

Dober

If worried about weight, you could build a .375 like this. 7.6 pounds as pictured and balances perfectly. I need to elk hunt this one some time.

340mag,

I moved to Wy. in 1985,and a .375 is the only cal. I've used for all of my big game hunting. Although in '89 I went to a semi-custom .375 AI. I am completely satisfied and would not consider anything else!
My load in my Win.Model 70 is similar to yours, except that I pushed my Win. 760 to 82.0 grains. Super groups, but the load is bordering on "warm"! memtb

I have taken two bulls with a Rem Mountain KS 375. Nice handy rifle I have since traded away (minus the stock ). I used a mild load with the 260 gr Partition at 2650 fps.

A .375 would be perfecto for lots of my elk hunting. Sigh.

I failed to mention in my earlier post, that my wife from a sitting position ran several 300 grainers through my old Win. Model 70 and said the recoil wasn't bad at all. memtb

Damn DMD, yours and mine could be twins!Mine is 8 pounds as we see it there.

"Mine got the 7x57 treatment...."

Ingwe - yours looks like the bigger bull. That can't be. The 7x57 cannot shoot as big an elk as a .375 can. Either you two got mixed up about who shot which bull, OR the .375 simply blew a lot of antler tines off the other fellows bull...

Yes, there's a lot of bull in this post. I'm tired.

Bob and DMD, those are very nice rifles, and perfect for western high country hunting.

Gunner

btw I was shocked and amazed to find the 375 H&H manlicher carbine from sako has a 2 piece stock, what happened was that the recoil caused the front section thats abut 8"-11" long (the joints under the front barrel band) and the metal cap to move forward, I removed the stock, inspected it closely then took a router and cut twin parallel 17/64 grooves about 6" long under the barrel channel, in both the forward and main stock pieces ,then carefully measured and dropped 2 11" long sections of threaded 1/4" steel rod into the grooves and test assembled the stock with a piece of duct tape holding the thread rods in the grooves, when I found it didn,t bind and there was sufficient clearance as I expected I removed the stock,from the action and used bedding compound to epoxy the thread rod in place, and a layer of plastic wrap in the barrel to allow the stock modified with epoxy, to not glue to the barreled action, after reassembly, so the stock stabilizing re-enforcing rods would be cured and hardened in the proper position , once that was hard, (I let it set up two days) I carefully dis-assembled and cleaned up the epoxy and used a dremel tool to clean every trace of epoxy that was close to touching the barrel.
I found the mod helped to give a bit better accuracy and it also prevented the front stock section from moving forward under recoil.
I then went back and gave the rifle action a traditional bedding job with brass pillar bedding and the result of both mods was that the rifle holds about a 1.1" 5 shot group off the bench rest at 100 yards and occasionally a 3/4" 5 shot group

Recoil is relative. A lot of hunters think a 30-06 has pretty good recoil. A .375 has almost twice the recoil of a 30-06. It also has more than a .338 mag.

Anybody who says it's not bad is not the norm. I think most hunters will start flinching in time shooting a .375.

gunner maybe Dober can posta pic for me....I'll send him one.

10-4 Bob, I'll be watchin'

I too have a electrical technological disability

Gunner

My primary is a .338 Win Mag. My plan "B" is a CZ 550 375 H&H zeroed at 300 yards. Currently shooting 270 TSX's at 2600. With Barnes new 250 TTSX, I'd like to get the speed to 2800 or so and make it a 450-500 yard rifle. I'm also kicking around the idea of rechambering it to an AI or Weatherby of some flavor in the 375 caliber. Both rifles wear brakes, so recoil is mitgated. But it is a beast to carry. I will stipulate to that argument. My Mcmillan Outdoorsman in .338 Win Mag is a featherlight compared to the CZ. When I carry the CZ at alitude its in a J107 back pack.

Lee, RL-15 will safely get your 250's to 2900 if you wanna

Gunner

Bob, I had this one built several years ago and loosley based it on the pictures I had seen in print of Mule Deer's .338, which looked to me like a solid hunting rifle. FN commercial action, M70-style safety, Bansner and light 22" barrel.

I took a couple of big Colorado bulls with a .375 H&H using 260 ABs at little over 2,650 fps. One stood around long enough to take a second shot, but he was already dead and just didn't know it.

Now that is an elk rig!

Dober

In the last year or so I've become a very big fan of the 375 H&H. I got a chance to spend an afternoon shooting a friends unscoped Remington 798. Guy is right it is very much a big push and not a sharp kick. I found it much more pleasant to shoot than a lightweight 30-06. I was shooting factory loaded 270gr soft points.

The more I've studied ballistics I've come to the oppinion that for me if I am going to go anywhere over the 30-06 I might as well go 375 H&H. A 260gr Accubond at about 2700fps is not a punisher on the shoulder yet flies very flat out to 300 yds. Say 2" high at 100, zero at 200 and 8 or 9 inchest low at 300. Anybody find those numbers familar? Yup about like an average 3006, 308, 270 and so on big game load. Only difference is that 260gr Accubond will be carring about 2683ftlbs at 300yds that my friends is a HAMMER!

I hope to do a build on a pre 64 or Winnie Classic action for my personal 375 H&H. I'm thinking around 8lbs all up should be sweet. Thinking McMillian stock (mcwoody) 22" barrel and a nice 2x7 or 2.5x8 Leupold Ya that thing has elk gun written all over it!

DMD: I thought it was a M70 from here....FN is good, too!

Yes that's a good formula.Mine is on a pre 64 H&H action and started out with an Atkinson barrel but now has a Krieger 410 SS tube at 24",and a Brown Precision stock.

I had the barrel turned down to a lighter contour. For a big rifle, it is very handy and just lightweight enough.I put ut together back in the mid 80's.It shoots everything good but I mostly feed it 77-RL15- and 250 Sierra or BBC for a bit over 2900 fps.

I took a calf elk with the 270 gr Hornady. Calf was down & dead before I ever recovered from recoil.

I have also used it for deer & antelope. Love the cartridge.

"Felt" recoil is relative.. to a lot of things... Worst head ache I ever got shooting a rifle was a Rem semi auto .270Win. My current .375H&H with 235gr TSX at 2850fps is not uncomfortable at all. And it took it's first Mule Deer this year when I couldn't find an elk...

What do you think the reason the .375 is not bad for felt recoil? It's a big bullet with lots of powder behind it. Do you use slow powders?

I used to own a .458 mag, and the recoil was brutal.

I hunted elk a little with a 375, but I like a lighter rifle these days. For the most part, I will go elk hunting today with my 7mm RM or If I have a mind to my old sako 75 in 338. I like the 375 and at one time I had 4. Elk hunt to your heart contents with one if you like. Seem to me in a Republic such as ours, they choice is yours and yours alone. Thou I been thinking a lot about a 375 Ruger African of late. So many rifles so little time to hunt. Dam the 21 century is fast becoming the pits. Oh and the 375 H+H is turning 100 this year I think. Happy birthday, and mine is on the first of Feb.

I have a Whitworth express that has been re-stocked with a full length mannlicher style stock and has two magna-ports cut in the top of the barrel. It also has a good quality recoil pad on it. It is quite comfortable to shoot. My hunting pard borrowed it to kill his first elk and was so impressed that he went right out and bought a Winchester Safari Express. After shooting the Winchester a few times he decided the recoil was too much and he sold it. We went out to the range and ran about 30 to 40 rounds through my rifle and it didn't bother him. He has been trying to get me to sell him my 375 for a couple of years now. I promised him that if I decide to sell he will have first crack at it, but I also told him not to hold his breath.

Bart

WyoJoe: me, too!

Disclaimer: Only my opinion. No scientific research on my part:

For me, it is about having a good stock fit. Both .375's I have owned have "fit me" well. The .270Win mentioned above, did not, it slapped my cheek bone every time I pulled the trigger. 9 rounds was the max I could do with it in a day. My 9lb Sako sporter in .375 I could go 20 rounds in an afternoon before it became uncomfortable. My current custom .375 weighs in at 11 lbs (target was 10lbs, missed) I could shoot all afternoon as long as I take time not to let the barrel get hot.

A good scope with plenty of eye relief (4" to 5")so the shooter does not worry about "scope bite" is very important. Getting the scope down low on the rifle so the shooter can keep their head/cheek down on the stock and still maintain good sight picture. A good recoil pad.

Plenty of practice. With smaller rifles to get good form. With the rifle in question to become accustomed to that rifle. Start off with hand loads if necessary, work up to the full power stuff.

During practice, take a page from the guys who sight in the factory TRUE HEAVY rifles (460's, 470's, 500's) for a living. Do your sighting in from a standing rested position. I do not have a factory set up for a standing rest. But, a 5 foot diameter round bale of hay works pretty well for me. With a solid round bale to lean against and rest my arms on, and with a sling wrapped around my forearm, I have printed multiple 2" groups at 292 yards with my .375. Not benchrest accuracy. But definitely Minute Of Elk, and probably more realistic than shooting from a bench. After sighting in from the top of the bale, walk around the front and practice from the sitting position leaning back against the bale. And then short range off hand practice.

One of the interesting things that I learned from shooting off the top of the round bale was that I tended to wrap my fingers too far around the fore end of the stock. Even tho I have small hands, my finger tips were occasionally touching/pressing against the barrel. Even with a .375 bullet, and a #5 barrel, and a very solid HS Precision stock, my finger tips touching the barrel would pull the shot. One of my mental preparation things now is to ensure my fingers are on the stock, not on the barrel.

Just my $0.02. YMMV....

Here's a 375 H&H bull. It may be a bit overkill but it generally does way less meat damage than more modest rounds (IME) and the recoil, like others have said, is not what most make it out to be.

I do, often.

My brother was trained as a navy sniper and he liked shooting his Interarms Mark X .375 better than he liked his Savage 110 Police Tactical in 7mm mag. Said the recoil didn't bother him as bad. Some of the difference could of been in the stocks.

That is B.S.!!!

It was a Savage .270 and you know it!




Johnny $

Yes , Ive used the .375 H&H, I LIKED IT, BUT THEN i USED A .416 rIGBY ON AN ELK IN Alberta back in about '78. It was impressive as well

I have that exact rifle shown in your photo!!! Chambered in .375 H&H. I use the Hornady 270 Interlock loaded to 2550 fps in that short barrel. I don't know how much it's worth, a freind gave it to me for reloading and casting I did for him. I haven't shot an elk with it yet but have with a Model 70 Win. in that cal. and load. Of several elk killed with the .375 one was killed at 388 yards and another at 395 ( both lazered ). Both one shot kills. My Sako wears an old 3x Leopold scope and shoots MOA at 100 yds. Recoil is tolerable. Did shoot a big Muley buck with the Sako, at a barrel stretching 35 to 40 yds. My uncle I hunt with uses the .375 for everything. Has probly taken 13 to 14 bulls with it, and has no complaints. Of the 45 elk I've taken most were killed with a .308 Win. or a .30-06, bout half a dozen with a .45-70. In our loose knit group of hunters we are the only ones using the .375. Most use the .300 Win. Nice seeing your photo I thought I was the only guy who had a Sako like that!!!

I'm kicking around the idea of rechambering my CZ 550 375 H&H to 375 Weatherby. I need a 500 yard rifle where I hunt. I can't seem to get the speed I want, or the accuracy out of the Barnes 250 TTSX. Rifle simply hates the 260 Accubond. Although it loves the 270 TSX at 2600 fps. My dilema is that I don't know if the TSX has the speed to open up at 400 yards. Has anyone done the conversion using the factory barrel with the CZ?(Sorry for the hijack OP)

I hunted last year partially with a 375 H&H but never got to pull the trigger when I had it in hand..I to am totally surprised at the lack of recoil my Mod 70 puts out..260 grain Noslers at 2700 fps is nuttin,recoil wise.I really expected more...

Jayco

I found this picture posted on line its a virtual clone of my sako carbine except my stock woods far darker almost a dark chocolate

You guys are tempting me, but I don't need a .375.

Really! I don't need one.

Then again.......

I like the old style Sako ringmounts shown in that picture.

I have a pair on my Sako .375 H&H, and they are so low the only scope I have that will fit is my old Leupold 3x. This gets the scope really low -- great cheek weld!

I also have a Zeiss 3-9x scope for the rifle as well, but this one requires the old style Sako rings in medium (which are still lower than almost any ring made for Sako's today).

John

Beautiful rifle!

I hunted elk with my CZ 550 375 one year.

After a long day of hiking I got back to camp the same time as my Dad. While we were talking about what we had seen he handed me his rifle so he could take off his pack. He used then (and still uses now) a plain jane Rem 700 BDL 30-06. It felt like a 5wt flyrod compared to the sledgehammer like weight of the CZ!

I never hunted with it again, and is now one of the many rifles I've sold and now regret...

I was shooting the 260 AB's, and like many have said recoil was a big push, not like the sharp jab of my 300 RUM. The CZ is a heavy rifle, I've never shot a 7.5 lb 375, but I would suspect it's not boring

That's why I sold my 12 lb Hawken. At the end of the day I felt like I was carrying a cannon.

KCBighorn:

I also used to have a CZ in .375 H&H but I found it too heavy, just as you did.

My current Sako .375 H&H is 7lbs 7oz with an old Leupold 3x scope. Much better!

I have a McMillan stock on the Sako, and felt recoil is not that bad. Even so, about 5 full-house shots prone in rapid fire is about all I want at one setting.

John

I have hunted elk with my Ruger #1 .375 but never got a shot at one. Do I need a .375 for elk? Hell no, I've hunted elk more with a 30-30 and .308 than I have with the .375 and would again in a second without hesitation. However, I bought the .375 just because I have always wanted one, don't have a good reason other than that. I figured it was in the safe not getting much use so took it elk and deer hunting.

About the recoil, like everyone else has said, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. My .300 Win Mag has worse recoil and the worst rifle I have ever shot was my grandfather's Win model 88 .308, that thing smacked me in the face with every shot until I got a bruise.

If you want to hunt with one, more power to you, do you need it? Like I said, hell no but why not.

mnimrod45

At elk camp in WA all the locals have 375 Weatherby mags, they love them, and those guys are some elk killing machines.

I carry a 300 Weatherby, or a 358 Win, or my 416 Rigby, and next year my 338 RCM will get the nod.

But, in my heart I know I need a 375 someday.