.375 H&H mag for "long range communication?"

[progunner1957]

Through a convoluted process, I have come to own a Ruger #1 Tropical in .375 H&H magnum caliber. I am thinking of putting a BIG scope and Harris bipod on it for use as a... "long distance communication device."

I have thought about getting a bolt-action .30-06 for this application, yet I think the .375 H&H caliber can be useful in this role. At 600 yards, the .375 H&H is going to hit much harder than the .30-06; there's no denying that.

The #1 Tropical is not as bad in the recoil department as you might think - it is on par with a 12ga. Remington 870. Not something you would want to put 200 rounds through from a bench rest, but not like being hit by a train (although a good wearable recoil pad is a good thing).

So - what are your thoughts about this? Am I on the right track or am I just plain nuts?

 

[slopemeno]

How is the accuracy of your #1? Some people complain about the accuracy, but I'd jump at the chance to pick up a clean Tropical in .458.

 

[Jim Watson]

Hey, you've got the rifle, why not give it a try?
It has long been said that the .375 H&H had the same trajectory with a 250 gr bullet as a .30-06 does with a 180. Will it hold the accuracy? No way to know but by pulling the trigger.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The .375 H&H is not a long range cartridge. It has a considerable arc to it's trajectory. 250 grain pills are leaving at around 2,750 FPS and 300 grainers a bit over 2,500 FPS. The 300 grain slugs will have a similar B.C. to a 200 grain .308" bullet of similar design. Running a 270 grain pill and sighted at 200 yards, the .375 H&H will require about 30" of holdover at 400 yards. Somewhere in the 80" arena at 600. Good luck. The .375 H&H was designed for dangerous game at close to moderate range and is quite effective in such parameters. But for long range work, you'd be much happier with a .300 win mag or .300 RUM (or even .338 Lapua).

For your #1, I would go for a relatively low powered scope with a large field of view, like a Leupold 2-7x or similar. And FWIW, the Ruger #1 (while a superb firearm) is not noted for out-of-the-box accuracy.

 

[Gordon]

The Sierra 300 grain Boat tail CAN be launched at 2650 from a gun like yours and shoots like a 180 grain .308 out to 1000 yards. A more realistic range is 600 yards, for that range the Barnes 250 grain x bullet or a Scencar bullet launched at 2800 fps hits HARD and Flat if sighted dead on at 250 yards or so. A good 3-9 scope is all you need !A 4-12 is OK if you don't want to use the rifle up close.A scope with a Balistic Plex reticule will EASILY solve problems to 600 yards and ANYTHING you hit well is gonna be in a world of hurt! I shoot my .375s at 600 yard metal targets and they hit about twice as hard as a .308 win does!

 

[Gordon]

whoops!

 

[Gordon]

T

 

[rick_reno]

I don't know if the bullet will still be stable at 600 yds - try it and let us know.

 

[rockstar.esq]

Well, they'll hear you booming either way!

 

[Crosshair]

Depending on how you load it, the 375 H&H can be a good long range round. The arc of the bullet flight becomes an issue with any bullet past 500 yards anyway and the larger .375 bullet means better terminal effects even if the bullet does not expand.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Wow!! Now I know that my little .223 Remington tossing 80gr bullets at 2600-fps is not adequate for shooting at paper at long range. I need at least a .300 Magnum with a minimum of 3000-fps muzzle velocity. Glad to know this so I can stop embarassing myself at 600 yards.

I say load up that .375 and give it a shot. Find a bullet with reasonable BC, know your speed, drop and drift and you should be fine. And it should ring reactive targets with great authority. Recoil on the other hand might get a bit old after a few rounds. Most of the long-range guys I know shoot with 6.5-08s, a few .284s, an odd .30-338 and various .308s. But we're only trying to put holes in the X-ring.

 

[Onmilo]

.375 is superbly accurate to 300 meters.
Past that accuracy begins to wander and the bullet begins to drop energy levels pretty fast.
Most good .375 bullets are flat base in design and this does not contribute to long range accuracy or energy retention.
But it does allow for long barrel life.

For long range the .300 Winchester Magnum and the good old 7.62X51 still hold most of the cards.

The .300 Winchester will beat most cartridges in retained energy at 600 to 1000 meters, and do so with a bullet capable of remaining sub minute of angle in accuracy.

The drawback are the specialized boattail bullets that are needed to maintain accurate bullet placement at long ranges but also allow a greater and faster degree of barrel erosion to occur verses plain base bullet designs.

In the trade off department you can't have one without the other and the 7.62X51/.308 and the ..300 Winchester offer the best accuracy, retained energy and long barrel life.

The .30/.338 offer some advantage but the barrel life, specifically throat erosion, occurs much faster than in the .300 Winchester which in turn reduces accuracy levels dramatically past 600 meters in a much shorter string of recorded firings than is seen in the .300 Winchester.

 

[Jim Watson]

Yeah, yeah, we know all that, but he's GOT the .375 so why not try it out?
He needs some excuse, there aren't that many buffalo in the garden.

 

[Onmilo]

Fact is Jim,
I have been looking for one of those Interarms 'Whitworth', Yugoslavian made Mausers in .375 Magnum for a few years now.
I have absolutely no use for a .375, but I want one of these!

 

[thatguy]

I don't think the .375 is practical for long-range accuracy. The bullet lacks the ballistic coefficient (length compared to diameter) to really carry well.

Look at the bullets used for long-range shooting, like the 220 grain .308 boat-tail design. Looks like a javelin, it's so long and pointy at both ends. A 300 grain .375 looks stubby by comparison. You would need something like a 450 grain slug to equal the .308's BC and such bullets simply aren't available. And the recoil on such a load would be brutal.

The .375 H&H is a great cartridge but your proposal is way out of step with the caliber's intended purpose. It's designed for hunting large and dangerous game out to medium ranges. It's not a target rifle. If you really want maximum performance from a long-range rifle the best choice is a .30 caliber rig.

 

[Crosshair]

Speer makes a Spitzer BTSP 270 grains and has a BC of .429. Not the best, but it will still hold energy well.

 

[shane justice]

There are a lot of really good rounds...that shouldn't be...at distance...

THe Old BP rounds...look like Lead Humming Bees...but dang they can shoot all the way out there....

The 375 maybe don't look so good ...out of the muzzle....or down range...


I remeber somebody named Plaster writing about the 375 as a long range target interdiction tool....I think that's where they started to develop the Lapua round...

...and our country's history is just full of stories about folks with shooters that weren't no good...doing some pretty incredible stuff...

Point being...the man sometimes makes the rig...one of my favorite scenes in any movie...Lonesome Dove...Gus cranks up the site on his 44-40...and dusts the bad guy doing a chicken dance...

If you got a 375...don't let nobody nay say whatcha can and cannot do...shoot hell out of it...find out....

I bet with some work...and some tweaking...you can do the long distance thing with the 375...don't think...if you hit it won't be enough...

Shane

 

[Meplat]

Through a convoluted process, I have come to own a Ruger #1 Tropical in .375 H&H magnum caliber. I am thinking of putting a BIG scope and Harris bipod on it for use as a... "long distance communication device."

I have thought about getting a bolt-action .30-06 for this application, yet I think the .375 H&H caliber can be useful in this role. At 600 yards, the .375 H&H is going to hit much harder than the .30-06; there's no denying that.

I can. Got a Ruger No. 1 Tropical in the .375 caliber, and love it. BUT, at 600 yards, due to its low ballistic coeffecient, the 270 grain loading only retains 1271 fpe. The '06 will be carrying about 1182 fpe with a max. load and a good 165 gr. boat tail. 7.1% ain't much harder. What do you get for your 7.1% increase in energy? What you get is 25" more drop, assuming a 200 yard zero. (66" for the '06, 91" for the .375) That is a LOT of drop. Sooo....you're trading 7.1% energy gain for a 28% increase in bullet drop. I ain't tryin' to dissuade you from the No. 1, or the .375 - like I said, I love mine. There ARE better long range rigs, though.

[/Quote]So - what are your thoughts about this? Am I on the right track or am I just plain nuts?[/QUOTE]

Well, my wife said I was when that Ruger followed me home, but not all firearms have to be utitlitarian only. And as I've said elsewhere before, load her up with the 235 gr. Speers, go out and poke Bambi one. Like cracking pecans with a sledgehammer...fun as long as no one sees you doin' it.

 

[Meplat]

How is the accuracy of your #1? Some people complain about the accuracy, but I'd jump at the chance to pick up a clean Tropical in .458.

Accuracy in mine (.375 H&H) is VERY good out to around 300 yards. I was fortunate enough to have bought my first No. 1 used from someone who already knew about tapping the forearm hanger and installing a long set screw. If there is anything that needs doing to a No. 1, this is it.

 

[slopemeno]

I missed a chance at .458 tropical #1 and and I want one. A friend of mine had a video of him shooting a 9" steel plate with his and the plate flew.