New Elk Rifle

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It's baloney to holler about the 375 H&H being "too much" for elk.
So what, smaller fast bores are popular now, but if you like the old H&H, go for it.
I've often thought if I ever ran across another nice one I could afford I'd get it.
I got a chance now to get a nice 35 Whelen for a good price I'm thinking about.
Lot of guys will roll their eyes at that one too.
 
Hey, it's a classic rifle (and a very nice example too), in a classic caliber. Nothing at all wrong with that.

And nothing says you might not get a chance to use it elsewhere later, on something that it's "more suited for" than mere elk. :D
 
Too funny. :D

I took a .375 to Africa and killed everything from Cape Buffalo to a duck with it. Funny how neither the duck nor the 100 lb. impala we shot for camp meat "blew up".

I now have the stainless version of your rifle with the 2.5x8 scope sitting in the safe. :cool:
 
Very nice rifle and choice Robert. Don't let them get you down. I have heard, read, and saw with my own eye's people getting a shot of a lifetime at deer, elk, in brushy cover just to have it deflected or slowed down enough they never found their animal. That's why I hunt deer with a 338 mag because when that shot of a lifetime come's for me, i don't want to have to worry about a sappling. My first deer i shot, I was using a Nosler Partition 250 gr. Went thru the heart and you could hardly find the exit hole. Just my 2 cent's
 
Beautiful rifle. Only too much gun if the guy behind the trigger can't hadle it properly. Does not appear to be the situation here.

Robert- What load(s) you plan on using?
 
Right now I have a box of 260gr Nosler Accubonds that I am going to try out. Other than that I am just reading all I can and talking to a few hunters I know and trust to see what works. I honestly have not settled on anything as of yet.
 
My brother hunts elk with a .243 because he's a dead-eye. Dad uses .30-06 because he's less so.

.375 is completely legitimate. Anything that gets you a solid kill is a-okay :)

Cool new rifle!
 
I would love a bigger bore rifle. A 3/8 in bore would allow a good size bullet and velocity providing plenty of power with out the sharp blast of magnums.
I am not a recoil junkie but I really dislike high pressure blast.
 
I don't think, in fact I know, that a 375 or a 338 mag for that matter, is needed for elk. However, I don't understand people acting like it is a ridiculous choice either. I totally understand the desire to get one just to have one. There is nothing wrong with that, and congratulations on finally making it happen. There is also nothing wrong with finding a uses for a neat new toy, even if you could do it with something else.
 
Beautiful rifle, and great round for elk, Robert. If you reload, you'll have one of the most versatile cartridge choices in the world. Push it hot with 380 gr. Rino's for anything to and including Cape Buffalo; load round ball with a low charge of powder for plinking and small game. You've got one of the flattest shooting, hardest hitting mid-bores in the world. Recoil is on par with many 30'06s I've shot. This is a lovely gun, and one you can have absolute confidence in if you do need to take that quartered away second shot through the aspens.
 
Recoil has never been an issue for me.
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As you know Robert a .375H&H in a proper rifle has less felt recoil than most .300 Mags I've played with and WAY less than many of these under weight .338's running around. There is just something about the .375H&H that makes folks go plum crazy. I think it was Capstick and his glowing support for the round in Africa. the .375H&H puts out about the same energy as a .338 WM but does it with a heavier bullet of larger diameter.

So in the American psych a .338 is a GREAT elk and general purpose round But a .375H&H is a cannon...Really? The .375 is exactly .037" larger in diameter it shoots a bullet that is on average between the same and 50 grs heavier and puts out just at 4,000 Ft lbs just like a .338. I just don't understand why a rifle with such miniscule gains over many commonly used North American rifles is considered such a fire breather. In the realm of African dangerous game rifles the .375H&H is a pop gun. Heck there are many many far more powerful rifles being used by North American hunters today and their mention doesn't even get a second look. From an FPE standpoint They include the Most of the big .300 mags all of the souped up .338's the 8 mag the big STA rounds and plenty of others. Mention those and guys will say wow cool round! mention the .375H&H and invariably you'll get a comment along the lines of "OMG that's WAY to much gun."

I guess it's about perception when folks hear .375H&H they immediately think Africa and charging buffalo and elephants oh my!
 
MCgunner said:
Nice rifle. You can use too little, but unless you can't handle it, you can never use use too much. 6.5 is minimal for elk IMHO. It's a good gun for girls. :neener:

J/K Don't shoot me. :D
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Don't say that in front of the quarter bore guys, you will have a fight on your hands :D most of them swear a 25-06 120gr Partition will take anything that walks North America, they might be right, but I for one am too chicken to try and find out LOL
H&H if it makes you feel any better I think the 338 WM is a bit of an overkill too, not a drastic overkill but a bit on the heavy side, like deer hunting with a 30-06, you simply don't need that much if you can place a bullet properly. Nothing against the 375 though, if I ever get a chance hunt Alaska that is my first choice.
 
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Don't say that in front of the quarter bore guys, you will have a fight on your hands most of them swear a 25-06 120gr Partition will take anything that walks North America, they might be right, but I for one am too chicken to try and find out LOL
H&H if it makes you feel any better I think the 338 WM is a bit of an overkill too, not a drastic overkill but a bit on the heavy side, like deer hunting with a 30-06, you simply don't need that much if you can place a bullet properly. Nothing against the 375 though, if I ever get a chance hunt Alaska that is my first choice.
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Hell, one of my favorite rifles is my old .257 Roberts. :D Just kidding. But, I did buy a 7 mag when I thought I was going to get to go elk hunting. Still have it, don't shoot it much. My .308 and my .257 are good for anything in Texas, though I've been on a black powder binge, lately.

I handload everything I shoot. On my "budget", if you can call it that, that would be necessary if I had a .375 and wanted to shoot it much.
 
H&H if it makes you feel any better I think the 338 WM is a bit of an overkill too, not a drastic overkill but a bit on the heavy side, like deer hunting with a 30-06, you simply don't need that much if you can place a bullet properly.
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It doesn't really matter what you're shooting if you can't place your bullets properly. A .257 through the gut and a .500 Jeffery through the gut have exactly the same effect.

What you can't do with a quarter bore on elk is take the shots that you can with a heavier projectile. Like hard quartering shots, you've got to be a lot more picky on your shot presentation.

You basically can not hunt elk the way I do with a .270 or some other light weight. That is drifting heavy timber and busting them out at close range. To kill elk effectively with a lighter round you need a bit more cooperation from the elk.
 
^ Well for off angle shots the key is penetration not energy, caliber, or macho factor. A 150gr controlled expansion 270 win will penetrate deeper then most people would imagine, and the lowly 6.5x55 with it's 160gr javelins will drive deep enough for moose hunting and even Polor bear defense, at leased the Sweeds think so. We do know that same little pill will easily pass through the frontal skull of a mature bull elephant as will an FMJ 220gr 30-06. I would wager that some of my 6.5mm and .30 cal bullets would compete against some of the 225gr 338 cals for total penetration
 
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Well for off angle shots the key is penetration not energy, caliber, or macho factor.
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And the .375H&H is one of the worlds most renowned penetrators. No macho factor expressed or implied. I've killed elk with the .270 win, .270 Weatherby, .30-06. .300 WM, .300 Weatherby, I think I've killed one or two with a .338 if not I've seen em killed with them and I've killed a pile of them with a .375H&H. I've seen them killed with lots of other stuff including a .243 and one winter I culled some with a .223 rifle but it wasn't hunting just shooting them out of a hay field on depredation permit.

For timber cruising I prefer the .375H&H and take shots with it that I wouldn't even think of taking with a .270 or even an 06. Comfort factor with the rifle is a huge part of that also total and complete confidence in it's ability to get a pill to the goods from any angle. The way I have mine set up it's the fastest, smoothest handling bolt gun I've ever played with. And it's way capable of making those 300 yard + shots too so it's what I like to hunt elk with. If I had a .35 Whelen set up like it I'd have no hesitation using it either.

If you want to hunt them with any legal arm I have no issue with that. The main thing is that you have confidence in your rifle and load and only take those shots you are sure of.
 
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H&Hhunter said:
And the .375H&H is one of the worlds most renowned penetrators. No macho factor expressed or implied.
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Agreed, no magic mojo or macho BS to it, the 375 was just designed to penetrate very deep at a reasonable level of power/recoil. 9.3x64 is another REALLY good one along the same line as the 375 but they never really caught on in the States probably due to it's metric name.
 
Robert said:
Rifle is a Winchester M70 Safari Express in 375H&H. I have a Leupold 2.5-8x36 VX3 scope with the B&C reticle waiting to go on. I can not wait.
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Winchester factory made one of the best out of the box nasty beast rifles. Nice sample elkphant rifle.
 
Robert, you are on the right track with those accubonds.

Just because you don't want to use solids on Elk, doesn't mean you can't have any though. :evil:

Still jealous.....
 
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