.375 Holland & Holland Centenary Edition

[BarryinIN]

It's the 100th anniversary of the .375 H&H Magnum cartridge.

I love this round. I have no good reason to ever look at one, but I like it anyway. It's powerful, it's accurate, it's easy to load, and I even think it's a pretty cartridge.

It may not be the most powerful cartridge on earth, but it's got a lot of horsepower. It's killed the biggest beasties on earth. It's often listed as the minimum legal cartridge for African game, and some think it's too light. Jeff Cooper had little use for it, as did Elmer Kieth and Charles Askins. Others loved it, especially guides. Professional hunters/guides like Peter Hathaway Capstick and Finn Aagaard found clients using .375s often shot better than those using the biggest rifle they could afford because they had practiced with them. John "Pondoro" Taylor said there was no better penetrator.

Original ballistics were a 300 grain bullet at 2550 fps, and a 270 at 2750. Current loads push that a little higher, to as much as 2645 with a 300.

It has a pretty flat trajectory too, along the lines of a 30-06/180 out to 300-400 yards anyway.

The cartridge has a reputation for accuracy. I've owned two .375 H&Hs, a Sako and a Winchester, and they were both accurate rifles. A friend shot my Sako, liked it, bought a Ruger #1H .375 H&H and it shoots like crazy too. I traded off the Winchester because owning two .375s in IN is hard for even me to justify, and while the heavier Winchester soaked up recoil and was easily prettier, the Sako is more accurate. The Sako TRG-S is one ugly rifle, but shoots very well. I traded off that Sako once, and went crazy until I got it back, just because of how well it shoots.

I don't shoot it by the bucketful, but have tinkered some with loading. It does well with just about any common rifle powder from the medium to slow burning range. It seems to give the best balance of velocity and accuracy with IMR 4350 in my Sako. The 270 grain bullet always felt like it recoiled harder than the 300 to me (faster recoil velocity I guess) so 300s are mostly what I've shot. The Hornady seems to be what I use most, in soft nose and FMJ. Speer makes a light 235 that shoots like crazy and makes some pretty high velocity figures if you want. I seriously would have no problem using the 235s on deer. I have one cast bullet mould for the .375, a Saeco #373 that makes a 265 grain bullet and it shoots those nicely with AA 5744. I'd call it a mild practice load, but it still bounces me around some so it's hard to say that.

And about that recoil. I hate recoil and readily admit it. I had a 7mm Mag I hated shooting. But the .375, while dishing out plenty, I can take. If you can shoot a .30-06, it's not that big a step to the .375 H&H. It's a little more than stiff loads through a Marlin 45-70. My Sako carbine is really too light at 7.5 pounds, but in guns of around 9 lbs, it's not too bad. Maybe compared to that 7mm, the .375 is easier for me to put up with because I know it delivers more at the muzzle. I can shoot bigger, but the .375 is about my practical limit to shoot well. And that's pretty much a summary of it's reputation in Africa- It's about the most gun people can shoot well.

The case is long and has a gentle taper with a gradual shoulder. It makes a nice looking case to me, but on the practical side, that long slender case lets it feed easily. I'd rather have a case shaped like that for dangerous game than a short wide sharp-shouldered case that's so popular now.

Why am I bringing this up?

Because I thought you'd want to know that Holland and Holland is making a Centenary Edition rifle. It's a Mauser-style bolt action with all the bells and whistles, without being too gaudy.

And they're only making 25, so I thought you'd want to get your names on the list.

http://www.hollandandholland.com/intro_cent.php

Price? They will tell you "On Application", which I think is the gentlemanly way of saying "If you have to ask...".

[G-MAN]

Look at the drop at the comb. I wouldn't want to shoot a 375 H&H with that stock configuration. Punishing!

[BarryinIN]

Oh, I think H&H would stock it however you would like.

[Pablo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.375_Holland_%26_Holland_Magnum

[BarryinIN]

As you can see from that picture, the .375 H&H requires a longer action than most cartridges. That looks like a .300 Win Mag next to it, which is in the 3.4" OAL range as is the rest of the Win Mag family like the .458 Win Mag, which were all designed to run through a .30-06-length action. The .375 is in the 3.6" range.

While most companies make actions that will handle it, I bet most of them would rather the .375 H&H had never been invented, so they wouldn't have to mess with making rifles that did fit it. They probably kept hoping it would fade away, so they could make .30-06 length actions and chamber their Safari/African models in .458 and be done with it.

Or so it was until the past 10-20 years when the .416 Rigby got a new lease on life, the .458 Lott was legitimized, the STWs hit the market, and probably others I'm forgetting. They all need an H&H length action at the very least. I suspect part of the reason the long, 7mm STW-sized rounds came out was to help sell more of the long actions they were already making.

Side story that sorta relates to the .375 H&H:

The 8mm Remington Magnum was introduced at a big seminar in, I think, 1977 or 78. The 8mm Rem Mag was basically the .375 H&H necked to 8mm, and never really sold well because it was...well, the story will explain.

At this big seminar, gunwriters sat politely and listened to Remington people tell the grand virtues of this new creation. It could throw a 200 grain bullet this fast, a 220 that fast, drop was such and such, blah, blah, blah.

The gunwiters remained quiet. After this talk, Remington's people asked for questions. Still quiet.

Until...

Elmer Kieth stood up, pushed his cowboy hat back on his head, puffed up, and said:

"What in the [censored] is it for?"

Which brought the house down. It was exactly what everyone had been thinking, but Elmer said it out loud.

[TOFINOtom]

Always thought the 375H&H to be one of 3 calibres i would have along with the .30-06 and the 257 Roberts as my final choices if i had only one gun to possess. since 1965 i still can not decide which one. i would feel comfortable with one or the other. In august 1965 my mother asked if i could lend my almost new BROWNING 375 to her best friends boyfriend. TONY the friggin little Hungarian,to go moose hunting. Have not seen tony OR my rifle since. Just can not bring myself to buy another 375 as i , like you already have one out there SOMEWHERE. TT

[BarryinIN]

Did your Browning .375 have nasty recoil? I had a 1971 FN Mauser actioned Browning Safari in 7mm Rem Mag. I didn't know the 7mm Mag could hurt so bad. The rifle had enough weight, but that stock did not fit me at all.

It only stuck around because it was so pretty. I think those Brownings are some of the best looking bolt action rifles ever made, and the plain Safari grade looked best to me.

've shot my Sako .375 a few times this past year, but took it out once more in December since it was nearing the end of the .375 H&H's 100th year.

I only shot cast bullets, since I had nine loaded rounds lying around with no planned purpose.

Next to a .308:

I get used to running a .308 or '06 bolt, and then this feels like twice the bolt travel.

The sights are typical African rifle sights- fast but coarse. Shooting for groups at 100 yards is out of the question with the eyes/sights combo I had. I've shot it at 100, but with a scope. My max is about 50 yards with these sights. That's about double it's intended use anyway.

I shot four offhand checking zero, then shot five into a group:

6:00 hold, so about right.

I know it's a little left, but that's how it does from the bench. It's centered in positions other than the bench. When I got this rifle in the mid-90s, I was trying to knock the sight over and it was really tight. After thinking it over, I decided to try it from offhand before really beating on it. It shot to center. Glad I didn't move it.

This is one of it's least favorite loads. Usually it puts five into one hole at 50 with cast. That's a 265 grain going about 1845 fps, or about 750 fps less than a full load will do in that short 19" barrel. It still thumps at both ends. At least I can shoot a box or two of those without crying.

[Moe]

Well, I will stand up for the 8mm Remington mag. You really need to handload for that caliber to take advantage of it's potential. IMHO, it's a great cartridge and I still use it to this day.

I have 2 Remington 700's in 8mm mag. One is a standard BDL and the other is a custom shop 700 safari grade. Both are very accurate. Sub MOA with both, with the custom shop 700 with a factory Hart barrel a little better. Best Antelope gun I have used at long range.

My current load is 94.5 grains of RL22 and a 150gr Sierra GameKing at 3475FPS. It's awesome at 500+ yards. Recoil and blast are reduced when I had my Gunsmith install a VIAS muzzle brake. It recoils like a 30-06. All my bigger rifles have a VIAS brake. They are that good.

My second load is my Elk load. I used to shoot 200gr Nosler Partitions but have switched to Nosler Accubonds for their better ballistics. RL25 and the 200's are good for 3000+ FPS and are great for anything big in North America. The Partitions have dropped the 4 Elk that I have shot in their tracks. Impressive to say the least.

It's too bad the 8mm Mag got a bad rep. I blame Remington for the anemic factory loading and the stupid 24" barrels that were installed in the BDL's. Better powders and bullets have made this caliber a powerhouse. I am afraid it's too little, too late.

Do more modern calibers make better guns? Maybe. My 300 RUM is a remarkable rifle. No belt, huge case, 26" factory barrel with amazing ballistics and 30 caliber bullet selections. 180gr Nosler Accubonds at 3350fps and 5/8" groups make this a deadly combo for large game. Almost 4500 Ft.Lbs. of muzzle energy is most impressive. But in real life, my 8mm's do the job just fine.

Make no mistake, the 8mm Remington Mag has seen better days. It's now more of a curio of the magnum age. This caliber has served me well and will continue to do so for many years to come. I think it's one of the most misunderstood calibers of all time. If one is willing to work with the components that are available now, you will be rewarded with a great North American hunting rifle. You just have to reload for the full potential of this caliber.