We are often asked, "What caliber rifle should I bring to Africa?"

If you are planning on hunting any dangerous game while there and are only taking ONE rifle, then that rifle should likely be a .375.

Though available now in both "H&H" (Holland & Holland) and "Ruger" configurations, we recommend the .375 H&H a little higher due to the availability of ammo almost anywhere.

Both will do the job, though, as they are ballistic equals.

.375 History

The introduction of the 9.3x62mm Mauser cartridge in 1905 caught the major British gun makers flat-footed. The 9.3x62mm Mauser was designed for use in the revolutionary Mauser bolt-action rifle, which was cheaper, more reliable, had a larger magazine, and was easier to manufacture than previous magazine rifles or double rifles of the day. Additionally, the cartridge used smokeless powder, which could propel bullets at a significantly higher velocity than black powder. The Mauser cartridge quickly took the hunting community by storm and hunters in Europe and Africa quickly armed themselves with the new cartridge.

Fearful of losing their market share to a German cartridge, British gun makers scrambled to develop cartridges that took advantage of the same advances in firearm technology and could compete with the 9.3x62mm Mauser.

It was against this backdrop that gun makers at Holland & Holland introduced the .375 Belted Rimless Nitro Express cartridge (better known as the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or the .375 H&H) in 1912.

However, those people likely had no idea that they had just designed what would eventually become one of the most successful big game hunting cartridges of all-time. Indeed, though many other outstanding big game hunting cartridges have been developed over the century that has elapsed since the .375 H&H first entered the hunting scene, none have a track record of success quite as impressive as the .375 H&H.

Like the 9.3x62mm Mauser, the .375 H&H cartridge originally used a smokeless propellent (cordite to be specific), used a rimless case, and was built for use in bolt action rifles. Since cordite was much more efficient than black powder, the cartridge could push bullets at significantly higher velocities than was previously possible.

This in turn allowed hunters to use bullets with smaller diameters and higher sectional densities that penetrated much better than the bullets used in the previous generation of the old big bore rifles. This accidental improvement is carried forth even today as we see the development of new cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6.8 Western, and even the .224 Valkyrie build to take advantage of increased sectional density and better ballistics, as well as driving penetration. Additionally, hunters that had a good quality bolt-action rifle could fire 3-5 shots before emptying the magazine (compared to only one or two with earlier rifles).

These capabilities were a significant improvement in performance over the other popular hunting cartridges of the day and explains the rapid explosion in popularity of the .375.

The gun makers at Holland & Holland also specifically designed the cartridge with optimum reliability under hot conditions in mind. Cordite is very temperature sensitive and higher ambient temperatures will produce higher pressures with a given load.

At the time, the British had extensive colonial interests in Africa and India where hot weather was very common. For this reason, the designers at Holland & Holland used a relatively low pressure load and built the cartridge with a gently tapering case to aid in chambering and extraction under a variety of environmental conditions.

The designers of the .375 H&H were very successful in their goal of building a reliable cartridge ideal for use in hot conditions.

As a matter of fact, even though modern smokeless propellants are much more temperature stable than cordite, the gently tapering case of the .375 H&H still is still very useful today and the cartridge has a stellar reputation for reliable feeding and extracting in the field. When you are hunting dangerous game and a mis-feed or extraction problem can mean DEATH- and you desperately NEED that next cartridge to smoothly chamber in order to stop a charging buffalo, Rhino or Lion, it’s really nice to have gently tapered case that effortlessly slithers into the chamber. However, since the cartridge lacked both a sharp shoulder and a rim, the designers of the .375 H&H incorporated a revolutionary belt near the base of the cartridge in order to ensure the correct headspace.

This belt can also be seen on the 7mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag, both whose parent cartridge is the .375 H&H.

Another downside of a gently tapering case is a distinct lack of powder capacity. For this reason, the .375 H&H Magnum has a relatively long, 72.39mm case. This is over 10mm longer than the 9.3x62mm Mauser case and nearly 7mm longer than the .375 Ruger case. The .375 Ruger and the 9.3x62mm Mauser both fit in a standard length rifle action while the longer .375 H&H Magnum is restricted to use in rifles with a longer magnum length action. Though many say they prefer the "shorter" standard action, most shooters will never know the difference, especially with a little practice.

Hunting with the .375

Today, many professional hunters, outfitters and wildlife management personnel in Africa continue to rely on the .375 H&H Magnum to carry out their duties throughout the continent.

Bullets weighing 325–350 gr (21.1–22.7 g) will have sectional densities between .330 and .356. These bullets can be launched at velocities between 2,380–2,470 ft/s (730–750 m/s) giving these bullets greater penetration than a 500 gr (32 g) .458 bullet at 2,240 ft/s (680 m/s).

Sectional Density vs Ballistic Coefficient of some 375 Magnum cartridges

Bullets weighing 250–270 gr (16–17 g) are perfect for the largest cats such as the lion or tiger and other dangerous class 3 game. While these felines do not require extremely powerful cartridges, (a .300 Winchester Magnum can be considered a minimum for these cats), local requirements or regulations may require a larger cartridge than the .375 H&H Magnum. This range of bullets also is a great choice for most plains game species in Africa and for elk, red deer, and moose (called elk in Europe) in North America and Europe.

There are a great number of rifles chambered for the .375 H&H. Many types of actions are used, including single-shots, double-rifles, and bolt actions. When hunting dangerous game, a double-rifle or a controlled-feed bolt-action rifle is most commonly recommended, as a quick follow-up shot may be necessary, and reliability of the firearm becomes of paramount importance.

The one sport in which the .375 H&H Magnum has made some gains in has been the Big Bore Shoots such as those sponsored by the Big Bore Association of South Africa and its affiliated chapters. The .375 H&H Magnum is considered a transitional bore by the association and the minimum cartridge which is allowable for score keeping.

If you're going to bring only ONE gun, bring a .375!