375 Winchester recoil

I have been looking at getting a 375 Win for my Contender or maybe Encore for deer here in Illinois. Just curious how recoil would be say compared to my 44. Any input would be appreciated.

Roger

i shoot top end loads for the 375 win with 200 grain bullets. it is a game getter as long as you stay in range limitations. the recoil as noted on other sites and post can be an issue if recoil sensitive. I would shoot 10-20 rounds per session with it and could fell that i had been shooting a big gun, however it wasnt enough to make me stop, it was just the amount i was shooting for the day. I left it with Chuck Williams (Willicd76) in texas after we hog hunted his place and he installed a brake. I am sure you could shoot it all day now as it tamed the recoil to near 357 mag levels. if i were to do it all over again i would get the brake installed at manufacture. It is my favorite contender barrel for hunting big game. I am restricted to straight wall cartridges in iowa and am very pleased with it

Long, long ago & far away I had one in a Contender & I don't remember what the recoil was like. I guess that means it didn't stand out in my mind as being severe.
Now full house 400gr loads my 10" 45-70 Contender with no brake & top end 420gr loads in my 15" Encore in 450 Marlin with the factory brake I remember well :-)

As time goes by arthritis has become more of an issue in my shooting hand & I am liking brakes more & more.

Roger,

I once had a "14 T/C .375 Win. Hunter barrel and then I had a whim for something else and sold it. Reason being ammo was $100.00/20 rounds and Brass and bullets for reloading were scarce.
Now, Starline is making brass. Bullets(factory) are still scarce.

Your question is about recoil. I used a Pachmyer Presentation grip and it worked well for me. T/C Wood or Rynite grips made recoil severe (to me). Get the Pachmyer, you won't regret it. And the fore end too!
The .375 Win barrel was as accurate as my 7-30 waters Hunter barrel .

The Great thing about the Contender is that barrels are cheaper than another whole gun.

John

The .375 WCF will get your attention in a Contender. Recoil in similar weight handguns with the same grips feels about the same as heavy .44 Magnum loads using 240-grain bullets, using light 200-grain Sierra .375? bullets helps. I sold my barrel since it did nothing my .35 Remingtons did, but I?m not in a state which restricts hunting cartridge shape. It is a fine cartridge, just a bit limited in the availability of suitable jacketed bullets since Hornady stopped making their great 220 FN.

If the OP does get a .375 WCF barrel, he should check out AA1680, it gives higher velocities at lower pressures than the ?popular standard? Reloder 7 does according to both Accurate and my experience.





.

No 375 Winchester so far, but I have owned a 375 JDJ, and still hunt with a 35 Bullberry, which is a 375 Win case blown out and necked to 35. I shoot 180's and 200's in the 35 Bullberry.

My advice get a good 4 Gill Muzzle Brake installed so that you can enjoy shooting it. Without a muzzle brake you can stand the recoil, but it will not be fun to shoot.

My only center fire barrel without a brake is a 223 Remington. I even have 3 Gill brakes on my 357 Maximum's. The hard hitters are more enjoyable to shoot when recoil is a non issue.

Bob R

Thanks all for the replies. I think I'm gonna give it a shot (pun intended). Waiting on a reply from the seller.

Starline is showing brass available right now.

I have a Contender in .375 Win. I don?t find the recoil as bad as full bore .44 Mag in a single action but I have the 12? bbl. with factory brake. I haven?t hunted with it in years due to the ammo cost, (I?ve been hoarding a few boxes of Winchesters) but since HSM is now loading the Sierra Game King 200 grain bullets at a semi reasonable price I?m thinking about trotting it out this year. I bought 10 boxes a few months ago but haven?t shot any yet. Time to change that !

Roger,

I just looked on Numrich Gunparts site and they have the Pachmyer Presentation grip (New) for $38.25 with free shipping. (e-gunparts I believe but google it) JD Jones recommended it over the gripper style. Check it out.

I never thought recoil was bad. That was in an un-braked 14"contender. It is an accurate cartridge.

If you are looking for bullets I am very pleased with the 220gr from Vollmer. Here is a link

https://vollmerbullets.com/

I have a new 12" barrel with brake coming. Guess I will find out. I have Pachs on my Contender now.

you will enjoy it with a brake- and the performance out to 150 yards is impressive

Well, I got my12" barrel and mounted a NcStar 2-7x32 illuminated scope on it. It came with some Starline brass, and I got 100 Sierra 200 grain FP bullets as well. I couldn't find any load data using H-4895, which I have lots of. I have a small amount of Reloader #7 and read that loads between 30 and 36 grains will work. I loaded 3 batches with 30.5, 31.5, and 32.5 grains. Velocities were 1503, 1587, and 1626 for these. Recoil was very mild and accuracy was good. Really liking this combo.
Heading back to work for 2 weeks, but when I get back I'm going to load some more with a little more powder. Hope to use this for deer this season.

Looks nice!
Enjoy :-)

Looks nice but why is the photo dated 2007?

LOL I used my camera instead of my phone as it's easier to post pics from an SD card for me. When I turn the camera on it prompts me to enter date and I never bother. I never even noticed that.

The rings are somewhat high but very secure and they were on hand.

You will like the .375 Win, it kills whitetails with authority.

Nice set up.

I've been interested in this round for awhile. Keep us posted on how it does for you during deer season.

Hunting in Ohio, I too am restricted to straight wall cartridges although they do allow .45-70 and .444. There is no cartridge length restriction.

Good luck.

John

The OP?s velocity is too low for reliable expansion, he is well below published maximums. Here is current Sierra data, max for RL-7 but he can gain another 100 fps with AA-1680.

Since you stated you have lots of H4895 I thought I might dig around for some load data. On Loaddata.com I found a reference using the 220 grain Hornady FP and 38.0 grains of H4895 in a rifle. I also found a 235 grain Speer SP using a max charge of 36.0 grains of IMR 4895 in a Contender. The 4895's are on the slow side for getting top velocity and AA1680, 4198, and RE7 will produce higher velocities. But in this current pandemic environment you might not be able to find any. You can look at 38-55 data and kind of use that as a guideline. I know the 375 Win case is shorter, but compare the overall lengths of the two and this will give you a better idea that they are not that much different in case capacity. I have a Contender S-14 in 38-55 with no brake and have worked up to 40.0 grains of H4895 using the Sierra 200 grain FN seated to an overall length of 2.700 (just touching the lands). This load is clocking 1850 fps in 90+ degree temps. I haven't used it on game yet, but I'm pretty confident it would work fine for deer. I will offer the usual disclaimer that this data was alright in my firearm and should be reduced and worked up to in your firearm. I offer this info because in these times you have to use what you have on hand.

Mech 8,
Thanks for that info. I actually just joined Load Data Monday and found some 4895 loads to try when I get back home. Also looks like I can go higher with the RE7 than I thought I could. I get home on the 5th, and will have 2 weeks before our gun season to get a good accurate load.

Managed to try some hotter loads today. Still using Reloader #7 and 200 GR Sierra bullets I tried 34.1 grains, 35.1 grains and 35.8 grains. Velocities averaged 1738, 1798, and 1850. All loads were very accurate. Under an inch at 25, and barely over an inch at 50. Recoil was starting to get stout but still manageable.
Now I need to either find some more #7 or load up some with H4895.

good luck finding powder right now. I found the best powder to be #7 but use what you can find. you are still under max on your loads and can get more if you really want to, i am getting 2000 fps with mine, the recoil was stout as you described until I put a brake on it and now it is a pussycat. with that said it will kill anything you shoot with it at reasonable ranges. good luck with your 375 and post pics when you kill.