.375 H&H Mag. vs. .416 Rem. Mag.: Cartridge Clash

Otto Bock’s 9.3x62, which was released in 1905, began displacing British double rifles as the rifle of choice for large, dangerous game in the British colonies. Holland & Holland refused to go silently into the night though, and released its own magnum cartridge for bolt-action rifles in 1912. Originally dubbed the .375 Belted Nitro Express, it quickly became known as the .375 H&H Mag. It didn’t take long for the .375 H&H to overtake the 9.3x62 and become the standard “heavy-medium” cartridge for bolt-action dangerous game cartridges—helped no doubt by the fact that Winchester chambered it in the Model 70 in 1937.

The .375’s long, lithe case and substantial overall length of 3.6 inches necessitated a longer magnum action, but the round’s performance proved exceptional on large game, and it was easier to shoot accurately than the big-bore double rifles of that era. Because of its case design and sloping shoulder, the H&H featured a belt that allowed for proper headspacing, and it ushered in the belted-magnum craze.

The .416 Rem. Mag. arrived on the scene in 1989, just ahead of Ruger’s M77 Mark II in .416 Rigby and the .416 Wby. Mag. The .416 Rem. Mag. was based on the company’s 8mm Rem. Mag. case, and the new cartridge replicated .416 Rigby ballistics in a shorter overall length of 3.6 inches, the same as the .375 H&H. The standard for the .416 Rem. Mag. is the 400-grain bullet at 2,400 fps that generates around 5,115 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy. That’s substantially more energy than the .375 H&H, which produces around 4,300 ft.-lbs. of punch with a 300-grain bullet at 2,530 fps.

That extra oomph comes at a price in recoil, though. In similar weight rifles a .416 Rem. Mag. hits with at least 20 percent more recoil than a .375 H&H. To put that in perspective, the .375’s recoil is about twice that of the .30-06 while the .416’s is three times as much. I purchased my first .416 Rem. Mag. rifle from a man who fired it once and refused to ever shoot it again. Professional hunter Mark Haldane is well acquainted with the performance of both cartridges. He says the .416 hits noticeably harder on buff, and it’s especially beneficial at ranges of 100 yards or more. However, he says the .375 H&H Mag. is effective, and it’s certainly a more versatile rifle for hunting both dangerous game and plains game on a single safari.

The .416 shoots almost as flat as the .375, though. Hornady’s 300-grain .375 H&H DGX bullet drops 12.1 inches at 300 yards when zeroed at 200 yards. With the same zero, the .416 drops just 12.7 inches with a 400-grain DGX bullet.

Winchester’s Model 70 is available chambered for both rounds, and there are a few older Remington 700s and Sakos floating around in .416. Choices for factory .375 H&H rifles are much better with options from Rigby, Nosler, Browning and Christensen Arms. There are used .375 rifles from Interarms, Kimber, Sako, Ruger, CZ and others. Chapuis is even offering a new double rifle in .375 H&H.

Ammo for the .375 H&H Mag. is also cheaper and more widely available. Expect to pay an average of $5 to $8 per shot with a .375 H&H compared to $7 to $9 per round on average for .416 Rem. Mag. loads.

I own rifles in both cartridges. It’s hard to overlook the .375’s versatility for hunting a wide range of game, but the .416 shoots relatively flat and offers almost a 1,000 more foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. But the .416 is a suitable choice only if you can handle the added recoil effectively. If I were buying a gun strictly for really big stuff like brown bear, buffalo, elephant and hippo, the .416 is a natural choice. If you want to use your heavy rifle for a wider variety of game, the .375 is a better option.

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