.375 Win. advice

9

9ballbilly

New member
I have a chance to pick up a NIB Big Bore 94 .375 win. I'd like to hear what you guys think about this rifle. How does it compare to other common lever action calibers such as .30-.30, .35 Rem., .444, etc.?

All I have are "working" guns. No safe queens, so I wouldn't buy it for any collector value it may have. What I have in mind is to have the barrel shortened to 18" and use it as a backpacking,camping (not hunting) self-defense rifle while in Bear/Moose country. I'd like to know your thoughts on wether or not the .375 Win. has enough punch for this purpose as well.

Any help you could give would be appreciated, Thanks
 
hard for me to answer. You will have a flat point .375 diameter bullet at about 2k fps out of the short barrel. That isn't good. The cartridge will surely stop a moderately sized bear, and drop a moose, but it is by no means a super powered cartridge. It is inferior to the 30-06 or 308 winchester, because you can run a 220 bullet with better construction all the way to 2400 fps or so. In the 35 whelen, you can run a 250 grain bullet up to 2500 or so. The 444 marlin is a bit faster and more powerful, but it has the advantage of being able to run much heavier bullets, with nominally equivalent velocity, and a slight larger bore advantage.

What does it mean? the .375 has a slowish 220 grain flat point soft point that will not penetrate as deeply as it would be needed with very large dangerous game.

A 30-06 with 220 grain controlled expansion would give you deep, serious penetration. A 35 whelen will give you heavier bullets, deeper penetration, and almost the same bore diameter. a 444 marlin has slight advantages.

If you compare it to the .35 remington, you will find that the .375 winchester is actually a better round. heavier bullets, larger bore, and slight velocity advantage.

What do I think? Sure. it will make a fine backpacking gun, that is capable of dropping bear or moose, and any smaller dangerous critters such as bobcat, coyote, wolf, or others. It is, IMO, marginal for a gun that you would choose to hunt large bear with. You would be better served by more power, higher velocity, and better bullets. I'd go with the whelen to hunt such game, or even the 30-06 with 220 grain partitions.

But, a hunting rifle and a camping weapon are not the same. your rifle would make a good camping weapon.

Offhand, I'd probably suggest that you at least consider a small 12 gauge combat shotgun, or even a 20 gauge small shotgun. Never underestimate the power of a 12 gauge slug, or a round of heavy shot. you could hammer a bear down better with a heavy 12 gauge round than your .375 will, as well as pop a possum for dinner if the fishing was bad.
 
The 375 Winchester is/was a 1980 smokeless powder rehash of the 38-55 WCF, a well-respected and much-loved cartridge of the black powder era. 375 Win is now virtually unavailable except by special order or going to a specialty sporting goods store, and even then you will be lucky to find it; 38-55 is enjoying a rebirth due to CAS. Power-wise, the 375 Win does not even live on the same block as the later 444 Marlin versions of the Big Bore carbines, but it will cleanly take deer and black bear to 150-ish yds, depending on the shooter.

The Model 94 Big Bore carbines had a beefed-up rear receiver to handle the additional bolt thrust of the cartridge, so they have a peculiar profile. If it is an XTR model, it will have a glossy finish and checkering, as well.
 
I agree. great deer and moderate sized black bear rifle. I'd not use it as a hunting rifle for big western browns. it wouldn't be a first choice on moose, either, but I think it's appropriate to hunt either moose or elk, as long as the hits are within the lungs.

Factory rounds are gonna be made for fast expansion, and won't be performance loads, I figure. I'd still rather fire a heavy partition out of a 30-06 to get through and through shots on bigger/dangerous critters.

I'm a real fan of the .35 whelen for bigger game, moderate ranges, and especially heavy, dangerous stuff like moose and larger bear.
 
If you get a NIB 375 94, you may not be buying it for its collector value, but you will pay for its collector value one way or another. Best to leave it to the collectors.

As far as the 375 goes, it's fine for deer and elk at short ranges. Ammo is hard to find, so don't even consider it unless you reload. Your stated purposes would be better served by a used 444 or 45-70.
 
I bought one about a year ago. It was in pristine condition looking like it had never been fired. Paid $400.00 for it.

Put peep sights on it and busted a few hogs and deer with it. Worked well for them. Bears around here are another story. You would get in less trouble shooting humans than bear here,( no season) so haven’t been able to try it on them. I feel that it would be adequate for most large game animals, but maybe you would be better off with more gun for brown bear.

It definitely isn’t a long range rifle, 100 yards or so is OK, less is better. Ammo is expensive, about $40.00 a box. I reload so that’s not a factor for me and reloading components are easily obtained. I use a 250 grain cast bullet over 55 grains of Reloader 7, about 2100 -2200 FPS.

An easy and quick pointing rifle that's light and good for hauling around in a truck, but not my go hunting weapon.
 
bullet over 55 grains of Reloader 7, about 2100 -2200 FPS.
Click to expand...

An obvious typo. You can't get 55.0 grs RE7 in a 375 case. More than likely it should read 35.0 grs as that's a great load in the 375. We don't have elk here or moose but we have hogs that'll bust 500lbs real quick. There's not a lot of difference between hitting them with a 375 Winchester or a Peterbilt. They're usually dead before they hit the ground. We have black bear here and while they aren't necessarily big like a grizzly, they can get mean. Any decent placed shot on one with a 375 is ptomaine to them. Yeah, it's not a 45-70 but then again, the 45-70 isn't a 458 mag either. It's a good round on deer size to hog animals to 200 yds, but when in doubt, ask local folks about how it performs. This is where local knowledge is king and the rest just internet chatter.
 
You're not saying what the price point of the '94 is, but for your purposes a Browning BLR takedown in 450 Marlin sounds like the better option. No need to chop up a collectible, and all the power you need in North America.
 
Right, it was a typo. Should be 35 grains Reloader 7....... If it would fit wonder what 55 grains would do??:eek:..... Hog Buster

Addendum:

The 55 grains of Reloader 7 is what I use in my 45/70. As far as availability of ammo the 45/70 is way easier to obtain than either .375, .444, .450, or for that matter .458, unless you reload.
 
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