How does the recoil of a 375 H&H stack up against a 45-70, hot loaded from a Marlin Guide Gun?

If you had Pachmayr recoil pads on both and the Marlin weighed 6.5 lbs and the .375H&H weighed 9.5 lbs - then it's kinda the difference between getting soundly thumped with a 4x4 vs getting smacked with a 2x4. The .375 has more mass, but not as harsh. Both will bruise you if you go to the range in t-shirt.

__________________
.
.
. . . .
"They got us pinned down. How many of 'em are there?"

So the 375 is the slower moving 4x4...and the 45-70's the 2x4?

I've been thinking about getting a 375 H&H or 375 RUger and selling my 45-70's. I think the 375 thumper would be just as effective for close work, but would have a longer effective range.

I can handle the 45-70 recoil, despite the colorful bruises, but I hear that the 375 is too horrible for some to handle.

It all depends on the rifle!
My Marlin in .45-70 generally hurts more than my old .375 did, but one was light and one was heavy. Also, the stock configurations are different.
Apples and oranges. You would have to try one.
But, the .375 is not that difficult to manage, normally because they are built in heavier rifles.

Between a buddy's Marlin 1895 shooting hot 405 grain loads and my Ruger #1 in .375 H&H shooting 2500 fps 300 grain loads, the Marlin has very little recoil in my opinion. His is the longer barrel model and not the guide gun so that adds some weight to his. My .375 weighs 8 1/4 pounds with Leupold 2-7x33 VX1 and after 30 rounds, I have a headache from the pounding.

It has some recoil but the only time I have ever gotten a bruised shoulder is when I didnt have it tucked in nice and snug before I touched it off. If it gets a running start, it will slap the snot out of you. Figure its about 2 1/2 times the felt recoil in pounds of a similar weight 30-06 with 180s.

That being said, it will do anything you asked of your 45-70 and a lot more. It is Not the sharp fast slam of the 300 WM or 338 WM so it is easier to roll with and it out hits both of those.

__________________
Be popular? Heck, I have enough friends.
and...
"That way lies madness".

Maybe. Maybe not.

I've only spent a little time behind a .375 H&H. It was an A-Bolt. It was very pleasant to shoot in a T-shirt. A bit more than the .300 Mag's. But not hateful in any manner.

I have spent gobs of time behind my .375 Weatherby. It is a completely different critter........just at about the limit of what I'd call "fun" to shoot. My pet load is a 250 gr. Sierra at 3060 fps. I can really tell no difference between it and a 300 grainer going 2800 fps. Maybe there technically is a difference. But it is not too significant.

Your best bet is to find somebody that has an H&H that will let you run a box through it. You be the judge.

__________________
"Too much gun always beats the alternative."
Elmer Keith

I tried to analyse it mathematically, but there's many variables, including stock design.

My 45-70 GG will throw a 300 grain bullet at about 2100 fps, the 375 Ruger will push a 300 grainer at 2800 fps. That's 33% more momentum for the 375 Ruger, assuming powder charges are about the same.

However, the Marlin GG stock is not the best for spreading recoil...and it's lighter than the 375 Ruger's. Still...would think the 375's have more push back.

Don't think I'd enjoy shooting 20 rounds w/ my GG unless I had on my pad.

Hmmm...

Marlin stock design is not the best at heavy recoil, my opinion. Makes them kick worse than they should.

Too difficult to compare!

__________________
MikeG

I wouldn't get rid of your .45-70 just yet. Try the .375 H&H first. I loved mine, but I had a nice wood stock on mine and it weighed almost 10 pounds. A lot of fun to shoot offhand or field positions where you could simply let your body rock to absorb the recoil. One of my boys loved it so much he "inhereted" it. Had no problem burning up a couple boxes of 270 grain ammo ... other than the cost of the ammo. After 40 rounds off the bench though he did twitch a mite.

__________________
"It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen". Oliver Wendell Holmes

Like everyone said, the answer is it depends.
I've found the stock design of the Marlin to cause the 45-70 or 444 to be less pleasant than it needs to be. For one thing I find that where my thumb wraps around the top of the stock to be too close to my nose.
The 375 can be a fairly easy shooter, depending on the rifle.
A buddy took his ruger number 1 and had a brass rod turned to just fit in the hole in the stock where the action is attached to the stock. The extra weight helps it out.
A quality stock is huge in how a thumper feels under recoil, so take that into consideration when looking for the 375 of your dreams. Great round for whatever you are after. I love the 45-70, but you are right. The 375 give you more range.

You never have to wonder if the gun went off, that's for sure.

I gave up .375's when I bought my first .35 Whelen. But I loaded and shot the two I had quite a bit, and they were fine elk rifles. Recoil wise, I shot a .375 and a 12 GA slug gun side by side more than once. I also had the opportunity to shoot a Ruger No.3 in 45-70 on a couple of occassions. A 3" Federal slug and the No.3 were both harder kickers than my .375's.

Not at SAAMI pressures, it won't. A 270 grainer at 2800.....yes. A 300 grainer at 2800.......no.

__________________
"Too much gun always beats the alternative."
Elmer Keith

I assume you're aware this site has a recoil calculator.....http://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescources/index.htm

I appreciate it doesn't calculate "felt recoil", but it may be helpful for you.

__________________
DOK

If you have a hankering for a 375 H&H, I would suggest to just go for it and not be too concerned with recoil. You can always make reduced loads for it. For example, the Hornady Handbook lists loads for the 270gr bullet from 2300 to 2700 fps.

The 375 H&H can be a real kicker with normal loads, I would not load anything too hot for the 45-70. I own both, the 45-70 with factory loads can be stout, where the 375 can be painful.

You should check you Tube for video clips of people firing heavy caliber rifles.

Jerry

This might help.

http://kwk.us/recoil.html

Cool!

31/17 for the 45-70, 47/19 for the 375 Ruger...recoil energy/recoil velocity.

Very cool, as well.

The recoil numbers for the 375 are much larger all around.

Depends very much on the weight of the rifle in question.

Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan, weighs in right at 8lbs with iron sights.

270gr bullet @ 2800+/- fps gives 48.26ft/lbs
9lbs drops it to 42, and 10 lbs 38

Marlin 1895G weighs 7lbs give or take

300gr bullet @ 2100 is 34 ft/lbs
8lbs is 30 and 9lbs is 27. Around or a little under what a 300 Win Mag would be.

You take the Ruger up to 300gr @ 2600 you will be pushing 50 ft/lbs

Marlin with 405gr @ 1750 is 42 ft.lbs

Hope all this helps. In my experience the .375 Ruger's do not feel that bad, because the Hogue stock is very well designed and has a great recoil pad.


-Jason D

__________________
Recoil is God's way of letting you know the power in which you hold

Tman, I had a Ruger #3 in 45-70 for a while. I liked it and loaded some pretty good stuff including some Poor Man's .458 WinMag type rounds. Yes, being a very light rifle it did KICK with those. It was never the kick that my Ruger #1 in 375 H&H has.
I sold it to finance the .45-70 I REALLY wanted.

__________________
Be popular? Heck, I have enough friends.
and...
"That way lies madness".