From left to right: .357 160-grain cast bullet, .377 swaged , .357 bullet, 248 grain plain base, 252 grain gas checked, 268 grain gas checked, 278 grain gas checked. 375 Magnum Flanged, .375 H&H belted, .375 Magnum Flanged with 278 grain bullet
1912 was also the period of great game hunting in Africa. World War One was still in the distant future, and the world was made aware of the challenges of Africa from some of the greatest adventure writers ever known. Most of that generation grew up with the stories of writers such as H. Rider Haggard burnt into their young minds, and a desire to travel to the vast plains and shooting fields of Africa. Much has been written about the .375 H&H belted case, however many are not aware of the contribution of its sibling, the .375 Magnum Flanged Nitro Express, which was also born during that fateful year. In 1899, the British developed a predecessor, which was known as the .375 Flanged Nitro Express. This cartridge featured a straight-rimmed case with a
length of 2.5 inches and a rim diameter of .523 inches, and offered ballistics quite close to the .38/55 cartridge. This cartridge, even though almost unknown in the United States, can be encountered in rifles still in shooting condition. Even though the ammunition is no longer manufactured, anyone wanting to reload this caliber can fabricate cases from new Hornady .405 Winchester cases or use .3ÂŹÂŹ0/40 cases. The .30/40 case ends up a little short by about .250 inch, but is still very usable. The cartridge in this family that I love the best is the .375 Flanged Magnum Nitro Express. Holland and Holland realized the ballistics of the .375 H&H would make it a winner in the game field. However, they also had the wisdom to realize a rimmed case was Volume 5 Issue 1 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 11