Inherited a 375S (1984?)

Not_The_Fish said:

I inherited this gun that has probably had a total of 50 rounds put through, and I would love to hunt with it, but there are a few challenges.

Ammo is ~$5 a round, if it can be found. I don't have the tools for reloading, but even if I did, reloading seems difficult as the 375 win. brass is also scarce. I'm not sure I would be comfortable using or modifying the brass from another caliber.

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Not_The_Fish said:

I inherited this gun that has probably had a total of 50 rounds put through, and I would love to hunt with it, but there are a few challenges.

Ammo is ~$5 a round, if it can be found. I don't have the tools for reloading, but even if I did, reloading seems difficult as the 375 win. brass is also scarce. I'm not sure I would be comfortable using or modifying the brass from another caliber.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum from the great state of Tennessee 👍

At one time I owned four Marlin .375s, all made in 1980. Ammo was a good bit easier to find 10-15yrs ago and I tried an assortment of available stuff. I finally settled on using Buffalo Bore's heavy 38-55 for my rifles and it shot very well.

I'm not about to tell anyone to do or try anything that they feel is unsafe, but BB has a very informative blurb on using their heavy 38-55 in any rifle chambered in .375 that would be worth the time to read. A year or so ago BB also began marketing a heavy .375 load too, but at a higher price (likely due to higher cost brass). The .375 load uses the exact same bullet as in the heavy 38-55 and spits it out at 50FPS faster muzzle velocity (2,000).

With a little research I think you'll find it perfectly safe to chamber and fire 38-55 in your .375. And there are still some Cowboy Action loads in 38-55 available for a decent price. I was able to just find some in stock at under $40/box. It will be on the low side of hunting power ammo, but perfectly capable for range work and short range hunting.

You've got a great rifle there and I'm sure you'll enjoy hunting with it. Pictures below are of my last .375 buck (shot with BB heavy 38-55 ammo) taken in Kentucky in 2015.

Here it is!