Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP – Great Scout Rifle Ammo

Description

The 376 Steyr is one of the more interesting cartridges almost nobody talks about, and the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP is essentially the load that keeps it alive. Steyr designed the round to put serious big game power into a standard length action for the Scout and Pro Hunter rifles, and this is the factory ammunition that makes those rifles worth owning.

• A big bore that fits a standard action
• Full specifications
• Buy it when you see it
• Honest notes before you buy
• What it will handle in the field
• The bottom line

A big bore that fits a standard action

The problem the 376 Steyr set out to solve is old. Cartridges powerful enough for the largest game traditionally required a magnum length action and a heavy rifle. The 376 Steyr fits a standard 30-06 length magazine and still sends a 225 grain bullet at 2600 feet per second. The Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP produces 3377 foot pounds at the muzzle from a rifle you can actually carry.

Put that in context. Muzzle energy from the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP is comparable to a 375 H&H with lighter bullets and well above a 30-06, in a package that handles like a deer rifle. For a walking hunt in country where something large might appear, that combination has genuine appeal.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 376 Steyr
• Bullet weight: 225 grain
• Bullet: InterLock soft point
• Muzzle velocity: 2600 fps
• Muzzle energy: 3377 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published by Hornady for this load
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 8234

The InterLock bullet is Hornady’s long serving hunting design, with a raised ring inside the jacket that locks into the core and keeps the two together during expansion. It is not the most modern construction available, but it is proven, and in the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP it gives controlled expansion with good weight retention on heavy animals.

Buy it when you see it

Here is the practical reality of owning a 376 Steyr. Production runs are occasional, shelves are usually empty, and there is no realistic second source if you run out. Owners who have had the rifle for a while know to buy the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP whenever it appears rather than waiting until they need it.

That is not a sales pitch, it is how uncommon cartridges work. Ammunition does not spoil if it is stored properly, and a few boxes of the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP on a cool dry shelf will still shoot perfectly in a decade. Being short of ammunition for a rifle you cannot feed any other way is a genuinely frustrating position.

Honest notes before you buy

Reloading is worth considering if you own this rifle. Brass from the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP is boxer primed and reloadable, dies are available, and 375 caliber bullets are easy to find even when loaded 376 Steyr ammunition is not. Saving your brass is simply sensible with a cartridge this uncommon.

The honest drawback is the same as the appeal. This is a niche cartridge with one real factory load and very limited distribution. If you are choosing a rifle today rather than feeding one you already own, a 375 Ruger or a 338 Winchester Magnum does similar work with far easier ammunition supply. For existing owners, though, the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP is what keeps a fine rifle in service.

What it will handle in the field

Elk, moose, big bear and every plains game animal in Africa short of the dangerous seven are all comfortably within what the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP does. The 225 grain bullet has good sectional density for the bore and the velocity is high enough to shoot reasonably flat inside 250 yards, which covers most hunting in the country this rifle suits.

Recoil is real but not punishing, somewhere between a 30-06 and a 375 H&H depending on rifle weight. Most shooters handle the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP fine from field positions with a decent pad. The Steyr rifles it was designed for are relatively light, so expect more than the numbers alone suggest.

The bottom line

If you own a Steyr Scout or Pro Hunter in 376 Steyr, the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP is the load to stock when it is available. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Hornady 376 Steyr 225gr SP is a sensible place to start.