I've currently have a 338 win mag Ruger Hawkeye that is completely comfortable to shoot from the bench and very accurate with it's full aluminum bed Hogue stock.
I would like to get a 375 H&H or Ruger.

1. If I was to go with the 375 ruger, do you think I would be better off selling my 338 and loosing $200 or paying to get it rebarreled to a 375 Ruger? If going with new hawkeye in 375 Ruger, would you recommend the alaskan, or african

2. If I was to go with the 375 H&H, what rifle would you recommend under $1500, Sako, CZ, Rem XCR, Ruger #1?

The Sako's are supposed to be nice, but the Remington can be had for $750-800. all the large CZ rifles I've seen have very rough actions and the sites all have the notches not in line with each other.
or should I keep my 338 and save up for the 375 instead?

I have no problem carying a heavy rifle and actually like the added weight the hogue stock added to my 338.

I've got a used Remington .375 H&H I like very much. I got it at a gunshow for $550.00 or something like that. If you're looking for value, stop shopping the new item racks.

If you were in Alaska I'd bet you could find an H&H on a Mauser action fairly economically. Hard to beat that combo.

Go with a CZ 375H&H. Have it worked over by a competent gunsmith. This option will land you under $1500, AND you'll have a very nice rifle ready to go hunting. There's really no advantage going to a "bigger" 375. If the H&H won't get it done, you need a bigger caliber, NOT a faster 375.

This isn't a bad deal either, although I'm not a fan of the ported barrel.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=101447411

Hi gohip,

I just purchased a lightly used ruger 375 alaskan from another AR member and have a couple of quick thoughts for you:

Keep your 338 and continue to enjoy shooting it.

If you are going to Africa, then maybe the 375 HH is the way to go because of ammo availability.

If not, then the 375 ruger becomes quite attractive. Your choice of the model. I have not shot the african, but the alaskan fits me well and I like the stainless/hogue stock combo. I put a 1x4 30mm burris euro diamond scope in warne qd's and it is a nice setup.

The ruger is very accurate and I find the recoil not much different than a stiff .338 mag load.

No experience with CZ's but from all accounts they are fine weapons and worthy of your consideration.

There seems to be some disdain for the new ruger on this forum. Pay no attention to it. The 375 ruger is not a threat to the venerable 375 HH, just an alternative. Take a look at both calibers in all the different rifle offerings and buy the one you like. I don't think you can go wrong. It is nice to have choices.

Good shooting and hunting.

Cheers

gohip, take you current 338 action and have a new barrel made for it in 375 H&H Ackley Improved (i.e., same as 375 Weatherby) - it'll out perform both the calibers you mention. I'd get the barrel at 26" from Krieger (in fact Krieger will make and fit the barrel for you). Then buy a barrel vice and wrench for your action. When you want to shoot 338, put that barrel on, and when you want to shoot 375, put that barrel on. Yes, it's that simple. Regards, AIU

Accurate rifles that are comfortable to shoot don't come along every day. If it were me, I'd keep the .338 the way it is and save up to add a .375 when you can.

As far as the .375's you've mentioned, I'd go with the CZ simply because I prefer CRF on larger bore rifles and I have had good luck with CZ in the past. Also keep in mind that with a little shopping around you might be able to find an RSM in .375 in your price range(I think there was one posted in the classifeds not long ago, but don't know if it's still available).

Good luck which ever way you decide to go

For something in the $1500 range I would definately go with the Ruger Safari model..That is a lot of gun for the money and the quarter rib is integral and that alone on a custom rifle costs in the neighborhood of $1000 to $3000 depending on who does the work...

Another good option is shop around and find a good used pre 64 Win. M-70 in 375 H&H, they can be had for $1500 in about 80 to 90% condition..

I would try and find someone to go shooting with and try their 375 H&H. I bought a Ruger Safari Mag in 375 H&H and was under welmed. don't get me wrong I love the 375 (now own a win mod 70 in 375 H&H)but its more like a 338 than a big bore. You might want to move up to a 416 and have a bigger jump. My 416 Rem mag shoots great and doesn't really recoil as much as I thought it should. It is really a good idea to try before you buy and then get what you really want.

Brad

I would love to try someone's 375 or any caliber for that matter, but here in Minnesota, I'm shooting a 338 and I haven't seen anyone with a bigger caliber than that at the range. it's all 223, 308, 30-06, and 300 win.
I'm really thinking about saving my 338 just because it took me 3 new rifles before I found this one I like so much. I've thought about the 338, 416 combo, but I wouldn't be going to africa any time soon and the 375 I think would be a better all arounder. I have just wanted a 375 since I started shooting even though the 338 would do for everything here in america. I've also thought about rebarreling to a 358 Norma. the Idea is that I want one rifle for everything any where. I would of coarse try other rifles, but this one would be the one I never sell.
oh yeah, would the 375 be a good amount more of recoil, or would it not be worth noticing, given the same rifle?

gohip2000, I thought that an everything rifle had to have a 4 in the nomenclature somewhere. 416, 458...

I all seriousness, I dont' believe in the a 1 do all rifle. We play 3 rifle or 4 rifle battery on another site. This is normally done for north America, but it can also be done for Africa.

I don't know how much they cost but remington is making an SPS model in .375 H&H. The SPS line is usually pretty cheap.

PM sent.

gohip2000,

I’m a firm believer that the typical hunter, perhaps I should say North American hunter, doesn’t spend sufficient time shooting with their hunting rifles in their various calibers and especially with perhaps their various bolt throw lengths to become unconsciously proficient with all of them under pressure situations. I know that I haven’t so I’ve done the next best thing by ensuring that all of my rifles are of the same bolt throw and as close to identical stock setups as possible, that way when I practice with one of my magnum rifles under simulated hunting situations I’m somewhat practicing with them all.

So…I recommend that you keep your Hawkeye as currently configured in 338WinMag, that caliber will more than serve your needs in North America. Become very proficient with that rifle and then should you decide that you want or need something larger in caliber I’d recommend that you purchase another Hawkeye in 416 Ruger caliber; configured identically to your 338 WinMag. That way you should be as unconsciously proficient with your new 416 Ruger in hunting situations as you’ve become with your 338 WinMag. Later should Ruger/Hornady release a full length 338 Ruger then you could have your 338WinMag re-chambered for that caliber.

Jim

I would go with CZ,after you shoot 100 rounds through it, it will be very smooth. My CZ shoots wonderful groups, better then my custom 7mm re. It got great recommendations in the African Hunter months ago.

It is the best dollar value on the market. I put a Brockman stock on mine and it handles great.

I'm very happy with my CZ in 375 H&H except it doesn't kick enough! I'm rebarreling to 470 Capstick over the winter... It's very accurate, functions flawlessly, but I have had it worked over a bit.



Chuck

thanks for all replies.
a 416 does interest me, but I shoot a lot. usually about 50-100 rounds every week-2weeks and I'm not sure if I could shoot a 416 with no discomfort like I can a 338 and I'm guessing a 375 all day. the CZ is sounding more apealing because it's heavier. keep the suggestions and experience comming,
thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
For something in the $1500 range I would definately go with the Ruger Safari model..That is a lot of gun for the money and the quarter rib is integral and that alone on a custom rifle costs in the neighborhood of $1000 to $3000 depending on who does the work...

Another good option is shop around and find a good used pre 64 Win. M-70 in 375 H&H, they can be had for $1500 in about 80 to 90% condition..

Ditto Ray, my advise also.

Dirk

If you can shoot the .338 without any problems then the .375 will not bother you at all, in fact I have heard many folks say the .338 is snappier than the .375 whereas the 375 is more of a push...I can't tell much difference in any of them up to and including a 416 Rem. or even a .458 Win...But from the 458 Lott on up I can definately feel the difference and I don't particularly relish it...

I nixed my .375 and bought new CZ550 'Medium' in 9,3 for $360 < Ruger 'Hawkeye'. Ordered in bulk from TX premium bonded ammo for 9,3 was <44USD/pack of 20. Why bother with .375 anything?

well, I looked at a CZ today. It looks a lot better quality than the ones I handled when they first came out. The sites look better, the action is more smooth, the wood is way better and really nice, and it has cross bolts.
Now the CZ is looking a lot more appealing to me. the price of that one was $999

gohi.....,

Keep the .338; they don't get any better than what you've got.

Save up your Pocket Money for the .375H&H; keep looking - there will definately a .375&%H in the cards; either new or used - just Make it Happen, CZ, Winchester, Ruger, Remington or Whatever.

I have a Sako 375 H&H and love it, it was made in 1960. It is a tack driver and I would not trade it for any of the newer 375's out there.

So I say, get a Sako.

quote:

Originally posted by gohip2000:
well, I looked at a CZ today. It looks a lot better quality than the ones I handled when they first came out. The sites look better, the action is more smooth, the wood is way better and really nice, and it has cross bolts.
Now the CZ is looking a lot more appealing to me. the price of that one was $999

$1000 for a CZ?! Keep looking.

Local shop has 2nd hand Magnum in .416 Rigby w/ zero marks on it. Proly shot couple of times for $750 which translates to about $650 cash and carry. Not many want .416 anything.
Unlike was the case with my ole' brace of 602s I didn't see any issue with metal finish or checkering qualtity. The walnut? pig's back stock had one bolt through the wrist and it was of sap wood quality (just like on my CZ550 'Medium' stock).

I have a CZ550 in 375 H&H, and the action was a little rough at first, to be honest. With about 100 rounds through it now, it is much smoother and I'm really happy with it. The recoil of my CZ is noticeably less than my buddy's 375R Alaska rifle. Conversely, my buddy's Ruger Alaska rifle is much handier than my CZ.

We recently took both rifles on a pig hunt here in California and the hogs didn't know the difference. Pretty much "bang, flop" affairs for each rifle, though the soft Hornady bullets used in the 375R leave a little to be desired, I think.

Having shot both rifles now, would I choose differently if I had the choice to make again? No, I'd stick with the CZ, but that is just me. The ammo choices alone trump the 375R for me (though I'm now reloading most of my own rifle ammo).

If I was an Alaska guide though, I might see it differently.

Good luck . . .

quote:

Originally posted by Moose-Hunter:

quote:

Originally posted by gohip2000:
well, I looked at a CZ today. It looks a lot better quality than the ones I handled when they first came out. The sites look better, the action is more smooth, the wood is way better and really nice, and it has cross bolts.
Now the CZ is looking a lot more appealing to me. the price of that one was $999

$1000 for a CZ?! Keep looking.

They started out at $800 a couple years ago here in MN, and all the rifle prices have gone up a couple hundred over the past two years, So $1000 is the cheapest I think I'd find it here in MN. I haven't seen one cheaper unless it's used.
Rugers went from $450-650
Remingtons went from $450-$750 +
Savages even went up a couple hundred.
Marlin guide guns went up from about $450-$650
My H&R Buffalo Classic that I bought a year ago has gone up from $350-$450. CZ's use to be cheap. now $1000 is considered cheap. prices are going insane on everything, but income isn't keeping up with it.
I have seen rifles averaging $50 less on the internet, but you don't get to see them before you purchase them except for pictures and pictures don't really provide much compared to handling t and checking it for function and so on...

You need to spend some more time looking. I found on GB one Sunday afternoon a Win 70 375 H&H safari CRF with a like new Leupold 1.75x6 scope mounted. Went to africa once and was being sold after the gent passed away.All this for $1100 shipped to my FFL. Deals are out there you just need to be there when they post. (FYI I had been beat out on two other $1000 Win 70 CRF's in 375H&H)

KEEP LOOKING Brad

Dang, that's a good deal. I was looking at the model 70 safari and decided that was the one I was going to save for. Then they stopped making them and they were sold before I could aford one. If you found a deal like that, then I should just save up the money and check gunbroker until I find what I want. I'd love a model 70 as I've never owned a winchester before and they are supposed to be great.

Yes, if you keep a look out you can find Mod 70 CRF Safari's in 375 H&H for $1000 used (saw a 458 for $1100 also) with some regularity. You need to be 1st in line because the one I found I did the BUY-IT Now before someone else grabbed it. As I said before I got hosed on two other deals at $1000 before I found this one. Save your money and cruise the auction sites (yes, I know they have search robots but the deals dont last that long and are gone sometimes in minutes)

Dare to dream.... The Kimber 375 H+H Talkeetna

quote:

Originally posted by gohip2000:
Dang, that's a good deal. I was looking at the model 70 safari and decided that was the one I was going to save for. Then they stopped making them and they were sold before I could aford one. If you found a deal like that, then I should just save up the money and check gunbroker until I find what I want. I'd love a model 70 as I've never owned a winchester before and they are supposed to be great.

I love mine.

I'm still hoping that Winchester picks up the 375H&H production again. Then I would have an excuse to have a 2nd 375.

IF YOU OWN A 338 THERE IS NO POINT IN A 375-THEY ARE TOO CLOSE.BUY A 416 RIGBY-CZ DO A GOOD RIFLE

Since you like the .338WM Ruger Hawkeye, then go ahead and buy a .375Ruger. That way you will be immediately comfortable with the .375R.

For years I existed with just a .30-06 and a .338WM, both M-700 Rem's and they fit me damn near identically, so I understand the benefit of having "matched" rifles. So in your situation I endorse getting the .375R.

Myself I would get a .375H&H



Edit:
I don't know how well the Ruger Hawkeye's are built, but I just spent about an hour and a half surfing online gun stores and they are a great value.
The only comparable rifles are the Remington XCR in .375H&H or the CZ-550 in .375H&H.

The CZ and the Ruger are CRF, if that matters.

Only the Ruger has the 3-pos safety, if that matters.

About the only thing lacking on the Ruger Hawkeye is a barrel-band (none of them have that).