Just picked up a Ruger alaskan, in 375 ruger with a 20 inch barrel.
Looking for a couple load ideas. I am thinking about trying some Barnes 235 TSX and Nosler 260 accubonds.
Really interested in powders that would work well with the short barrel.
Primary use will be moose and elk.

I have the Ruger African with 23 inch barrel, but my load might be a place to start. I am using the 260 gr. Accubond with Fed. 215 primer, Hornady brass, and 82.0 gr. of IMR-4451. Hodgdon lists 84.2 gr. as maximum, but 82.0 shoots better in my rifle. I have an overall length of 3.475" which is about 0.030" off the rifling. It fits the magazine fine and feeds well. I do not crimp the case into the bullet.

I settled on a load of RL-15 and a 300 gr. bullet, for about everything I hunt with my 375 Ruger and its actually replaced my 375 H&H. How I hate to admit that btw.

If I had to chose one bullet for all of AFrica and NA, Id pick the Speer Grand Slam 285 gr. and I have 14 boxes of those bullets (now discontinued) for my 375 Ruger..RL-15 is my powder of choice for the 375 Ruger..

250 grain Sierra Game Kings over Varget. I run them right 2700 FPS. Used to clover leaf. Components are too hard to find for shooting groups now! Big fat corn fed boar coon bit it last night!

Boatdoc, I also have the .375 Ruger in the Alaskan version. I have not had time to work with it much, but last night I sat down and loaded 12 rounds for it with 82.0 gr. of IMR-4451 and the 260 gr. Accubond, the same load that shot well in the .375 Ruger African. This morning I shot four 3-shot groups at 100 yards that went from 0.50" to 1.27", and averaged 1.01". That should be accurate enough for moose and elk. I did not chronograph the loads so I do not know the velocity difference between the 20" and 23" barrels.

Please let us know what loads you try and how they work.

On average I get about 100 fps advantage over my 375 H&H, but that doesn't mean much, a 300 gr. bullet at 2500 FPS is kind to bullet construction and aids in bullet performance and IMO is the perfect Cape Buffalo load in either of the 375s.

I beieve I like this Ruger 375 better than any 375 Ive ever owned and that is a high number..the downside is my Buffalo hunting is probably in the past, but it is what it is..and a new chapter is shooting whitetail in Texas, an cow elk in the alfalfa, btw, thats where it all began..

gents,
h335/tac is ALWAYS the answer

Like Live Oak, I shoot 250gr sierras. I use 72.5 gr RL 15. Does not even come close to filling the case but man is it fun to shoot. Accurate and mild recoil.

Lots of locals swear by the 250 gr. Sierras in their .375s and they keep those perfectly expanded bullets to settle coffee shop chatter..the just work in the 375 and 338s...

One vocal gent plooped down 3 monolithics on the table voicing the penetratin qualities of the Barnes X bullets, he recovered from elk..to wit another plopped out some Sierras that were beautifully mushroom, and replied since you recovered yours, all shoulder shots that didn't leave and exit, so did my "soft" Sierras, can you explain that? oooops!

quote:

Originally posted by boatdoc:
Just picked up a Ruger alaskan, in 375 ruger with a 20 inch barrel.
Looking for a couple load ideas. I am thinking about trying some Barnes 235 TSX and Nosler 260 accubonds.
Really interested in powders that would work well with the short barrel.
Primary use will be moose and elk.

According to QuickLoad, Alliant RL-17 or Reload Swiss RS-60 or Eicho 17 (all is the same powder) has best performance and propellant burnt in barrel percentage.

My suggestion regarding to QuickLoad:

78 gr and up (to about 81) for Accubond 260gr
81 gr and up (to about 85) for TSX 235gr

I use personally RL-17 only in my .375 H&H, I use 76 gr for 300gr A-Frame. Also great in 8x57IS with 196gr Oryx. And I use it also in my .585 Hubel Express. Works great.

Jiri

Took it to Africa but loaded with Barnes Tipped triple shocks. Did the job well. Still have a couple of recovered bullets! Had some left and use them on pigs and coons. Just seemed to have more running dead pigs than with the Sierras. Shot a racoon looking my way just over the top of its head. Barnes exited out the back leg. Could have skinned it out and sold the hide. Same shot but with a Sierra. It was skinned out!! Don't see many 250 pound pigs anymore. I have shot a few with the 250 Gr. Sierras with different angles. I have never recovered a bullet! Varget works well on so many rounds I shot, helps keep the powder inventory down!

I have used both RL-15 and RL-17 with 300gr Sierra bullets. About 2650 out of my African model. I really like the load and the Sierras are fairly cheap for a big bore bullet.

the old wives tale about fast powders for short barrels is mostly false according to my chronographs at least in the guns Ive tested..

Boatdoc, have you settled on a load yet. I loaded another 12 rounds with the 260 gr. Accubond and 82.0 gr. of IMR-4451 to make sure my first test was not a fluke. The first group always seems to be bigger from a clean barrel, and this time was no exception. Groups went 1.76", 1.12", 0.92", and 0.92". These were all 3-shot groups at 100 yards. I think this load is what I will use for the 260 gr. Accubond.

I have just started playing with my 375 RUGER.
Loaded 84 GN of H4350 vel 3074 behind a 260 accubond with difficult bolt lift
Loaded 84 gns of R17 vel 3043 behind a 260 accubond also had difficult bolt lift
will need to drop it a few grains
Interestingly 84 gn of R17 behind the 260 partition gave me a vel of 3000fps ES< 10 and no pressure signs
81 gn of H4350 behind a 300 partition gave a vel of 2700
80 gn of R17 gave a vel of 2700 behind a 300 partition

RL-15 and RL-17 gets me the best accuracy, least pressure, and fastest velocity in all my tests in the Ruger 375..but I shoot the 285 Speer and 300 gr. Nosler and Woodleighs at a mild 2500 FPS, and as a result I get better penetration, less expansion better accuracy and quicker kills than I get with the 2600 plus fps it seems but to each his own on the subject..

81 grains of IMR 4350 & 300 grain Nosler partition was my load for my cape buffalo.

quote:

Originally posted by boatdoc:
Just picked up a Ruger alaskan, in 375 ruger with a 20 inch barrel.
Looking for a couple load ideas. I am thinking about trying some Barnes 235 TSX and Nosler 260 accubonds.
Really interested in powders that would work well with the short barrel.
Primary use will be moose and elk.

I have not chronographed my load. I use the Barnes 270 grain TSX with H380. One grain under the max load from what is listed in the current Barnes Reloading Manual #4. Same is listed on Barnes online load data. This has been a very accurate load in the 3ea rifles that I have shot it in.
Definitely works well on moose.

Shouldn't this topic be in the Medium Bore section?

Chuck,
Modern man has changed the rules, the 375 is a big big bore!!

BOATDOC asked for advice on loads with 260 Nosler AB bullets. So here is one.
Got my 375 Ruger stainless Left Handed as soon as it was released.
And I stumbled onto a "starter" load that I like so much that I just don't leave it.
The load is 66 Gr. Varget and Nosler 260 grain bullets. First I used green tip Ballistic Tips. Now I use 260 grain white tip Accubond bullets.
This load is the Hodgdon Manual suggested maximum load less 10%. (It says on the powder can to reduce max loads by 10%.)
For some reason my rifle shoots this combination of powder and bullet into little clusters. This makes me happy.
And it is my observation that the Nosler 260 AB bullet fired at less than maximum velocity may have greater penetration than when fired at the 375 Rugers maximum speed. The maximum speed makes a bigger pancake, a flatter front, more resistance, and maybe less total penetration.
For my hunting, this load makes two holes every time. And never have I had to shoot an animal a second time.
In any case, my suggestion is to try it.
I think that you will like it.
Sincerely,

All good advise, most powders mentioned are about the same burning rate, just that some are ball and some are flake, same with bullet suggestion, the Nosler Accubond, partition, the heavy Speers, the heavy 250 and 300g gr. Seirras, all great killers, Ive used the 260 Nosler partition, the 250 and 300 sierras, North forks and others on Plainsgame hunts, and a buffalo or two...Most all .375 bullets just seem to work as claimed by the makers, guess its been around long enough for them to get it figured out...