I took the Ruger 375 I bought on clearance for $699 to the range. Had a nikon 1-4 scope on it and alaskan qd scope rings.

At 50 yards the gun shot one hole groups. The recoil was not bad and the gun is light and fun to carry. The whole package was less $1200 with gunsmithing cost for mounting scope, shipping, taxes ect.

Best bargain out there for a safari ready rifle. Now if average buff hunt in zim was not up 40-50 percent in last 5 years.

This will make for an excellent hog rifle. 375 Ruger is still an ugly looking round but I really like the value package.

Mike

Beretta:

Did you hand load for your new rifle or did you use the Hornady factory ammunition?

Has the rifle been bedded?

Many thanks...

Hornady factory ammo

No gunsmithing work on rifle - all the gunsmith did was mount the scope.

No issues feeding and the action is smooth. The trigger was factory and not adjusted.

Mike

quote:

375 Ruger is still an ugly looking round

Whatever.



I think it is efficient looking and matches my 500 AccRel Nyati. Both are somewhat on the fat side.
For elegance I like the 416Rigby,
and then the 270Win as baby elegance.
For overall balance, the 338 Win Mag is pretty nice.

Enjoy the Ruger. It's a serious cartridge.

I don't have a 375 Ruger but I have built several of them and its an outstanding round. I wouldn't trade my .375 H&H off for one but if I were new to the big bore scene, I would certainly entertain the purchase of the Ruger 375 Hawkeye African, its about the nicest factory rifle I have seen and apparently they all shoot great. I have had two in 9.3x62 and two in .338 Win and they all shot well and my present African is a .338 and its bench rest accurate. I'll keep this one I promise.

The African is slim and trim with all the excess wood trimmed away and as Phil Shoemaker sez, its reminescent of his 425 Wesley Richards or something along those lines and I agree. These nice Rugers apparently don't need tweeking and that's a switch for any factory rifle.

Mike, he's ready for you to try it out!

biebs,
I get this feeling evey time I see a DG animal that close in real life. It's the why don't I have a 577 in my paws syndrome! Fortunatly I usually get by just fine with what I have, and later expound on lighter calibers that one can shoot well...but the feeling is always there, but if I had a 577 and that elephant was looking at me like that I'd sure wonder why I didn't invest in a 600 N.E. or perhaps a bazooka.

Or we might sit in a Sherman tank...

I agree with your assessment of the Hawkeye 375. Its a nice trim rifle which weighs exactly 9 lbs. with scope attached. I used 235 Grain Speer hot core soft points in front of 70.0 grains of Varget for sight in purposes.

This is a starting load and velocities averaged 2725 FPS. Accuracy was good- my data shows this bullet/powder combination can reach 2900 fps, but I eventually want to develop a load using the swift 250 grain A Frame.

Beretta, I hope you have continued good fortune with your Ruger. Do you intend to reload for it?

I don't reload but I am going to start buying reloading dies et for

375 ruger
375 h&h
450-400

I am 12 months back ordered on 375 h&h Barnes 300 grain tax from federal. I don't expect to get any anytime soon. I need a backup plan - reloading equipment and getting someone to reload is a good backup.

I am taking my 375 ruger to Alaska - went from backup to primary gun. I have both the Alaskan and the african. The ruger Alaskan is going to Alaska.

Problem is it is my only gun not scoped. 50 plus rifles and my backup needs to get up to speed and scoped.

Any scope recommendations - looking for 3x9.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I don't reload but I am going to start buying reloading dies et for

375 ruger
375 h&h
450-400

I am 12 months back ordered on 375 h&h Barnes 300 grain tax from federal. I don't expect to get any anytime soon. I need a backup plan - reloading equipment and getting someone to reload is a good backup.

I am taking my 375 ruger to Alaska - went from backup to primary gun. I have both the Alaskan and the african. The ruger Alaskan is going to Alaska.

Problem is it is my only gun not scoped. 50 plus rifles and my backup needs to get up to speed and scoped.

Any scope recommendations - looking for 3x9.

Mike

Seems like you have 49 options to start with----

quote:

Any scope recommendations - looking for 3x9.

I would see if you would like to shoot with a 5" eye relief. If so, then the Nikon Inline 3-9 is a great glass and tough tough tough.

for a 4-inch eyerelief, the Nikon Monarch 2-8 is my go to scope, holding 6000 ftlb loads and clear.

quote:

Originally posted by Sean Russell:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I don't reload but I am going to start buying reloading dies et for

375 ruger
375 h&h
450-400

I am 12 months back ordered on 375 h&h Barnes 300 grain tax from federal. I don't expect to get any anytime soon. I need a backup plan - reloading equipment and getting someone to reload is a good backup.

I am taking my 375 ruger to Alaska - went from backup to primary gun. I have both the Alaskan and the african. The ruger Alaskan is going to Alaska.

Problem is it is my only gun not scoped. 50 plus rifles and my backup needs to get up to speed and scoped.

Any scope recommendations - looking for 3x9.

Mike

Seems like you have 49 options to start with----

Alaskan 375 is perfect for Alaska

I was originally going to take my cz in 375 h&h

None of my other rifles other than a rem 7mm are synthetic - I hate my rem

So time to buy a scope

Mike

Beretta:

FWIW I used a swarovski 3x9x36 on my ruger- no eye relief problems. Good luck with your choices, you have lots of options. Also, cheaper than dirt has good prices on hornady 375 ruger brass presently. Check it out…

for scopes, I should add that the Nikon Inline requires the Ruger extended ring on the front. the 2-8 Monarch Compact fits standard Ruger rings.

On bullets, if you go monometal the preferred weights are lighter than lead core:
GSCustom 250grains are available in US, (BC .377)
CEB 235 Extended range tipped (BC .337)
Barnes 250 gn TTSX (BC .424)
All should be able to get any job done
'meat on the table'.

Have to go along with the Nikon 2-8x Monarch. Been a Leupold 2.5-8x fan for years, but like the way the new Monarchs handle the recoil from the heavy hitters.
As for 3-9x scopes, one itty-bitty power on each end compared with the 2-8s may not seem like much, but I find I use 2x much much more than 9x...or the 8x.

I put a Trijicon 3-9x40 on my Ruger Hawkeye, it fit fine.

I have a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36mm using low Alaskan Arms quick detach rings on my 375 Ruger Guide Gun. Real happy with this combonation.

Put a Vortex Viper 2x7 on mine. Awesome combo

Here is what a Ruger 375Ruger looks like with a 20" barrel,
pepper laminate stock,
and 3-9 Nikon Inline scope with 5" eye-relief,
being wielded by a 68-year-old grandmother



You will note the front extension ring that is necessary for the short 4.73" mounting surface of the Inline model Nikon scope. The Monarch 2-8 (4" eye-relief) can fit the CZ safari magnum action, so no issues either way on lightweight Nikon scopes.

If I wanted to hunt africa with a scoped rifle this would be my pick-especially with the muzzle break.I would use the TSX bullet and placed with an 8X scope nothing would stand a chance.I am sure it would be accurate as hell even out to 300yds.On second thought it might not do so bad as a pleasant shooting open sight rifle for buff.

Boring Round....

I for one think it is a very handsome round.

In my .375 Alaskan, Hogue version it is amazingly accurate. From 225 Hornady's to 300
DGS's with my handloads from low power Deer loads to full power loads it will print 3 shot groups under an inch at 100 yards.

With a 3-9 Nikon scope mounted and using Nosler 260 Accubonds it will print sub 2 in. 3 shot groups at 200 yards.

How can you not love that.......

My 375R Alaskan is perilously close to being the perfect all around rifle. When I upgrade the scope from the Nikon Monarch 1-4 (outstanding scope, just want a little more power and a red dot) to a 1-6 with illuminated reticle it WILL be the perfect setup!

P.S. My 416 Alaskan carries a Trijicon 1-4 with post accupoint and it is equally outstanding for the "big stuff".

Ruger Alaskan may be the perfect truck gun and if one can handel recoil might make a great scout rifle too.

Mike

would anyone here go so far as to simply say that if the .375 Ruger is good the .416 Ruger is better?

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
would anyone here go so far as to simply say that if the .375 Ruger is good the .416 Ruger is better?

They don't make a left handed 416 so in my narrow view 375 ruger is better!!

Mikw

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
would anyone here go so far as to simply say that if the .375 Ruger is good the .416 Ruger is better?

Like Beretta and a lefthanded version, my wife in the picture above is shooting a lefty version.
Now, I might enjoy a 416 Ruger if they made a little 20" barrel, laminate stock version. Yes, that would be a handy little rifle. The African model 416Ruger in 23" and walnut would be my second choice.

quote:

would anyone here go so far as to simply say that if the .375 Ruger is good the .416 Ruger is better?

I wasn't sure, so I got both :-)

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
would anyone here go so far as to simply say that if the .375 Ruger is good the .416 Ruger is better?

On a technical side one might have a small point of dissention on the neck of the .416Ruger. The neck is only .335" long which is 80% of calibre. That puts it in the same category as the 300 WinMag and its .2639" neck being 85% of calibre.

Is there a problem with that? I don't think so, but it is on the edge. The 300WinMag has been used effectively in long range competition so the short neck on the Ruger should not be a problem. I suppose the short neck would allow one more grain of powder up around the bullet. But to fully discuss this one should have a thread comparing the 416 calibres.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
would anyone here go so far as to simply say that if the .375 Ruger is good the .416 Ruger is better?

On a technical side one might have a small point of dissention on the neck of the .416Ruger. The neck is only .335" long which is 80% of calibre. That puts it in the same category as the 300 WinMag and its .2639" neck being 85% of calibre.

Is there a problem with that? I don't think so, but it is on the edge. The 300WinMag has been used effectively in long range competition so the short neck on the Ruger should not be a problem. I suppose the short neck would allow one more grain of powder up around the bullet. But to fully discuss this one should have a thread comparing the 416 calibres.

Maybe this sounds stupid, but a campaign to Ruger and Hornady to make the neck longer?

Or, ask Hornady if they would make some brass that is longer and have one's own gun reamed a bit.

that's not a stupid question, though it won't happen now that the 375Ruger and 416Ruger are SAAMI cartridges.

The 300WinMag fits in a standard length action and uses a brass case that is 2.62" long. If Ruger and Hornady had used 2.62" for their case they would have had space for a .365" neck in 375 and .375" neck in .416", achieving 99% calibre length for the 375Ruger and 90% for the 416Ruger.

we went one step further in the 500 AccRel Nyati by using the 2.65" case that Jeffeoso used. That pushes the envelope pretty far for a 3.4" magazine.

If I lived on the coast or in dense brown bear country, the 416 would be The rifle. Here in the Interior the 375 does. . All I need is to get another one And find some bullets that will hold together in the 250-300 gr class with a bc over. 52. If the bullet will hold together well and can be started around 2600+ fps then it will make a near perfect 1 rifle for everything up here except fur bearers. . What twist does the 375 Ruger have??

The Ruger uses a 1:12" twist in 375.

Your bigger problem will be finding a bullet with .520 BC that will hold together up close. Ironically, that is easier to do in .338" where Barnes has a 265gn TTSX and a 280 TTSX. Those have very high BCs and would hold together on a brown bear or moose. However, in .375 their 250 gn TTSX "only" has a BC of .424, so you might need to treat it as a 400-yard and under rifle. The GSC BCs are around .370 and the CEB Extended Raptor at 235 grain is only .337. Again, all of these bullets would work fine out to 400 yards. For high BC, you could try the CEB MTH 300 grain "single feed". It is so long (1.72", with a projection of 1.14" beyond the case mouth) that it must be singly fed into the rifle but it has a BC of .750. I do not know what its actual terminal properties are, though. Try them out and see where their POI is at 100 in comparison with a bullet that you would have in the magazine.

For a compromise of guaranteed penetration, good wound channel, and a BC over .400 I would probably go with the Barnes 250gn TTSX .375". My wife will probably go with the CEB 235gnER or GSC 200 gn, or Barnes 250 TTSX, depending on whichever is noticeably more accurate in her rifle. She only plans to hunt 100-250 yards, while being capable out over 300.

CTF & Tanz,

Something to remember - if the bullet you're desiring isn't available commercially 'off the shelf' it can fairly easily be manufactured by a bullet company utilizing computerized CNC bullet making machinery - such as Cutting Edge Bullets or GS Custom Bullets (especially now that GSC has a stateside mfg facility).

Also something to remember is the extra BC of a boattail bullet, vs a flat base bullet, doesn't really impact the bullet flight until 350yds and beyond.

I keep going around and around in my head about weather to go with the 375 Ruger or make the wildcat 338/375 Ruger. At this point there are great extreme long range bullets and great hunting bullets for the 375. But no goot tough. 6+ bc bullets for the 375. Where as in 338 there are lots of them.
And for a true all around rifle it needs to work great at 10 yards on brown bear ect and something like Sitka Blacktails at minimum 800 yards. Kinda hard to find gun bearers in Alaska. And in my experience it is easy to get a big bore to shoot accurately.

quote:

Originally posted by Cold Trigger Finger:
I keep going around and around in my head about weather to go with the 375 Ruger or make the wildcat 338/375 Ruger. At this point there are great extreme long range bullets and great hunting bullets for the 375. But no goot tough. 6+ bc bullets for the 375. Where as in 338 there are lots of them.
And for a true all around rifle it needs to work great at 10 yards on brown bear ect and something like Sitka Blacktails at minimum 800 yards. Kinda hard to find gun bearers in Alaska. And in my experience it is easy to get a big bore to shoot accurately.

For price, it would be hard to beat either the 375Ruger or 338WinMag.

A wildcat adds at least $1000 IF everything works out right the first time, probably a little more to get the reamer and gauges right. If you go that route, please let us know where and how to follow up on reamer rentals. On the specs for a 338/375Ruger, you can have a calibre length neck if the case is planned for 2.61" and the same shoulder position is used from the 375Ruger. If 375Ruger brass is used then the neck will be about .315", or .305" when trimmed .01", which isn't too bad at about 90%. I would opt for the longer case, 2.61", since Hornady basic brass is available. And shooting occasional 2.58" short brass shouldn't hurt much, either, being a kind of extra freebore. The neck would be useful for some of those VERY LONG .338" bullets, like the Barnes TTSX "Lapua" in 1.8". The barrel twist should be at least 1:10" and 1:9" wouldn't hurt if you are planning on such bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by Cold Trigger Finger:
I keep going around and around in my head about weather to go with the 375 Ruger or make the wildcat 338/375 Ruger. At this point there are great extreme long range bullets and great hunting bullets for the 375. But no goot tough. 6+ bc bullets for the 375. Where as in 338 there are lots of them.
And for a true all around rifle it needs to work great at 10 yards on brown bear ect and something like Sitka Blacktails at minimum 800 yards. Kinda hard to find gun bearers in Alaska. And in my experience it is easy to get a big bore to shoot accurately.

You're looking at using long bullets to reach that BC regardless of their construction.

You could build a .375 Ruger on a standard-long action (3.6" magazine), it would require a re-barrel to accomplish, which would allow seating longer bullets with minimal intrusion into the case's powder capacity. Certainly a reasonable option if you already have a rifle you could re-barrel.

If a rifle purchase is required to accomplish your "up close and personal" plus "800yd shots" then I'd move elsewhere. I’d recommend you purchase a used CZ550 chambered in .375 H&H. Then immediately have your gunsmith re-chambered it to the .375 Weatherby (if you want to have the option of using .375 H&H ammo) or to the .375 RUM (if you want to maximize the performance). The CZ550 Magnum action would allow seating your high BC bullets as far out as the magazine would allow so that you can maximize the muzzle velocity for your 800yd shots. Just have the gunsmith that performs the re-chambering clean up and feeding issues and slick up the action before handing it over to you.

Yup. Its gonna take some more thinking. I don't mind the less than caliber neck and, as there isn't the super availability of Ruger brass. Like there is HandH brass. I want to stick with standard Ruger brass. Since I want to stick with the Ruger action I'm looking to get the most I can from it. With fairly commonly available components. . More thinking required.

quote:

Originally posted by Cold Trigger Finger:
Yup. Its gonna take some more thinking. I don't mind the less than caliber neck and, as there isn't the super availability of Ruger brass. Like there is HandH brass. I want to stick with standard Ruger brass. Since I want to stick with the Ruger action I'm looking to get the most I can from it. With fairly commonly available components. . More thinking required.

Sorry hadn't noticed you wanted to stay with the Ruger action - so you're looking at a 4.20" internal magazine length. This in itself limits your options whether using the factory .375 Ruger or a wildcat .338/375 Ruger.

My recommendation is the .375 Ruger. Reason: It'll put a better thump on biggest and deadliest target game than will the .338 caliber. And if neither caliber bullet expands at 800yds the larger caliber will make a larger hole on the smaller game.

I got a 24" Howa from Bud's for $400 but their pricing must be computer-adjusted by demand/sales. They do have a 20" now for an even $400. People snicker at the 'too much power' factor without realizing it will shoot the Lee plain base all day on Blue Dot - and never miss a golf ball. I don't even size the case; simply pinch the neck a bit.