Just got my Ruger Left Hand African that I picked up for $699 - looks like a really neat little rifle. I think its going to make a great little truck and hog rifle.

I went and bought a box of 375 Ruger - Hornady stuff.

Damn that is an ugly bullet. Fat short just plain nasty when compared to classical lines of 375 H&H. Seems like something to shoot out of an AK not a nice safari crf bold action rifle.

Mike

Um yeah they are ugly. I hear that they work quite nicely like the H&H but not nearly as svelte and attractive. Just saying...

How does the ugly bullet rifle handle? I was thinking of grabbing one at some point or maybe a ruger scout rifle in 308. Not sure.

Can never do this with a 375 Ruger !!!!

Ugly bullets do matter

Have not shot it and don't think I make it to the range till after tax day (or servitude day).

It feels remarkably light - like a 30/30 deer rifle.

I don't think I am going to scope it.

First read - good value for $700.

Mike

Yes, I just picked up my 2 today, in 375 and 416 Ruger. They're great little carbines with African power.

I snagged a box of Hornady virgin brass at cabelas if anyone wants it. see ad in classifieds.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Yes, I just picked up my 2 today, in 375 and 416 Ruger. They're great little carbines with African power.

Jon, I knew someday you would see the light and get yourself some real truck rifles. I too have a 375 and 416 I like the 375 but the 416 is my favorite, a lot of bang for the buck. They both prefer R-15 with most any bullet.

I like the one I got a few weeks ago except for the laminate stock it had. The wrist is just to thin for my tastes so I replaced it. The feed rails and ramp had some rough and sharp edges on them so I polished them up. The brass doesn't get so much scarring now. I expect that from any new non custom rifle though.

It seems like a very good rifle for the money. I will know more after break in and some load development.

Maybe someone will know for sure about this matter. I read an older forum where a guy had his stainless finish rust almost immediately in Alaska. Mine is SS finish but I cannot find anywhere that says if it is just a coating over chrome moly or stainless steel. I wanted this model in stainless steel and read the comment after I had ordered it. Now I'm wondering what it is. The model I got was the African SS with laminate stock.

quote:

Jon, I knew someday you would see the light and get yourself some real truck rifles

Dirk, yes, it's nice to have a couple workhorses that you don't have to worry too much about. I spend September in Alaska each year, much of it in spike camps, so these 2 will fit that bill perfectly. I like the feel of the rubber-like Hogue stocks...a bit on the beefy side and easy to hold onto for the bigger calibers.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't see the 375 Ruger as ugly.

Here is a comparison picture with another standard length, very powerful round:



OK, maybe the neck is too squat, 12.6% of case length, but not as bad as the 300 WinMag's, 10%.

Post-Bauhouse art includes practicality in esthetics. For true elegance we would all be shooting 270 Win and 416 Rigby's with their long necks.

Part of beauty is the sense of power in the cartridge and the 375 Ruger delivers. It strikes me as a great hartebeest calibre (says I with mostly 338 experience on the beesties, all very satisfactory).

I love the African model, I love the 375 Ruger cartridge, its well designed and in time will become more and more popular, maybe make a move on the H&Hs popularity..The only advantage I can see with the H&H is with 350 gr. bullets, the rest is sumataion such as feed and extraction, and maybe the H&H does have the advantage but its so slight I'm not sure it would count..

I won't run out and sell my old H&H, but if I were looking for a new .375 I'd sure give the Ruger African some thought..

BTW, I have never been much of a brake fan, but after shooting my new Ruger African .338 with a brake on it, and my hand still healing, keeping that trigger guard off my middle finger sure is a blessing..and I can take it off and screw on the thread protector and it looks like a real gun that way! best of both worlds!

Just might have to put together a 416 or 404 Ruger, I built a couple of those early on and they sure were nice..but a Ruger African would suit me fine also, just may be my next purchase if I ever get this new horse paid for.

quote:

The only advantage I can see with the H&H is with 350 gr. bullets

Bullet lengths in the cartridge will depend on free bore and the rifle's magazine, not the Ruger case or H&H case. The Ruger case holds five more grains, so theoretically it can handle a more deeply seated bullet, other things equal.

Since a 270gr Barnes TSX (1.371") is longer than a 350gr RN SN Woodeligh 46B (1.351") there should be zero issue with using the 350gr Woodleigh in the 375 Ruger if one has to use that bullet. And if one has to use the very slightly longer 350gr Woodleigh 46BHD (1.378") I really don't think an extra 0.007" length will hurt performance in the Ruger considering its greater capacity...just use the proper burn rate powder.

I didn't bother comparing with the 350gr Woodleigh FMJ as I'm a believer in using the FN solids where solids are needed...

Beretta682E,

I agree, an unglamorous looking cartridge.

But, if I didn't already own a left handed H&H, I would buy a Ruger African.

It, and the 416, have almost the identical body shape, and are just as unglamorous as, the 416 Rigby.

But argueing that "glamour" is the primary (and arguably only) benefit of a round is mighty faint praise.

Well...if Ruger reintroduced the M77 RSM rifle they could simultaneous introduce the 375 RLM and 416 RLM cartridges with the rifle. Cartridges would be the current cases lengthened to something between 2.80"-2.85" length. Case capacity would definitely be greater than the .375 Weatherby and just short of the RUM case capacity. Or they could stretch it out to the 416 Rigby case length and surpass the RUM in performance - but then the cartridge would be limited to the magnum length actions rather than the standard-long actions with their 3.62"-3.65" internal magazine lengths.

Could happen but probably won't... Just pondering the possibilities...

Biebs and Mike,

I have had an African model in 375 for over a year and it handles like a deer rifle and is very accurate with 300 gr DGXs. That was what I was bringing to Burkina before Delta cancelled 3 flights out of ATl during the big Feb snow storm. As you know I got on a last minute flight out of Houston on Turkish Air and had to leave the Ruger behind and borrow a camp gun. I really like the Ruger, but if you shoot factory loads, as I do, buy ammo when you find it, sometimes it can be hard to locate ammo.
BTW, it isn't ugly to me.

Butch:

Thanks for all the advice as I was ordering the gun.

Biebs:

I followed you in the gun. Can't lose money following Biebs

I am sorry but I just can't fall in love with the aesthetics/looks of the 375 Ruger. Not that it matters for anything. It just looks like something for an AK. The gun seems really cool - I think it is a good buy for $700. Not sure I like the new one with a brake on it.

Just for a beauty contest - 375 H&H, 9.3x62, 375 Ruger and 7.62x39. Just to already bias a lay up I open some boxes of federal tsx for 375 H&H and 9.3x62 - best looking bullets out there.



Mike

Put a blue-tipped TTSX on the Ruger and re-do the picture.

quote:

an unglamorous looking cartridge

by which you mean, efficient, better bllastics, shorter-less expensive actions, and larger capacity that was only met by the 375 weatherby/hh-AI versions, then yes...

you know, some stuck in the past motorheads like to rave about their super cars in the 60s/70s ... when the TRUTH is that there are minivans that outperform, in EVERY aspect, tho mach1 and charger...

the words you are looking for is "i prefer X, it is my opinion, and i have no basis for it"

yeah, nostalgia means zip to me...

there's a reason the 308 WAY outsells the 30/40...

quote:

Originally posted by Sid-:
Maybe someone will know for sure about this matter. I read an older forum where a guy had his stainless finish rust almost immediately in Alaska. Mine is SS finish but I cannot find anywhere that says if it is just a coating over chrome moly or stainless steel. I wanted this model in stainless steel and read the comment after I had ordered it. Now I'm wondering what it is. The model I got was the African SS with laminate stock.

Both your barrel and action are stainless steel through and through, it is NOT a finish. Stainless will rust, especially if exposed to blood but it will withstand a lot more abuse than a blue one under the same conditions. Just wipe it down occassionally and never look back. I have alaskans in 375 and 416, both are outstanding rifles!

I feel sorry for those that have no nostalgia. They are without soul, and are missing some of the best of our world of hunting! I know its not a necessary thing, it probably means Zilch as Jefferoso believes and thats a free choice, nothing wrong about it, but some of us get a world of enjoyment out of shooting a buffalo with a 200 year old caliber, or with a bow, muzzle Loader, or an old big bore lever gun...Its in the soul of some, others have been deprived of the emotion, what a shame, its supposed to be in the heart of a hunter. Thats the other side of the picture.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I feel sorry for those that have no nostalgia. They are without soul, and are missing some of the best of our world of hunting! I know its not a necessary thing, it probably means Zilch as Jefferoso believes and thats a free choice, nothing wrong about it, but some of us get a world of enjoyment out of shooting a buffalo with a 200 year old caliber, or with a bow, muzzle Loader, or an old big bore lever gun...Its in the soul of some, others have been deprived of the emotion, what a shame, its supposed to be in the heart of a hunter. Thats the other side of the picture.

Hum... a 200 year old caliber might be interesting but I doubt anyone is currently using one for buffalo.

If it makes you feel any better though, the 375 Ruger is really nothing more than an improved 30/33/35/40 Newton case in a caliber between the 35 Newton and 40 Newton. Plus these four Newton cartridges date back to 1912 through 1918 in design with commercial production in early 1914.

Yes, the Newton, with a .523" casehead, was pretty close to the new 375 Ruger, with its .532" casehead. The Ruger has about a 5 grain advantage, nothing to shout about, except that they are available and marketed in 2014 as rifles and components.

Here is an approximate visual comparison using the AmmoGuide dimensions,
starting with the 338 WinMag on the left (.532" rim, .513" casehead), then a 35 Newton, 375 Ruger (.532" rim and casehead), 40 Newton (.525" rim, .523" casehead), the venerable 416 Rigby (.590" rim and .589" casehead) and the 500 AccRel Nyati (.589" rim and casehead):


The picture is not exact even in relative scale, but it is close enough for general impressions.

The Ruger has a lot of potential power in a reasonably compact package. The more I think of this case the more I like it, though I would have given the neck an extra .005" over its .326". That is something a careful handloader can live with and it only adds to the capacity. (The 300 WinMag can be loaded for match competition and it only has a .264" neck.)

Tanz,

The data on the 40 Newton is incorrect and I can be blamed for it. I fell into the trap many do regarding the proper Newton case specifications and went with the later years Winchester mfg case measurements. Later after much research and purchasing copies of the various Newton catalogues I identified the Newton and Ruger chambers at the rim and head are within 0.0005" of each other; primary difference between the two, other than length, is the degree of case taper with the Newton being far greater than the Ruger. But once the Newton case undergoes the typically Ackley Improvement, which I understand happened pre-1950, the cases look almost identical - the Newton just being shorter in length.

One day I'll have to try again to have the 40 Newton cartridge specifications corrected...again...

Thank you for the note on the Newton. It allows for proper nostalgia.

So the 375 Ruger is essentially filling in the missing "37 Newton-AI". It appears that the industry went "belt happy" after WW2, perhaps based on the 375H&H fame. Otherwise, Winchester might have come out with a '338 Ruger' (aka 33 Newton) in 1958. My whole hunting rifle choices and experience would have been different.

Back in the early 80's I became a 338WM aficionado because it was virtually identical to the 375H&H in most hunting situations (OK, yes, such a comparison would generate a 270 vs. 30-06 type of debate), but the 338 WinMag could be purchased in rifles that were only 60% of the cost of the 'Safari' models that were necessary for the long 375H&H cartridge or the heavier-barreled 458 cartridge. The 338 also had better bullet selection at the time, including a Nosler partition 250 grain that was not being produced for the 375 and a 300-grain .338 Barnes original when wanting '300 grain' penetration. (Actually, 250 NP worked on buffalo and I only used the 300 grainers on short-distance warthogs around waterholes.) Elmer's favorite 275 grain Speer was also around at the time and did admirably on hartebeest and buffalo. I was as happy with the 338 as my friends were with the 375 . . . until the rifle companies came out with all of the 416 hype at the end of the 80's. Shame on the rifle companies! I listened to the likes of Aagard, Simpson, Seyfried, and O'Connor. What was not to like?
Had my first 416 Rigby built in '92. Haven't cared about a 'belt' on a cartridge since.

There are no flies on the 338 WinMag as it does a great job of replicating performance of the 333 Jeffery cartridge with heavy bullets.

It is unfortunate the Newton cartridges were dropped into obscurity, had they not it's very unlikely the multitude of short (2.5"-2.6") belted Magnums would have seen commercial production.

Oh well, all is history now...