Well, I finally broke down today and bought the 375 Ruger Hawkeye that's been sitting in my dealer's rack. It's the blued/wood rifle with the 23" barrel and iron sights. Very pretty and it fits me like a glove. I can't wait to go and shoot it!!

Before I go and try it out, does anyone know what distance the factory iron sights are zeroed at? They only had one box of ammo on hand, so all I have right now is 20 rounds of the Hornady 270gr SP ammo to shoot. I want to make sure I'm not banging away at too long a range. I was going to try it at 50 yds first, then do the scope mounting and other stuff. Basically just a function test to start with, but I want to shoot it so the irons are as 'on' as they can be.

Also, what distance would be a good zero for a 375, assuming it is scoped? I was thinking 150 or 200 yds, just like my other hunting rifles.

Actually the barrel length is 23 inches and I had to replace the front sight because it was too tall. NECG told me that they were replacing a lot of Rugers front sights because of the sighting issue, go figure, I guesss they think everyone is going to put a scope on it and call it good. Hope yours works for you from the beginning, it is a very accurate rifle/round.

Both the 23" African and the 20" Alaskan that I have are on at 50 yards.

Thanks for weighing in. I assumed it was for 50 yds, so that's what I'll run it at.

(I edited my first post to fix the bbl length.)

Can some one answer me this? Why does the Ruger Alaskan in 375R have catalog weight under 8 pounds, while the MarkII magnum in 375H&H has a back busting unbelievable 10 lbs rating!

For a hunting rifle it looks like Ruger is going out of their way to kill interest in the MarkII magnum line. Or could it be the new products are result of new thinking at Ruger and they will get around to the MarkII product line? Seems we are looking at 2X the price and 1/2 the utility here.

before you go and shoot it get it bedded and have a cross bolt put in the stock...cheap insurance
Daniel

Captain,I don't know if you will get the same results as I do,but the rifle will not have the same zero, with iron sights, when you shoot it offhand,sitting down from a rest or possibly, off sticks.This is important because after all, it is a DGR.

The Ruger MKII Magnum (RSM) is one of the finest production rifles ever manufactured. The RSM is a semi-custom product with limited production. The RSM platform was designed for the massive .416 Rigby and when you add an integral quarter rib, barrel band, and front sight, wood density, secondary recoil lug, bull barrel, etc the ounces start to add up. Ruger offers the .458 Lott and the .375 H&H in the RSM which both could utilize a smaller action, but because it is a factory rifle the .416 Rigby platform is employed.

The Ruger Alaskan and Ruger African are bare bones working rifles set at an afforable price point and based on a standard length action. The RSM is a semi-custom African Classic Express Rifle. The two rifles have different markets. I do most of my shooting off of shooting sticks and therefore prefer the solid feel and weight of the RSM chambered .375 H&H. I love the lines of the RSM. The RSM sells for around $2,000 USD but it is a $5,000 USD rifle. The Hawkeye is a fine rifle selling under a $1,000 USD and worth a $1,000 USD.

Another great thing about the RSM is the snug fit of all rds in the magazine.It is also a very well balance rifle that can be shouldered and aimed very quickly.I think this is due to a slightly wide forearm,short barrel,short action,three round mag.I find long barrels more difficult to aim offhand.I would prefer a larger bolt handle.The rear sight is low and easily picked up with the eye.The barrel is very accurate and long lasting.I got some new Hornady solids yesterday and I am glad to see that they feed well in my Ruger lott.

I have an RSM is 416 and it weights maybe 9.5 pounds. Nice to shoot, tad heavy but within reason. I like very much. I agree with you all, a very well finished and good looking gun for the price. ($2k)

My issue, is Ruger uses the same HEAVY profile bbl in the 375HH and it actual weight is HEAVIER than the 458 Lott. This is not right on a gun that cost over 2,000 and is apparently supposed to be some special hi end, big deal, Ruger. Good god, at least they could get it down to 9 pounds! I have a Winchester M70 that cost 1/2 the Ruger price and is a much better handling gun and also nicely finished. Whats wrong with Ruger?

The other thing, and this really ticks me off, is the exclusive offering of the MarkII in just one gun, in a fancy grade and heavy weight. No reason not to offer these calibers in RSM for $1,000 basic hunting configurations like the Alaskan. No fancy shmacy, just practical?

Yes, that would be nice to see a basic RSM chambered in .500 Jeffery, .505 Rimless, .404 Jeffery, .425 Westley Richards, and others.

The irons worked fine for me at 50 yds. The rifle itself shot well, but I think recoil is out of proportion. The overall stock lines are really nice and it certainly is trim and very quick handling, but it only weighs 7 lbs 14 oz on my scale. (This is exactly what Ruger says it should weigh...so the factory is right on here). When you add 4 cartridges, the weight goes up to roughly 8 lbs 3.5 oz. I really think this is on the light side for any .375 rifle.

Less than 8 lbs is too light in my opinion. I'd personally like to see it weigh 8.5 lbs empty or have the butt of the stock wider (or more generous in some way). Maybe a better recoil pad than the factory red rubber plate would be the simpler option. As it stands now, it's not real pleasant to shoot, but it is nice to carry. You can really feel the difference in recoil level as you work through the magazine and make the rifle lighter. I've shot .375 H&H rifles that were much easier on the shoulder (one browning comes to mind), but I don't recall knowing what they weighed. I'm guessing it was more than this little guy though.

What do your various .375s weigh and how would you change it?

You can double check the distance the rear sight/front sight is supposedly set/zeroed for by bore sighting at 25,50,or 100 yards. Steady rifle on rests, remove bolt, peer through bore at target, and then see where the sights are indicating. Low, high, left, or right and then fire for true impact.
As so aptly pointed out, the Ruger African/Alaska 77's are bare bones, solid hunting rifles w/ no embellishments and therefore the price is reachable for most. Good deal all around, but the RSM's in whatever caliber offered, 3 at this time, is one of the best values ever offered to the big bore bolt gun user. I would venture to say that to build one with equal qualities would be more than double the price of the RSM. I know you can buy a CZ big bore and send it off and have it "rebuilt" and makes a beautiful rifle, but last time I looked at such a conversion the price was over $4,000.00 My RSM, 375HH weighs in at just under 10lbs. w/ iron sights loaded up and I appreciate the weight and balance w/ either light loads and moreover in heavy loads.
As soon as I get the funds scrounged up for a pending double rifle purchase, my next buy will be the RSM in 416 Rigby. Shouldn't take me more than couple years or so!!

quote:

Originally posted by fourbore:
Can some one answer me this? Why does the Ruger Alaskan in 375R have catalog weight under 8 pounds, while the MarkII magnum in 375H&H has a back busting unbelievable 10 lbs rating!

For a hunting rifle it looks like Ruger is going out of their way to kill interest in the MarkII magnum line. Or could it be the new products are result of new thinking at Ruger and they will get around to the MarkII product line? Seems we are looking at 2X the price and 1/2 the utility here.

I can ..
the markII is a light action and barrel profile .. the RSM (please don't call it a magnum action, is a safari magnum, which is HUGE compared to a mkII) ... is HUGE, with a massively heavy barrel profile for ALL the calibers in the same model (there's been a couple) and that huge barrel profile has TWO quarter ribs on it.

the 30-06, 375, 458, and 416 the same year all had the same external barrel profile.. which resulted in a high weight.

the 375 ruger is on the petitte mkII action, with a fairly light profile, without dual quarterribs ... and very nicely light.