Ruger 375's and such!

[ShortBBL]

Hey guys! Help to convince me that a Ruger 375 is not something I want! LOL

I have the bug to add one to my super small rifle collection, ok, to be honest, right now I don't have any rifles of "game gettin'" size! :shock:

I've hunted Deer and Antelope in MT yearly since about 1981, but the last 10+ years it has been strictly a hundgun proposition. Now, I am wanting to hunt Elk and want a new big bore. I used a Sako LH 25-06 for so many years and I know that would have taken Elk too.... but something just says "buy a big boy".

So... if you have one, what is it, a 77 or #1? How do you like it? Have you loaded it down for deer sized game too?

I love the looks of the "LION" #1, but, after reading about it on gunblast, I'm worried (a little) about how he says the case can hit the safety when ejecting, and get caught up. No, I doubt I'll ever hunt dangerous game, but in any case... I don't want a slowed up reload, no matter what I am hunting/shooting at.

OK..... tell me all about the 375!

Thanks!

 

[txpitdog]

Have had the itch myself since learning about the caliber. I like that it can be loaded down to 375 Win levels typically used in leverguns, and I like that the Barnes 235gr TSX can be cranked all the way up to follow the 300win mag trajectory using a 180gr bullet. My primary interest lies in the Nosler 260gr Accubond and it's high BC. I haven't confirmed it yet, but I think the 375 Ruger can be loaded to shoot flatter and deliver more power than a 338 win mag.

I like the #1 but really wish the 375 Ruger was in a 1B configuration with a 26" barrel. Since I am a lefty, the African model is my only current production choice, but I just recently stumbled into a ss/lam Hawkeye 20" barrel in lefty. Can't wait to shoot it and drop some hogs with it.

 

[ShortBBL]

Lefty here too! I also love the #1 in 45-70 but... hate the folding rear sight! UGLY/CHEAP looking junk... just my opinion ever since the very first folding sight I ever saw on a Ruger (10/22)....

 

[Titleist]

I really like my .375 Ruger, but it would not be my choice as an all-around North American game rifle. The .375 Ruger recoils quite a bit more than my .338 WM or .300 WM, and elk are just not that tough.

However, if you are a handloader and think you might ever get the chance to hunt medium to big game (eland, kudu, cape buffalo, etc.) in Africa, or large bears with an attitude, it would be a good choice.

IMO, a .338 WM makes much more sense for your stated purpose.

 

[mattsbox99]

I can't really see anybody using a 375 Ruger for elk, heck its a 9+ lb rifle! I'd be using a 1A 30-06 for woods hunting and a 1B 7RM/30-06 or 1S 300HH/300WM for plains elk. I really want a 300HH S.

 

[ShortBBL]

I can't really see anybody using a 375 Ruger for elk, heck its a 9+ lb rifle! I'd be using a 1A 30-06 for woods hunting and a 1B 7RM/30-06 or 1S 300HH/300WM for plains elk. I really want a 300HH S.

It's really only 7.25# in the No 1 and 7.75# in the 77 Hawkeye! Almost too light for kickers like these!

After doing a bunch of reading up on the 375, most say it recoils less than the 300 Mags, which have a sharp crack to them. I've always heard that the 375H&H had a push vs a pounding! Much easier on the shooter than the bigger and some smaller magnums.

I know, I know.... my 25-06 did everything I ever needed it for for over 30 years... Maybe I'll get a 257 Weatherby OR just another similar more "deer friendly" caliber.

 

[luvs2hunt62]

I have a 375 H&H, and i really like it. The recoil is manageable, ammo is readily available, and it's easy to reload.
You might want to consider a 300 Win Mag, if which I have a #1B for sale----

 

[txpitdog]

Shortbbl I don't know that I would expect recoil in the 300win mag levels, it will likely be more than that. Probably considerably more than that. Right at or a tad more than a 338 win mag using the 235 TSX. Heavier bullets in the 375 will increase the recoil further.

The 375 is gonna thump, but nothing you can't handle if you shoot any other magnum rifle. Fortunately, I also shoot a 1-H in 458 Lott, so the 375 will be a puppy dog in comparison!

 

[ShortBBL]

I'm sure I don't "Need" anything so big... but I kind of like the idea!! I'm looking at the 338 RCM too.... and I guess they make a 300 RCM too? Sheeeesh... too many toys to think about!

A 338 with 180 or 200 gr would be great on big Muley's... although much more than needed for them to!

Why oh why do I feel I would like a Magnum!? Again, the 25-06 hammered the heck out of every animal I ever shot with it. I can;t think of a single beast that went more than 50 yards! Most were DRT.

 

[txpitdog]

Oh, and on the topic of whether the #1 will eject the shell, don't sweat that. All you do is roll the rifle slightly to the right, and even if the case rim catches on the safety, the case will fall off to the right allowing you a clear chamber to load the next round...as if you'll need another one!

 

[mike-c]

Greetings,

I have the 375 RCM in the bolt action Alaskan model, and it is a great cartridge, but the rifles chambered for it are, too light weight. I also have the 416 RCM in a #1, and it has the heavy barrel and weighs 9 pounds. I shoot 350 grain cast lead bullets with gas checks. at 2,000 to 2,100 fps they can put the smack down on light game. For heavy game, a fast moving 400 grain jacketed bullet can put down an elephant or grizzly.

The 416 does not shoot, as flat as, the 375, but it does have the smack down for elk (or anything else) within a reasonable range. The 375 can also shoot cast lead bullets, and they are fun, and less expensive than jacketed bullets which can become very pricey in the larger bores.

The light rifles for the 375 are a big mistake. Be prepared to add some weight to your gun.

Mike 8)

 

[mattsbox99]

Why oh why do I feel I would like a Magnum!? Again, the 25-06 hammered the heck out of every animal I ever shot with it. I can;t think of a single beast that went more than 50 yards! Most were DRT.

My sentiments exactly, I've got other guns, but the 25/06 is my favorite. I'm up to 4 or 5 of them and they all shoot great.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

Hey guys! Help to convince me that a Ruger 375 is not something I want! LOL
...
I love the looks of the "LION" #1, but, after reading about it on gunblast, I'm worried (a little) about how he says the case can hit the safety when ejecting, and get caught up. No, I doubt I'll ever hunt dangerous game, but in any case... I don't want a slowed up reload, no matter what I am hunting/shooting at.
...

Thanks!

With my #1 in .280 Rem the case also hits the safety when ejecting. Brings the case to a stop and it just sits there. In a DG situation it would be nothing to roll or knock it out of the way but since I save my brass I like the way it works.

 

[SteveRuger]

I was born & raised in Montana north west of Great Falls, Deer & Elk hunting & a few Bears also most of my life & still doing it up home. Still love shooting Varmits! My favorite rifles are 300 H&H & the 375 H&H & I have more than a few of them. All I can say is, "Elk go down nice & clean will either one of them". The 375 H&H is just a push with a very wide range of bullets to chose from. IMHO

 

[ShortBBL]

I was born & raised in Montana north west of Great Falls, Deer & Elk hunting & a few Bears also most of my life & still doing it up home. Still love shooting Varmits! My favorite rifles are 300 H&H & the 375 H&H & I have more than a few of them. All I can say is, "Elk go down nice & clean will either one of them". The 375 H&H is just a push with a very wide range of bullets to chose from. IMHO

That sounds good but..... have you ever shot deer with the 375? I wonder.... if you loaded it down a bit, with lighter bullets... slower up a bit.... would the deer still explode like when hit with a 338? Man, I saw a guy hit a yearling doe with a 338 once.... Not good!! Unless you like hamburger! Ok, he did happen to hit it running away, in the Azz..... yeah, S T U P I D to take that shot!!

 

[txpitdog]

Just load it like a 375 Winchester

 

[four70nitro]

If you must have a .375 Ruger you should definitely buy it in the Model 77. There is no reason to buy it in a No. 1 (unless you really want the single-shot) because action length in the No. 1 is not a consideration or limitation regarding cartridge length. You can shoot any cartridge of any length in the No. 1 so there is no penalty in choosing the .375 H&H. In a bolt rifle there is an advantage to choosing the .375 Ruger cartridge since it will fit in a shorter action than the .375 H&H. Those extra long actions suitable for the H&H and similar cartridges are hard to come by and demand a premium - just ask any custom riflesmith.

I've owned a No. 1 .375 H&H (or two or three) for more than 30 years and it is a great rifle. Very accurate, easy to load for, ammo and components readily available almost anywhere, but it is rather stout to shoot unprotected from a bench. Standing, or sitting shooting across my knees it isn't bad at all, but from a bench somewhere between round 8 and round 12 I begin to think about other things I could be doing like cleaning out the gutters, having a root canal done, or mowing my mother-in-laws yard...... I always put about ten pound of shot between me and the rifle for extended sessions from the bench.

If you want a .375 I'd highly recommend you buy one. If it was me I'd stick with the 99 year old version - I doubt the Ruger version will last anywhere near that long.

I wouldn't worry about loading down for deer, choose heavily constructed bullets and make certain that you shoot them through the ribs - it will definitely tip them over.

Dave

 

[Watergoat]

My buddy bought a M70 in 375 H&H in the early 50s when the Army was about to send him to Alaska. For years, it was his only scoped hunting rifle. He killed everything from groundhogs (big, mean ones) to whitetail, mule deer, and one running antelope at long range. The lighter animals don't expand the bullet much, if at all. It just shoots through them, like FMJ. Very little meat loss.