[jaybirdjtski]

An friend has a 375 Ruger that he has shot maybe 30 rounds through. Mauser action. I have a Model 70 375 H&H that, quite frankly, I don't shoot that much anymore but this guy is thinking about $400 and it is well finished, no problems, nice stock, etc, probably 99%.

I've noticed that there are quite a few 375 Rugers on internet sites just sitting there getting no bids....nothing! Anyone have any experience with this round? Good? Bad? If it were a 300 WM or 338 WM I'd snap it up.

 

[mattsbox99]

That is a smoking price! They were $800+ when new.

 

[leverite]

Suspect a lot of guys bought them not knowing the recoil...which is not bad IMHO, but certainly more than a 30-06 shooter is used to. After enjoying a few rounds and calcing the price of bullets and powder, they decide to sell the rifle.

I'd say the going price on line is between $550 and $600 for a good used one, so you're be getting a very good deal.

I bought an Alaskan (20" barrel), and am very impressed with the cartridge/rifle. The 23" African is a beautiful rifle, which cannot be said about the ALaskan.

 

[magnumitis]

$400 would be money well spent if you just have it laying around. If there's a question of "need" then leave it alone. You have an H&H.......the Ruger won't do anything the H&H won't except raise eyebrows and generate questions. More new guns are always better. But you've got the heavy-medium bases well covered already.

 

[Hair smoker]

I had the chance to buy a NIB Rem. BDL 8mm mag many years ago that a friend who was a dealer had for a long time that someone had backed out of. I could have had it for cost. Still kicking myself for that one. If I ever see a Ruger 375 for that price I won't make the same mistake.

 

[hntfsh]

Magnumitis is correct ,I'll add few things though( 375 h+h I own and love)The 375 ruger fits in standard action the h+h magnum chamber.SO you can carry around the ruger in a lighter rifle.I'M not really sure thats a good thing felt recoil and all.But everybody is different,the h+h is about my limit to shoot comfortably off the bench with out a muzzle break.375 h+h amo can be found around the world.The difference in time it takes cycle a cartridges is measured in milliseconds...thats my 2 cents...I'm not trying discourage from buying it you can never have too many guns

 

[jaybirdjtski]

Honestly, I've decided to pass. I've gone over this, the ballistics, the loading data, etc. I think the 375 Ruger is probably a cartridge the world wasn't waiting for with baited breath. As the saying goes....."if it ain't broke". I do think the shorter action allows the manufacturer to price a 375 for less than a rifle with the longer action. Go to Gunbroker and type "375 Ruger" and you'll see an awful lot of lonely rifles that cannot find a home at the asking prices. With the H&H, there is much more activity.

 

[2Bits]

I seriously doubt if you could even get ammo for that .375 - Ruger in Africa! Today we have become bombbarded with many new calibers but few will make the grade and stick around for another 40 or 50 years I suspect.

I have a .375H&H and the .375-Weatherby and to tell you the truth, I seldom ever shoot a 270 grain bullet out of either over the velocity of 2350fps. Now that .375-Wby will climb the ladder and when you push it above 2500fps, it does get real cantankerous in a big hurry.

 

[mattsbox99]

There was a guy on RF talking about a few safari's he had been on, 375 Ruger wasn't hard to find in Africa. Ruger and Hornady had done quite a bit of overseas marketing to make it well known when guys started showing up to hunt with the new cartridge.

 

[hntfsh]

I seriously doubt if you could even get ammo for that .375 - Ruger in Africa! Today we have become bombbarded with many new calibers but few will make the grade and stick around for another 40 or 50 years I suspect.

I have a .375H&H and the .375-Weatherby and to tell you the truth, I seldom ever shoot a 270 grain bullet out of either over the velocity of 2350fps. Now that .375-Wby will climb the ladder and when you push it above 2500fps, it does get real cantankerous in a big hurry.

Yeah she will bump you a bit(I have 375 h+h) I load mine with 270 gr tsx pushing around 2700fps.It basically has the same trajectory as 30 06 180gr sp.I love this load because in the area I hunt I can hunt bear,moose and sheep.Out to 400 yrds I'M confident I can bring home the bacon.THe beauty of this cartridge is you can load it up and down to your preference.Accuracy was a eye opener, the 1st time I shot it IT grouped almost as well as my 7mm mag

 

[2Bits]

Let's face facts shall we, I can go to most any gunstore and purchase a box of .375H&H ammo and you will find out that the .375-Ruger is not on the shelves. It also dishes out more recoil to the shoulder and the .375H&H is just about all the recoil most hunters want period in a hunting rifle. I have found my .375H&H to be enjoyable shootng 270 or 260 grain bullets at 2400fps, above that figure the OUCH thing starts to appear on my upper torso.

 

[Davers]

I had the chance to buy a NIB Rem. BDL 8mm mag many years ago that a friend who was a dealer had for a long time that someone had backed out of. I could have had it for cost. Still kicking myself for that one. If I ever see a Ruger 375 for that price I won't make the same mistake.

Once at a Gun Show, when I lived in Indiana; I had a chance to buy a Weatherby rifle in .460 WM. for $600!!!!!!!!!!! The rifle came with 40 rounds & it wasn't used very much. The seller said it was fired around 15 times. I could just kick myself for not buying it, but I wouldn't know what to do with it. No need for such a big caliber around here.

 

[broom_jm]

In rifles of equal weight, both firing 270gr bullets, the 375 Ruger is ~150fps faster than the 375H&H, for a whopping 5lbs difference, in recoil; about 13% more. It's hard to imagine that is going to be a real decision-maker, if you're in the market for such a powerful rifle. Like so many other "this, or that" discussions, there are probably several other factors that will be of more importance than the actual cartridge being chosen.

Also, I'm sure if you need a couple of boxes of ammo while you're in Africa, you'll be able to find it, with enough cash waving around.

 

[2Bits]

I have never been able to get 2700fps out of my .375H&H rifle, 2630fps yes but that recoil really gets ones attention after you pass the 2500fps mark. The .375-Ruger on the other hand will top better than 2900fps with compressed loads.
It then jumps over 15% difference in felt recoil and that is more than enough to break the camels back. The finding of a particular caliber in the big cities is doable but most hunters don't get to browse around Joberg (I sure would not looking for ammo) maybe Pretoria perhaps. I just visited our local store this afternoon and No .375 Remington Ultra mag, nor any .375 Ruger either, just 4 boxes .375H&H ammo, 3 of Winchester and 1 box of Federal in the 270 grn bullet.

 

[mattsbox99]

I can take you to a few shops that don't have either, and if you ask about deer hunting ammo, they'll hand you a box of 22-250. Then again, I also know of a dozen or better shops that carry every flavor you could want.

A person that buys a .375 Ruger, .375 RUM, .375 Wby, etc. is not the type of person that needs to go get ammo on opening day morning. They are well aware of the situation at hand.

 

[magnumitis]

A person that buys a .375 Ruger, .375 RUM, .375 Wby, etc. is not the type of person that needs to go get ammo on opening day morning. They are well aware of the situation at hand.

True that!!

He's also the same guy that realizes very soon that he won't shoot much unless he has oil wells or he reloads.

The person who buys a .375 Wby. can walk out of that store with that box of H&H and still have a darned fine big game hammer..............and a piece .375 Weatherby brass every time he pulls the trigger.

 

[Tang]

The real man would just buy a .378 Wby hehe

 

[magnumitis]

The real man would just buy a .378 Wby hehe

Did you know??

That, in Weatherby factory ammo ballistics with 300 gr. bullets, the .375 Wby. hits harder and drops less from 150 yards on out than does the .378 Wby.???

It's a B.C. thing is what it is. But, even at the muzzle, the .375 only lacks about 475 ft/lbs of equalling the .378's energy.

A real man can take his pick hehe.

 

[broom_jm]

Did you know??

That, in Weatherby factory ammo ballistics with 300 gr. bullets, the .375 Wby. hits harder and drops less from 150 yards on out than does the .378 Wby.???

It's a B.C. thing is what it is. But, even at the muzzle, the .375 only lacks about 475 ft/lbs of equalling the .378's energy.

A real man can take his pick hehe.

Unless you're talking about two different bullets being fired, this would be a wonder of modern ballistics!

Last I checked, if one gun fires a 300gr bullet at 2900fps and the other gun fires the same bullet at 3000fps, the second one will always be going faster and have more energy. Has Weatherby found a way of overcoming this basic application of physics? Might be some of that new math I heard about.

 

[Tang]

The .378 can push a 300gr to 3000fps. While super impressive, thats probably enough to make me flinch...lol The .375's reloading data says 2700fps for a 300gr. Thats a hefty jump in speed.

With 6000ft/lbs of ME, that's some pretty big shoes for the .375 to try and fill. I think of those two guns, as identicle twins, and one just ate more as a child