375 Ruger

I've mentioned this elsewhere, in passing, in other threads, but wanted to offer up the thought here, for discussion. In my opinion, the 375 Ruger is the finest cartridge to hit the market since the 338 Win Mag. All the way around, it is a very solid chambering, superior to anything else in the same class.

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Why?

Some reading on the subject:

http://www.loaddata.com/articles/PDF/LoadDevelopment2LowRes1.pdf

And, with regard to velocity, there's no reason to push things all the way to the max. If 300 grains at 2500 fps is sufficient, run a lower pressure and keep it at that. Regarding availability, it's certainly not the 375 H&H that way, but when I speak of superiority, I speak of design alone.

I would agree that the .375 Ruger is the finest cartridge to hit the market since the .338 WM. It will almost certainly be the next rifle that I purchase, specifically a pre-muzzle break Ruger Hawkeye African. I think this combination will be fantastic for just about everything.

CT I would add into this the 416 Ruger which is a necked up 375. It pushes the 400 grain round at 2300 ft per second.

southernidahohunter said:

I would agree that the .375 Ruger is the finest cartridge to hit the market since the .338 WM. It will almost certainly be the next rifle that I purchase, specifically a pre-muzzle break Ruger Hawkeye African. I think this combination will be fantastic for just about everything.

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Be careful when looking for a pre-brake Hawkeye as the caliber has been known to crack some stocks.

CAustin said:

CT I would add into this the 416 Ruger which is a necked up 375. It pushes the 400 grain round at 2300 ft per second.

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The 416 Ruger is a good one, too. As designs go, the 375 is definitely better, but when it comes to standard-length heavy hitters, the 416 ranks up there with the best.

im not a big fan of the 416 Ruger, the case capacity is too small to properly push a 400gr bullet. achieving 2300fps with a 400gr bullet using this cartridge can be a real challenge (if not impossible) but if you don't mind lower velocities then it still has enough power to be a efficient thick skinned DG cartridge. however you would be better off with a 416 RM or better yet a 416 Rigby.

as for the 375 Ruger, this cartridge seems like a fairly practical medium bore cartridge that duplicates the performance of the 375 H&H (or slightly exceeds it). the only reason the 375 H&H is currently a better cartridge is the H&H is not a proprietary cartridge so the ammunition selection is MUCH better. im not a big fan of Hornady ammunition and would not use it for thick skinned DG unless I absolutely had to.

-matt

Matt what do you mean "properly push a 400 grain bullet at 2300 fps" ?
That is in fact what it does! The 416 Ruger that is.
I've said it before and will say it again.......no problems in the field with the Hornady DGS or DGX.
I'll let you know how it does on the Elephant. DGS that is......wouldn't even think of the DGX on that.

CTDolan said:

All the way around, it is a very solid chambering, superior to anything else in the same class.

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Hi CTDolan,

I apologize in advance if my response here ruffles your feathers or, the feathers on any other fan of this cartridge but, offense is not my intent and I am willing to be educated.

1. What is the definition of: "it is a very solid chambering" ?

2. RE: "Superior to anything else in it's class" , I cannot see where the Ruger version does anything (except make ammunition difficult to find and your rifle slow to sell later on) that the original H&H version has not already been doing, for over 100 years already.

CTDolan said:

In my opinion, the 375 Ruger is the finest cartridge to hit the market since the 338 Win Mag.

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3. I feel sort of the same way you do but mine is regarding the .458 Lott.

Again, no offense intended to anyone here but ... evidently, I just don't get it.

Kind regards,
Velo Dog.

Having hunted and killed cape buffalo,brown bear,wood bison all with one shot from my 373 ruger I would say its all the rifle I would need . I use a Nosler partition 300 grain bullet with 72 grains of reloader 15. John

It is like most discussions about this cartridge vs. that cartridge or this bullet vs. that bullet or this load vs. that load .... it is simply a distinction without a difference!

You are going to be hard pressed to find an animal that can tell the difference between this and that!! With that said, .375 Ruger is a hell of a cartridge ... hope you kill something big and mean with it!!

CAustin said:

Matt what do you mean "properly push a 400 grain bullet at 2300 fps" ?
That is in fact what it does! The 416 Ruger that is.
I've said it before and will say it again.......no problems in the field with the Hornady DGS or DGX.
I'll let you know how it does on the Elephant. DGS that is......wouldn't even think of the DGX on that.

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just because your "ok" with using Hornady DGX/DGS doesnt mean we all are. i for one will not use them unless i have no other options. there are MUCH better bullets out there which cost about the same.

unless you buy factory ammunition, it can be difficult to get the 416 Ruger to live up to its 2300 fps speed. also the 416 Ruger is not capable of using mono-metal 400gr bullets such as the TSX without a drastic cut in speed.

-matt

matt85 said:

im not a big fan of the 416 Ruger, the case capacity is too small to properly push a 400gr bullet. achieving 2300fps with a 400gr bullet using this cartridge can be a real challenge (if not impossible) but if you don't mind lower velocities then it still has enough power to be a efficient thick skinned DG cartridge. however you would be better off with a 416 RM or better yet a 416 Rigby.

as for the 375 Ruger, this cartridge seems like a fairly practical medium bore cartridge that duplicates the performance of the 375 H&H (or slightly exceeds it). the only reason the 375 H&H is currently a better cartridge is the H&H is not a proprietary cartridge so the ammunition selection is MUCH better. im not a big fan of Hornady ammunition and would not use it for thick skinned DG unless I absolutely had to.

-matt

Click to expand...

Yes, should one wish to obtain "traditional" velocities in the 416 Ruger, it will require full-house loads (and even then getting there can be a challenge). In my opinion, though, this is not the place for the cartridge. The place for the cartridge is as a 450-400 wanna be, in a compact 20" barreled bolt action. Push 400 grains to 2,200-2,250 fps, and call it good.

Velo, I'll get back to you in a few. Dinner is on the table!

Velo Dog said:

Hi CTDolan,

I apologize in advance if my response here ruffles your feathers or, the feathers on any other fan of this cartridge but, offense is not my intent and I am willing to be educated.

1. What is the definition of: "it is a very solid chambering" ?

2. RE: "Superior to anything else in it's class" , I cannot see where the Ruger version does anything (except make ammunition difficult to find and your rifle slow to sell later on) that the original H&H version has not already been doing, for over 100 years already.





3. I feel sort of the same way you do but mine is regarding the .458 Lott.

Again, no offense intended to anyone here but ... evidently, I just don't get it.

Kind regards,
Velo Dog.

Click to expand...

Well, the basic premise is that the cartridge is a very sound design, superior to any other of the same caliber (and, in a general sense, superior to almost anything else, period). It sits in a sweet spot, a very sweet spot for its caliber, as does the 338 Win Mag. This has nothing to do with factory ammo, or availability. The conclusion is based purely upon design.

As for the 375 H&H, it's a good cartridge, of course, but is obviously a very dated design and would never gain any traction, were it introduced today, alongside the 375 Ruger.

CTDolan said:

As for the 375 H&H, it's a good cartridge, of course, but is obviously a very dated design and would never gain any traction, were it introduced today, alongside the 375 Ruger.

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I am as old as Velo which probably explains my agreement with him much of the time, but there is not a game animal on the planet which could tell the difference between being hit by a 300 gr bullet from either the Ruger or the H&H. Nor do I suspect there is a marksman who can do better work with one or the other based upon the cartridge - the rifle yes - but the cartridge - no. The Ruger has put the .375 in the hands of a lot more shooters by chambering it in a cheap (excuse me - affordable - rifle). That is a good thing. But it has no more made the H&H obsolete than did the .308 consign the '06 to the dustbin of history. I own three rifles chambered in .375 H&H. I owned a Ruger "African" for about two months, and finally decided I didn't care for it very much. Were I having Tod Ramirez build me a rifle tomorrow I would struggle among .375 H&H, .300 H&H, and .404 Jeffrey - all of which have, I suppose, been "obviously" superseded by less "dated" designs. Nevertheless, I don't think I would be unarmed with either of the three.

Like I said, the 375 H&H is obviously a good cartridge, but you'd never see something of a similar form introduced today, and there's a reason this is true (the same may be said of the 300 H&H).

The 375 Ruger is in no way going to cause the H&H to go into obsolescence, no doubt, but this has nothing to do with the Holland round being of a superior design. Rather, it has everything to do with its long-standing history (and attendant availability, both with regard to rifles and ammunition).

I should probably clarify my position. I happen to like the 375 H&H. I've owned two, and have retained about 6 boxes of ammo for the day I acquire a third. But, as a design the Ruger is superior. This is ALL I'm saying. Nothing more, nothing less.

Recently, I had a choice between a Ruger 77 in .375 Ruger, and a Winchester model 70 in ..375 H&H. I chose the H&H because A.) I'm not a big fan of proprietary cartridges (until the are no longer proprietary cartridges) B.) there are VOLUMES of reloading data for the .375 H&H.....all my older manual have data, and I have cast bullet data for the H&H, whereas cast bullet data for the Ruger is lacking C.) I can get cases/ammo from just about anywhere.....on line, gun shows, etc. Ruger ammo is only made by Hornady (to the best of my knowledge) and the cases are pricey and reloading dies/tools aren't as readily available as the H&H.
Will the cartridge got he way of the 7mm Remington magnum or .338 Winchester magnum, or the way of the 8mm Remington magnum and the Winchester short magnum? Probably the former: it is packaged in a well designed rifle, is affordable for most, and does what it is required to do. I would not be surprised if it were to eventually become as popular as the .375 H&H. But what if Remington (or someone else) came out with something similar? Would the Remington become more popular? Would it keep Remington from producing ammo for the .375? There are a lot of variables out there......but I know that the .375 H&H will do the job, and like the .45 ACP, .30/30 Winchester, and .45/70, it will be here to stay, even though there are "more better" cartridges out there.