Here is the new toy ready to go slay critters!
I put 20 rounds through it today. 1st 6 off the bench, then the remainder off sticks. 250 grain GMX Hornady. Box says 2800 FPS. These were shot at the 25 yard range.
After the first three groups, I was beginning to wonder if the Vari-X 3 was gonna go back to Leupold. It just was not adjusting right. After group #5, I thought I was headed for the goal line. #6 group didn't look as good as I thought I had squeezed the trigger. Then #7 seemed wonky. I thought maybe I had gotten tired.
So I take the gun inside and set it down. I finish picking up the other range gear and come back inside. When I pick up the .375 it rattles. I reach up and touch the scope and it wobbles an 1/8" back and forth. The Ruger rings had already shot loose!
I put it back on with blue loctite, pulled the ring screws one at a time and loctited them. Not a sign of it anywhere on any of the screws. If the prior owner had shot the gun 20 times, this would have happened, so either he was three rounds and back in the safe, or he never fired it. The tiny scratches on the bolt face must be from Gun.com's gunsmith test cycling dummies through it.
Every single spent case ejected perfectly. This was a problem I have been unable to resolve with the Turk Mauser based .35WAI. It ejects perfectly right handed, but something about how I pull the bolt back as a southpaw hangs the case on the bolt face much too often. The .375 ejecting robustly each time was a nice change!
I was very satisfied with the feel of the gun as it stands now. The Bear Creek cheek riser sleeve gets my eye right behind the scope. The overmold on the stock helps with holding on a great deal. Trigger seems light and crisp, but remember, I am used to two sheets of sandpaper rubbing together with military triggers!
Tomorrow I will head to Great Guns (local gun shop) to get the #4 shell holder so I can reload the 50 new cases I have. 250gr Barnes is going into the new cases with RL15.
BTW - I have inserted the rifle pic twice and have no idea why it keeps going un upside down.
