375 Ruger or H&H

[rdog]

After joining this forum & being weak regarding rifles & influenced by you
people i am thinking about a 375 , I had a Winchester 70 African 375 H&H
& in a fit of stupidity sold it. The 2 readily available options in my budget are a Zastava 375 H&H or a Ruger 77 Hawkeye in 375 Ruger, the Zastava is rough but could be cleaned up, the Ruger Has a much better finish please tell me about the 375 Ruger cartridge i have a number of Ruger MK11 & Hawkeye rifles.

 

[Alaska Luke]

I have a Ruger 375 I've modified and I like it a lot but a few things to remember.

First I don't know about the laminated stock. I don't know how it would up over time, I think I heard of one having issues. I have a glass bedded plastic stock instead. You could bed the laminate stock or replace it with something but that's more cost.

In Alaska 375 Ruger is almost as common as 375 H&H. Obviously African availability might be different.

I have found my Ruger to be perfectly reliable and accurate. I like the short action and the ability to get 375 H&H performance in a shorter package. With my stock on its also a very trim rifle that it easier to wrap my hands around and carry. It might seem like a small thing but it's nice that my rifle isn't as "fat" as many 375 H&H rifles.

For me the Ruger is an easy choice. Your priorities may be different.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

Iv' own/owned rifles in both 375H&H and 375 Ruger. All though the H&H is my preferred cartridge over the Ruger, I would definitely choose the Ruger rifle over the Zastava.

 

[Cam Moon]

My guess is you'll have more people debating the merits of the two calibers rather than the two rifles. Get the better rifle. The 375H&H is the caliber that has earned it's place as king and has kept a loyal following. Classic, nostalgic, timeless. But you know, on paper that 375 Ruger IS impressive, and you probably won't be disappointed with your choice.

 

[Foxi]

The .375 Ruger is probably the better cartridge because it is more modern.
The case geometry is also more "reasonable".
But in Africa the .375 H+H is a important currency (over 20.- USD per cartridge!).
If you leave a few to your hunter, you will really make him happy.
If he can't use them himself, he exchanges them for something else.
Some give this as part of the tip.
He can't do anything with the Ruger in Africa.

 

[CBH Australia]

Buy the .375H&H, the action can be smoothed or the stock replaced if you want to build something else on it later.

Then buy the Ruger so you can do a comparison for us.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Phil Massaro wrote a good article comparing the 375 Ruger cartridge with the H&H. There isn't enough difference to worry about. The H&H is the classic standard and the Ruger is the new kid on the block (13 years and counting), but is well established. The 375 Ruger isn't going away.

I have a 23 inch barrelled Alaskan model in 375 Ruger, with a laminated stock. This is very similar to my Ruger in 338 WM. No issues with either.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Head to Head: .375 Ruger vs. .375 H&H Magnum

Is it worthwhile for the hunter looking for a .375 to choose the Ruger over the older, timeless .375 H&H Magnum? Contributor Philip Massaro examines the pros and cons of each cartridge.

www.americanhunter.org

 

[CBH Australia]

@375 Ruger Fan do you have a bias or preference?

 

[USMA84DAB]

Rdog -

I have a .375 Ruger used on one safari in RSA and two seasons of deer hunting. I have not yet acquired an H&H. Either will work.

I prefer the Ruger (in a Ruger stainless Alaskan with 20" barrel) due to the standard length action shaving a bit if weight off, the Hogue overmold stock absorbing some recoil and providing a straight-line recoil. I gladly surrender 100'/second to get to a 20" barrel for handiness. I still push a 270 grain Barnes at 2611 FPS, so have perfectly adequate power going downrange. The accuracy of mine is wholly adequate to shots at least out to 253 yards on an old blesbock.

BTW - I also have a Ruger Alaskan in .416 Ruger that shoots 5 shot groups under an inch at 100 yards. (I needed another hole in my head, don't you know...). That one borders on too much of a good thing, so I wear a sissy pad to avoid developing a flinch. I never needed one with the .495 A-Square, but the recoil on the Ruger is a bit quicker. Perhaps some extra weight added to the stock is in order? They are fairly light for the cartridge. This begs to remind you that the overall package matters.

I have M-1 Garands and pictures of P-51Ds for nostalgia vs. the 375 H&H. Since I was starting fresh (didn't have anything larger than a .35WAI), I went with the newer, more modern cartridge.

Since there are many things that will stomp you into toe jam or run you through over in Africa, I chose the handier/more compact package. I carried the rifle alot more than I shot it on the trip, so I appreciated not lugging the extra 4"-6" of rifle barrel through the thorn bushes. Will you hunt in Namibia? If so, then the extra length of the standard H&H arrangement will not really be an issue due to the open nature of the terrain.

As I study Boddington and Robertson, consult with Woods, I keep getting told that 20"-22" barrels are the way to go. LPVO is the way to go. Training to shoot quickly off the sticks and field positions with quick follow-up rounds is the way to go. I feel the Ruger facilitates this.

Working the bugs out of a Mauser (Zastava) has it's rewards. Perhaps the perfect answer is, as one of us above quipped, to get both. : )

 

[Jörg Krüger]

If hunting in Africa is on the maps, I would go for the H&H (just for the Ammo availability if Ammo should get lost).
If that is not on the maps, Ruger would be a fine choice.

 

[baxterb]

What one will do the other will do.

But there is only one H&H.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@375 Ruger Fan do you have a bias or preference?

I've never owned a 375 H&H and see no need since I have the 375 Ruger. I have two left handed sons-in-laws, so I can get a LH version of the 375 Ruger for under $1k. A LH version of a 375 H&H is hard to come by and usually expensive.

 

[Shootist43]

Rdog, are you generally "old school" or "new school?" Do you have an African hunt planned or booked? Arguably, the performance is about the same. However, ammo selection and availability in Africa needs to be considered. Ammo for the 375 H&H will be obtainable just about anywhere. Ammo for the Ruger is limited. Of course, this is only a concern if you need to buy ammo in Africa.

 

[Laniarius]

I had a Ruger Guide Gun in 375 Ruger and it shot well. I think its feeding was within spec, but it was a bit rough compared to my Ruger Guide Gun in 30-06, and I think the relatively fat case makes 375 Ruger harder to feed smoothly, all else being equal.

From what I've read, rifles can be built or modified to feed 375 Ruger very smoothly, but I wasn't satisfied with my particular off the shelf rifle. I sold it and got a Model 70 in 375 H&H and am extremely happy with how it functions.

 

[Ryan]

Between the two I'd say get the Ruger for the simple reason that you know the rifle already. You are far more familiar with the Ruger than the Zastava and that goes a long way in a pinch situation. I've owned a 375 Ruger in a left handed Hawkeye for almost a decade without regret.

Performance wise there isn't enough difference to argue over, the animal won't notice the difference. The Ruger has the edge if you go with the 20" barrel Ruger Guide Gun with velocities equal to a 24" barrel H&H. The H&H usually has more choices for factory ammo, but right now I've seen a lot more of the Ruger on the shelves. And I just saw a video of a South African using a 375 Ruger on a hunt so the ammo does exist in South Africa. But honestly the chances of luggage and ammo being lost is pretty slim. The possibility is brought up all the time and yet I can't recall the last time I actually read a report involving lost ammo. Four trips for me and no luggage lost.

 

[Shootist43]

I'm probably the odd duck but on both of my African safaris there were issues with my luggage. Three days late the first trip and two days late on the second. I did however receive it. It does happen!!

 

[Nevada Mike]

I chose a Model 70 Safari Express in .375 H&H. I will pair it with my .404 Jeffery when I head to Africa this fall. My PH said to me, "Bring plenty of .404 ammo, we have lots of .375 ammo in camp."

Ammo availability should always be considered when traveling to hunt. Shit happens.

 

[Muskox]

Horse a piece. There is 375 Ruger ammo available about anywhere now.

The 375 H&H will always be easier to get.

 

[Ryan]

Everyone views things differently, but ammo availability in country doesn't concern me much since missing luggage means we are just as likely to have a missing firearm as the ammo. And it's rarely lost, just misplaced for a day or two. I think in terms of back ups, in this case there's camp rifles that will work until my luggage shows. I can roll with that. This was true with @Shootist43 on a report of his, and I forgot that returning from South Africa I had a similar issue. My bow case with ammo showed up to Anchorage on my flight, but my rifles got mixed up in LA and didn't show up until the next day. Had this occurred going to South Africa we would have gotten them the next day since I did an overnight at Afton Lodge anyway. Honestly I'm far more concerned about my bow being damaged or not showing since I'm a left handed bowhunter. it's far from optimal but there might be a right handed bow that could be tuned to their specs in camp, far less a chance for me. Yet I still take the risk every time, just the nature of the beast.

 

[Nevada Mike]

You make a good point. I am a left handed shooter and have not shot a right handed bolt gun in years. My PH has a 'camp' 470 double rifle and asked me if I'd like to shoot a buff with it. Being a long-time SxS shotgun guy, I said I'd love to do so.