375 Ruger

[Philip Glass]

I think the .375 & the .416 Ruger are great cartridges.


I just have my doubts that they will still be around 30 years from now.



(Maybe that doesn't even matter)

Could be true for the .416 Ruger but the .375 Ruger now has broad support and now being made by many manufacturers. It is not going anywhere.
PG

 

[Philip Glass]

This is one of the reasons why I sold a 375 Ruger Guide Gun after having it for a year and putting about 400 rounds through it. I didn't have actual issues with feeding, but it just wasn't very smooth. I suspect Ruger would've considered it within spec.

Otherwise, it shot just fine. But I decided I wanted to use a cartridge that feeds more smoothly in a production gun. So I sold the 375 Ruger and got a Winchester Model 70 Safari in 375 H&H and am extremely happy with it. Bench accuracy with handloads from both rifles is about the same (1 to 1.5 MOA).

For context I should add that I am a Ruger fanboy and have a Guide Gun in 30-06 and love it. I use it without the brake (pretty unnecessary for a 30-06) and like the handy compactness of it.

So, I accept the points that the 375 Ruger is more efficient, allows a shorter receiver, etc. I've just found that cycling the 375 H&H in my newer gun feels much smoother and I strongly prefer it. The 375 Ruger is great for making a 375 cartridge available in more affordable guns, and for custom builds where a shorter cartridge is desired.

I agree with you and it is the reason I got a Blaser R8 in .375 Ruger. Very smooth!

 

[Philip Glass]

I'm on board with the 375RUGER and believe it will be around for a long time to come. After all the 308WIN, 30-06 and 300WM have all managed to survive alongside one another...why not the Ruger and H&H?

As for the 416RUGER, I'm not so sure. After the initial offerings from Ruger and other gun companies it seems interest has fallen off. Much more so than the 375RUGER. It goes to show that performance isn't everything and I'm not sure what the other part holding it back is. Possibly popularity or cool factor? What I do know is that there are a lot of great .30 caliber cartridges out there that are mostly relegated to handloading despite being better performers than the 308WIN, 30-06 and 300WM. Time will tell if the 416RUGER will survive.

Side note - Not that this is definitive in any way, but a search on AmmoSeek.com shows 25 results for 375RUGER and only 1 for the 416RUGER...that should tell you something.

As for @USMA84DAB and his attempt to stir the pot with a comment of PF vs CRF...a debate for another thread. LOL.

I think when you get into the .400’s nostalgia begins to take over in a way that it just doesn’t in the .30’s. I mean how many people actually go out of their way to hunt with a .300 H&H versus the .300 Win? When a guy goes shopping for a .416 those big names like Rigby start to get etched deep into the mind and the cheap Ruger simply has to take a back seat.
PG

 

[Ryan]

I am confident the 375 Ruger is here to stay. It's not even 15 years old, in a market full of caliber choices and yet at least three different manufacturers chamber rifles in it. And as stated above multiple ammunition choices exist from different manufacturers. It has two big things going for it's success. It does the same thing as the 375 H&H yet it fits into a standard action. The 375 caliber is always on the list for an all around caliber that most people can shoot and use for anything from steenbok to elephant. That's where the 416 Ruger falls short. Yes, 416s can be used for everything, but it's not. It's typically considered a dangerous game round and used more exclusively for that purpose. I recall reading that the 416 Rigby was getting to be a pretty rare round by the late 80s when the 416 Remington came out and the two brought back the caliber. Now they both survive, but I bet neither is making near the impact on rifle and ammo sales as the 375s. So the 416 Ruger will have a tough go at best. As for point two, history has an example. The 300 H&H Mag was around a long time before the 300 Win Mag. The former needs a magnum action, the latter a standard action. Manufacturers make a lot of standard actions and very few magnum ones. So, like it or not, the 300 Win Mag is everywhere, while the 300H&H is pretty rare. I don't think the 375 H&H is going away like the 300 H&H did, but the 375 Ruger isn't either.

As a third point assisting its success, Ruger made left handed rifles in 375 Ruger from the start and still does. I'm left handed. Trust me, that caught my attention and I'm not alone. I'm sure that helped a lot for initial and continued sales.

Here's proof it works and I'm not getting rid of it any time soon.

 

[KIH]

I think the .375 & the .416 Ruger are great cartridges.

I belive they fill a market space and will survive, like 300wsm. 375 Ruger have a following, is better than 375HH. It will take time for 416Ruger, but it is a bether solution than 416Rigby.

 

[375er]

I belive they fill a market space and will survive, like 300wsm. 375 Ruger have a following, is better than 375HH. It will take time for 416Ruger, but it is a bether solution than 416Rigby.

Better than the .375 H&H. HuH????

 

[KIH]

Yes. About 7% better, only availability of 375hh is better than 375 Ruger. All other parameters is in favor of 385 Ruger.

 

[375er]

7%. Explain that please.

 

[KIH]

Internal volume in the cartridge is about 7% larger in 385 Ruger than 375hh.

 

[375er]

Case capacity alone makes it better? Shoot the ruger if it makes you happy. There would be thousands of people lined up miles deep to argue that 7% case capacity makes the Ruger better.

Happy shooting.

 

[Monsai52]

I've no experience with the 375 Ruger, but the near flawless nature of how the H&H feeds from the magazine keeps me solidly in the H&H camp.

Best regards,

 

[ldmay375]

I agree the 375 H&H usually feeds very smoothly. In my personal experience particularly so in the the post 64, CRF M70’s that I have.
But, using the same rifles chambered in 375 H&H, I have feed 416 Remington and 458 Lott cartridges up to the point of chamber restriction. These fed smoothly also. The M70’s that I have in 375 H&H and 416 Remington feed very smoothly, as do the smaller bore ones including WSM cartridges. I do know exception exist.

I have a few Ruger rifles in the 375 & 416 Rugers, and a few in smaller bores. Most of my rifles were bought used.
If I recall correctly, I have had 1ea of the 375 & 416 Rugers that did not feed 100%. Yep, that pissed me off to a degree. But, I was able to fix this with some fine grit sandpaper and an ample amount of patience.
I will say, the 375 & 416 Ruger rifles have been very accurate with hand-loads.

The Maximum Average Pressure set by SAAMI for the 375 H&H & 375 Ruger are the same 62,000 psi. The 375 Ruger has a few more grains case capacity.

The 416 Ruger is 62,000 psi and 416 Remington is 65,000. The 416 Ruger has a few less grain case capacity.
With equal length barrels and appropriate powders, I do not see how there could be an overwhelming difference. But obviously the Remington has slightly more case capacity and slightly more standard pressure.

The snag is, there is not a lot of involvement with the bullet companies trying many different / new combinations for their reloading manuals. Particularly so in anything above .30 caliber.
Speer seems to be the exception of having published data for their bullets numerous powders. Some of the newer powders are definitely improvements.
I am not Speer bullet user, so as to cross referencing and extrapolating bullet construction, weights, and pressure is totally on the user.

 

[ChrisG]

My .375 Ruger gets about 2,550 fps from the 20" barrel. Same as my old .375 H&H used to get from it's 24" barrel. There is not a bit of difference between them where game animals are concerned. They both do what .375's have been doing for over 100 years. The only caveat is that it is hard to find a .375 that is CRF, stainless steel and handy from horseback. Those were my criteria when I went with the Ruger. I loved the old H&H though. You can't beat the history and panache of that cartridge. Plus it looks much more impressive than a .375 Ruger being a magnum length cartridge.

Wow I just realized this is an ancient thread that was resurrected.

 

[Newboomer]

My .375 Ruger gets about 2,550 fps from the 20" barrel. Same as my old .375 H&H used to get from it's 24" barrel. There is not a bit of difference between them where game animals are concerned. They both do what .375's have been doing for over 100 years. The only caveat is that it is hard to find a .375 that is CRF, stainless steel and handy from horseback. Those were my criteria when I went with the Ruger. I loved the old H&H though. You can't beat the history and panache of that cartridge. Plus it looks much more impressive than a .375 Ruger being a magnum length cartridge.

Wow I just realized this is an ancient thread that was resurrected.

Still good to read some new stuff occasionally.

 

[Donnstar]

Happy New Year!!! My project for the new year. Both 22" Bux #5.

 

[EfRed]

My Ruger African weighed 7.75 pounds when I bought it. It's 23" barrel makes it relatively short and handy. The rifle carries and handles like a .30-06. Most 375 H&H rifles are 2 or more pounds heavier and usually have longer barrels. I load my Ruger to H&H ballistics. The recoil is no fun in the lighter rifle.

If you carry your rifle day in, day out, maybe in a close environment, the short handy lightweight Ruger 375 has a significant advantage over the usual H&H. It's not really the cartridge, it's the accompanying typical rifle design that distinguishes the 375 Ruger.

For many people, these advantages are lost, just due to the way they use their rifles. The 375 H&H can also be made in a light short rifle, with a little loss in ballistics, but the commercial rifles I'm familiar with aren't. The Ruger cartridge better survives a cut length barrel.

If you thoroughly vet your 375 Weatherby, it will reliably fire 375 H&H ammo with a small deficit in ballistics. For a longer, heavier rifle, ballistic advantages do accrue to the Wby over the Ruger and the H&H rounds.

Choose your rifle well and according to your purposes. Don't worry so much about the relatively minor differences between these 3 very fine .375 cartridges. At long range, of course, one is clearly best, but most aren't relying on their 375 for long range uses.

I love a 375. I'd like to have a 376 Steyr also. It's not so much the velocity as the diameter. And I really appreciate the Ruger rifle.