Cheapest .375 Yet

[rookhawk]

Pity they don't have it as a 375HH. They'd sell them by the crate to Africans.

 

[Odinsraven]

Pity they don't have it as a 375HH. They'd sell them by the crate to Africans.

Yep would buy a crate and never have to clean a rifle again .....

Pity they don't have it as a 375HH. They'd sell them by the crate to Africans.

 

[rookhawk]

Yep would buy a crate and never have to clean a rifle again .....

Think about all the photo safari operators, PH apprentices and average Boer Joes that would buy them if they were under $400 delivered to Africa as 375HH?

 

[ChrisG]

The thing that is funny is if you buy this rifle AND 80 loaded rounds, you have just doubled the price.

 

[rookhawk]

The thing that is funny is if you buy this rifle AND 80 loaded rounds, you have just doubled the price.

Reminds me of a few of my cars. Always prayed they would break down low on fuel so I didn't lose half the car's value.

 

[Shawn.54]

Funny thing is I got rifle dies brass bullets scope and new set of Talley light weights for the cost of #1 upgrade on a CZ would I take it to hunt Cape Buffalo don't know yet but if it behaves well next couple of years who knows.
Shawn

 

[rookhawk]

Funny thing is I got rifle dies brass bullets scope and new set of Talley light weights for the cost of #1 upgrade on a CZ would I take it to hunt Cape Buffalo don't know yet but if it behaves well next couple of years who knows.
Shawn

A laminate stock from boyds custom length and you have a very nice working gun for limited money if indeed you even need a different fit. You'd really enjoy a reduced power scope on that gun on your wish list. A 1-4x straight tube with lots of eye relief would get you all you need out to 250 yards and at 1x you'd be all set for up close dangerous game too.

 

[Shawn.54]

The Boyd's stock was on my list of things to buy but it shoots so well now have had a couple of three shot groups under a dime (even with me shooting) I just don't want to mess with it.

 

[curtism1234]

For this to make sense in my opinion, it should remain a factory rifle. When you start spending the money for a new stock, you are probably better off buying a different rifle.

 

[Shawn.54]

In the synthetic stock it weighs in under 7 pounds seemed a little light Boyd's stock would have added a little weight once I added some to it in the butt is ok. And I remember several times in life where I decided to improve something that was working fine and ended up on the loosing end. If it's not broke don't fix it. So for now it stays synthetic.
Shawn

 

[mdwest]

We've got a little mossberg ATR in .243 in the safe that was bought as a starter/loaner rifle for kids and friends, etc. a couple of years after they first came out.. Buds was running a sale on them with a cheap optic, "ready to hunt" for about $300 I think when we bought it..

I didnt expect much at that price.. but thought it would be nice to have on hand if it just worked and was reasonably accurate, etc..

I have to say.. Its not exactly a premium rifle.. but.. for the money I think its been a great buy.. it has never failed to feed, extract, eject, etc.. is more accurate than its owner.. and after several years of getting thrown around and not being all that well maintained, its still going strong.. my wife has taken some TX pigs with it, and I've shot it a good bit at the range (never hunted with it personally)..

I think mossberg has figured out bolt action guns and understands there is a market for people that want something dependable and reasonably accurate that dont have the money (or dont want to spend the money) on something "prettier" or that has more bells and whistles..

If I didnt already own a Win 70 in .375 H&H, I'd seriously consider giving the Mossy Patriot in .375 Ruger a try..

For me, a rifle is a tool.. I just need it to do what it was designed to do reliably and well.. My experience with Mossberg is they tend to do that..

I completely get the argument that can be made for collectors items, historical pieces, "pretty" guns, etc.. I own a few of those too...

But most of my firearms are "working guns" that I want to be able to throw into a truck, haul across rough terrain, potentially drop a couple of times, expose to weather, etc and still be able to count on to go "bang" when the trigger is pulled and hit what has been aimed at..

My guess, based on my experience with other Mossy products, is that the Patriot will likely do that just fine..

 

[Ridge Runner]

I have the Patriot in 30-06, with wood stock, and I plan to hunt SA plains game in June with it. It has an Osprey 4-16 x 50 mm, 1/8" moa, mil dot, scope mounted on it.

Accuracy at 100 yds, 20rds inside a Kennady half dollar, zeroed 1" high center.

Dropped three deer, under 100yds, no problem. All three bullets in the kill zone, only one deer made it 40 yds from being hit. The other 2 deer dropped in thier tracks.

For me the rifle handles nice. I would prefer an extra inch of butt stock length, and a more " touchy " trigger, about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lbs pull.

For the money, I can say this is a great rifle.

For me personally, one of very few firearms equiped with iron sights. This allows me to hunt in heavy woods/ other areas where a scope is useless. Plus should something happen to my scope I can still hunt. Where as a firearm without iron sights, scope only. My hunt may be over before it gets started.

Mossberg and Savage firearms companies are producing firearms of really good quality, accuracy, and affordability that working people can afford to purchase.

I have expensive custom firearms and expensive manufactured firearms. Not to be rude, crude, or socially unacceptable, or otherwise offensive; But why pay thousands of dollars for such firearms when a firearm costing far less does the same job just as effective?

Does anybody think the animals we harvest really care if they met their demise by a $10,000.00 (plus) rifle or a $200.00, .25 caliber pellet gun, respectfully, (be it: small game, big game, dangerous game)?
My opinion: I think not!.

 

[ChrisG]

I have the Patriot in 30-06, with wood stock, and I plan to hunt SA plains game in June with it. It has an Osprey 4-16 x 50 mm, 1/8" moa, mil dot, scope mounted on it.

Accuracy at 100 yds, 20rds inside a Kennady half dollar, zeroed 1" high center.

Dropped three deer, under 100yds, no problem. All three bullets in the kill zone, only one deer made it 40 yds from being hit. The other 2 deer dropped in thier tracks.

For me the rifle handles nice. I would prefer an extra inch of butt stock length, and a more " touchy " trigger, about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lbs pull.

For the money, I can say this is a great rifle.

For me personally, one of very few firearms equiped with iron sights. This allows me to hunt in heavy woods/ other areas where a scope is useless. Plus should something happen to my scope I can still hunt. Where as a firearm without iron sights, scope only. My hunt may be over before it gets started.

Mossberg and Savage firearms companies are producing firearms of really good quality, accuracy, and affordability that working people can afford to purchase.

I have expensive custom firearms and expensive manufactured firearms. Not to be rude, crude, or socially unacceptable, or otherwise offensive; But why pay thousands of dollars for such firearms when a firearm costing far less does the same job just as effective?

Does anybody think the animals we harvest really care if they met their demise by a $10,000.00 (plus) rifle or a $200.00, .25 caliber pellet gun, respectfully, (be it: small game, big game, dangerous game)?
My opinion: I think not!.

The same reason you probably don't have a folding table and lawn chairs in your dining room even though they work. Quality is an attribute that is difficult to describe, but very easy to recognize.

I'm not disparaging cheap guns, I have a Ruger American and it shoots lights out. But given the choice, I would have all walnut stocked, oil finished, rust blued guns because when someone spends days, not minutes manufacturing something, it is bound to be better and I am much more likely to keep it in the long run

 

[rookhawk]

The head scratcher for me is when someone wants a small bore and has a very thrifty budget, but buys a new gun at Walmart. For economy money you can buy a sublime old Mauser superior in every way off the Internet or a local gun shop instead of a disposable good.

Now large magnums, I get it. There is no "deal" out there on those.

 

[mdwest]

Agree.

I've got an old mauser in the safe myself..

But thats not always an option when youre looking for a specific caliber or capability (not a lot of old .243 mausers up for grabs on gunbroker for example)..

 

[enysse]

There is always something special about finding something affordable that doesn't break the bank. Congrats to anyone that finds a great firearm at a low cost. The first firearm I bought in 1985 was Mossberg 20 gauge, it was not a quality weapon, I killed my first deer with it but it didn't work a darn. The gun always jammed, I wish I had saved more and bought Remington Wingmaster.

 

[Shawn.54]

This will be my last post on this subject I joined this forum because it was one of few places that contained information on .375 Ruger.
I have gotten very much information from the people here and I thank you for it.
But I have also gotten friction for not having a H&H and then when people find out that the rifle I own is push feed I get more.
When I got my Mossberg Patriot it opened up to me a whole new world and since then I'm looking to see what I can barrel my 98 action I have in my gun safe. Problem is I don't know exactly what action I have for lack of markings on it and there are a lot of 98 actions out there that are not safe I know that it is a commercial action with a C ring beyond that it's a crapshoot.
So picking up a Mauser action or rifle to fill in for a cheap gun may not be a safe alternative remember many were made by slave labor in war conditions.
I would have never been able to get involved in shooting mid to large bore rifles without the Mossberg Patriot. Mossberg has had some trouble that is true but so has a lot of other gun makers triggers in Remington 700 just off the top of my head. One of the most recommended rifles on this forum, the CZ 550 when bought new comes with a recommendation to send it out for a upgrade at the cost of $700+ to cure feed issues, and that is not considered a problem.
My rifle had 2 problems the butt pad was not very good so I replaced it and the second magazine I purchased had two much spring pressure fixed it with a pair of wire cutters in less than 5 minutes.
The Mossberg Patriot 375 Ruger may be as far as I go into the big bore world but it also be the stepping stone to bigger and Better things.
And in a time when people are falling away hunting and shooting sports we need all the stepping stones we can get.
Sorry for the rant.
Shawn

 

[enysse]

Scott, I would go ahead and use your Mossberg Patriot 375 Ruger for how good it shoots its a win, win every day. Hunt anything and everything with that weapon. I shoot many Ruger rifles and they are less $500 guns and they all shoot wonderful. Honestly there are more Americans that shooting affordable rifles than expensive. I have personally never paid more than thousand dollars on a gun.......

 

[rookhawk]

This will be my last post on this subject I joined this forum because it was one of few places that contained information on .375 Ruger.
I have gotten very much information from the people here and I thank you for it.
But I have also gotten friction for not having a H&H and then when people find out that the rifle I own is push feed I get more.
When I got my Mossberg Patriot it opened up to me a whole new world and since then I'm looking to see what I can barrel my 98 action I have in my gun safe. Problem is I don't know exactly what action I have for lack of markings on it and there are a lot of 98 actions out there that are not safe I know that it is a commercial action with a C ring beyond that it's a crapshoot.
So picking up a Mauser action or rifle to fill in for a cheap gun may not be a safe alternative remember many were made by slave labor in war conditions.
I would have never been able to get involved in shooting mid to large bore rifles without the Mossberg Patriot. Mossberg has had some trouble that is true but so has a lot of other gun makers triggers in Remington 700 just off the top of my head. One of the most recommended rifles on this forum, the CZ 550 when bought new comes with a recommendation to send it out for a upgrade at the cost of $700+ to cure feed issues, and that is not considered a problem.
My rifle had 2 problems the butt pad was not very good so I replaced it and the second magazine I purchased had two much spring pressure fixed it with a pair of wire cutters in less than 5 minutes.
The Mossberg Patriot 375 Ruger may be as far as I go into the big bore world but it also be the stepping stone to bigger and Better things.
And in a time when people are falling away hunting and shooting sports we need all the stepping stones we can get.
Sorry for the rant.
Shawn

@Shawn.54 we welcome your posts. Please don't take any insult to a bunch of gun guys, myself included, chatting up guns and providing general critiques whatsoever. As you spend more time on this forum you'll find that you get more context and won't feel like we are "dinging" your gun choices. The notion your gun is imperfect compared to a $20,000 bespoke rifle is a fact, but at your budget it doesn't mean your rifle isn't perfect for your context.

If you felt a vibe against the .375 Ruger, again, you need to spend a bit more time to gain the friendly context. This is an international forum and there is reason for benign preference for 375HH even though it is marginally inferior to your caliber. That reason is solely availability of ammo in their town or region, not that your caliber is inferior. Remember, that "flaw" isn't your problem, you can buy 375 Ruger ammo easily in America, a Zambian member of the forum may not.

Then take in the context of the CRF versus Push Feed. For a Professional Hunter bound by a code of ethics to preserve your life and wellbeing, they believe that a CRF is less likely to jam or not load a cartridge. That's reasonable, again, that doesn't have to apply to you in that you are the client, your obligation is to make a safe, ethical and well aimed first shot on game, not to have primary responsibility for dealing with an animal/human wildlife conflict. That's why we are legally obligated to hire a professional hunter in the first place. The fact that some hunters prefer a CRF for that small nuanced scenario where they believe jams are slightly less probable, it's just a risk mitigation some people believe in strongly. The US military sniper uses a push feed. All modern Weatherby rifles are push feed. Many, many high priced and high quality firearms are push feed. So the CRF preference is to be taken in friendly context.

Sticking around you're going to learn more about these friendly in house debates and more importantly, you'll learn about the principles and considerations that motivate opinions, not just the brief statements of opinion.

There is no better place on the internet to learn about all of these things and have healthy debate. The last thing I'll mention was from one of my professors: to truly achieve excellence you must not just hold an opinion to debate, but you must understand all sides of a reasoned debate or discussion and be able to present all sides even better than the opposing party. That is the mark of the intellectual hunter and that only comes from a place that is not a "safe space" but one of ongoing "constructive contention" and "healthy debate".

 

[sierraone]

As expected from you RH, well said.