Ruger Alaskan 375 vs REM 700 375 H&h vs Browning X-Bolt 375 h&h

[IvW]

There you go for magnum calibers the caacity is 3 rounds. 375 H&H is a magnum caliber.....

Under heading Loading the magazine please take note of point 2 and explain exactly how this is done if the magazine is inside the rifle??

 

[375Fox]

It is rather quite simple...
Pull the bolt back keeping your eyes on what is happening on the front reach down take a cartridge from your cartridge holder top load and close the bolt...if no imminant danger engage the safety...all the while having your eyes on what is going on around you....unless you are using a X bolt or a M700 which is notoriously difficult to top load....

I notice you will never diverge from your opinion but always fail to give an explanation why you have your opinion. Always seems odd for someone who claims such vast experience.

 

[Hunt anything]

In my dg experience after the first shot if you don’t kill the buff or elephant outright the animal runs off, giving you time to top off your magazine regain your composure and take up the track and finish the job!

 

[Hunt anything]

Another thing to do is ALWAYS practice with a full magazine so you are confident that your hinged floor plate doesn’t dump your magazine on your feet in a tight spot after the shot.

 

[IvW]

I notice you will never diverge from your opinion but always fail to give an explanation why you have your opinion. Always seems odd for someone who claims such vast experience.

What further explanation do you require?

 

[375Fox]

What further explanation do you require?

I did not ask you for a tutorial of how to top load a rifle or insert a new magazine. What further explanation do I require? From someone who claims vast experience like yourself, I would expect several situations that have occurred to you in the past to have such a negative view of magazines. I would think this would be quite easy for someone with vast dangerous game experience in this post and future posts.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I can understand that point of view if you have not hunted DG.

Yep. And I'm hunting by myself for the most part with no other rifle as a backup. If I ever get the chance to hunt a Cape Buffalo, my CZ 550 Lott holds five rounds, so no need to reload. If I run out of cartridges, time to climb a tree. Ha! Ha!

 

[CoElkHunter]

I don't own a Browning X Bolt (yet). But I CAN unequivocally tell you that the magazine system on the A Bolt SUCKS for quick change out. With it's "hook and pray" system getting the magazine to hook into the drop floorplate, I wouldn't hunt anything dangerous with it. The X Bolt system is far superior for quick change out.

 

[375er]

Actually you can reload the abolt magazine quite quickly by opening the floor plate and leaving the magazine in place. Atleast it has for me.

 

[Philip Glass]

I’m looking at getting a big bore (375). I have found a Ruger Alaskan 375 Ruger and a Remington 700 SPS 375 H&H both are new. I can also order a Browning 375 H&H in the X-Bolt Hunter and just wait until it arrives. I’m told it should arrive in 2022 sometime. I plan to hunt Cape buffalo someday and want to hunt locally with it to get familiar with it before I need to use it in a pinch. Does anyone have an opinion on any of these rifles listed? My son thinks I should just buy the two I can get now and seewhich I like, but he doesn’t have to balance the check book. Thanks

Ruger with controlled round feeding would be the choice for buff.

 

[MarkB]

Back to the OPs question. I used to be a Browning guy, but many years ago on a 300 WM A-bolt my gunsmith found a 3" crack lengthwise down the bolt. Finally after a year pissing around with Browning Utah as Canada refused to service, I received a new A-Bolt. It remains today in the back of the vault, no more Browning for me. I am a total Remington guy so biased, I own no SPS or Remington's younger than 8 years. But do have more than I need and not as many as I want. My Remington 700 SS BDL has taken 4 of the big 5 and 6 of the dangerous 7 plus a ton of PG, I am a hunter not a PH so maybe my need in a rifle "should" be a little different than the PH. I see no real world benefit to CRF, and I can never remember reloading or topping up until the PH said to. The way I like it, so point is moot to me about DM, yes to topping up with mag inserted or not.

I notice that all 3 choices of your weapon have different safeties. Tang, wing and side 2 position lever. That scares me, I had a brain fart and got a few Tikka T3X's, taking the safety off to load/unload is against all my training so they sit beside the A-Bolt. For me the same safety and the familiarity among all my Rem 700 calibers makes me safer, faster, and more confident when stuff happens.

Cannot see a reason why new would be your only option. Since your hunt is not soon, your willing to wait till 2022 for the browning, maybe handle guns of the 3 on your list, then narrow it down to what YOU like. Then start a hunt for that specific gun, be it new or used. Start on this site for used, If I was a US resident I would be poorer.

Good luck with your quest, its all part of the fun of safari.

MB

 

[CoElkHunter]

Back to the OPs question. I used to be a Browning guy, but many years ago on a 300 WM A-bolt my gunsmith found a 3" crack lengthwise down the bolt. Finally after a year pissing around with Browning Utah as Canada refused to service, I received a new A-Bolt. It remains today in the back of the vault, no more Browning for me. I am a total Remington guy so biased, I own no SPS or Remington's younger than 8 years. But do have more than I need and not as many as I want. My Remington 700 SS BDL has taken 4 of the big 5 and 6 of the dangerous 7 plus a ton of PG, I am a hunter not a PH so maybe my need in a rifle "should" be a little different than the PH. I see no real world benefit to CRF, and I can never remember reloading or topping up until the PH said to. The way I like it, so point is moot to me about DM, yes to topping up with mag inserted or not.

I notice that all 3 choices of your weapon have different safeties. Tang, wing and side 2 position lever. That scares me, I had a brain fart and got a few Tikka T3X's, taking the safety off to load/unload is against all my training so they sit beside the A-Bolt. For me the same safety and the familiarity among all my Rem 700 calibers makes me safer, faster, and more confident when stuff happens.

Cannot see a reason why new would be your only option. Since your hunt is not soon, your willing to wait till 2022 for the browning, maybe handle guns of the 3 on your list, then narrow it down to what YOU like. Then start a hunt for that specific gun, be it new or used. Start on this site for used, If I was a US resident I would be poorer.

Good luck with your quest, its all part of the fun of safari.

MB

Too bad your Browning in the back of your safe isn't a .338 or I'd make you an offer on it? Ha! I know what you're saying though. A number of years ago, a guy next to us in elk camp, had some issue with the bolt on his A Bolt. He had messed with the bolt and somehow couldn't get it back together or uncocked? Before the season started, he had to drive a LONG way to find a gunsmith to repair it. Nothing wrong with your Remington. My son had used a SPS stainless in .300WM to take several elk. No problems with the rifle.

 

[Hunt anything]

If I’m not mistaken you have to take the safety off of a Rem 700 to unload the chamber, but I haven’t shot mine since 2014 on a lechwe hunt. I may get it out of the safe and shoot it tomorrow just to remind me. The Ruger has a 3 position safety for easy/safe unloading.

 

[MarkB]

If I’m not mistaken you have to take the safety off of a Rem 700 to unload the chamber, but I haven’t shot mine since 2014 on a lechwe hunt. I may get it out of the safe and shoot it tomorrow just to remind me. The Ruger has a 3 position safety for easy/safe unloading.

Your 700 must be real old. I think in 82 they changed back to safety not locking the bolt after someone was killed. My oldest are mid 90's, newest is around 2010. All allow opening of bolt with safety on, as it should be.

MB

 

[CoElkHunter]

Actually you can reload the abolt magazine quite quickly by opening the floor plate and leaving the magazine in place. Atleast it has for me.

Never thought of that? But now your fumbling with loose cartridges to reload the magazine attached to the dangling floorplate?

 

[Hunt anything]

Yep MB I bought it in 1981 as a junior in high school. A lifetime ago! But it has taken over 200 whitetail some western game and 15 head of plains game.

 

[375er]

Not really. No different than pulling them out of a cartridge belt and loading a crf action. Still a one handed operation and can be fast with practice. Best part is still having the bolt closed on a live round.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Not really. No different than pulling them out of a cartridge belt and loading a crf action. Still a one handed operation and can be fast with practice. Best part is still having the bolt closed on a live round.

Very interesting. I'll have to try that.

 

[Mountaineer]

Thanks for all the replies. You all have a great wealth of knowledge. To answer some of the questions. “Why new” - l want the barrel to last as long as possible. I hear I’ll never shoot it out and maybe not but if I don’t my son will. I have some Model 70 and my favorite it the featherweight. I don’t like 9 pound guns so I left it off the list. The three different safety are a concern. I own all three types and will shoot and hunt with this gun so I’ll work through that. I also must have a muzzle break. My daughter will also be along and will need it. Ruger comes factory installed. The other two a gunsmith will need to install.

 

[Excessexpress]

I don't own a Browning X Bolt (yet). But I CAN unequivocally tell you that the magazine system on the A Bolt SUCKS for quick change out. With it's "hook and pray" system getting the magazine to hook into the drop floorplate, I wouldn't hunt anything dangerous with it. The X Bolt system is far superior for quick change out.

This followed by;

Normal practice is to top reload whenever the situation allows. Fooling around with a magazine reload is a disaster waiting to happen on a dg rifle.

Is all the OP needs to know.

CRF or not (the A-Bolt II does allow top load btw but that’s not relevant to the X-Bolt) being able to top load quickly with one hand is key to DG hunting.

But, further to IVW’s principle is;

whatever you choose, practice practice practice. We all know or can easily look up the kind of scenarios that may need us to operate rifles under stress and that comes from muscle memory. Empty the magazine working the bolt in the shoulder, using full loads (occasionally) is key, alone with loading quickly and efficiently from your belt with one hand. Anything that needs 2 hands or has something that can fall from the rifle just isn’t good enough.

My recommendation to the OP would be to buy a CZ when it comes up. They won’t be worn out, most you can buy won’t even be worn in.