Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Ruger No 1 .375 H&H for Africa?

I think that I remember reading that! Did you also post that story over on Marlin Owners forum?

Regards, Guy

And from CZ550 “We need to practice to the point of not having to think about it,”

Sums it up.

I did a good deal of hunting years ago with a break action fully rifled 12 gauge and could get aimed shots on target as fast my brother with a pump gun. I used a buttstock holder for reloads. What Ingwe calls a bubba buddy. I like them. I used one on a bolt action .375 when hunting buffalo.

Get inventive with your practice. Water jugs at various distance. First shot off the sticks, follow up shots from offhand. Shoot from the sticks kneeling and sitting. Set goals, time yourself, if you have a buddy willing to play “race” with him, this creates a level of stress in your practice.

Besides being fun you will develop a level of familiarity with the rifle where as stated above you do not need to think.

I've had several #1's make the trip. Took a 338-06 on my first trip. This last trip I took a 35 Whelen, my daughter took the 338-06 and ny son took my 338WSM. All performed flawlessly!

I don't see an issue with it, in fact you'll have a lot of fun with it. Personally though I would not use it on dangerous game.

What game are you hunting? The vast majority of game in RSA is PG and doesn’t require a 375 H&H. Additionally, follow up shots under stress are uncommon in that setting. Zebra, blue wildebeest, and even eland will fall to a good bullet from one of the 300 mags or 30-06 class cartridges.

However, as JOC said, “Hunting is about fun and games,” so if you enjoy a classic SS rifle, take it. Using a favorite rifle is the capstone to a hunt and in the case of a first African safari, using your own favored rifle adds immeasurably to the experience.

Practice and go for it!!

Courtenay Selous used a single shot Gibbs Farquharson in 461 No.1 Gibbs to kill just about everything that can be killed in Africa. However he was considered by many to be one of the best African hunters ever considering the time in which he lived. There are several other notable things he did in life that went far beyond his abilities as a hunter.

Take your No. 1 and have a great hunt.

Just make sure you practice off sticks....that's how it's done over there.

Have taken a .375 No. 1 to Africa twice. The first time was to South Africa, on a "cull" hunt in the Karoo, where trophies could also be taken. Took around a dozen animals, but the "best" was my biggest gemsbok. (The scope was a 1.75-6x Leupold, since discontinued. My hunting partner also took a similar gemsbok with my rifle, after the scope on his rifle went bonkers.

The second time was a a year later, when I did an all iron-sight hunt in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. The rear sight was an NECG aperture, combined with the factory front bead. Got a good buffalo, but also took several plains-game animals, including a kudu, warthog, impala, tsessebe and red lechwe. The lechwe was the longest shot, around 225 yards.

John - very cool. Thanks for posting those photos. I'm a big fan of that rifle.

Guy

When my son was earning his PH license in Zambia he used a Dakota No10 9.3x72 to take two buffalo.
He has used Ruger No 1 in .375 for grizzlies here in Alaska when hunting on his own.

Single shots can be operated a lot quicker than most realize and are the ultimate for those who tout “controlled round feeding”

Thank you for all the replies! I love the No 1 in .375 H&H

Larry Weishun (sp?) was hunting Cape Buffalo with a #1 in 416. Buffalo came close less than ten yards. He made a great broadside shot, the buffalo turned AWAY and ran. Had he turned the other way and charged, he would have been SOL with a single shot. CRF has nothing to do with it. I personally would not hunt DG with a single shot...or a Remington 700

PS; I hunt with a Weatherby, I like CRFs but it's not a showstopper for me.

". . . less than ten yards." "Had he turned the other way and charged, . . . ". From less than 10 yds shooting a .416 dealing with the recoil, could he have gotten off an aimed second shot from a bolt-action? My question is: why was he shooting a cape buff at less than 10 yds, was it charging? Not likely since it turned away and ran. If charging it would have landed in Larry's lap, dead or alive! Where was the PH? There are good enough reasons for magazine repeaters, but in my view and experience in hunting bears with my single shooters, I have a different mindset than when using my magazine repeaters, or pump slug guns.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

It was in the video, maybe the yardage was off and this was in my opinion double rifle work. Bottom line is a single shot loads a LOT slower than a bolt, even a long action like a Rigby's. All I can tell you is what I remember from the video. In addition, there is another video with Boddington, alos using a single shot and he says he would never do it again. Can you hunt with one? sure, only don't tell me "it's just as good as a bolt" much less a double rifle when quick follow up shots are needed.

"much less a double rifle" , with that I'd agree - though the only double I've owned was a shotgun. "To each his own" would be the consensus here. It is a particular "mindset". But all on this thread have been positive without ambivalence. I tend to concur, but I said with a particular mindset. It must be a natural action born of intimacy with the rifle, and confidence in it as well as self. A hundred rounds in practice is minimum - more is better, with much of it in realistic settings.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I’m not as experienced as many here, though I’ve handled rifles since I was a youngster and have hunted on four continents. I’ve done four plains game hunts in Africa but only one for buffalo. To each his own. I was happy to be hunting with a Mauser action and three in the magazine. But that’s just me.

That’s all that matters. Take it and have fun.

Not a .375 but I enjoyed hunting with a Ruger #1 in 270win back when I lived in South Africa. The shorter length also makes it a pleasure to carry. I say take it and enjoy.

I suppose I shouldn't talk but at one time I'd planned a hunt in Africa. Even found a good deal on a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H. Now I have others including a .404 Jeffery and .416 Rigby. Unfortunately life got in the way and the hunt never came about. However, from 1975 when I found my first Ruger #1 chambered to 30-06 I'vw acquires more than a few and hunted with them almost exclusiveey unto 2009. I did a few elk hunts on a ranch that single shot rifles were not allowed.

With all that said, I thought I'd throw a small bit of advice to the OP. Take it for what it's worth. Basically, it is how I practiced rapid reloads with my .375 H&H. I took 20 new cases and loaded them with IIRC, 53.0 gr. of H4350. Bullets were the RCBS #37-250-FN.Velocity was around 2100 FPS plus or minus as I never chronographed them and recoil was about like a stiff 220gr.30-06 load. Just enough to know you shot something. I loaded only one box which I used in practice and when I was done shooting those 20 rounds did one rapid reload with a full power load. I got pretty darn quick getting that second AIMED shot off into the target.

If the grip had come to pass I would have taken the Ruger .375 H&H and a#1B in .300 Win. Mag. running 200 gr. Speer Hot Core. That bullet worked well on an elk so I figure it would do. I hope this helps.
PJ

great read