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

Hello Everyone,

New guy here and was wondering the collective thoughts on a Ruger No 1 in .375 H&H for a first time trip to South Africa? I shoot it accurately, am somewhat quick on the reload (still working on it though) and like the thought of a somewhat classic rifle going over there with me. I think that there are some members here that have taken their No 1's over and would like to hear their experiences, both good and bad...

Why not? Just get your field practice in.

That would be like bow hunting.Best to put yourself on the right road from the beginning and go with a Ruger 77 MK2 or similar in 375.

I believe Mule Deer used his there.

I hunt with a model one . Makes me a better hunter knowing I only have one chance of getting it right. It will be fine.

Yep, not only on plenty of plains game but a bull buffalo.

The big "trick" in shooting dangerous game is putting the right bullet in the right place.

My fellow gun writer Jon Sundra took what was then the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard) with Ruger No. 1s, some when hunting on his own, without a PH, back when that was possible. Dunno if it is anymore.....

I would not even hesitate to use a #1.

I have known 11 pro-hunters who did business in Africa and I have spent many months there myself.

All my pro-hunter friends there say seldom if ever use big 40+calibers to do their own hunting. All say the same thing : big bore stoppers are for wounded game that may get away or fight back. Hunting for there own game they ALL prefer 375s (and some even smaller) because if you place a good bullet in the right spot the hunt is over.

International clients are OFTEN known to be poor shots (largely because of gun laws in most other countries) and so if the pro HAS to shoot the hunt is already F-ed up and that is why most of them like the bigger more powerful rifles when guiding. But when alone most don't use the big bore heavies.

If you can shoot well and know your own rifle inside and out you will have NO problem at all with a 375, and a single well delivered 375 H&H bullet is just fine.

If you are unsure of yourself I'd say it's best to spend a lot of money on ammo (or components to load ammo) to practice with ------and not a lot of money on some new and more powerful gun which you will not shoot any better then the Ruger #1 you own now.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I really like the rifle, have been shooting it for the last six months or so and have got it dialed in well. I'm still a "new guy" with the sticks, but am grasping the concept as I go along. They come with me to every range session now and get shot off of as part of the "learning the new process/style"...definitely a different style than deer and hog hunting that I grew up with.

No reason whatsoever to not take it with you.

I was fortunate enough to buy a 375 H&H Number One that had belonged to "Mule Deer" aka John Barsness, years ago. He'd taken it to Africa, and that was a dream of mine. All I've shot with it is three black bear, but it surely did a fine job on them. One was at about 15 feet! I was following up a bear that had been wounded by another hunter. Found out I surely could reload that rifle in a hurry! Farthest bear was a tad over 300 yards, a one-shot kill. I'd urge you to look up some of John's articles on the 375 H&H. His loads work well. Easiest doggone load development I've ever done, all I did was copy his loads, worked up in the same rifle.

If I could, I'd take it to Africa in a half a heartbeat. Accurate, reliable and deadly. Not real rough on the shooter either. That's nice.

Regards, Guy

I remember someone, maybe boddington using a wrist cartridge holder, and someone else showed how to hold cartridges in the hand ready for reloading fast.

Maybe someone remembers this.

My fast reloads come from cartridges in a plastic holder (cut from factory ammo boxes) shoved into the left pocket of my hunting shirt.

It's real fast and easy to eject the empty, pluck a fresh cartridge from the pocket and shove it into the chamber. Amazingly fast with a little practice.

Guy

Yep, go for it!

My Ruger No.1H Tropical is a .458 Win Mag and will be hunting black bear this spring, God willing. The load will be factory - the first ever in any .458 I've owned. Federal's 400gr TBBC said to leave the muzzle at 2250 fps - should be practical and mild. I'll be hunting alone - no partner and no guide, but lots of practice before the hunt in using some of my own handloaded 400s at around that same MV.

I've owned a lot of single-shot rifles and the No.1s are a favorite. The key in using them is familiarity and confidence.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

One of the best things about No. 1s is the adjustable ejector. Adjust it for the particular case and what you want, and it works great, whether for .22 Hornet cases when prairie dog shooting or back-up shots with far more powerful rounds.

Whatever system you use for reloads, practice with it until it becomes second nature. I use a stock cartridge holder for my .458 (aand any other single-shooter I own). It can hold up to seven, but in .458 that adds a lot of extra weight on the buttstock, so I usually load 2 - 3 on the stock and one in the chamber. We need to practice to the point of not having to think about it,

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Take it! My son and I both took one to Zimbabwe about 12 yrs. ago. He took a cow cape buff and a hippo with his, and I shot a tuskless cow ele with mine. You will have a ball.

Outstanding! I've got a bunch of RL15, a fresh box of TSX 300 grainers and about 55 shiny new cases. Gonna do some load development this weekend and see how these print. I'm figuring 66 grains will get me a little over 2400 feet per second and should place pretty accurately in this rifle.
Hey maddog, I saw a reference to you and your sons hunt during a basic search, do you still have pics of your Zimbabwe hunt?

Sorry Goopy, I dropped photobucket a few yrs. back, and all the pics, were dropped from my old posts. However if you want to read what I posted, look up "I danced with the Zambezi ladies" parts 1 and 2, and what I wrote is still there.

Copy that- will do.
Thanks bud

maddog- sorry about a specific direct question to you like that, I tried to PM you but apparently I cant PM people until I reach an allotted number of posts or thread starts...I'm too lazy to look up that number right now!