Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 375 Ruger in a Mexican Mauser action

Is this reasonable or feasible?
Getting a bug to build a larger bore rifle and happen to have one of these actions in near perfect condition. The 375 Ruger has attracted my attention as an interesting hunting round.
Your thoughts are appreciated.

While the British often opened up standard 98 Mausers for some really big rounds, such as the .416 Rigby, the cartridges were all pretty low-pressure. The .375 Ruger is not low-pressure, and a Mexican Mauser action is even smaller than a standard 98.

There are enough people around who want a good Mexican action for far more appropriate purposes (like the .257 Roberts) that you should be able to sell your action and get something much more appropriate--and safer--for a .375 Ruger.

not wanting to discourage anyone who wants to build a nice custom rifle, but I agree with Mule deer, the Mexican Mauser may not be the right choice.

Have you considered buying one of the Ruger rifles and having it accurized. Probably cheaper in the long run.

Don't even consider it. Reputable gunsmiths would never do it.

Try a .257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 7x57, 260, 7-08, etc.

I asked about converting my 30/06 Mauser (09 Arg action) to 375 Ruger. The gunsmith at the Buckhorn Gun Shop here in Boise said it was a poor idea because the 375 Ruger was too "high pressure" a cartridge for the 09's soft metallurgy. He recomended staying with cartridges of the standard pressures of that era.

It would be a perfect action for a .338 Fed though... .

Given that a .375 Ruger runs at a higher velocity than .375 H&H...I don't think I'd load much of anything that was 50+ years old for it, let alone an action that is shorter than standard 98 Mausers -- which are none too long as it is.

Dennis

The maximum average SAAMI pressure for the .375 Ruger is 63,000 psi.
That is less than the 65,000 psi of the 22-250 or the 270 Winchester and the 30-06 is 60,000.

It is also the same length as all the 30-06 based cartridges.

While I agree that the small ring Mexican Mauser is a poor choice for the .375 Ruger, the large ring 1909 Argentine Mauser should be a perfectly acceptable platform for the .375 Ruger provided the hardness checks out.
After all 1909's have been used for years for the .270 and other high pressure cartridges.

If you would like to rebarrel a 75-year-old rebuilt army rifle to .375 Ruger, please be my guest, and let us know how it works out.

I was speaking only for myself, and I will not. I have a number of pre-WWII sporting rifles, and I like them a lot. But I also like them for what they are, not for something I want to build them into.

I also have a .375 Ruger African, for what that's worth, and I like it a lot as well. It is what it should be...

Dennis

Forgot to add that one. Good cartridge, conned a member out of his awhile back .

How about .376 Steyr?

It's a small ring intermediate 98 and built when heat treating was an art. Mag length is 3.1+- and designed for a 7x57. I had a long time well renowned Mauser gunsmith tell me he would not do a .284 with a 1910 or 1936.

If someone wants to do it go ahead. I just think a 'smith that knows Mauser's would flatly refuse.

Like I said in my post above, doing the .375 Ruger on the Mexican Mauser action would not be a good idea even if it were possible. Same goes for the .376 Steyr.
Doing the .375 Ruger on the large ring, full length 1909 Argentine Mauser action is perfectly acceptable provided the heat treatment was checked out and corrected if need be.

The new Ruger cartridge is no more punishing than many rounds commonly chambered in the desirable 1909 Argy.

I would not build a 375 Ruger (or one of the belted magnums, for that matter)on a small ring mauser action. I would have no problem with building one on a good large ring though. I have done one on a FN commersial action and it worked out fine. I've built quite a few 375/338's on Mausers and there is little difference between them and the Ruger cartridge. GD

Sell the action and you're half way to a complete, used Ruger M77II in 375 Ruger.

As others have said, if you're set upon using that action I'd not go 375 Ruger... as a matter of fact, I have a Mexican SR'98 very close to finished at my 'smiths place chambered in 7x57 and am ecstatic!

If, on the other hand, you're set upon the 375 you should see if there is someone who'd trade your action for a 1909 Argentine as others have suggested. Have that heat treated (or at least hardness tested) and build away!

That SR'98 is a fantastic action.

Why yes, yes it is :

Ooops. Forgot about this one:

Comments are sincerely appreciated. This particular action has been part of a very accurate, and decent looking, 257 Roberts AI for some decades. Thinking it will stay that way.
I have never been much of a Ruger fan. Perhaps this is an opportunity to give them another look as I have an interest in this 375 Ruger cartridge. Thanks.

I actually have one, done by Stu Satterlee

no doubt that is a fine rifle...