Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Ruger 9.3x62 vs Ruger 375

I have a 9.3 and like it a lot, I bought it for an African Plains Game hunt. I recently came across a nice deal on a SS laminated 375, I doubt that I will ever hunt Cape Buffalo or the other Big 5 animals. The Eland is definately on my hit list. Is there really much difference in these two rounds and should I buy the 375? Thanks.

The 9.3 is a mild recoiling round that performs very well on game, including Eland. It is not thought of as a charge stopper and while it is capable of killing Big Five animals, I do not recommend it as a Big Five round. It is a bushveldt cartridge, meant for shots <200 yards.

The .375 is a bit more powerful than the 9.3, recoils more and shoots flatter. It is more versatile because of it's flatter trajectory.

If you are going to be hunting PG in bushveldt conditions, I would recommend the 9.3. If you will be hunting PG in open country, the .375 will serve you better.

Actually, for PG in open country, I would recommend the .338 Winchester. It shoots flatter than either the 9.3 or .375 and is capable of clean kills on any PG animal out to about 300 yards. I killed a large Eland this past October at 312 yards with my .338.

You can always load the .375 down a bit, to 9.3 velocities, but it's hard to go the other way......

For your needs you are more than fine with the 9.3. So, no.

You can use the Barsness loads in the 9.3x62 shooting 250-grainers in the 2,650fps range, which shoot ample flat having plenty of downrange energy. Using modern pressures in modern guns, the 9.3x62 has an extreme amount of versatility.

Both are good cartridges that have a lot going for them. Both will also work in a "standard length" action rifle.

I've hunted pretty extensively with the 9.3x62mm, and it is absolutely deadly on plains game. My father, cousin, and I have all taken numerous plains game with the 9.3x62mm and it performed almost perfectly. The cartridge is very accurate and reasonably flat shooting. The 9.3x62mm does meet the legal minimum in many countries for dangerous game, like Zimbabwe. I cleanly killed a cape buffalo and an elephant with it last year using 286gr Swift A-Frames and Woodleigh FMJs. However, I do agree with Winchestermodel70, it is a marginal caliber for dangerous game and you have a small margin of error in a charge situation. I will say that it does not give up much to the .375. If you can't do it with the 9.3x62mm, then you probably can't do it with the .375 either and will need to bring out the heavy artillery.

The .375 Ruger was a great idea and it performs very well in the fied. It does have a slight edge on paper over both the 9.3x62mm and the .375 H&H. But to get that additional muzzle energy, it is loaded to a much higher pressure than either cartridge which correspondingly increases recoil. The only other issue with this cartridge is that it is relatively new, being introduced in 2007 vs 1905 with the 9.3x62mm and 1912 with the .375 H&H. The older 9.3x62mm and .375 H&H have a much wider variety of ammunition available to choose from as a result.

This is just my personal opinion, but if I had to have only one cartridge to hunt with for the rest of my life, I would choose the 9.3x62mm. With the right bullets, it is an extremely effective cartridge on everything from deer all the way up to elephant.

Thanks guys!

I have used both here in Alaska on our large brown bears and "know" that the 375 has to hit a little " harder" --- but in real practice I have never noticed it.
One advantage the 9.3 does have over the 375 though is an extra two rounds down in the magazine.

Simply from a bullet selection point of view I would opt for the 375. I'm sure your ability to kill would be essentially identical with either.

Kind uv in the same boat as the OP. I have a 9.3x62 that I build on a Whitworth American Field action, added a 3 position safety and NECG sights. With it I have a very nice walnut stock and a High Tech Specialties composite. Shoots most anything I put in it extremely well.

Been toying with the idea of a 375 Ruger. I n fact I have a #4 Rock Creek SS barrel, a M70 Classic Stainless magnun action, and a McM Hunter inletted for the M70 Classic. Just need to put it all together.

To add to the quandry, I have a M70 Safari 375 H&H, and custom 416 Ruger on a M70 classic action, and a 450/400 NE DR that should be in my hands soon.

With a 'battery' consisting of the 9.3x62, 375 H&H, 450/400 NE and 416 Ruger, I'm having second thoughts on whether I need the 375 Ruger, or for that matter, the 375 H&H. Ultimately the goal is to use one or two of them on a PG/DG safari. At this point I'm thinking about scrapping the 375 Ruger build, and parting with the 375 H&H. For what they might bring I could potentially pay for a good part of the airfare to RSA, or a couple more trophy fees!

Since I started shooting the 9.3x62 over a decade ago I've hardly used my .375 H&H.

Handloaded to modern .30-06 pressure of 60,000 psi, the 9.3x62 will get aroiund 2500 fps with 286-grain bullets and 2650 with 250's. These loads shoot just as flat as 300 and 270-grain loads in the .375 H&H, and kick noticeably less than the .375 H&H and a LOT less than the .375 Ruger, even in my 8-pound rifle.

I've taken a pile of game up to over 1000 pounds in both North America and Africa with the 9.3x62, at ranges out to 300+ yards, and would be perfectly willing to shoot to 400 with the 250-grain load, since it shoots just about as flat as the 180-grain .30-06, which I've used quite a bit at 400+. And as Phil pointed out, the typical 9.3x62 holds 5 rounds in the magazine, not the 3 of either the H&H or Ruger .375.

This doesn't mean I'm going to sell my .375, but the 9.3 sure has cut into the times I hunt with mine.

If it were me, I'd buy it...Actually that's exactly what I did, but only because I've been wanting a 375 H&H for a loooooooong time...However, there's absolutely no need to buy a 375 if you already have a 9.3x62mm....Just remember there's a difference between "want and need"....

Oh by the way, my 375H&H (top rifle) holds 4 and my 9.3x62mm holds 5....:


You other poor bastids got short changed....."holds 3" coment...

BSA

Your 375 is exactly like mine. I really enjoy that rifle.

I have been kicking around the idea of getting a 9.3x62 for awhile now, but the manuals must be keeping their loadings down to old levels since they don't show an improvement over the 35 Whelen. With Mule Deers velocity it may be worth while to go that route however.

Did I ever tell you I think you suck?

Yeah, John's load data is good chit but I kind of settled on a stiff charge of RE15 to push 286gr. partitions. It's accurate as hell so I'm skeered to change a thing. I took a nice cow elk with it a few months ago so I know it works good enough for that

No, but you've told me I'll smoke a turd in hell...Whatever that means ....

2650 sounds real good to me in a 9.3 with a 250 gr. bullet. Plus the option to go heavy (300+). Nice rifles bsa, I may have to follow a similar path.

..................Based on your comments, you really have no need for a 375 Ruger addition. That is; unless you feel the extra need for it to use as an excuse to buy it, and/or it is such a good deal that it would be difficult to pass up.

If you didn`t already own a 9.3x62, then ballistically of the two, the 375 Ruger would be the better performing choice.

Guys, thanks for all your help. I have decided not to buy the 375 Ruger and use the 9.3x62 on plains game.

Bob

Let us know how it works out for you. I really enjoy the hell out of my 9.3..Good luck too!!