Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .375 Ruger results?

Any of you more experienced folks actually seen dangerous game taken with the 375 Ruger? How does it stack up against the 375H&H? What say you? Thanks...

Hey Gary,
One of my PH's have a .375 Ruger. It has slightly more juice than the H&H, but you'll be splitting hairs. Basically the same scenario as the .300Win vs the .300WSM with regards to components availability etc.

Take Care,
Marius Goosen

It is a bit more than the H&H so what more is there to learn?

I shot a Cape Buffalo bull last August with a R375 and Barnes 300 TSX's. Worked great. One shot. DRT

You'd think with what I have been reading that the R375 and R416 would eventually replace the longer, more expensive rounds from back in the day. Would the R416 lend itself to double rifles? Too much pressure? Just asking...thanks.

Gary,
If you are considering a .416, go with the Rigby. The Rigby operates at low pressures. My .416Rigby produces less felt recoil than my .375H&H. Its a much slower push. Whenever I take that rifle out of the safe, I get those butterflies in my stomach that only a teen gets going on their first date with a new girl.

Is there any reason why the Rugers' interest you?

Well, the Rugers are a more modern design, less expensive everything especially ammo. How much did you pay for those butterflies? That sort of thing in general...

Well, my .416Rigby is in a CZ 550. They are in my opinion one of the best value for money rifle brands out there.
If ever there was a "working" rifle made, the CZ's are just that. I had to have the action polished a bit to ensure that feeding under pressure would be smooth. When you cycled the bolt, it would stick for a split second right at the back. Hardly need your concentration broken by something small like that when the heats' in the kitchen.My rifle is not the only rifle that I have heard where this had to be done. As a matter of fact, this was the general consensus that I picked up when I did research, just before buying the rifle.
Rifles in South Africa are generally more expensive than in the USA. Mine was about $1500 out the box.

it's a rimless round which is in an of iteself asking for trouble on a double. Krieghoff has their own proprietary 500/416 which works pretty darned well. A double in 416 would be a very rare and weird double.

It was my impression that many doubles can be had from the manufactures in 375 H&H. Why not the other rounds? Thanks...

Some of the manufacturers, especially the ones with truly bespoke rifles, will make you anything you want, but I'm betting most will try and talk you out of a 416 Rem (or any other rimless for that matter) and this much I can tell you, a double in 416 Rem has WHITE ELEPHANT written all over it. Verny Carron has the strongest action on the market today and I am sure it will handle the pressure which is no more than a 375s. Years ago,a friend of mine had a Ferlach double built for him in 338 Winchester Mag. Beautiful rifle. Eventually he tried to sell it and had one hell of a time doing so.

I suspect that lots of folks will buy the used Rugers in R375 that are out there for under $1000 and resell it when they return from their DG hunt in Africa. Or, rent a rifle from the PH for that one hunt. The folks at Spiral Horn Safaris are very helpful in the loaner rifle area...

I know of a .375 Ruger that has taken 3 bears and one bison. Its a boosted .375 H&H. It kills stuff just like the H&H, a little better, maybe, but shot placement is always the most important thing.

If someone put a .375 Ruger in my hands and told me to shoot the big 5, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.