Got a Ruger African arriving in a few days (can't hardly wait!) in .375 Ruger and am wondering if I need to to anything proactive with the stock. I've seen numerous accounts of the wood stocks cracking but intuition tells me the way laminates are constructed and the unique Ruger recoil lug means I don't have anything to worry about.

I'm not really concerned about accuracy issues till I shoot it and it will likely stay an open sighted platform so not looking for BR groups. I might skim bed it just to ensure consistency if I feel it's needed.

Just want to make sure there is no cause to go full bore on the thing and relieve the tang, etc. to prevent cracking. Any experience appreciated.

Relieve tang and bed the damn thing.

Bed the damn recoil lug and rock on... This chit aint rocket science...

I have a Ruger tang safety 416 taylor that removed the laminated wood behind the recoil lug within just a few shots. Depending on how important the hunt is, I'd glass the lug at the least and put in a cross bolt just for good measure. I repaired mine that way and hundreds of rounds later it is still good to go. Think about the direction those laminations are running.

.375 is about the place where Stratabond splits. The post above this is your best bet. Or buy a full-bed Hogue.

What he said...

Crossbolts lost all advantage when epoxy was invented.

There was another thread on this a couple months ago, after that my laminated 375 ruger went to the gunsmith for bedding, expecting it back soon.

What Steelhead and SD said. Be sure there is relief around the action screws also.

Those things are supposed to hold parts together, not act as recoil lugs.

Very good point.

Got a really good deal on a 700KS in 300WM once... the previous owner had free-floated the recoil lug and the bolt handle was all that was acting as a recoil lug after the action screws bent over...

Still laugh thinking about what the shooter's face must have looked like after torching that bad boy off!

... don’t forget to relieve the tang too!

FWIW, birch laminate is at least as likely to split, perhaps more so, than solid walnut is, but Steelhead and las give good advice which, if followed, should circumvent any problems.