Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Shoemaker's 375 Ruger Article

As with about everything he writes,I enjoyed Phil's article in the recent Rifle magazine about the 375 Ruger,and the tidbits about the Hawkeye rifles.

I sorta got a kick as I read that he mounted a VX 7 on one,saying to myself "...that won't last...";he seemed to like the scope but when a turret went "sproing",off it came,which made me chuckle.

I thought it interesting that Phil stated that he did not know "...of any factory rifle introduced since 1937 that is as...well designed...and reliable enough out of the box for use on dangerous game as the 375 Ruger...". I wonder what rifle he could have been refering to(?).

I have felt the same about the Ruger Hawkeye,in general, myself.

Great article,enjoyable, informative,from a guy who puts the stuff to the test before commenting.Well done!

Yea, but what does Phil know? He spends so much time hunting, shooting and guiding that he probably doesn't even have time to read many gun articles. And, besides, guiding for Big brown bears in the dry, mild climate of Alaska doesn't demand that much of a rifle.

TIC, of course

Royce

I also like Phil's writing, but Phil is a good friend so maybe I'm prejudice..Phil is the real deal, and a great person. His knowledge of firearms is equal to his knowledge of guiding, and thats a plus on a hunting trip of any kind, it makes for a lot of interesting conversation around the fire at camp or over a hot cup of coffee after a hard day in the alaskan bush..

I also believe the new 375 Ruger and better yet the 416 Ruger is the best thing since sliced white bread..A well designed case that will fit in any Mauser action with just a tad of work..I built myself one long before Ruger came out with it, it was just a given caliber to build, to anyone with a bit of wildcat blood in their veins.

Royce: Yes; hard to duplicate that experience today.I always watch what the Alaskan and African pro's carry for rifles,scopes,etc.

Ray: Completely agree on the Ruger cartridge.......if I did not have two 375's I'd be all over it......

LMAO, Royce! I agree. Phil probably just hasn't had enough time to read about all the things he's been doing wrong all these years.

Bob, I'm right there with you. If I didn't already have two 375 H&H M70's and one in .416 Rem, I would have one of the Africans right now. Takes all I have to walk away from them when I see them. I was glad to see Phil talk about replacing the Hogue with a factory synthetic from Ruger. I think that is the only mistake Ruger made when they came out with the two models. Ray's right. The .416 Ruger was obvious from the beginning.

Test

Test: Funny thing is, I already HAD one.I loved it,and if I could keep that crooked bolt handle from slamming into my trigger finger,I'd still have it.I'm reevaluating....maybe I need a tighter grip ......anybody got a donor pre 64?

I agree, no amount of practical experience can compensate for what you read on the internet . . . . . . .

BMT

That's pretty funny....you guys are a good comedy sketch

I know that by every objective standard the .375 Ruger is better, but I just can't get over the H&H. People here should understand, lots of guys using the 7x57 and such.

Bob,
I'll let the "tighter grip" comment go...

Yeah, I'd like to find a pre 64 donor as well, but I doubt I'd change it to a 375 Ruger. I think it is a great concept and cartridge, but there's not enough there to make me want one over the ol H&H. I haven't shot a Ruger Hawkeye ever, but your comment about it hitting your trigger finger makes me wonder if I wouldn't have the same problem.

Oh, how I'd love to find a "cheap" pre 64 375 H&H! That just screams classic and I'd love to take it to Africa. Unfortunately, they are pretty much untouchable for me since the price for one these days, even in poor condition, is way more than I'd ever pay. Guess I'll just have to stick to the Classics. Don't know what I'll ever do with the two classics in .375 I've got when I just love the .416 even more. Every once in a while I think about rechambering one of the .375's, but can't see messing with a perfectly good rifle in a great cartridge. Woe is me!
Test

When it comes to tradition, I think of `ol school personal values and beliefs, historical venues, traditional founding core principles, traditional architecture, style, furniture, etc, etc.

When it comes to rifle cartridges? Baloney! Traditional or not, I go with the better and more efficient design, whether it`s 95 years old or whether it`s two years old.

In comparing the 375 H&H to the 375 Ruger, there is no difference in the stopping power and that issue should not even be debated.

Where the 375 Ruger shines, is in its casing design and in the shorter barreled rifles chambered for it; the Ruger Alaskan and African.

A 20" tubed .375 Ruger can duplicate 24"-25" tubed 375 H&H specs. Why carry around a rifle 6" longer, whereas a shorter, handier, more manuverable and quicker rifle will do the same thing ballistically.

With time comes change. The 375 Ruger is 21st century, while the H&H is early 20th century.

The 375 Ruger casing is a better design, holds more powder, is more efficient, has a better powder capacity to bore diameter ratio and frankly, it is a better looking round than the 375 H&H.

As with anything new, ammo availabilty fears are normal. Per my conversations directly with Hornady a month ago, Hornady is and has had on on-going world-wide marketing program to distribute and supply .375 Ruger factory ammo. Many permits to allow distribution from the various So. African provinces have been granted to Hornady with more on the way, as well as approvals which have been granted in other parts of the world. The new 416 Ruger will follow suit.

"Kudos" to Hornady for their product innovation in offering a better and more efficient cartridge than the H&H. And "kudos"
to Ruger for offering more compact rifles to chamber the 375 Ruger. They are better in the field to handle and carry without losing anything ballistically to the longer H&H rifle.

As it has been said; the .375 Ruger may very well do to the 375 H&H, what the 300 Win did to the 300 H&H. With the growing popularity indicators for the 375 Ruger, in many years, that may come to pass.

I could be wrong but I doubt if the old 375 H&H will disapear off the face of the earth over the 375 Ruger, but the Ruger may bite into its years of success a bit...The old 300 H&H has been on slipery ice for years but there is still a few old curmudgeons like myself that cling to the 375 and 300 H&H both and I have and use them both along with the 7x57, another old round that you just can't kill and Lord knows they have tried..

I also recently sold my 416 Rem M-70 and my .416 Ruger, both cusotm rifles..I replaced them with a 404 Jefferys a caliber that I have used for years and keep coming back to...I guess there is plenty of room for all of them..

Don't get me wrong, I think the 375 Ruger case is an outstanding case design and has much to offer, IMO it is the only new cartridge case to come down the pike worth having in a long time, I appluad Ruger and Hornady for their contribution to the gun world with this new case.

What I want to know is how the .416 Ruger can duplicate the Rem. How much of that is Hornady proprietary power and how much is case capacity? I like the idea of it I'm just curious.

I just want a 450/400. First actual big bore I ever shot and I've wanted one since. Old fashioned design be damned! Course I carry a 1911 and a J-frame every day...

I agree with Ray.....I doubt the H&H case is gonna become extinct for a long time.

Is the Ruger "better"? Well, it's shorter.Short is "good",to those who are not tall..

Is it more "modern"? Uhhh, Nope;it is basically the 30 Newton necked up,which ain't new, is HARDLY 21st Century(really more like EARLY 20th Century)and predated the 300H&H,and all the belted stuff,and which ultimately faded away in the 40's or 50's while the belted 300 Weatherby ran over the Newton like road kill.................ssssooooooooooo,..... to all those lacking historical perpective, lemme say,the 375 Ruger is "different",but the "same",which is not bad;and it's "good",because it's the "same"...as the H&H...in a shorter action,which has become a paragon of virtue for inexplicable reasons.

To those who will be rendered impotent by 3 extra inches of rifle,can I suggest some 21st Century vitamins?

Product of the 21st Century? Sure! But so isn't Barrack Obama,sub prime mortgages,and Wall Street bailouts....

I like the 375 Ruger. I'm not selling my pre 64 M70 375's to get one

I don`t think that the 375 Ruger will ever completely or thoroughly upstage the H&H. But it does offer a new or more efficient alternative to a new 375 buyer or to someone wanting another 375.

When it comes to "classic" and "traditional" many things come to mind. It`s one thing if a rifle is valuable collector item with few being made or one handed down as a family heirloom. But to own a 375 H&H for the sake of owning one, based on the so-called perception or reasoning of it being a more "classic" or "traditional" cartridge, is ridiculous. If one wants the H&H then fine. Get one because one wants it, not because it`s more classic or traditional.

There are classic cars, classic homes, traditional styles, traditional values and more. But I just cannot associate or equate "classic" or "traditional" in a rifle cartridge.

In a rifle cartridge, I instead associate efficiency, accuracy, ballistics and the particular rifles chambered for them.

I associate certain cartridges with tradition. If you don't, it doesn't much bother me. I would rather have a modern rifle in a traditional cartridge than out outdated rifle in a modern cartridge.

FWIW, I think the cartridge with the second most to fear from the .375 Ruger is the .338 Winmag. And rightfully so.

Agreed.When you can move a 235 or 250 X bullet at 2900+ fps,who need a 338?

Yep. Without a belt and with the option of a 350. Plus better frontal area, legal for DG in Africa and it's new.

Just for the sake of conversation....This "newer is better"thing is largely an American armchair theorist notion.Anyone want to discuss the 30/06? In Africa? Or Alaska? Or Europe?I don't see the 300 WSM making a dent in the 30/06's popularity....

Let's not forget that the dangerous game cartridges seeing a lot of use in Africa are largely British developments.The Brits in the 20th Century forgot more about dangerous game rifles and cartridges than Americans ever knew,which is why things like the 375 H&H ,404 Jeffreys, 416 Rigby's etc are still popular.

I don't think newer is better. There are concepts we have today that we know to make for more efficient or effective cases than was the case back in the day. If the .300 WSM had been introduced in 1900 I don't think you would have seen the .300 H&H.