Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 358 Norma or 375 Ruger

I have this rifle and have been thinking about doing one of the two with it. Its currently a 7mm RM, I don't have a use for either but an itch I have to scratch. I'm really going back and forth on this. Unfortanately it won't happen real soon so I have some time to think. What are the pro's and con's? I won't be going to Africa but hopefully a trip to Alaska someday. Something to think about till I can get this going anyway I guess.

The donor(maybe).......358 Norma or 375 Ruger?

375 Ruger.

BMT

It would be easiest to go to 358 Norma given your choices.

The .375 Ruger turns me on but I would just buy a Ruger to get one.

With a long action Winchester like you have a .375 H&H or a .375 Weatherby would likely be simpler than the Ruger.

I got a bug to make my .338 a 340 one time and they told me that the conversion would be easy. Modify the bolt stop, remove the magazine spacer, buy a 375 follower and get a little action work to ensure ejection of loaded rounds, etc.

Why? The Ruger case is the same diameter as the belt on the magnums. Would seem like it should fit and feed with no problems.

Anyone actually tried it?

Dennis

No experience with the .375 Ruger, but I have both a .358 Norma Mag and a .375 H & H Mag.

If you handload and like to shoot your hunting rifles a lot to stay in practice, go with the .358 Norma. You can load it up with cheap pistol bullets (i.e. .38 Special / .357 Magnum) for inexpensive range work (or varmints).

A fox is pretty much reduced to its consituent atoms when hit by a Hornady 125 gr hollowpoint intended for 1200fps -- at 3000 fps!

John

Now there's a picture .

No flies on the .358 Norma. But I think a .375 Ruger will fit and feed in a standard length magnum action without modification...though I haven't tried it, so I don't actually know. Guess I need to round someone with a belted magnum rifle up and try it out. Don't own any myself .

Dennis

Ray, you and I are in the exact same predicament! I have a CZ 550 Medium Magnum action (standard length action with magnum boltface) in 7mmRM. I have a big bore itch and have been caught between the exact same cartridges you're contemplating. I recently bought a CZ 550 in 9.3x62mm, so I might have to change my plans since the 9.3 is likely to scratch said itch. For some reason, the 358 Norma Magnum was more appealing at one time, but the recent Shoemaker article had me redirected. If that Winchester action is the full length magnum action, I would go with something that took advantage of the full mag length like the H&H and be the owner of a classic. You'd still be able to do it all! Don't write-off Africa! I have been looking into it with lots of interest and am finding that even the regular folk can find a way to get there without selling the family burial plots and still have a once in a lifetime experience.

Clay

More bullet choices with a 375 than a 358.
Both will fit in a 7 Mag action and magazine well.

I just assumed the 375 Ruger would feed in this action, maybe I should try to come up with a dummy round to try in the mag well. I couldn't cycle it but I could see how it fit. I have made up a dummy 358 Norma(looks cool) out of a 338 win mag. Right now the biggest thing I hunt is elk and have a good rifle for that. Which I should add that I own two 35 whelens and a 350 RM(which I may sell) already. Ballistically these two are pretty close aren't they? Either one would be way cool in this rifle I think. One of those web paint jobs, a new pad(the pad is like a brick), even in 7 RM you know you pulled the trigger. 24" barrel too I don't want to go longer.

Could someone help me out with a 375 Ruger dummy round? I'll pay for the trouble.

Perhaps a change of the magazine follower would allow the 375 to feed correctly if it doesn't now.
You need to ask some serious questions to the right people. Send a email or call to E. W. Shaw and ask them and you probably otta do something about a stronger/heavier stock.

Probably a much better/cheaper idea to sell that gun and put the money toward a Ruger Hawkeye 375.

Or CZ sells a reasonably priced 375 H&H or you can find a used 375 even less.
I could of just recently bought a Winchester 375 H&H for $650 or less. No it wasn't a pre 64 or I would own it. Check the acution sites.

I have thought about doing that but I am still undecided as of yet. The rifle as is weighs 7.2 lbs like it is. I made a dummy up for the 358 Norma and it seems to feed ok or at least as far as it would go. I would be pushing close on magazine length with either I think. I'm also pretty sure the stock will take it, it was made for Winchester by McMillan. At least I hope it will.

Go here scroll down to the rebarrel/rechamber guide.


http://ammoguide.com/

I'll have to do some checking, it says the 358 won't work. I bet it will with little trouble. I have been wrong before though.

The 358 Norma will work great. I suspect the 375 Ruger will as well. The ability to use pistol bullets is a nifty feature of the 35s and one reason I like my 35 Whelen.
I've always kind of liked the 358 Norma. I recent years, Ive made a couple with longer necks to utilize full length 300 Win Mag brass since 358 brass is sometimes difficult to come by.
A person can save a lot of money by simply selling those donor rifles before they infect you!
I have, for about 30 years, planned on building myself a 375/338 (375 Chatfield-Taylor). A fellow gunsmith in Moscow, Idaho had one he showed to me and I liked it so I ordered a reamer as soon as I got back home. That was in 1978 and I've built a dozen but have yet to build mine! I have the reamer, I have the dies, I even have a couple of suitable actions but have not gotten around to building the rifle.
The 358 Norma is the same thing. I've liked it since I was a kid. I've had a reamer for years and I've built a few of them but not my own. I had almost convinced myself to rechamber my 35 Whelen and even picked up some dies but then I looked at the 200 rounds of barely used 35 Whelen brass I had loaded up and decided to wait for the perfect action. With any luck it won't show up and I'll save myself some time and money!
Now I've had a couple of requests for 375 Rugers so bought a reamer for that. The 375 Ruger feeds nicely through my pre-war M70 (presently in 308 Norma)and it took little effort to get it to work well through an FN action. So, I'm sure it will work fine in your Winchester as well. I am carefully avoiding buying a set of dies for this cartridge so I won't be tempted. GD

Me, not even a doubt that I'd do the 375 Ruger. I've worked a lot with the mags and I kind of think that from now on if I wish for a mag other than my 7 Mashburn it'll be a 375 Rugger.

Dober

I have the 375H&H and the 375AI and have shot a Kodiak brown bear with each rifle. I have a project at Mickey's right now to build a 358Norma just because it is a very cool thing and I want to pair it with my 308Norma...

I was in contact with Shaw just before the Hawkeye was introduced in LH. They wrote saying the 7 Magnum action will work fine for the 375 Ruger, and so was on the look out for a LH 700 in 7 mag when Ruger announced the gun in left hand.
So yes, the 375 Ruger will work in your action. I also learned it would be advisable to strengthen the stock because of the increased recoil it would need to absorb over and over. I am not so sure I would want to shoot a 7.2 lb 375 very much either. A good pad would definitely be on the menu.

Raybass,

Why not have both? When faced with a similar dilemma, I solved it in a rather unique way...

Since I have owned a .375 constantly since about 1985, I really didn't need another, (altho' at one time I had three at the same time... ) However, I have lusted after a .358 Norma for many years. I finally decided to neck the .375 Ruger to .358... And then, wouldn't you know it? I came across an original .35 Newton. And, Lo! Guess what? That is exactly what the Newton is; a .375 Ruger necked to .35 cal. Aaaaahhhh, but; Life is good!

Grasshopper

I may have to flip a coin, That is interesting GHopper, I would like to see one of those. I'm going to find some ballistics on that! I did look at ballistics on the ruger and the Norma they are pretty close but the power definately goes to the 375 (naturally). I have yet to find O.A.L. on the Ruger. NOt looking in the right place I guess.