Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game New Cartridge: .375 Ruger (375/.338 win.mag) Best Grizzly/African use?

Apparently, Ruger is positioning the cartridge as THE answer to the .375 H&H, but in a shorter-std. action and requiring less barrel length to produce the same velocities as the .375 H&H. I think it's the equivalent of the .375 Taylor?

This way, an American sportsman can hunt with their .300 or .338 mag. and also have the same bolt throw as an African legal and Big bear/lion stopping rifle. It would make for a lighter, shorter package to backpack and hunt in grizzly country-yet provide all the power of a 375 H&H.

Ammo/proper headstamped brass to be available in 2007 and brass for the .338 win. mag. is widespread.

What do you think? Opinions?
.375 Ruger discussion (it's the .375/.338 win. mag.)
According to this site its a .375/.338 cartridge with a belt: .375/338 Ruger

Maybe in Alaska but the 375HH case is way to easy to get everyplace on earth big game is hunted. You're not gonna find this new case anywhere but here.

Sounds like another new offer for the guy who just has to have the latest toy. I'm not sure I see the improvement or benifit. The shorter bolt throw cannot compete with the long tapered HH case which is famous for smooth feed and effortless eject when used for DG hunting. The steeper the shoulder the worse feed and eject become.

There is a good reason that HH design has been around so long and is so well accepted as "the" big game rifle of the world. It's case design is fantastic. Same can be said for the 300HH case design. Where difficult conditions and high temps are the norm the HH design is as good as it gets. I wish Ruger well, but I don't see this ever reaching any level of popularity, at least not enough to compete with the HH cartridge.

The H&H case design came to be as a result of using long cordite stick powder. The long slopping case was not able to head space correctly with its slopping shoulder so the designers as an after thought put the belt on it to make it work. (That belt acts as a rim to keep the case head against the bolt face to prevent head separation.)
Kind of like jury rigging. The chamber case fit also ended up being sloppy which was to its benefit in a dirty african climate.

H&H was lucky to turn out as it did. It was not brilliance that originated it.

I wish the German or American designed cases without belts would have taken hold or caught on instead.

Is the H&H that much better or is it monkey see monkey do?

WW1 ended or stunted case and rifle progress by decades.
Newton coming to mind as well as german designs.
We ended up or were stuck with British design.

I've handled some very smooth actions and they functioned
with normal rimless/beltless cases just as well.

SU, yours is the first version I've read of that origin!

All others I've read about the design were identical in regards to the long sloping case used to make feed and extract perfectly functional for a pure hunting rifle without any target or military design intent. Agreed the case length and design also had to accomadate the cordite which was used in that era.

In any event the design whether intentional or accidental is unsurpassed in function. Steep shouldered cases can certainly be made to feed exceptionally well. But the real test comes with contamination and foul weather. Remember back when Weatherby actions changed from Mauser to the ones made in California. Nothing but problems and complaints with the horrible feed they had. Gunsmiths made a fortune correcting these rifles. Some I've seen never fed good. Some had such strong springs to assit in the feed the shoulders would be dented from pressing against one another. When they moved to the next vintage made by Howa that cleared up. I think mostly from the gunsmiths who figured out what was needed. Both My model 70 winchester in 300 Wtby mag and my buddies Howa Made 300 Weatherby fed horribly at times, and at times they were fine. They were very high maintainance to keep them feeding well. This is not news, many people struggled with that long case tipping up at the angle it was being shoved forward with a steep shoulder.

Seeing as the CRF function of the Ruger Action is only about 75% CRF that does not help with a new cartridge which would seem to be for large and possible DG game species.

To clarify the Ruger CRF function; The case coming up from the magazine must be about 75% into the chamber before the rim is completely engaged by the claw. If you are to cycle the bolt 1/2 way and then pull it back the case lays in the throat of the chamber and does not come back with the bolt.

Very much unlike the Mauser, Winchester, Dakota, Kimber, Etc. which all have the case engage the bolt face 100% of the time after coming up from the magazine.

It's this kind of attention to detail by Ruger that makes me wonder about the feed reliabilty of a new cartridge with a steep shoulder designed for DG species. I now own a Ruger "CRF" rifle in 25/06 so I like the strength and 3 position safety but I'm not at all impressed with the CRF feed design!

"In any event the design whether intentional or accidental is unsurpassed in function"

Jim, I do believe that. But I also believe I could take a new Kimber, go 9.3x62 and not be on the short end of the stick in any bush in the world. My confindence level would be very high with this combo. I do like shorter throws and one more round with less recoil to boot. (Not that your feel percieved recoil in the bush.) you don't.


Also, I just found out the new 375 Ruger is based on the
300 win mag case instead of the shorter 338 case. That
seems to defeat it's purpose. What might have been a good idea then to go and hamstring yourself with a longer case.
Might as well just shoot an H&H and get the slicker benifit.

375 Ruger is an answer to a question no one's asking... although it'd be a dandy elk round <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Brad, the question has been asked many times:

What Africa/dangerous game capable cartridge will fit a std. length action, and allow for a lighter, handier rifle (read 22-24" barrel and lower cartridge weight) for serious Alaska, B.C. and Yukon grizzly/brown bear and Africa use?

The answer was the .375 Taylor.

The new answer appears to be the .375 Ruger.

Brad, the other thing is that I have a .300 Win. Mag. It's apparently not based on the .338 win mag but on the 300 win. mag. I can maybe use some of my extra brass interchangeably (same platform) for north america hunting and have the same bolt throw?

Because I have an '06 length pre-64 M70 action and I want to go to Africa and after some big stuff, and think that such needs the .375H&H and CRF, I'm interested.

This one, I'll watch closely.

If it's designed off the 300 Winchester case wouldn't it be a pretty short neck gripping a 375 bullet?
Myself I think I'd perfer the Taylor cartridge for the longer neck.

I would think that the .375 Taylor would be perfect for Alaska. It probably will never surpass the popularity of the .338WM, but would make for a lighter .375 sort of cartridge.

I kind of have a lust afair with the 375 Taylor it has pinoche.

A 375 Ruger just doesn't have the cool sounding factor to it.

On a side I've no question what so ever that it will feed and will feed well. The H&H will have nothing on it in terms of feeding.


Mark D

Mark, I've gotta copy this and save it. We'll see if you still feel the same in a year or so! Look at the feed nightmare the shortmags have had! This to me to be a really big "short mag"

I am not understanding the attraction to a "lighter" rifle with the same power as the 375HH. One of the incredible benifits of the old 375HH is that it's the most powerful rifle cartridge you can shoot for your investment in felt recoil.

So we lose that feature, The wonderful long taperd feed and extract case design, ammo available nearly anyplace you would want a rifle like this, the sloppy to unrealistic CRF function of Ruger rifles.

If you're really serious about spending the money on a rifle cartridge that will likely save your life, who picks this one over the old faithfull 100% reliable and 100 years of proven performance Holland and Holland?

On another note I have serious doubts that it will shoot a 270 grain bullet at 2800fps or a 300 at 2600fps without pressure issues. How are you going to get more powder in a case with less capacity? I would suggest it will meet original 375HH factory spec, but not what can be realized with handloads in that 375HH.

Now the upside is that Ruger will make money on this. It keeps them in business and we need every American rifle maker pumping out guns to stay afloat. For that I hope it sells like crazy. I want it to be a success and see great use across the globe. I'm just not believing all the Hype surrounding it right now. I suppose there are already too many little guns flooding the market. Why not go for the bigger ones.

Ruger is certainly the leader in new releases today. From the little 17 caliber up to the 458 Lott and several unique big bore handguns. I give them credit for the effort!

I'd rather have the 375 H&H. As Brad already said, this cartridge is an answer to a question that was never asked.

This is the first I have heard of the new Ruger .375 cartridge, but I have to say I�m a prime candidate to buy one � for a number of reasons.

The first is that I like Ruger centerfire rifles and have more of them (4) than I do Marlin (3), Browning, (1), Remington (1) or any other make (0).
While I have a Marlin in .375Win, I�ve wanted a .375 in H&H, Dakota or RUM for some time � not for Africa, not for Alaska or Canada, not even for hunting in griz country in the lower 48, all places I will very likely NEVER hunt. A .375 bolt gun would become another elk rifle in the stable.

With kids in college, new Ruger rifles in H&H, Dakota rifles or even Remington RUM�s are out of my price bracket � and I have not seen any at gun shows that were in a condition and price that would separate me from m money either. The new Rugers can be built on the standard length Ruger action and should be no more expensive to manufacture than a .338 or .300. My last new Ruger was a canoe-paddle .300 Win that I paid $375 for during the Christmas sales. Even without the sales $450 will get a new Ruger most any day, at least in the Denver area. I�m sure the new .375�s will command a premium price for a while the initial demand is serviced, but that should change relatively quickly.

As to the Ruger �flaw� of sloppy CRF, I own both push-feed CRF Rugers and am quite happy with both. I do prefer the CRF simply because I do 99.9% of my shooting at the range in single shot mode and the CRF makes easier to extract cases one handed � I just angle them out and pluck them out of the receiver.

So what I am looking at with the new Ruger .375 is a cartridge and rifle combination that should soon fall into my price range, is on the action I prefer. Even better, I suspect more than a few people will buy them, shoot them only to discover the recoil is more than they want to handle, and sell them. I�ll be keeping an eye out for those rifles in particular!

Is the 300WM case capacity basicaly the same or very close to the 300H&H? If so then wouldn't it make sence that this new Ruger 375 if based on the 300WM case would have virtually the same capacity as the 375H&H??? Also when was the last time you heard of anyone having a feeing issue with a 338WM or 300WM etc. Pretty much the only issues I've heard of where with the first generation WSM's that came out and the WSSM's. IMO feeding will be a moot point.

I think like coyote hunter... A power house of a rifle in an afordable package. Pretty much the cheapest 375H&H you could find would be a CZ, and IMO they're fugly... and are in the $650 range. I'll bet that the Ruger variation will be closer to the $400 range, and I'll have money left over for a scope.

I have a DG rifle already so this one would be 'back up' when I go, and will likely be a go to elk rifle as well.

Was it really needed? Nope, and neither were any 30cal mags introduced after the 300H&H, so whats the point???

There has always been some demand for a 375 cartridge that will function in an 06 length magazine and deliver H&H ballistics , and I think it well sell to a certain extent in a standard priced Ruger..........lot's of rifle nuts of average means have lusted for a 375 H&H , but just about every one made has commanded a premium price , and you couldn't adapt the H&H to most standard length actions without alot of expensive and sometimes questionable, 'smith work .

I think the designers are also showing some good sense using the 300 Win. case , as the powder capacity should be very , very close to the H&H , or maybe exceed it a bit , and it will function thru 06 length actions without a hitch........given the current trends I'm a little surprised they didn't use a shortened ultra mag case .

At any rate , give me a Ruger 77 all weather to weigh about 8 3/4 or 9 lbs scoped , priced with the 300 s or 338 s , I'll buy one.............

Ok maybe I'm hung up on the feed issue too much. But I spend much of my life in a situation that is clearly different from many of you folks.

The "typical" American hunter wants every possible amount of speed from his cartridge. Just look at the magnums evolution in this Country!

Now I get a hunter who has taken the time to develop this maximum+ load with great accuracy and he's shooting a 300 win mag from a more or less stock rifle. He's awfully proud of the effort and has a hella powerful accurate load, under normal American fall hunting conditions.

He has this gun in the 90-100+ degree sun for the whole day. The metal is hot to the touch, not warm, but burning hot. Then he has the chance for the shot and the spent shell ain't coming out of that chamber now. I promise you this has been a frequent enough occurrence that the design concept bothers me enough to have mentioned it. Max loads at 60-70 deg are way over loaded at 90-100!

Another scenario. The hunter shows up in AK for a coastal brownie hunt. He is using brass shells not nickel plated. He's got them in a leather shell holder on his belt. By the 4-5th day they are green and have a film over the whole case. The shells in the magazine are also getting green. Now he gets a shot and guess what, the extractor pulls off the rim, or the extractor jumps the rim leaving the spent shell in the chamber. I've seen this happen more times then I can count.

But never a single time ever with the HH long tapered case design. Why do you think it's popularity for Brownies was unmatched for the last 40 years or so? Plenty of power, 100% reliable and built with CRF actions that were proven. Plus mild recoil with easy second shots for such a powerful rifle.

So maybe the guy using it for Elk in mild/ cold weather gets what he wants from this design. For those folks I stand corrected on the skeptical over analyzing of these posts. However, I still stand by my concern over the use of this "new" design for those buying it to protect themselves or for those hunting in harsh/hot/salty/ hideous conditions.

I suspect that a properly designed CRF action well tuned with a reasonable loads in this cartridge will function well.

On the other hand, this load packed to the gills with powder and shot from a less then perfect CRF rifle could be a struggle. I would very likely just shoot it in a Push feed that has a flawless feeding cycle. In any case buying a new rifle for DG is very much like racing a new car. It's a bad idea to compete at the highest level and expect to come out on top without experts in your corner. Whether they be your mechanic, and race team setting up the car for the race, or it be your gunsmith who makes that gun competitive for the dangerous potential situations it may have to get you out of.

The cost of brand new rarely if ever includes "just right" where rifles are concenred today.

Jim, guess I'm missing something... this cartridge isn't a beltless mag ala WSM. It's a standard belted round... can't understand where the idea it won't feed well comes from.?.?

Maybe we should just drop the whole feed issue all togehter.
I never suggested it will not feed or extract all ways, or forever, or 100% of the time.

The design of the HH cartridge was superior to all other cases ever made in the freaking history of firearms for feed and eject functions. Making a case with a rebated rim? (is that the case?) and a short neck with a long shell case bearing surface is not as functional as the 375HH case is. Especially in conditions where it's in a tough environment , or stressful.

the neck should not be shorter that the bore caliber diameter. Necks tend to be much shorter in these "new" cartridges. I believe they generally sacrifice neck length to get velocity by virtue of increasing powder capacity.

Try keeping the bullets in the shell under recoil with that short neck. It's already an issue with a long neck!

Some of these cartridges incorporate a rebated rim to accomodate a standard magnum faced bolt. This is often the cause of feeding problems for the cartridge

If the whole point is just another elk rifle that's great go for it, have fun. The post originally expressed that this would be a good Alaska bear rifle or for Africa.

I simply do not agree at all where life and limb are concerned that this comes close to the solution we already had.

Brad - I am with you - the 300 WM isn't a finiky feeder in my opinion and I have had a bout 6 Rugers and they have all fed flawless. So I think Ruger will get it to run. They sure don't seem to be making may mistakes lately and they are atleast progressing as a company - new rifles and pistols (their new 45ACP) and new rounds for us to play with.

Plus they carry no long term debt and have other non gun business ventures (read somewhere that virtualy all Ti golf heads sold in the US, regardless of name brand are done by Ruger)

One would have to say that over their life time Ruger seems to have been run VERY well and are a pretty good model of how to run an American gun company.