I am planning on buying a new rifle for elk,bison,moose, and bears. I will not be taking either of these rifles to africa. Which one would you choose for hunting these animals? why would you choose it? The 338 will be a ruger hawkeye stainless and the 375 would be a ruger hawkeye alaskan stainless.

I have not hunted all the animals you list...but...if you can handle the recoil (not that much more) get the 375 and read "Horn of the Hunter" by Ruark...might change your mind about Africa and you would already have the right rifle.

I believe the 338 is a bit more versatile for the animals you plan to hunt. If your quarry were mainly the large bears then I would tend to lean towards the 375.

.375 Ruger. Go big or go home, especially when you're looking for a big rifle that will be used on nothing but very big game.

I would base the decision - if I was making it- on whether I wanted to handload. (I do, so the 375 is great. Otherwise, I'd go 338.) I would also consider the rifle itself - and think the Alaskan is more nicely thought out and put together than the standard, although not by a lot, so the 375 would be my choice there. Cartridge-wise it's about a wash. The 375 gives you a bit more, but the future and availability of the 338 is assured. My own choice would probably lean toward the Alaskan overall. However, I know I would also borrow JS' line about "go big" and opt for the 416 version.

.338, based on adequate power and better trajectory.

338...Hard to beat it...You can load with 250 or down to 185...I would say its a NO brainer!

....Im areal .338win fan...but...Id lean toward>>.375Ruger 235-250gnMonmetal... and go slay the lot.
.375cal 210 monmetal is not be sneezed at either... if you ever prefered something lighter for some reason.
Im glad the 375ruger exhists.

One would think so,but sorry,this is not true.The Ruger case will do over 2900 with a 250 gr 375;close to 3000 with a 235 BarnesX.I've shot the 338WM next to the 375 many times;the 375 shoots at least as flat as the 338.

I quit the 338 over 20 years ago and built a light 375 for just this reason;338 seemed pointless.

Bob, must pick at this a bit - b.c. equivalents, pressures same, the .338 will top the .375. Agree it's close. Significant difference in recoil.

I believe I would put my coins on the 338 win mag.............

Laker.... The .338 Win mag is gaining popularity no doubt amoung big game hunters and is more "versatile" period. I really like those 180 grain Nosler Accubond bullets for shooting (3200fps) fast and flat for mule deer and antelope. On those elk or moose, it is hard to beat the 210 Nosler partiton or 225 grain Accubond bullet (550BC) at 2880fps. The "Sectional Density" of the .338 caliber bullet (250 or 300 grain) is much better than any .375 caliber bullet. Meaning penetration is a lot deeper.
.375 Ruger, Nosler Partition. 260 grain bullet SD =.264 BC = 473

.338 Win. mag, Nosler Partition 250 grain grain bullet SD = .313,
BC = 473.


You can also bounce up the ladder to those 300 Woodleighs if need be, (big bears) in that .338 caliber making it a bears nightmare. Across the board, the versatility of the .338 Winchester magnum is very hard to beat, using bullets that weigh from 160 grains to 300 grains! One rifle caliber that does it all simply put ok.

So a hunter can hunt antelope up to the moose or elk without hesitation and bears to with heavy bullets using the same rifle. I should also indicate to you, that recoil from a 270 grain bullet going 2840fps out of that Ruger .375 caliber is NO cake walk what so ever in felt recoil!

I shoot a .375Wby using a 270 grain bullet and once over the 2600fps it gives you the feeling of....OUCH!!! It's Max is 2800fps heaven help me at over 50-lbs of felt recoil. The .338 Win mag has but 35-lbs or recoil or there abouts. Also your accuracy of the .338 bullet is going to be better down range. This will be attributed, to the fact it is mouch easier to shoot in the first place.

The .338 caliber is cheaper to shoot or reload for at the bench. I hope this and others have helped you gather enough in formation for your choice.

...........To be honest, you cannot go wrong with either one of them as they are both very capable in downing the game you`re going to hunt.

As a 375 Ruger Alaskan (matte) owner myself, I find this rifle at a little over 40" in OAL to be very handy, quick handling and wonderful in the field to carry. I bought mine specifically for bison, big bears and moose. A Ruger 338 Win Mag will have a longer length and will weigh a little less than the Alaskan.

As opposed to many, I like the Alaskan`s Hogue stock and don`t mind its eraser type feel, enlarged palm swells and enlarged pistol grip. It adapts to my large hands very well. The Hogue stock I find, is quiet and also dampens some of the 375 Ruger`s recoil. Like myself, if for some reason you don`t like it, you can always change the stock later on.

You are going to have to go with your gutt feelings on this one. No wrong choice between these two wonderful cartridges.

Forgot to mention this earlier......One of the best write ups I`ve seen on the 375 Ruger is on "gunblast.com"....."archives"......2/6/07......by Jeff Quinn. His test rifle was the 23" Hawkeye African. Deduct about 60-70 fps for the 20" barreled Alaskan, which is chump change.

Notice in that article his reloading data and chrony results.

Quote from Quinn,,,,,,"The 375 Ruger with the right bullet, is as flat shooting as the 270 Win, flatter shooting than the 30-06 and hits much harder than both when it gets there."

If trajectory is a big deal to you, fear not with the 375 Ruger. Other than perhaps one or two 338 wildcats, the only commercial 338`s that will shoot flatter than the 375 Ruger would be the RUM, Lapua, 340 Wby and the 338-378 Wby. With the right bullets, the 375 Ruger can shoot as flat as the 338 Win.

GF: Yes, the recoil is higher with the 375.The 338 IME is slightly lighter kicking IME,especially with 210's etc.

Here are my drops with 375-250 at 2900; +3@100;down 4"@300;down 14@ 400.This is about like the 270Win-150.

Also this is about like 338-210 Partition.The 250 from the 338 cannot be started as fast,drops a good deal more out at 400.

High BC's are helpful,no doubt,but trajectory to 400-500 yards is pretty much a function of velocity. Significantly higher BC's really start to show past those distances.

Aaargh... must'nt... buy... .375....... must'nt.... buy....375...

I bought a MKII All-Weather 338WM at Sportsman's a couple years ago when they were bringing out the Hawkeye and discontinuing the MKII. It was a great deal at only $459 so I scooped it up. Put a limb saver pad on it before I even shot it. Gun points and shoots great for me even though the cartridge itself is more of a "novalty" then anything else. A 7x57 would probably kill anything I ever hunt.

If I was saving my hard earned and really serious about a rifle heavier then a 300 mag it would be the 375 Ruger no doubt. I think it is a REAL step up performance wise.

Hitting where you intend is always more important though and if your scared of your rifle that will be tough to do. The 338wm IMHO is not that "scary" with a lot of practice. I weigh about 180lbs and usually pop off 20-30 shots before I have had enough. Never shot a 375 and probably never will.

Ruger280, I will admit to being a bit skeered of my .338 when I first bought it (M700 XCR). One of the guys in my elk camp had his braked due to the "extreme recoil", etc.

I laughed out loud first shot downrange... a big push, nothing more. Very shootable cartridge IMHO, at least in my rifle.

I don't doubt there's some brutal ones out there though. I had a .308 that would just about bring tears to your eyes from prone! Stock design, I guess.

The biggest thing I notice when shooting my MKII 338 on the bench is it jumps up off the front rest. I just make sure I have a good grip up front and squeeze it off. I doubt the MKII stock design is the greatest . A good soft recoil pad does wonders though.

I do wish I could water and fertilize mine, wake up the next day and it was a 700 XCR like yours Those are really nice rifles. You get what you pay for and I didn't pay much I suppose.

+1 on the .338 Mag. Use 225 gr. North Forks for everything but the largest of bears then go to the 240 gr. NF. The 240 was designed for large bears.
Bear in Fairbanks

Both excellent choices I think it is a personal preference deal and both will work flawlessly for your needs. I just sold my 375 ruger(because I have a 375 H&H)
I am working a deal on another .338 wm (but I have a .340 weatherby) previous post was correct a .338 is cheaper to shoot if you handload or not.
Everything I ever shot at with a .338 bullet died!(ELK)
Everything I am going to shoot at with the 375 I am certain will expire as well.
Recoil is not much of a concern with either rifle you just have to practice. Think Limbsaver!