375 H&H vs 375 Rugar

[mjm316]

Hey all Im fairly new to this part of the forum and hope this question hasnt been beaten to death already.
Im now in the market for a new or used 375 for a nice little trip down to Kodiak to chase the big brown and fuzzy guys. So my question is I know that the H&H has been around and will be around for a long time to come and also the availability of ammo for it is world wide.
Can you say the same thing for the 375 rugar? I really like the price of this gun and most reviews are pretty good. I guess Im a bit hesitent to get the Rugar thinking that it might end up being one of the "fad" calibers and in a few years it will be nonexistent...
Thanks in advance for all of your opinions,
Mike

[patcharooskie]

MJM16, when other manufacturer start building rifles in 375 Ruger you can be more sure. Actually, the Ruger 375 looks so good on paper that it probably make the grade. I hope so anyway. Get yourself a good supply of brass and go for it (I'm assuming thay you reload. If not you are missing a lot of the satisfaction).

[hodgeman]

MJM316,
I'd pick up the .375 Ruger without any hesitation. I've had one for a few years and really like it- my Alaskan is hard hitting and quite compact, with good sights.

I think the caliber is here to stay for a couple of reasons... first, any '06 length action can be turned into a .375 Ruger with minimal hassle so the prohibitive cost of producing a full length action isn't there- several other companies are producing rifles in that chambering (Howa and Steyr for example) and I've seen a couple of customs on other actions. Second, the economics of ammo manufacturing have changed dramatically and the volume to be profitable is much lower than it used to be. To date the sales of .375 Ruger ammo have exceeded the sales targets so we can know that its a profitable product for Hornady.

I'm predicting that it will last a while based on the number of rifles already out there (Ruger has sold a lot of these already) in existence. To continue offering it as a chambering costs basically nothing since there are few unique components required to manufacture it. While its certainly no better than a .375 H&H in the field, it is its equal in any meaningful way and the consumer can purchase one for nearly the same price as a run-of-the-mill standard caliber.

[jim in anchorage]

I really don't understand this concern about future ammo availability. Midway still lists brass for the .22 Remington jet and the .256 Winchester, for Gods sake. There are what, 5 people out there who actually still shoot them?

[marshall]

Get the Ruger and be happy. There is plenty of ammo out there. The selection of ammo is limited the the quantity is fine.

If you load your own the sky is the limit. I have a very good shooting Alaskan that I will never part with.

[kobuk]

another plus for the 375 ruger alaskan rifle is the 20 in barrel. if you haven't spent much time in kodiak the shorter barrel will be way easier to get around in the alders, which kodiak has plenty.... trust me. i just bought one and i think it will help a lot if you hunt in any kind of brush.

[mjm316]

Thanks fellas, so what are the drawbacks on the 375 Rugar if any?

[cochrj1]

I can tell you that I bought the 416 Ruger Alaskan and I love it!. At first it was not 100% reliable but a file and some oil and 60 rounds of ammo later no issues. In my opnion it the best priced, dangerous game rifle made. It has excellent iron sights, CRF once you break it in, a great recoil pad, and is very accurate. I dont reload so I only have two ammo choices for the 416ruger, I think the 375 Ruger has 4 factory offerings if you count double tap. After saying this keep in mind I hate new calibers but the 375 and 416 rugers in the Alaskan model.... well I knew I was getting one or the other and decided on the 416........I'd say go for it!

Chris

[hodgeman]

Thanks fellas, so what are the drawbacks on the 375 Rugar if any?

The Ruger rifles have some hit or miss issues sometimes , nothing not easily gunsmith/ factory corrected typically. The Hogue Overmold stock is not everybody's favorite- easily replaced if its a bother, some guys love them though. The round itself is pretty straight forward good times however.

[Daved]

The gun is good, especially for the price. I have one and my buddy has one. The sights are good, the action is suitable for dangerous game, it is heavy enough to be shootable but still manageable in the field. If you are REALLY worried about the availability of ammo, then the 375 HH is the obvious choice. If you have a bunch of guns already and you are looking for something else to add to the collection, then go for the RUGER. I think Ruger/Hornady did a good job thinking this one out. Make sure the gun fits you well. If it is awkward and does not point well for you, then you may be looking at a 375 HH because there are so many more options.

I was milliseconds away from buying the 416. If I do a bunch more grizzly hunting, I still might.

[rimfirematt]

I too am strongly thinking about getting this gun. I miss my old winchester 70 S/S 375 w/20 inch barrel. That was a great gun. I sold it for like 700 dollars. DUMB DUMB I know. And seeing as though that gun now fetches 12-15 hundred when you can find them.... Im Liking that ruger. It has all the attributes that my model 70 had. I guess my big hang up is the ammo issue too. And also, do I really need another gun?
But I handload so I doubt that brass will never not be available and the 375 diameter bullets will always be around too.

[MyTime]

My 375 Ruger Research

FWIW...

I had the same questions several months ago. Over a couple months of research I called Ruger, I called Hornady, I spoke to a knowledgeable AOD forum member, I PM'ed and received responses from several AOD forum members, and I researched this forum and other forums trying to get good hard facts along with opinions. The result of my research was that the 375 Ruger is a good selling rifle, not in jeopardy to be cut from the Ruger line of rifles, the Hornady 375 Ruger ammo is popular and selling extremely well, and there is currently no reason to believe this rifle/cartridge will go away any time soon. People that own and use this rifle are overwhelmingly pleased with it and very vocal on different forums, so word-of-mouth endorsements suggest the popularity is increasing.

If ammo availability is your concern, then for a couple hundred bucks you can start reloading, cut your cost for ammo down a lot, and if you stock up on brass (midwayUSA = $45.49 for 50 pieces and in stock now) you might never have to be concerned again about ammo availability. 375 Ruger brass is available all over the internet. I've seen brass at Cabela's and at gun shops, and that means it is selling well enough to stock. I've reloaded 308 brass and 300 WM brass up to 8 times and they still look pristine. If the 375 can be loaded 8 times your 91 cent cost per piece of brass is now down to 11.3 cents per loading. So, if you purchase brass and reload you can get your cost down to just above $1.50-1.60 per shot, as opposed to $2.85 for factory ammo. With saving $1.25+ a shot your $200 worth of reloading equipment will be paid for in about 160 reloads.

I plan on owning a 375 Ruger in the future. I won't worry about ammo availability, I'll just stock up on brass and reload until I get too old to remember how or what to do.

[BrettAKSCI]

My thought is the Ruger, but you'll need to do some customization......in my oppinion. Bed it, have a trigger job, and consider you may need to switch out the rear sight if it doesn't happen to shoot on as it does not adjust verticly. Mine shot 6" low at 25 yds, so it's in at the gunsmith's getting a new fully adjustable rear sight. I want functional open sights, but that's me!

Brett

[OKElkHunter]

I have the African and think its a great rifle. Have dumped 3 moose with it, didn't have to wait for them to expire either all 3 went less than 5 yards and fell over dead. I like wood and the 22" barrel on the African. I got lucky with the trigger and actually got a very smooth and tight one. talked with several people and a smith and thats not always the case with Ruger long guns. I have had other model 77s and the triggers were crap. If you do get a sloppy trigger, any smith can fix it at a fairly reasonable price, or you can put a Timney on it and never have to worry. The only work I've done to mine is glass bed the action and chamber and float the barrel. Rifle is a tack driver with 270 gr Hornadys at 100yds from a cold barrel. It does start opening up once the barrel gets warm, but you should only have to fire once from a cold barrel when hunting, twice at most is all you'll get when shooting at charging bears, and mine dosen't start opening up groups until after about 4 shots. It still keeps them within about an inch and a half even warm. Get one, I think you'll be happy with the shorter and lighter rifle over a long and heavy H&H.

[.338 mag.]

As far as one being better then the other I guess the Ruger wins on paper. But is that the deciding factor? Does the kind of rifle it's chambered in matter to you? The Ruger African is a very good looking and well balanced package in my opinion. It is also a lot cheaper then the Winchester and custom Mauser rifles that made the .375 H&H caliber look so good on the cover of many magazines for many years. Either caliber will work with the right bullet.