Fellow Hunters,
I know that those who dig on whatever is new in the market place are going to slap me silly for the following rant.
Nonetheless, sometimes I believe we should say something to the benefit of people just starting out in the hunting of larger than white tail deer sized critters, lest they become infected with “velocity madness”, leaving them weakened and easy prey for such as the following described advertising strategy ………
Today’s trend (fad) in short action rifles is simply an advertising tactic, so that the factories can sell to us something we don’t really need.
In launching new and puffed up claims of “better” products = when their sales pitch is a success, they reap the benefit of a sales frenzy.
But, the only benefit to anyone in making shorter rifle mechanisms is using less steel.
As such, by using less material to build each product, the maker gains more profit margin.
It is absolutely zero benefit to the consumer.
Make no mistake, I am absolutely 100% all for capitalism.
Even with that, I will not fall for the sales hype from every traveling medicine show and snake oil peddler that rolls across the prairie.
Short actioned rifles do nothing that is truly useful to the hunter, plus sometimes they actually make things more problematic for the hunter (magazine box too short to use heavy bullet ammunition).
An exception might be argued that for high mountain hunts (sheep, goat, chamois, etc.), every gram of weight shaved off a rifle matters.
However with that, most hunters will not choose a .37 bore to hunt such alpine critters with in the first place.
(So lucky you guys, my rant continues).
Also with stiff kickers, when a rifle is too light, recoil can be more of a hindrance than a benefit.
Anyway, Ruger touts and crows often enough that their new version of the .375 inch bore cartridge, provides 100 feet per second higher velocity than the original H&H version, provided the same barrel length or maybe even a tic shorter.
Evidently this advertising strategy has worked, because the Ruger cartridge seems to be popular enough that I sometimes see ammunition for it on gun store display shelves.
The sand in this ice cream is that when using 300 grain bullets, the H&H is already going about 150 fps faster than necessary.
Well anyway, if a person wants an inexpensive .375 caliber bolt action rifle that is made from stainless steel, the Ruger is all of that.
Never mind that people who’ve shot the Ruger version, sometimes say that the Ruger cartridge recoils a bit more than the original H&H .375 generally does and ammunition is sometimes not as commonly available as the original H&H version ammunition is.
Be all of that as it may, here in extra wet coastal Alaska where I live, using such a stainless steel rifle, as the Ruger, chambered in a powerful cartridge would make sense.
(Both rusted metal and large bears are very, very common here).
If however Ruger made that same rifle with the proper length action, to fit the original H&H caliber, it would make a lot more sense (a lot more sense to me anyway).
Ok that’s it, my rifle grump rant ends here.
Bah Humbug,
Velo Dog.
